Wheelchair accessible excursions

In Nov., we will be traveling to the Eastern Caribbean. That is Grand Turk, St. Thomas, San Juan and St. Maarten, with my handicapped father in law who will be in a wheelchair.

There is only one excursion listed that specifies that it is handicapped accessible and that is in St. Thomas.

Do any of you have recommendations for the rest of the ports listed? I am afraid if I don't have something to offer him, he will never get off the ship and that would be a shame.

We have a scooter for on the ship and a portable wheelchair for off the ship.

I have never traveled with a wheelchair bound person before so any help would be appreciated. I want him to have a great time. Thanks in advance.

I have gone to some of these places with my nephew which is in a wheel chair. His wheelchair does not fold so we just walked around the places. It is very hard to get around because alot of these places do not think about people with accessibility issues. Side walks are very small or broken (holes) so you might have to travel on the road and move aside if a car comes.

If you have a wheelchair that folds you should be fine and if he can take some steps on his own or with help but sometimes they have buses that you it is hard to get up on.

Good luck and hope you all can have fun on your cruise.

Since you are visiting outside the USA, you don't have the everything must be handicapped accessible laws(if possible).

My in-laws were on a cruise last month, and they had a very hard time finding things that my father-in-law could go on off the ship because of the wheel chair. In Cape Canaveral he was able to enjoy the space museum and to an extent the beach. But once they hit the islands he elected to mostly stay on the ship since it was so difficult for him to get around.

While I haven't cruise with someone in a wheelchair, I do have almost 20 years experience working with the differently abled and have 7 cruises completed in less than 4 years.

I can't really help you on excursions but would like to share what I hope are some helpful thoughts:

Double and triple check that the cabin is handicapped. Also remember that some staterooms are handicap accessible and others are fully handicapped. The difference between the two is mostly limited to the width of the door and the threshold step into the bathroom. A good PVP or a visit to google can help with this.

Motorized scooters are sometimes tough to get around on the ship but worth the effort for those with limited mobility. It will need to be parked in your cabin when not in use. Take a new good quality heavy duty extension cord in your carry on for charging. Your mileage may vary but power chair batteries always seem to fail at the worst time.

Off ship the manual wheel chair should be a standard chair. That is to say big wheels on the rear as opposed to a transport chair where all 4 wheels are the same size. The uneven surfaces you will need to push on do not lend to a comfortable ride or ease with the smaller wheels.

You can not push a wheel chair in dry sand. Don't ask how I know, just understand I know this for a fact. Wet sand it is doable but getting to the wet sand is tough.

I wish you a wonderful cruise and so happy to hear your taking your F-in-L.

I have no knowledge of this, but I googled the words wheelchair Caribbean excursions. There might be something there for you to look at. One company was http://www.accessiblecaribbeanvacations.com. The ad phone number was 1-888-490-1280.

Grand Turk - there's lots to do right there at the port - free beach, pool (if he can take steps into it), chairs, shopping, etc.

St Maartens - there are a few non-cruise ship excursions.

Here's a couple of posts that might be of interest (not mine, but I've found helpful)

http://curbfreewithcorylee.com/2014/07/28/wheelchair-accessible-st-maarten/

http://www.accessiblecaribbeanvacations.com/st-maarten-disabled-access

http://worldonwheelz.com/Travel%20Reviews/celebrity%202004.htm#stm

San Juan is a tough one - it's part of the USA so ADA applies BUT it's very hilly - once you get off the ship, it's a lot pushing uphill.

san Juan- use the scooter- google san juan walking tours.

Too many hills to be pushing a wheel chair

can he transfer to another vehicle from the wheel chair/ scooter?

like a bus or a taxi?

that could help a great deal with pointing you in the direction you are looking for

My mom ventured out in a wheel chair----once. she is more then happy to stay on the ship and enjoy the quiet

Sorry, I just realized what I wrote applied to HMC not Grand Turk, so I edited. However, GT should be fine to push a wheelchair around at the port and along the walkways on the beach. I would call the special needs number at Carnival and ask if there are beach wheelchairs available at GT - however, the beach can be steep for a wheelchair there, so sticking to/close to the paths might be best there. Even if he doesn't want to go to the beach, he can still get around port. The special needs desk can likely offer advice on excursions, too. I can't see why he couldn't sit on a tour bus/trolley in GT and not get off if access is a problem.

I am wheelchair dependent and always book with a private tour company that has a ramped van or bus. The cruise ships do not offer this. They want you to be able to climb a few steps, which I cannot.

Grand Turk you will be able to get around the port area with no problems.

San Juan is very hilly and some areas have cobblestone streets which is difficult with a manual wheelchair. The port areas in St. Thomas and St. Maarten are good to. Check trip advisor for recommended tour companies, then email them asking if they have a wheelchair accessible van or bus to take a tour.

At these ports we often just go to the beach....but I think an alternative would be to find independent tour guides for each port and let them know about the members of your party. Let them make suggestions to you about what they could offer in the way of sightseeing that would be appropriate for your father in law.

I just got back from Europe with my 95 year old mom. She really enjoyed the sightseeing excursions, particularly ones where we didn't have to make many stops.

If your father in law can manage a couple of steps to get into a mini bus, then he will have no problem. I have done a Caribbean cruise with a manual wheelchair and managed to do a trip in every port of call. In a couple I had pre booked, but we visited different places to you.

Except St Maarten, where we had a tour with Bernard's Tours and there was no problem. I can walk a short distance, so was not confined to the wheelchair. In many of the ports of call we just got one of the tours from those waiting at the quayside, which is much cheaper than doing any ship's excursions.

I found everybody very helpful and went out of their way to make sure I could cope OK. Don't let having a wheelchair put him off.

San Juan has a free trolly that has a wheelchair lift. It goes to the two forts and maybe other places also. We used them this past May. Be advised...THERE ARE NO TIE-DOWNS ON THE TROLLY!!. So you have to hold on tight to the chair. On St. Martin, RCCL offered an excursion called Easy St. Martin which had a van with a lift. It was a very nice tour. Once you get off the ship on each island, ask at the taxi stand for a taxi with a lift. We found on our Southern Caribbean cruise that most islands had at least one van that had a lift.

Good luck.

P.S. Even if we found an accessible van, none of them had tie-downs.

For your stop in St Martin there is a wonderful area around the pier that is hanicap accessable and the ferry shuttle to downtown in accessible. I cruised last year with a scooter and spent most of the day in the area around the pier. Plenty of shade and nice breezes.

Grand Turk - is really a very small island, you may care to take a cab and tour a bit...just agree with the driver in advance how long the tour is going to be and what will be the price will be....they charge by the person. The port facility has a number of shops and bars.

St. Maartin - if your FIL can handle a few steps up into a van then I can recommend Bernard as well. Again there is a very well developed port facility and you can take a water taxi to Philipsburg where the boardwalk area is vey accessible but the second street off the beach while doable with a chair it does take a little more effort.

St. Thomas - shopping in a chair is next to impossible.

anyone know of anything in Belize for a 90% wheelchair bound person. Can walk short distances, but ship tenders and they do not take a scooter.

Any info appreciated. Also, is there anything at the port area?

Thanks

Sorry, I just realized what I wrote applied to HMC not Grand Turk, so I edited. However, GT should be fine to push a wheelchair around at the port and along the walkways on the beach. I would call the special needs number at Carnival and ask if there are beach wheelchairs available at GT - however, the beach can be steep for a wheelchair there, so sticking to/close to the paths might be best there. Even if he doesn't want to go to the beach, he can still get around port. The special needs desk can likely offer advice on excursions, too. I can't see why he couldn't sit on a tour bus/trolley in GT and not get off if access is a problem.

Grand Turk is very easy to get around. It's very flat with shops and there is a fabulous Margaritaville right there with a huge pool and lounge chairs. I can't say anything about tours there since we only stayed in the port area at the end of the pier.

Except St Maarten, where we had a tour with Bernard's Tours and there was no problem. I can walk a short distance, so was not confined to the wheelchair. In many of the ports of call we just got one of the tours from those waiting at the quayside, which is much cheaper than doing any ship's excursions.

 

I found everybody very helpful and went out of their way to make sure I could cope OK. Don't let having a wheelchair put him off.

Have heard that Bernard's Tours is very reputable in St. Maarten. However lately I'm cautious about doing an excursion not booked with the ship solely for the reason if the tour is late getting back the ship will wait.

Psupa

We very rarely do ship tours and have never even been close to missing a ship. Bernard's Tours like all the other recommended local tour operators rely on their reputation, so are going to ensure you get back to the ship in good time.

anyone know of anything in Belize for a 90% wheelchair bound person. Can walk short distances, but ship tenders and they do not take a scooter.

 

Any info appreciated. Also, is there anything at the port area?

 

Thanks

Stores. The person will need a foldable wheel chair. THey have to walk the stairs to the tender boat and sit in a seat on that tender boat-- NOT the wheel chair.

Grand Turk is very easy to get around. It's very flat with shops and there is a fabulous Margaritaville right there with a huge pool and lounge chairs. I can't say anything about tours there since we only stayed in the port area at the end of the pier.

For what it's worth the post you replied to is over 2 years old.