warrior69

My partner and I will be on this cruise. Hope to see you. Mike Mortensen

My partner & I just booked on this cruise RT San Francisco. Anyone else?

Just returned for a wonderful 10-day cruise to the Panama Canal on Coral Princess and wanted to share some observations regarding handicapped access.

Our stateroom (Caribe 618) was excellent. Plenty of room (200 sq ft. approx), the a roomy bathroom (25 sq. ft.). The balcony was very spacious (100 sq. ft.) about twice the size of the balconies for regular staterooms.

The thing to be aware of though is that the handicap accessibility in the public areas is more problematic. With the exception of 3 or 4 doors on the Lido Deck, none of the other doors has automatic opening features, which means in can be a hassle for someone in a wheelchair to get through the door unless there's someone there to assist. The same is true of the public lavatories. All public toilets have handicap-accessibility features, but they are still a challenge for someone in a wheelchair. The doors into the restrooms have no automatic door openers. (We found some restroom doors were being held open permanently with robber door stoppers.) Once inside it can be tricky maneuvering a wheelchair into the handicap stall. The stalls themselves are good-sized though.

I should mention that the staff is very attentive to passengers with limited mobility and will help in any way possible.

I've attached some photos of the stateroom to give you an idea of the how spacious it was.

Can anyone tell me how Princess handles lifeboat drills for handicapped passengers.

My partner will be using a rollator walker in the stateroom and a wheelchair to get around the ship. He cannot do stairs.

We've been on 2 cruses on NCL since he became less mobile, and NCL exempts handicapped passengers from going to lifeboat drills -- I gave his name to a ship crewmember when I went to the drill.

I just want to know if he will have to muster in person and if he does will be able to use the elevator.

Mike Mortensen

Thanks for the input. Just looked at the menus, including dessert. I love zabaglione.

Booked on Coral Princess for 11/28 cruise to Panama Canal. Will be traveling with my partner who will be using a rented wheelchair to get around the ship and a rollator walker in the stateroom. We've got a handicapped stateroom on 10th Deck and would appreciate feedback from anyone who's had the experience of the handicapped staterooms and other handicap-accessible facilities, as well as the attentiveness of the crew toward handicapped passengers.

Mike Mortensen

Interested in comments regarding dining on Coral Princess. I'm traveling with my partner who will be using a wheelchair during the cruise. We've selected Anytime Dining. Would appreciate any advice on how easy/difficult it is to get a table for 2 in main dining rooms without having to wait a long time. Also interested in comments regarding specialty restaurants, especially Sabatini's. My partner adores Italian food (as do I) but since he lived in Rome for 4 years he's rather particular.

Mike Mortensen

Would like some feedback from anyone who's used the Sanctuary on Coral Princess. What's the surcharge? And is it worth it?

Mike

Anyone going to be on the Coral Princess RT Fort Lauderdale on 11/28 going to the Panama Canal?

Hi guys:

Glad to have met you both, but sorry we did not get to spend more time together. Let's keep in touch. Who knows, maybe our paths will cross on another cruise. Have a great summer. In the meantime, I'll be posting my "review" of the cruise on Critic soon.

Take care and all the best.

Mike Mortensen & Rocky Memolo

Gilford NH

Just reserved a wheelchair through SN@S. We used them for the Boston-Bermuda cruise last year & everything went very smoothly. The floating wheelchair sounds interesting, but I think Rocky will stick to the terra firma.

Mike

Sounds like you guys know your way around. We've been to St. Thomas before (not much to do there IMHO) and St. Maarten (we, too enjoyed the port and had drinks/lunch at a hotel on the beach in town.) But this will be our 1st time in Aruba and Curacao. Rocky is now seriously physically handicapped, so I'm wondering what might be doable ashore for someone in a wheelchair.

Mike

We're looking forward to this cruise too.

Mike & Rocky

Gilford NH

Try the Abazzia, not far from the main train station and near the Scalsi vaparetto stop. More expensive, but worth looking into the Palazzo Sant Angelo right on the Grand Canal.

Mike

I would suggest the Westin Copley Place. It's conveniently located, with an underground trolley station close by. Copley Sq. is close to many sights and points of interest (i.e. the Boston Public Garden, Museum of Fine Arts, etc.). The Green Line trolleys run out to Kenmore Sq. & Fenway Park is just a stone's throw away. The Westin Boston Waterfront may be closer to the cruise ship pier, but it's a bit removed from the main points of interest.

Partner & I booked on May 16 Boston-Bermuda cruise on Norwegian Dawn. First cruise in 6 years.

__________

Norwegian Majesty -- 2000 -- Bermuda

Norwegian Sun -- 2001 -- New England, Canada

Celebrity Galaxy -- 2003 -- Western Caribbean.

HAL Westerdamm -- 2004 -- Mediterranean.

RCL Legend of the Seas -- 2005 -- Trans-atlantic

Celebrity Galaxy -- 2005 -- Mediterranean, Greek Islands.

Norwegian Dawn -- 2006 -- Caribbean.

Star Princess -- 2006 -- Baltic.

Azamara Journey -- 2007 -- Bermuda.

Azamara Journey -- 2007 -- South America.

Thinking of taking Norwegian Dawn cruise from Tampa-Western Caribbean-Boston in April. Interested in getting info from anyone who's been on the Dawn. Particularly interested in comments on their handicap-accessible cabins and how helpful they are to passengers with limited mobility.

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