Getting to the Shengsi Islands with your dog
Updated Aug 2021
Are you trying to go to one of the many of the islands that make up the Shengsi Islands? Looking up information about getting there as a person can be complicated, just imagine trying to take a dog.
Well, it is possible to get to get to the Islands with your four-legged friends. Best part, getting to Shengsi Islands with your dog is not that complicated, once you get the correct information. Just like everything in China it depends on who is working at the port. This determines what rules you actually need to follow.
Shengsi Islands with your dog
Prepare the necessities for your dog. You will need some sort of dog carrier or crate. We used a crate, and a collapsible carrying case because we had 5 dogs to take with us. We also had one dog in a doggie backpack.
We needed to have our dogs in the crate in the ferry terminal lobby and when we boarded the ship. The walk to the ferry is a little long, I recommend something with wheels for heavier dogs.
Once on the ferry, the dogs cannot go in the cabin, we instead sat outside along the side of the ship with the dogs. Here we could take the dogs out of the crates and carrying bags. We found some stools and a place that had a little protected area from the water. I am not sure if there will always be stools available, you could pack a small blanket or foldable chair just in case.
Note: If you have a smaller dog or even just one dog, I think you could get away with taking them into the seating area. Put them into a doggie duffel or bookbag and just walk on. If it’s not noticeable you have a dog no one should say anything about being in the seating area.
Overall, it wasn’t super complicated to bring our dogs with us, just a hassle because we had so many.
Tickets
Buying tickets is fairly easy and can be done through a WeChat mini program. Search 舟山海星邮轮 or 嵊泗客运总站. We booked our tickets using the second one with no issues.
*Note: You do not need to buy a ticket or inform the dock ahead of time if you have a dog. Just buy your ticket and show up with your dog in tow.
Getting to Shengjiawan Dock
After you get your dog crate/ carrying bag and your tickets you have to actually get to the ferry terminal.
You can do this two ways. If you have a license you can drive to Shengjiawan dock (沈家湾码头). We didn’t want to take a car on the island, so we decided to Huolala to the ferry terminal. Also, some islands do not allow cars, so make sure you look up if your island has car ferries. We had two stops, one in Puxi and one in Pudong. We paid around 400 RMB for the hour drive to the ferry terminal with the two stops.
In our Huolala we had 3 people and 5 dogs with us and our luggage.
Many taxi cars were waiting at the port on both sides, no problem getting back to Shanghai via taxi. We paid roughly 600 to get back after a lot of negotiating.
