Europe access

:confused: Planning cruise next June. DH desperately wants to photograph in Europe. MIL in WC is fearful it is too much and says she'll stay in cabin all week. Teens are indifferent.

Seeking honest, and realistic imput on European ports. MIL has very limited mobility and uses a WC. She fears Europe would be exhausting and wants Alaska again.

Debating between two cruises.

Epic Explorer - London/Amsterdam 14 Days

FROM: London (Dover), England TO: Amsterdam, Netherlands

SAILING DATE: June 10, 2006

SHIP: HAL ms Prinsendam

Oslo, Norway, Kristiansand, Norway, Bergen, Norway , Hellesylt (Cruising), NorwayGeiranger, Norway, Tromso, Norway, Honningsvag, Norway

... This is part of a month long voyage, but we love the Prinsendam, and DH can't leave practice much more than 2 weeks

Gems of the Baltic - Copenhagen/Copenhagen 10 Days

FROM: Copenhagen, Denmark TO: Copenhagen, Denmark

SAILING DATE: June 12, 2006

SHIP: HAL ms Amsterdam

Tallinn, Estonia ,St. Petersburg, Russia, Helsinki, Finland, Stockholm, Sweden, Visby, Sweden, Warnemunde, Berlin, Aarhus, Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark

Please advise.

Europe often is exhausting because you try to see as much as you can in every port, but there is no reason why you have to cram as much as you can in.

My husband is a full time wheelchair user. We have visited quite a few ports in Europe on Baltic, English Channel and Mediterranean cruises. Almost all have l presented challenges as far as a wheelchair is concerned, but we have felt that everyone was worth it, even some that we were not as excited about visiting as others.

If you do go, make sure that your MIL has a manual wheelchair for use in ports. And do your research about what is and is not accessible. Feel free can contact me about specific ports.

I think you can enjoy Europe but there are challenges there. Walking can be a problem with few curb cuts and lots of cobblestone roads. We tend to do more private excursions there since some of the popular sites (Florence for example) require that buses park in outlying areas. By choosing a private tour the car provided goes right to what you want to see. Can your loved one do a transfer to a car? Can you show her the arrangements that will decrease her need to walk or be pushed? The europe boards gave me lots of suggestions and it went well for us.

We will be on the Grand Princess next June and specifically want to visit the Blue Mosque. I noticed on the excursion board that no wheelchairs were allowed in the Mosque. I wrote to http://www.leventsolmaz.com a private tour company on the web and he gave me this response which is good news:

"The Grand Princess website it wrong as the wheelchairs are allowed in the Blue Mosque. This is what happens when you come to the Blue Mosque in your wheelchair. They make you leave your own wheelchair outside and they provide their own wheelchair to be used in the Blue Mosque. In otherwords, they provide wheelchairs. The reason they want you to leave your wheelchair outside is for cleanness. The wheels of the wheelchairs get dirty when they are used outdoors so for the hygienic purposes they would rather prefer you to use their own as you might know the floors of the mosques are covered with carpets and Muslims do pray on them. When you place your forehead on the ground; the ground should be clean. I had couple of people on my tours in wheelchairs for the entire tour and this is the procedure we always followed in the Blue Mosque. They make you use their wheelchairs only indoors"

Just be sure that you know that there are also steps to get into the Blue Mosque, and at least one to two to get into the Aya Sophia. These two mosques are within easy walking distance of each other along a nice flat park with a few steps. We found it pretty easy to get help lifting the wheelchair up a couple steps here and there. For the most part, Turks like Americans and like a chance to practice their English. You won't find cab drivers who speak English though, so come prepared with a map and know exactly where you want to go. Also, check out the cab trunk before selecting a cab...some have an extra gas tank there, and no place to put the wheelchair.

The Grand Bazaar is pretty accessible and we really enjoyed visiting there.

From the two cruises you listed, I would opt for the North Cape if you can get it booked. Of course I am part Norweigen so that would be very attractive. The North Cape itself is a tender port, so be prepared to not be able to get off here if it is rough.

By the way, if you MIL choses not to go ashore, there is no reason she needs to stay in her cabin. We often leave my mother on the ship for part of the day. She always finds a public room she likes with a good view, and reads, knits and makes friends. The crew brings her drinks, and will help her get to the theater, dining room or Lido if needed. We plan to meet her there on our return, and often if we have time will then take her ashore if there is something close by to see. You couldn't comfortably do this at a hotel, but it is easy on a cruise ship.

In my earlier reply I did not address the itineraries. We have been to the Baltic, but have not been on a Norwegian costal cruise; however, I think that the latter would be a better choice given you MIL's concerns. I would guess that it would more scenic and it is much less port intensive since it has many more days at sea. On the other hand, we loved our Baltic cruise. It was like stepping back into history.

for accessibilty (my own humble opinion):

Norway is #1. Very accessible transportation, considerate and helpful people.

Denmark #2. Much the same, plus it is flat.

England #3. Some difficulty in old historic areas, but they are still ahead of the U.S.

I would concur with earlier posts. Take a manual wheelchair for tours, to accomodate the curbs and steps you may run into. Whatever you do, go! Don't pass up a chance to do this.