Alaska: Wheelchair ONLY for gangways at ports of call?

My family is cruising to Alaska (Ketchikan/Tracy Arm/Juneau/Skagway/Victoria) on the Emerald Princess July 29-August 5, as part of a 7-person group. My wife has an autoimmune disease that attacks the motor neurons in one leg (essentially causing severe foot drop), and for the past couple of years she's walked with an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) that locks her ankle at 90 degrees. Smooth level surfaces are fine, but ramps/inclines are a problem, and I'm rather worried about gangways while getting on and off the ship.

When flying we get a wheelchair assist from the airline to get her up and down the jetway. The Princess accessibility office says wheelchair assists are available while embarking and disembarking in Seattle, but not at ports of call, and if we need any sort of assistive device to get on or off the ship in Alaska, we must provide our own. We do have a wheelchair, but hauling it around with us all day at the various ports ONLY to use it to get down the ramp in the morning and up the ramp in the afternoon is going to be a hassle. And now my wife is in "I don't want to be a bother mode" and is talking about just staying on the ship on port days. (Fortunately, I have a month and a half to change her mind.)

Does anyone have guidance on how accessible the ports at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway are? The email from Princess was less than helpful - essentially "we can't provide any details on anything at any of the ports, because it might vary due to weather, or sea conditions, or what sort of mood Stanley Bear is in that day, and besides our lawyers won't let us. So there." Since we only need a wheelchair for getting up/down the gangway, would it be an option to get my wife off the ship with the wheelchair, then send a member of our party back up to the cabin with the empty wheelchair, and reverse the process coming back on board? Or would security lines, etc. be such that it would take too much time?

Alternatively, she can negotiate ramps by slowly side-stepping, preferably with a helper or two. How much of a problem would Princess (and the people behind us in line) have with us doing this?

Any other suggestions? Thanks in advance!

I used a scooter the whole time I cruised Alaska however I was able to store the scooter on the bus for example so it wasn’t with me at all times. So when we took the White Pass train excursion the train stored the scooter one way and the bus another. It can be quite the walk for some ports and having the wheelchair might prove to be a blessing rather than an annoyance. When we took the bus to the whale watching trip my scooter was stored somewhere until we headed back to port. At every port in was made to feel as comfortable as possible and never once did I feel a burden or that I was slowing people down. I would prefer not to need my scooter but if it the difference between having an experience or missing out I’ll swallow my pride and opt for the experience every time. I do hope your lovely wife decides to see all she can see and that you all have a great time.

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sending someone back up to stash it is definitely an option. you might even be able to ask the security folks right there if there is a way you could just tuck it into a corner at the gangway( make sure that puppy is clearly labeled! ) to save time

alternatively, see if there is a different way to disembark that leads directly to the pier without an incline. might not be an option at every port, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Tides in Alaska can change as much as 20 feet during the day. There were times when we got off the ship in the morning and the gangway was almost level. Coming back in the afternoon the gangway was very, very steep. A couple of times I needed help pushing my daughter's wheelchair up the ramp.

Everything is "accessible" but it will involve quite a bit of walking, especially Juneau. Even Ketchikan (for a small town) has some walking. We were just in Alaska last summer and there's alot of walking even if you plan to just stay in the ports. If you're doing the train in Skagway, it's right at the port which was great.

If you don't want to bring your own, consider renting a small transport WC that would be waiting in your cabin for you (since you'll have help with embarkment and disembarkment). Depending on when you get off/on the ship, there could be lines. No way of knowing.

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Does anyone have guidance on how accessible the ports at Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway are? The email from Princess was less than helpful - essentially "we can't provide any details on anything at any of the ports, because it might vary due to weather, or sea conditions, or what sort of mood Stanley Bear is in that day, and besides our lawyers won't let us. So there." Since we only need a wheelchair for getting up/down the gangway, would it be an option to get my wife off the ship with the wheelchair, then send a member of our party back up to the cabin with the empty wheelchair, and reverse the process coming back on board? Or would security lines, etc. be such that it would take too much time?

Ramps can be steep depending on the tides. Princess does have wheelchairs they use to navigate passengers up and down ramps at ports if needed. Be sure to listen to the announcements about which decks are being used for disembarking in port as sometimes they will request passengers with disabilities use one over the other. Usually one deck is steps and the other has the ramp. Let the wheelchair guys know before getting off the ship that you need help with a wheelchair. They will be standing at the top of the ramped gangway. When you come back on the ship, let the security person at the bottom of the ramp know you need wheelchair assist and they will call for them to come down and help.

They won't wheel you to your transportation or to your excursion or cabin, but rather just to the top and bottom of the gangway. If she'd rather side step her way up and down, the wheelchair assist guys (who are the pool deck guys BTW) will hold onto her and help steady her. They are the best!

Idahospud, you're saying that wheelchair assists ARE available at Alaska ports of call, using a Princess-provided wheelchair? The Princess accessibility office explicitly told me the exact opposite in an email earlier this week -- they said that wheelchair assists are only available for embarkation/disembarkation in Seattle, and if we need any sort of assistive device at ports of call, we must provide our own. I wonder if they've recently changed their policy?

Idahospud, you're saying that wheelchair assists ARE available at Alaska ports of call, using a Princess-provided wheelchair? The Princess accessibility office explicitly told me the exact opposite in an email earlier this week -- they said that wheelchair assists are only available for embarkation/disembarkation in Seattle, and if we need any sort of assistive device at ports of call, we must provide our own. I wonder if they've recently changed their policy?

They don't advertise it and they don't promote it as they expect people to use their own equipment. It's on a case by case basis whether they will allow the use of their wheelchair. But again this is only for going up and down the gangway, not for use in ports. Maybe it has changed since last month?

So she will or will not be bringing her own wheelchair?