Eurodam to Alaska with the Two Cruising Sisters 5/20-27

Loved the trip report!!

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Wonderful report and blog along with fabulous photos. Sorry to see it end! Food and drink photos had me salivating.

Congrats on becoming 4 ⭐️

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Really enjoyed your blog. Thank you.

Congratulations Lisa, on becoming a 4 star mariner.

Wonderful report and blog along with fabulous photos. Sorry to see it end! Food and drink photos had me salivating.

Oh, it's the blog that never ends .... I still have 850+ photos to sort through for my photo/video montage. I was sloughing off this time round - usually I have better than 1,000.

And thanks for all the congrats on being a four-star mariner. I couldn't have done it without Karin. Best cruising - sister - buddy ever!

Thanks for taking us along on your cruise. Really enjoyed the write ups & photos, well done. Congratulations on receiving your 4* Mariner. Time to start working on the next one.

Allan

I thought I'd do a quick wrap up of the cruise from the perspective of someone with less than optimal mobility. The biggest boon was the rollator. While I really didn't want one (due to pride and vanity), my sister insisted, and boy was that a stroke of genius.

Moving about the ship is generally easy - the hallways are wide enough to accommodate the rollator, and still allow other people to pass you by. And when I was using my cane, or even walking unassisted for shorter distances, there are plenty of things (railings, furniture, a helpful crew member) to grab hold of, if necessary. Most of the doorways have a little ramp that makes maneuvering over the lip relatively easy, though there are a few spots that I had to lift the rollator to get over. (Primarily the door on Deck 11 to get to the cabanas - but then again, we had delightful cabana attendants who could always be counted on for assistance.)

The biggest obstacle to moving about the ship are the unobservant passengers, who stand cluelessly in the middle or dart around you, unaware that you need a bit of extra room to maneuver. Though I was tempted at times to run over their toes or bark their shins with the rollator, I managed to resist (though not without some inward fuming). We didn't eat at the Lido though we passed through a number of times, and that was the spot that caused the most difficulty. Hungry people tend not to be aware of their surroundings!

The biggest issue, of course, is getting on and off the ship. Having requested wheelchair assistance for the embarkation/disembarkation twice now, you're better off making other arrangements if possible. It was completely disorganized and slow. Even though we had filled out the request form, there is no follow through at the pier. And nothing in our cabin for disembarkation, though it was easy enough to arrange through the Neptune Concierge, as we'd done our cruise last September. (Another benefit of a suite!) Since I was pretty mobile with the rollator, and using my sister as my sherpa, I managed both embarkation and disembarkation on my own this go-round. The gangways are always at an incline, either up or down, which presents ... challenges. At the ports of call, there were plenty of crew to assist, preventing my rollator from running away from me. Kudos to them for sure! It was just the lack of follow through with the wheelchair embarkation/disembarkation that was managed poorly.

And of course, as I mentioned earlier, having the escalator out of commission when we returned to Seattle threw up another major roadblock and caused massive congestion.

The other issue was the muster drill. Having the rollator was hugely beneficial as I could sit down during the 20 minute drill. It helped that we arrived about 10 minutes early, so I could sit in the back without getting in the way of the other passengers. Also, having our keycards swiped rather than calling out names and cabin numbers made the drill go faster which was really appreciated.

Hope that helps others with mobility challenges. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask!

Thank you for everything...the posts here, the blog - and especially for this last post. My Mom is going to get a rollator for this cruise (even if she doesn't know it yet ;) ).

Thank you for everything...the posts here, the blog - and especially for this last post. My Mom is going to get a rollator for this cruise (even if she doesn't know it yet ;) ).

Do it - she may protest, but after the first hour, she'll be thanking you profusely. And it doubles as a handy way to tote your carry-ons and shopping bags :D

Thank you Lisa-Ann for both your blog & your postings here. Where are y'all going next & can we expect another travelogue?

Karen

Thank you Lisa-Ann for both your blog & your postings here. Where are y'all going next & can we expect another travelogue?

 

Karen

Well.... there is a possibility that we'll be sailing on the Eurodam for a 17-Day Circle Hawaii cruise, leaving Seattle on Sept 30 and returning to Vancouver on Oct. 17. Quite a few things will have to fall into place in order to pull that one off, so it's not terribly likely. But please keep your fingers crossed for us as we can't wait to get back aboard. After all, we'll need that Hawaiian sun to get us through a dark and damp Pacific Northwest winter -- especially if next winter is like the last one! And if we do go, there'll be lots more blogging and photos because, well, I can't help myself.

Say "hi" to your hubby for us and I really hope we get to cruise with you guys again - our Maasdam cruise last fall was ever so much fun! :*

Well.... there is a possibility that we'll be sailing on the Eurodam for a 17-Day Circle Hawaii cruise, leaving Seattle on Sept 30 and returning to Vancouver on Oct. 17. Quite a few things will have to fall into place in order to pull that one off, so it's not terribly likely. But please keep your fingers crossed for us as we can't wait to get back aboard. After all, we'll need that Hawaiian sun to get us through a dark and damp Pacific Northwest winter -- especially if next winter is like the last one! And if we do go, there'll be lots more blogging and photos because, well, I can't help myself.

 

Say "hi" to your hubby for us and I really hope we get to cruise with you guys again - our Maasdam cruise last fall was ever so much fun! :*

That sounds like a wonderful cruise...I hope you ladies are able to go.

And, if you and Karin ever decide to come East and cruise from Boston to Canada/New England or Bermuda we would love to take you to dinner if time permits!

Thanks for taking us along with you to Alaska...I do miss it already!

Just found your Thread! What wonderful posts and your Blog is great. I did get upset when I thought the blog cut off part of your Alaska trip, then realized some of it had been archived. I found most everything!

We are on the Eurodam May 2018 and I'm studying everything I can. This was quite delightful.

Thanks Sisters! I have one myself, love her to pieces, and we may just take a cruise sometime, before we can't walk anymore!