First timer renting a wheelchair

We are booked on an alaska cruise on the Pearl, we are going to rent a wheelchair from special needs at sea. can you use the wheelchair off the ship in ports?. How is NCL with people who use wheelchairs . Thanks

Yes you are allowed to take it off the ship.

Have you booked an HC accessible cabin as most wheelchairs will not fit through a standard cabin door ? If it's a manual collapsable/folding chair the person will have to get out of the chair and fold it in order to get through the standard cabin door. If it's a motorized chair or nonfolding chair it will not fit through a standard cabin door and need a HC cabin.

Have never been on NCL so can not give any personal insight on how they handle wheelchair passengers. However, regardless of the cruise line, there are pretty much the same general rules when it comes to ports that are "tendered". Alaska cruise many times have at least one "tendered" port. Be prepared not to be able to tender with the wheelchair and if NCL does allow it than consider that to be a plus .

Here's the link to NCL's website regarding accessibilty http://www2.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising

Also regarding tendering the following is copied directly from NCL's website

XXOO is spot on. You need to be sure you have an accessible cabin, and need to be prepared to not be able to get off the ship at some ports. I travel in my manual chair and rent a power chair on the ships. Sometimes -- not always -- they'll allow me on the tender with my manual chair, but not the power chair.

As for on the ship -- you should be able to get nearly everywhere, but not in the pools (most of the lines don't have lifts) or the very top deck. When crew members see you they'll try to be sure to more furniture to make space for you, have you seated in areas where you can roll up in in your wheelchair (or power chair or scooter).

And yes, you can use the wheelchair in ports.