Going Coastal

I am 70 years old and must use 1 crutch to walk any significant distance - as we do on tours.  I would really like to do Roof of the World, but am concerned if I would be holding the group back.  Last year I had no problem doing Russia on Waterways of the Tsars,  While there were cobblestones and some stairs in palaces, these generally had a railing or a wall I could use.  I'm not sure about my ability to walk along the Great Wall, especially of it involves actual climbing, and I wonder about the great number steps at the Palace in Tibet.  This is when I wished I could use a horse - or even a mule!  Did all cruise passengers handle these sites well?  Please feel free to provide any insight, recommendations, opinions, or suggestions.  I need to make sure this is the right China trip for me even though its the one I want to go on.  Thanks, Fran

You may have already been on the China trip, or decided not to, but I have to tell you that it is entirely possible with Viking to do China with a mobility problem.

I had asked them ahead of time and discussed it with our guide once in country and it went very smoothly.

In Beijing at the Forbidden City and Tiannemen Square our guide reserved a wheelchair with a very knowledgeable pusher. He was excellent as a guide also.However with my earpiece from Viking I could hear our group guide at all times.

At the Great Wall where we went there is a ski lift device to the top for those who need it. Our Viking guide escorted us. Once on the wall there are both smooth and rough surfaces and I managed. The spectacle was certainly worth the effort. The only other place I needed special accommodation was at the Terra Cotta Warriors complex. There is a shuttle to take everyone from the bus parking to the museum buildings but not to return. Our guide had reserved another wheelchair and pusher to meet us and this worked out well also.

There was a charge for the service,$50, I believe. I also tipped each pusher an additional $20. Just make sure your bills are new and not wrinkled. Our trip was in the spring of 2016.

I used a four wheel rollator on this trip which was from Norway and had large wheels that were good on rough pavement and grass and especially good for uneven steps. This feature was very useful on the Great Wall and at Machu Picchu.

I hope this is of some help to you and that you have a wonderful trip, whenever you go.

We are not sailing until Dec 13.  We are less than 2 hours to port.  Have not been on Connie for some time.  Waiting to go under the Sunshine Skyway as we go over many times as we head to the gulf.

While this is an old thread, I do have some specific info from sailing on all of these.

First, Azamara does have two accessible balcony cabins on each ship which are excellent. They have recently been redubbed Club Suites, which added a butler and some other perks.

They are excellent and accommodate a wheelchair or scooter easily.

Secondly, if someone prefers the Oceania brand, they will adore Regent, which has accessible cabins in all categories.

Thirdly, Celebrity M class ships, such as Infinity, have accessible cabins which are very spacious and well appointed.

I love them all and have used them with wheelchair, scooter, and rollator.

If someone reads this far, I am happy to answer any specific questions you have.

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I had never used Special Needs at Sea until last year when we sailed from Sydney to Honolulu on Celebrity Solstice.

They were very easy to work with and when the scooter turned out to be erratic, quickly replaced it.

The entire story is posted at # 21 in this thread in answer to someone els’s question.

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You are right about the wheelchair taking less space.  If your husband is willing to push you when needed it would be a good choice.  It will fit under the bus and  you can still see what you want.You can rent this just like a scooter.  Just ask Celebrity who they use for rentals on your itinerary.

Have a wonderful trip,

I find it a little easier to carry my rollator, whatever model, by folding it and standing the wheels on the foot rests of the wheelchair. I have my carryon in my lap and my hands holding the upper part of the rollator. I have avoided pain and bruising that way. 

Sometimes the pusher prefers to push me with one hand and the rollator with the other, side by side. 

On a more serious note, I would like to commend special needs at sea for their problem solving for me on a recent cruise. If there are no issues, I think any of the approved companies are fine but SN really stepped up this time. 

I was on Solstice from Sydney to Honolulu and rented a scooter because of the size of the ship. The scooter was erratic at low speeds and I am not comfortable using high speed in groups of people. Our room steward who had brought the scooter to the cabin confirmed this and I emailed Kenya at SN. She said she would let housekeeping on the ship know and within 20 minutes an officer came and checked the scooter and by the time I returned from breakfast, it had been replaced by one that ran fine at low speed. 

I am hugely grateful to both SN and Celebrity for this service and will always use Special Needs at Sea when renting equipment. 

While I am very impressed with the special needs departments of most cruise lines, please be aware that once on board all issues are at the discretion of the Captain. 

I have never seen an accessible cabin priced higher than than a comparable regular cabin. 

To reply to the original quetion, it depends. While I have always touted reserving as soon as bookings open, It depends onthe luck of the draw. Our most recent cruise was booked only four months out and our accessible cabin of choice was available.

I immediately sent in the form online, even though I have cruised with them many times and they usually say they have me on file, but I always include the current mobility devices I am bringing. 

Happy sailing!

You are all set if you show that on your reservation. 

If you wish, you can go onto your reservation online and reserve a time for any or all evenings of the cruise in Select. 

Celebrity never asks me and that puts me on Azamara’s verified list , too.

Oceania has never asked me after the first time either, but on of all of there lines I have excellent in house planners I book with.

Sounds like you have read enough to make an informed decision.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip.

allyg,

We have two months booked on Regatta coming up so have studied the recent propulsion problem reports very carefully.

As far as the overall experience goes, we do not have any doubt the crew and the food will be as good as always. We have always had good service and we have cruised every ship in the fleet, except Sirena.

If things have gone totally wrong on Regatta I will report back.

Thanks for you input Thom.

Excellent information. Bad news in the lifts, but great news on the SIM cards!

Thanks so much!

Thank you so much for taking the time. Are there lifts between any decks? I will watch here in case you can post again during or after your cruise.

Thank you all for such good information.

We are looking at 2019 and will be checking back here for any new reports.

I know it has been some time but hope your mother was able to enjoy her trip.

You are right but we are all set now, right?

You are always welcome to send me a direct message at mediationeducation@live.com

I certainly will but don’t know if you are talking about cruise critic or Facebook. Can you fill me in please. Thanks !

Happy to be of help anytime.

I have three stainless steel 8 inch pins in one leg and have been patted down in ports and airports all over the world. The actual back of the hand pat has always been consistent but the ones doing the patting and the spaces where they do this varies considerably. I wish I had kept track because now it would make an interesting memory book. I am pretty agreeable most of the time and find the agents pretty agreeable across the board.

Just think how many people they have to pay down every day!

Bora Bora is my favorite place to anchor! Every time we have been there, the ship has rotated gently all day, and night, so you can see every aspect of the island multiple times. Makes for some great photos!