ILoveNaps

My parents have recently booked a 12-night cruise to the British Isles on the Norwegian Spirit in celebration of my mother's 75th birthday.  My mother is so excited, as it has been a lifelong dream to visit. I want to make sure they have an amazing time, so I am trying to determine what excursions they will be able to participate in. My father can walk short distances with a cane or walker and can do some stairs slowly if they have a railing, but sloped and uneven surfaces are very difficult for him (which makes me concerned about him navigating cobblestones). He will be renting a scooter for the cruise. My parents may also bring a regular wheelchair and/or a walker, but I really don't want my mother--who has mobility issues of her own--pushing him around, so ideally he would use the scooter as many places as possible.  

This will be my father's second cruise. His first cruise was a 4-night Western Caribbean cruise about a year ago, and much to my surprise, he loved it. The reason I am including this detail is to point out that my parents aren't experienced cruisers (nor am I), so we are still learning how everything works. On that first cruise, I was able to find private tour guides or taxis at most ports who were able to accommodate his scooter, but I am having more difficulty finding these kinds of services in the UK.  I was wondering if anyone with similar mobility difficulties has cruised the British Isles and if they have any recommendations for scooter-friendly excursions. Scooter-friendly private tour suggestions are welcomed as well. Do all the cobblestones I keep reading about prevent the use of a scooter?

They will be leaving from Southampton (London), then to Edinburgh (I realize this is a tender port, but my father thinks he can manage that day without the scooter), Invergordon, Kirkwall, Greenock, Belfast, Holyhead, Dublin, Cork, and Portland.

I'll be researching the forums for the various Ports of Call, but thought this might be a good place to start. Thank you!

Hi! I am cruising on the Getaway this Sunday and have spent more hours than I would care to admit researching excursions. This is my second cruise, so I am a fellow newbie.

I chose to book private excursions instead of ship excursions. The cost is usually a decent amount less and, according to the majority of experienced cruisers on this site, the experience is usually far better. Booking private excursions can be risky since the ship will not wait for you if you do not make it back in time, but since we are scheduled to be at each port for at least 8 hours, I am not too concerned about that. Additionally, I booked with reputable tour companies whose businesses are built on getting their cruisers back to the ship with more than enough time before departure.

Your interests may differ from mine, but here is what I have booked:

1. Roatan - A private "design your own" tour through Victor Bodden Tours. I e-mailed them yesterday and told them that my boyfriend and I are interested in general sightseeing, a visit to a sloth and monkey sanctuary, a snorkeling excursion, perhaps a visit to the iguana farm, and lunch. I also explained that my parents would be joining us and that my father is mobility-impaired, so I would need to know if these were things he could partake in. Victor responded quickly with advice, recommendations and even offered to drop me and my boyfriend off to snorkel and taking my parents to do something more suitable for their physical abilities while we are on the boat. I was really impressed. He also said that we could add, change or remove activities as the day went on. I love that it is so private, customizable and that we will not have to worry about slowing any more able-bodied cruisers down on a ship excursion. Plus, all of this is going to cost less than any of the excursions offered through the ship do. Check them out at http://www.boddentours.com.

2. Harvest Caye - None of the ship excursions looked very appealing to us, so we will probably either stay on the ship or hang out on Harvest Caye for semi-free (food and drinks there cost money). It is my understanding that there is no way to do excursions through any private operators (or if there is, doing so is risky, since you need to catch a ferry to and from the mainland and could possibly get left behind).

3. Costa Maya - My boyfriend and I booked a trip to the Chacchoben ruins through Native Choice. You can do this through the ship, but Native Choice was highly recommended on these boards. We really wanted to do the "Chacchoben Extreme" tour, which combines the ruins with relaxing and kayaking at a pretty lake afterwards, but I waited too long to book and there are no more spots available on it. I believe the Kohunlich-Dzibanche ruins are more impressive than Chacchoben, but it is a much longer drive there and we did not want to be holed up in a van for half of the day. If you do want to do the Kohunlich-Dzibanche ruins, it is probably best to do it through the ship since it is a long trip--otherwise you run the risk of the ship leaving without you if you do not get back in time. Visit https://www.thenativechoice.com for more info about their excursions.

4. Cozumel - I was torn between the Amazing Secret River (my friend went and said it was really cool) and snorkeling again, but my boyfriend wanted to snorkel. I researched a bunch of different private operators. The most highly regarded seem to be Cozumel H20, Chi Chi Charters, and Mystic Snorkel. However, after looking at Cozumel H20's website and seeing their Discover Scuba excursion, we decided to do that instead of snorkeling. We thought it would be an exciting new thing to try since we are already snorkeling in Roatan. I e-mailed them yesterday, received a quick response, and finalized all the details today for a two-tank boat dive. I'm very excited. Visit http://www.cozumelh2o.com for more.

Unfortunately I cannot tell you how any of these excursions turned out yet, but if you search these boards and Trip Advisor, you will see a ton of excellent reviews.

I hope this helps. And since you are a Dolphins fan, I will conclude this message with a passionate "Go Bills!" Yes, I'm still living in the 90's.

Thank you, all! My parents did actually receive an e-mail from the special needs department with the form to fill out--they just never told me about it. I feel a lot better after hearing about your experiences. :)

Hello! I will be traveling with my boyfriend and parents next week on the Norwegian Getaway for their Western Caribbean cruise. My father is disabled and this is his first cruise (and my second, so I am no expert). He is able to walk short distances slowly with a cane, but is unsteady on his feet and cannot do stairs, downhill slopes or uneven surfaces very well.

I really want my dad to be as comfortable as possible and enjoy his first (and hopefully not last) cruise. I booked my parents a handicap-accessible room with my and my bf's room adjoining so I can assist him and my mom as much as possible. We also rented him a scooter through Special Needs at Sea so he would be able to navigate the ship more easily. My understanding is that the scooter will be waiting for him in the room when he arrives.

When I booked our rooms, NCL's handicap-accessible toll-free line was closed, so I ended up booking them through their "regular" reservation line. I informed them when booking that my father would not be able to stand in line to board for a very long time. Should I call their handicap-accessible line again to ensure that there is nothing else needed to be done to get him priority handicapped boarding? Does he need to go to anywhere special at the Miami port for handicapped boarding?

Does anyone have any tips they can share for making his trip go as smoothly as possible? My biggest concerns are embarking and disembarking, elevators, and dining. Is he able to take his scooter with him at the various ports or must he embark and disembark with his cane only? He said he would simply stay on the ship during the stops if embarking and disembarking is too difficult for him, but I hate the thought of leaving him behind. Is dining at the restaurants recommended as opposed to going to the buffet? Will getting on an elevator with his scooter be almost impossible? I recall that they were usually packed on my first cruise.

Any feedback or pointers would be much appreciated. I am sure I am worrying about this much more than he is! :)