wheel chair/ solstice

So I am excited, leaving here in a few weeks for 7 day trip on the Solstice. It looks like i will be in a wheel chair a lot, This will be the push type. I was thinking of the scooter, but cost turns out to be a factor, also we had not reserved a room that would hold one. I been diagnosed with three herniated disk and walking looks like something i will do little of, but i will LOL. Right after the cruise i go under the knife.

So i wanted to get all the help full info i can for wheel chair,on the boat and on shore getting on and off. Now I wont be in the wheel chair 24/7, i hope, ther ewill be some walking. I guess Pacifically the Solstice and Alaska ports. Any info or experience would be great.

So i wanted to get all the help full info i can for wheel chair,on the boat and on shore getting on and off. Now I wont be in the wheel chair 24/7, i hope, ther ewill be some walking...

I am assuming that you are traveling with another person to push you while in the wheelchair. Being self-propelled on the ship is one thing but you really need assistance in most ports. I also am assuming that you will be taking your own (folding) wheelchair since the cruise lines only provide w/c assistance during embarkation and disembarkation.

Having said that, all you do, when in port, is follow the announced instructions on the ship and make your way to the gangway. Since you say you can walk, its best to walk up or down the gangway (with assistance) and let the ship's mates' take your wheelchair down.

Most Alaska cruises are the inland passage so you most likely with go to Juneau, Skagway, etc. These ports are fairly easy to maneuver with a wheelchair but you still will need some 'pushing' assistance as your arms will tire easily.

Enjoy your cruise and good luck with your surgery. I've had three back surgeries in 13 years with the last one requiring insertion of rods and pins.

Thank you. Yes, i had to re-read my post, i thought i mention me and my wife on the cruise LOL, nope sorry about that. Ya as of right now i can walk or stand for about almost 10 min before i have to sit down. How Is getting from deck to deck with a wheel chair? ya i can walk off the ship and like on to buses. We have never did a cruise,this will be our first. We are so excited.

Getting from deck to deck requires either climbing the steps or using an elevator. From one end of the ship to the other can be a long hike. We always get a cabin mid ship so it's not too far either way. I have to use a scooter but my wife is the one walking. Hope this helps.

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The Solstice is a very large ship. Hallways are narrow. Lots of pushing so you may want to reconsider renting a scooter. However, cabin doors are narrow and cabins are small. Just some facts so you know what to expect.

We were just on Equinox in June and my DD was in a wheelchair. The wheelchair was a rather last minute thing, so we were in a standard cabin.

Important: the wheelchair would not fit through the door of the cabin when she was in it. She had to get to the door, get the chair through the door, then sit down in it.

She was able to take the few steps necessary, but could not walk distances or stand more than a few minutes at a time. She had assistance every time she got on or off the ship, often with a pusher in back and someone else in front of the chair. Even if we were with her, someone from Celebrity would jump in to help get her off or on the ship.

Hopefully you are taking your own chair, or have one rented through special needs and you are not depending on a free loaner from Celebrity. There were a couple of people I saw that depended on a free loaner rather than bring or renting one, and the ones they had only had small wheels. This was an issue because they were required to always have someone push them. My DD has the two rear wheels that are large and meant to be self pushed.

Even though they are more expensive, I would take excursions through the ship. If you are having a bad pain day or need to cancel fairly late, you should be able to. The ShoreEx staff should be able to advise you what excursions will be WC friendly. They may also be able to give you a slight head start once your excursion is called, since you will be dependent on elevators to get there and they sometimes fill fast.

the elevators were our biggest hurdle in many cases, as people would rush to fill them when they arrived and we were getting turned.

Good luck and if you have additional questions, I'll try to answer them.

We were just on Equinox in June and my DD was in a wheelchair. The wheelchair was a rather last minute thing, so we were in a standard cabin.

 

Important: the wheelchair would not fit through the door of the cabin when she was in it. She had to get to the door, get the chair through the door, then sit down in it.

 

She was able to take the few steps necessary, but could not walk distances or stand more than a few minutes at a time. She had assistance every time she got on or off the ship, often with a pusher in back and someone else in front of the chair. Even if we were with her, someone from Celebrity would jump in to help get her off or on the ship.

 

Hopefully you are taking your own chair, or have one rented through special needs and you are not depending on a free loaner from Celebrity. There were a couple of people I saw that depended on a free loaner rather than bring or renting one, and the ones they had only had small wheels. This was an issue because they were required to always have someone push them. My DD has the two rear wheels that are large and meant to be self pushed.

 

Even though they are more expensive, I would take excursions through the ship. If you are having a bad pain day or need to cancel fairly late, you should be able to. The ShoreEx staff should be able to advise you what excursions will be WC friendly. They may also be able to give you a slight head start once your excursion is called, since you will be dependent on elevators to get there and they sometimes fill fast.

 

the elevators were our biggest hurdle in many cases, as people would rush to fill them when they arrived and we were getting turned.

 

Good luck and if you have additional questions, I'll try to answer them.

Thanks for the Info, with our cruise coming up, i am so excited. Just getting a feel with the wheel chair, i have never had to use one for any length of time.