cruslover

Hi everyone: just putting my two cents worth in because my mother is handicapped and we've seen examples of your situation. Just to reaffirm: book your accessible cabin asap. They do sell out quickly. We have already booked a cruise that leaves in March of next year. EAah line should have an accessible number and they can usually tell you how big (sq feet) the room is and what all it contains for the person in need. My mom is mobile to some extent so we take her manual wheelchair to the edge of plane door and she can walk to her seat so check with the airlines about your situation. I'm sure there are ways to do it because we have met two couples our past two cruise who had a partner that was confined to their chair. Most importantly, if you want to get off the ship and do excursions, contact the cruise accessibility line about moving your friend on/off ship and if it is a tendered port, she will not be able to get off ship. When we took a 17 day cruise to Asia, we stopped in 8 ports. this one couple was only able to get off on one because of the wording on the cruise excursions. I had questioned the accessibility dept. about excursions and they told me that even though it states "accessible", it more than likely means that the building (for example) is accessible but the transportation is not. I was able to make plans ahead of time through the internet for private tours in each of the stops. I explained what my mother needed (we have a manual wheelchair, we need a car vs a van because she can't step up, etc) and we did fine. So you'll need to make arrangements on your own since you'll require special assistance so you can get off the ship and tour around. That couple was only able to get off the ship in one port because they were lead to believe that the ship tours were accessible to all when in reality, they are not. Everyone's accessibility is different so do alot of research ahead of time and you should have smooth sailing!

My mother needs the accessible cabins and we rent a scooter but also bring her manual chair for on-shore excursions. Though you didn't request an accessible cabin, I would fill it out anyway and state just what you've said. It's better to have them know and like Schoifmom said, it's also a good idea encase there is an emergency.

Hi PegP--my mom rents a scooter every time we cruise. When we to Asia on a 17 day cruise in 2015, it cost about $800 and we were charged a $100 fee because we were going one-way from Singapore to Shanghai. She used a standard one. I know it's very expensive but it sure saves me from pushing her around the ship in her wheelchair! Plus, she's a night owl so she can party and I can relax.I didn't want to deal with the extra pain of a battery pack on the plane either and then if something happens to it or something gets lost, then what. So we always rent one and then we take her manual wheelchair to get her on/off ship for excursions. We ended up purchasing one this past year. We live in FL so when we take any cruises that we can drive to, we do take her scooter with us and then she can ride it directly on the ship.

If anyone can answer this for me I'd appreciate it!! we have 3 tender ports on our cruise to South American on FEb. 4, 2018. Ilahbela and Buzios Brazil and Punta Del Este Uruguay. I know on some ships, you must go down a set of stairs to get to the tender. However, I have seen pictures of other ships where you board the tender from a platform so you don't have to do any stairs except, i'm sure, those that go down into the boat itself. I'm trying to find out from anyone who has sailed this itinerary on the Celebrity Infinity which access to the tenders they have: the stairs or the platform. My mom uses a wheelchair, and though she is not confined to it (thank goodness) we want to avoid stairs as much as possible.