Divina Public Spaces: Handicapped Access

On my upcoming trip on the Divina I shall be traveling with my mom, who has some mobility issues. She uses a walker, and we have also rented a battery-run scooter for the trip. We also booked a handicapped cabin, so that she will have grab bars in the bathroom and be able to store and charge the scooter.

Does anyone here have experience with the access points to the public spaces on Divina? Will she be able to bring her scooter or a walker into the main dining rooms? The pool areas? (I understand that there are no lifts for the pools, but I can assist her as needed.)

What about the theater? She is really looking forward to the shows, which she enjoyed so much on our previous MSC cruise. Can she enter the theater with the scooter or walker? Is there an entrance towards the front of the theater, as she finds if almost impossible to walk down a steep ramp or steps?

What about ports that are tendered? Does the Divina staff assist those with mobility issues? Or do they have a blanket policy that prohibits clients from leaving the ship at tendered ports? (Does anyone know whether Cayman Island is tendered?)

TIA for any information and/or advice on navigating the Divina.

I've not been on the Divina but on all their other ships they have an are in the theatre for wheelchair users, towards the back of the lower tiers before you reach all the steps. If she has a walker she may be able to access other areas but wouldn't recommend that as steps to the front areas are many and if the ship suddenly pitches can be a tad tricky for those without difficulties walking.

I've seen folk with walkers, scooters and wheelchairs on almost every MSC cruise I've been on. Some areas will be more accessible than others but there will be a lot of the ship she can access, particularly for you to assist her.

Open seating in MDR at breakfast and lunch may be more challenging at busy times but the wait staff should help you find an area that is easier to reach.

Hopefully someone who has been on the Divina and had a member of their group have similar mobility issues will be able to give you specifics.

Not sure about tenders. I have really poor balance and am a tad nervous about getting off the tender platform on to the boat. The crew invariably grab hold of me without being asked to and help steady me as I step over. Occasionally they practically lift me over! They will help pele with some issues not sure if they will arry people on though. How ig is the scooter? does it fold down? That may be the biggest issue for tendering. They are usually quite a few steep steps down to tender platforms.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments. It will be interesting to see whether my mom feels more comfortable with her walker or the scooter. I rented the scooter so that she could cover more territory when sightseeing, but it might not be practical at tender ports. The last three cruises that we took she just used a cane, but she has become less steady recently.

The scooter is a rental:

http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/reserve-equipment/scooters-wheelchairs-powerchairs/standard-scooter/

i did a back to back recently on the divina and got moved around the mdr several times. that is another story but i did sit with someone for a few nights who had a electric wheelchair and handicapped cabin and the couple loved the cruise and there was plenty of room for the wheelchair by our table. one thing they said is their bathroom shower floor didn't have a drain plug. yes, it does sound weird. they said they lined towels on the bathroom floor to stop the shower water from leaving the bathroom and soak it up. i gotta believe the drain was hidden behind the toilet or something and was hard to see and didn't work well. i spent little time in the theater but lots of scooters and people sitting on them were in the back row and the sound and view was fine.

It's not so uncommon in Europe to find showers that take up the entire room. My guess is that you are right. There must be a drain hidden somewhere. We are in a handicapped cabin. I shall make a point of looking for the hidden drain.:D

Think it was probably meant to be a wet room. I had a HC cabin once on a Costa ship (very late booking) and it was a wet room rather than just a large shower.