Need advice for someone wheelchair bound - 1st cruise

Does anyone have suggestions for the best ship/line for someone wheelchair bound? We'd like to take my mom on an inside passage cruise (Alaska) for her 60th birthday and my hope is her sister will be able to come along too. My aunt is primarily wheelchair bound and frankly I don't know were to start or what questions to ask. I'm trying to make this a surprise or at least as much of one that I can.

Since her accident my aunt has primarily only traveled to Disney and stays in handicap accessible rooms with roll in showers. She is very limited and only moves without the wheelchair when transitioning and she uses a walker when she does that.

I know she'll need a handicap accessible room and it sounds like the choices are somewhat limited and need to be booked early. Beyond that I don't know what else I need to ask or look for. Is one ship or line better than another? Is one room type better than another?

The plan is for summer of '15 - my mom's 60th so we have time, I'm just trying to do all the research I can so I make a good choice for my aunt's mobility challenges.

Thank you!

First of all, many people with disabilities are offended by the term "wheelchair bound". A person is not bound to a wheelchair unless someone chains them to it. A wheelchair frees a person with a mobility disability from being bed or home bound, and allows them to be mobile in the community. It is much more P.C. to refer to someone as only "wheelchair mobile" or "non-ambulatory". Just saying...

You can read a lot on our forum (see topics below). For Alaska, you have a choice of a number of different cruise lines. Stick to ships built in the last 10 years if possible. Princess, HAL, Celebrity, and RCCL are probably tops in accessibility throughout their ships. You must have a fully wheelchair accessible cabin for her...partially modified is NOT sufficient. Book early. Try to find a cabin close to elevators as well. Will she be traveling with and sharing a cabin with a family member who can help her as needed? Can she push a manual wheelchair herself? Would she do better with a power scooter around the ship??

In Alaska, in some ports you can find wheelchair accessible ships tours, but these are limited. If she can transfer (not transition) to a cab, it may be best to either rent cars or hire cabs to tour on your own instead of trying to find accessible tours. Depending on the ports you go to. One exception is the rail tours in Skagway, which have one accessible coach, and are best booked through the cruise line. I am assuming you are doing a cruise only trip, and not including a land tour, which is much more difficult for someone with a mobility impairment.

As usual Splinter has provided good information.

• Alaska Cruises are extremely popular and accessible cabins tend to sell out as soon as the itineraries are finally posted so you need to be watching and be quick with the booking
  

• HAL and Carnival are the two cruise lines that have both FULLY ACCESSILED CABINS and MODIFIED ACCESSIBLE CABINS so you need to be very specific with the TA or Booking Agent as to the fact that you will need a Fully Accessible Cabin.
  

• Tendering - With Alaska cruises there's generally one port that will be a tendered port. Meaning the ship does not dock at pier . Rather it anchors in the water and passengers are transfered to the dock via the life boats. In most cases your Aunt will not be allowed to tender as she will not be able to walk down the steps to get onto the tender. Nor is the cruiseline allowed to lift her and carry her onto the tender. Each cruiselines tendering policy for wheelchairs is posted on its website and you/yopur aunt need to fully understand this policy . However HAL is the only cruise line that has at least one tender with roll-on capabilities on each ship (with the exception of HAL's Prinsiendam which doesn't go to Alaska anyway ). If selecting HAL you cannot be 100% certain that she will be allowed to tender as many other variables play into the Captians decision to allow anyone with a wheelchair and or scooter to tender. However if you elect to choose HAL you may increase her chances of being able to tender. Something for consideration.
  

First of all, many people with disabilities are offended by the term "wheelchair bound". A person is not bound to a wheelchair unless someone chains them to it. A wheelchair frees a person with a mobility disability from being bed or home bound, and allows them to be mobile in the community. It is much more P.C. to refer to someone as only "wheelchair mobile" or "non-ambulatory". Just saying...

 

You can read a lot on our forum (see topics below). For Alaska, you have a choice of a number of different cruise lines. Stick to ships built in the last 10 years if possible. Princess, HAL, Celebrity, and RCCL are probably tops in accessibility throughout their ships. You must have a fully wheelchair accessible cabin for her...partially modified is NOT sufficient. Book early. Try to find a cabin close to elevators as well. Will she be traveling with and sharing a cabin with a family member who can help her as needed? Can she push a manual wheelchair herself? Would she do better with a power scooter around the ship??

 

In Alaska, in some ports you can find wheelchair accessible ships tours, but these are limited. If she can transfer (not transition) to a cab, it may be best to either rent cars or hire cabs to tour on your own instead of trying to find accessible tours. Depending on the ports you go to. One exception is the rail tours in Skagway, which have one accessible coach, and are best booked through the cruise line. I am assuming you are doing a cruise only trip, and not including a land tour, which is much more difficult for someone with a mobility impairment.

Splinter, thank you, and I apologize, I didn't mean to offend anyone. Also thank you for the room tip, I'll be sure to call cruise lines to verify a fully wheelchair accessible cabin. Our plan was to try and get two adjacent or connecting rooms is possible, my husband and I in one and my aunt and mother in the other. My mom could help her, or my husband or I could pop over if my mom or aunt needed help. She prefers her manual wheelchair over the powered chair (not sure the correct name) and I expected my husband and I to push her. I hadn't thought of a scooter, but I'm not sure she'd be comfortable on it. I think the reason she dislikes the power chair is she isn't good with the joystick so I'm not sure how she would take to a scooter, she's never even ridden a bike so I'm not sure about the coordination. I'll ask her. If she wants one is that something we can rent through the cruise line, or do we go through a place that specializes in renting medical and mobility equipment and supplies?

As far as a land tour we wouldn't book anything through the cruise line. Three of us actually live about 50 miles (by road) northwest of Anchorage, so if we could debark in Seward or Whittier we'd either take the train to Anchorage, which I have to check it it is wheelchair accessible, or we'd make arrangements to have a car to drive home with. Then my aunt could stay a few days with my mom if she wanted. I do have one question about vehicles - what is the difference between transferring and transitioning? I apologize, I am not familiar with the terminology.

Also, has anyone who is wheelchair mobile traveled on Disney Cruise line? My aunt loves Disney and has found the Disney World Parks to be very accessible - actually my husband and I are joining up with her and my mom there tomorrow. Anyway, she has a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) and we have to do more checking, but it might help with the price. But beyond that, I just wonder since she finds the park very accessible then would she find the same with their ships?

See my aunt loved to travel and did so often, then she was in an accident when I was younger and she feels like her traveling is over. I want to find a ship and line she will enjoy and have good access on so she can see that she can in fact still travel if she wants to. I hope that doesn't sound pushy or preachy. We just want her to know she can still do the things she loved and we'll support her in doing them.

I hadn't thought of a scooter, but I'm not sure she'd be comfortable on it. I think the reason she dislikes the power chair is she isn't good with the joystick so I'm not sure how she would take to a scooter, she's never even ridden a bike so I'm not sure about the coordination. I'll ask her. If she wants one is that something we can rent through the cruise line, or do we go through a place that specializes in renting medical and mobility equipment and supplies?

The cruise lines do not rent any mobility equipment. Rather you have to rent it on your own directly with the cruiselines approved vendor.

NCL only allows : www.SpecialNeedsatSeas.com

All other cruise lines allow ; www.SpecialNeedsatSeas.com or www.CareVacations.com

Also, has anyone who is wheelchair mobile traveled on Disney Cruise line?

Your aunt's travel days are definitely not over. There is simply more planning involved. My mom has a mobility disability (I've been told the term "handicap" is also no longer P.C. although my mom uses it to describe herself). She is a full-time wheelchair user, but she can stand up with assistance to transfer from her wheelchair to a vehicle. That makes it a little easier for us because we can rent a car and put her manual wheelchair in trunk instead of needing a van with a wheelchair lift. My mom cannot walk or climb stairs so getting on buses without lifts is not possible. She has taken several cruises on a few different cruiselines. Of the ones she has been on, Royal Caribbean's Radiance-class ships (Radiance, Jewel, Brilliance, & Serenade) are her favorites for accessibility.

The things she likes about Radiance class ships is almost all the public doors and accessible cabin doors are automatic with low thresholds so she can get around on her own. Most of the decks run the whole length of the ship so she doesn't have to find an elevator and switch decks to get from forward to aft. The accessible cabins are large so she can get around the room without moving furniture. There are several accessible bathrooms in the public areas of the ship (usually at least one on each deck) so she doesn't have to go back to her cabin for that.

When we were in Alaska, Royal Caribbean's tenders had ramps to allow wheelchair users to roll onboard. My mom was able to board the tender for Sitka and Icy Strait Point. If sea conditions are rough, RC will not allow wheelchair users to get on the tenders due to safety concerns. Some cruiselines will not allow wheelchairs on the tenders, even though they will tell you that they do. My mom ran into that recently with Princess. I asked Princess reps on three separate occasions about wheelchair users being allowed on tenders and was told each time that they had ramps that were accessible. I posted the same question here and was told wheelchairs weren't allowed because of stairs. The Princess reps told me that was old information and the tenders had ramps now. Turns out the reps were incorrect :mad: so don't believe everything the cruiselines tell you. There were stairs and my mom couldn't board the tender.

Depending on the stops in Alaska and what you want to do, you may not need a vehicle to get around. Skagway and Sitka both had several things to do that were within walking (wheeling?) distance from the dock. My mom took the White Pass train in Skagway. It has a wheelchair lift. The town is also close. Many people rent cars and drive along the same route the railroad takes so they can spend more time. In Sitka there is a national park close by with accessible trails. The town is also fairly accessible. In Juneau she took a third-party city tour (think it was through Mighty Great Trips) on a bus with a wheelchair lift. I think Orca Enterprises has a boat that is accessible for whale watching tours. In Icy Strait, there wasn't much available. I've heard it has developed since we visited so there might be more accessible choices now.

As I began doing research for our cruise last spring, from what I have read Royal Caribbean seems to have the reputation of being the most disability friendly. At their website they have diagrams of the ships so you can see where the cabins are located and they have photos of the cabins. Also there are lots of photos and even videos of the cabins on the Internet that you can find by searching. I called the little Royal Caribbean people several times, asking questions and clarifying things I wasn't sure about. And our trip went splendidly. Do your homework and it should turn out well.

In regards to cabins, is one type better than another? Assuming there was an inside, outside, and balcony, all fully accessible is there one that is better than they other for accessibility? I know there is personal preference and cost as a fact, but is mobility better in one over another?

I use a power chair full time and have done 5 Disney cruises. They are VERY accessible ships. Their private island is also very accessible, concrete pathways everywhere. Beach wheelchairs are available. If you want to splurge there is also an accessible cabana. The only problems with accessibility is finding tours at the islands. I use a travel agent who's speciality is accessible travel. A good agent is a life saver, it doesn't cost any more than if you booked thru the cruise line. Send me a message if you want her info.

We have cruised over 40 times, all with the chair. Cruising is the easiest vacation we have found!

Sherry

Have you been to Alaska, which is where the OP wants to go with her mom and aunt?

In regards to cabins, is one type better than another? Assuming there was an inside, outside, and balcony, all fully accessible is there one that is better than they other for accessibility? I know there is personal preference and cost as a fact, but is mobility better in one over another?

In general, we try to get the least expensive accessible cabin we can get, as we rarely spend time in the cabin except to sleep, bathe, and change clothes. In Alaska, it is often too cold outside to use a balcony, esp. when at sea. We spend most of our time in the public rooms with views. Inside cabins can be more spacious than outside, depending on the cruise line. Accessible rooms are rarely adjoining though, so I would not depend on being able to get adjoining cabins.

Disney is fairly accessible, but has far fewer ships on the West Coast, and is more expensive. Plus, you will of course have more little children running around the ship with Disney than a line more designed for adults, such as HAL or Princess.

I have worked in the rehabilitation and disability field for 35 years and have never heard of the word "transitioning" (other than its use to indicate moving from one level of care to another, such as from a hospital to a nursing home). "Transferring" or "transfers" is the term used to indicate moving from a wheelchair to a bed, wheelchair to a car, wheelchair to a toilet or shower/tub, etc., and back.

Yes, if it's me you are talking to.

We did a 13 night cruise tour with Royal Caribbean, we did it all, took a helicopter to a glacier then dog sleds, float plane in Ketchikan, small plane around Mt Denali, whale watching, numerous other excursions. Everything accessible, I can't walk.

The OP inquired about Disney Cruises also.

Sherry

I agree with Splinter, EXCEPT about a balcony in Alaska. It was wonderful sitting on the balcony wrapped up in blankets sipping on hot chocolate!

In the Caribbean an inside cabin is fine, being from Florida it all starts to look the same!

Sherry

I use a power chair full time and have done 5 Disney cruises. They are VERY accessible ships. Their private island is also very accessible, concrete pathways everywhere. Beach wheelchairs are available. If you want to splurge there is also an accessible cabana. The only problems with accessibility is finding tours at the islands. I use a travel agent who's speciality is accessible travel. A good agent is a life saver, it doesn't cost any more than if you booked thru the cruise line. Send me a message if you want her info.

 

We have cruised over 40 times, all with the chair. Cruising is the easiest vacation we have found!

 

Sherry

Sherry, I'd love her contact information, but I can't figure out how to sent you a private message. Can you sent it to me?

Thanks!

Heather

Have you been to Alaska, which is where the OP wants to go with her mom and aunt?

Oh yes, I live approximately 50 miles NW of Anchorage outside of Wasilla, however I've never been to Southeast Alaska, but I think my husband may have been many many years ago for work. In short I've never traveled off the road system here nor has my mom or aunt, and my aunt has only been up to see us twice since we moved here in '91.

I don't know what "OP" stands for though.

In general, we try to get the least expensive accessible cabin we can get, as we rarely spend time in the cabin except to sleep, bathe, and change clothes. In Alaska, it is often too cold outside to use a balcony, esp. when at sea. We spend most of our time in the public rooms with views. Inside cabins can be more spacious than outside, depending on the cruise line. Accessible rooms are rarely adjoining though, so I would not depend on being able to get adjoining cabins.

 

Disney is fairly accessible, but has far fewer ships on the West Coast, and is more expensive. Plus, you will of course have more little children running around the ship with Disney than a line more designed for adults, such as HAL or Princess.

 

I have worked in the rehabilitation and disability field for 35 years and have never heard of the word "transitioning" (other than its use to indicate moving from one level of care to another, such as from a hospital to a nursing home). "Transferring" or "transfers" is the term used to indicate moving from a wheelchair to a bed, wheelchair to a car, wheelchair to a toilet or shower/tub, etc., and back.

I hadn't thought that the balcony might be too cold for my aunt. I think my hubby and I would be okay, but you're right, my aunt is used to much warmer weather. We just returned from a week at Disney World with her and it was bouncing between low 70s to low 80s. My husband and I were dying; we don't handle heat well and to us it was hot. My aunt however was often wearing a sweater or long sleeves along with many other folks we saw.

I'm a bit hesitant knowing the crowds and higher costs, but I'm starting to lean toward Disney if they are still running when we go. With this trip we just got back from my aunt (58) turned into a 5 year old and just loved it. She wanted to see the parades, Christmas lights, and get her photo with all the characters.

Also I asked my Aunt when we were in Disney what "transitioning" is. She explained it as moving from a motor scooter to a wheelchair.

I have sailed on Celebrity's Solstice as a wheelchair mobile person and can highly recommend them. The Solstice will be sailing in Alaska! All her Accessible rooms have large automatic doors that open with the swipe of your key/push of a button on inside, ramped entry & bath & balconey if applic. (no thresholds), roll-in showers with fold down seat, handheld shower, roll up/under sink, closets with pull-down bar for hanging clothes, grab bars in bath are indicated on deck plan right or left so if one side or other is dominate or prefferable you can book accordingly, public bathrooms also have push buttons to open doors, automatic glass doors going to pools, making very accessible. Also there is large areas of hard surface traversing the main decks versus plush carpet which is a lot easier when in a wheelchair. Very pleasant and helpful staff.

We are booked to go again!!

"OP" = Original poster

I hope you will be able to help your Aunt experience much joy in her family and travel.

Hi!

I have been reading through some posts trying to get information for myself and my upcoming cruise, and I noticed your comments on power chairs and the challenge of the joystick. I understand. It takes some manual dexterity to control easily. A scooter, on the other hand, has controls that allow much larger movements. Usually steering on a scooter is manual powered - you actually have to turn the front wheel with the handlebars, so it is fairly easy to control if you have the strength to do that manual turning against the weight of the scooter and your own weight. (A person of average or moderate less-than-average strength can do this easily. Someone with muscle problems or significant weakness cannot.) The forward and back control is separate, and usually managed by paddles/levers that are controlled by pushing with the thumbs or pulling with the fingers or grasping with the whole hand. Because this movement is separate from the steering aspect, it makes it simpler for many to control. The speed can be turned down low if she might have a challenge with the granularity of control of the lever at a higher speed (the more you push/pull it the faster you go within the speed range you have selected), and I think it might work quite well for her.

Some minuses of using a manual chair on a cruise ship based on my research:

The floors are carpeted, so there is more friction.

Distances are long, so there is a lot of physical work, if the chair user has limited strength and energy, or, if the person pushing has the same.

And in addition:

If you need to be pushed, it gives less independence to the attendant and the wheelchair user to sometimes "do their own thing".

Of course, if a person needs an attendant at all times, this is less of an issue. If a person will be pushing and has some strength issues themselves, another thing to consider would be a power chair with a rear control option, or, for the option of more independence for the chair user if they cannot use a joystick, a power-assist wheelchair with normal wheel control like a manual wheelchair.

With modern power chairs, when it is not a rental, the acceleration and deceleration settings can actually be adjusted down at each speed setting, so that the joystick is less sensitive and the chair is easier to control even with less fine motor control. It doesn't sound like it is a solution for her (just as I think a rental agency is less likely to modify their default settings for chairs, and it will also depend on what they have available), but it is interesting to know.

Good luck in planning. I feel I should have given myself more time to plan too - my trip is Feb 3rd!

Thanks for your post! It's good to know there is some hard surface area too! I imagine the Silhouette would be similar. My reading to this point hadn't suggested this, and I've already rented power. But I think it will still be a really good idea in my case.

Heather,

Email me at my screen name at AOL dot com. Happy to give you her info. Make sure and put cruise critic in subject line so I don't delete it.

Sherry

I do NOT recommend HAL! They were terrible with my Mom on our cruise last year. I thought they would be very accommadating because a lot of their clientele is older, but, they were terrible. My Mom uses a walker, not a wheelchair and we chose the Mytime dining. They made her go up 3 steps to the elevated portion of the dining room even though there was plenty of empty tables on the floor. It took 2 waiters and myself to get her up there. One night, a man who had one of those "laidback" kind of scooters was also forced to "walk" up the stairs. People had to stand up at their tables and push the table over so the waiters could carry up his scooter!! Note, this was at 5PM, it was NOT crowded, plenty of floor tables available. After 3 nights, I would say, table on the floor, close by and they would look at me like I was the most demanding person ever. They would make us wait about 5 minutes, then walk us past SEVERAL empty tables to seat us. Again, this was Mytime, not assigned tables. Few lessons learned, never again HAL, and better to go with assigned tables, check location once on board and check with DR manager if problem. By, the way, on RCCL, with my Mom and her hubby using cane, they took wonderful care with them and always gave us an appropriate table.

Thanks for the info!

My son( uses a scooter and cannot walk at all ) found the door thresholds to be higher on the Disney Magic than on the Hal or RCL ships, which made it harder on him and his scooter. He had to speed up a bit to get through the door and it scraped the bottom of the scooter. Other than that it was a great cruise.

On the PC aspect of things...my son doesn't care if he is called wheelchair bound or handicapped because, well, he is! This is not an insult to him. It is just a description of his situation which allows others to assist him properly. I understand that we all have things that we are sensitive about but unless a person is saying something mean spirited, in my humble opinion, let it go.:) If he called himself mobility challenged, for instance, a person would not know what his situation was, maybe he could even walk. Wheelchair mobile and non-ambulatory work fine. I guess a rose by any other name.....