Beach and disability

[ljzelenz]

Hello,

 

I will be traveling on the Allure in April with my husband and two young children. I have a brittle bone disease and have limited mobility. I will be bringing my wheelchair along.

 

I need to know first what type of transportation that I can expect at the port. How long is the ride to the beach? Will the ride be bumpy , etc?

How safe is the transportation with children? Also, is Orient the best beach with children?

 

Also will I be able to access the area with my wheelchair once we arrive ? Any information is greatly appreciated!

[Karysa]

Hello,

 

I will be traveling on the Allure in April with my husband and two young children. I have a brittle bone disease and have limited mobility. I will be bringing my wheelchair along.

 

I need to know first what type of transportation that I can expect at the port. How long is the ride to the beach? Will the ride be bumpy , etc?

How safe is the transportation with children? Also, is Orient the best beach with children?

 

Also will I be able to access the area with my wheelchair once we arrive ? Any information is greatly appreciated!

 

Have you tried posting and searching the Special Interest Cruising section on the main boards page? There is a Disabled Cruise Travel section where you may find information from others who have used wheelchairs while visiting the island.

 

The best beach for young children is Le Gallion but the road leading to it is filled with potholes. I would stay away from that one for sure. Divi Resort at Little Bay might be appropriate for your families needs. It is about 10 minutes from the pier and although there are hills I don't recall the road being bumpy. You can rent chairs and umbrellas and there is a restaurant as well. They do not offer day passes as far as I know. The taxis are van type and have seatbelts. Here is the website.

 

http://www.divilittlebay.com/

 

People may suggest Great Bay beach to you because of the proximity of it to the ship , shopping and restaurants but pollution issues have kept me out of the water there since 2006. You can do a search on this board for more information on this topic and make your own informed decision.

[ljzelenz]

Thanks for the information.

 

Pollution is not an option.

 

Is little Divi Bay safe ?

 

Also what type of transportation can we expect at the port ?

 

I can transfer to a car but a bus may be an issue .

 

Thanks for your support, Lori

[Karysa]

Thanks for the information.

 

Pollution is not an option.

 

Is little Divi Bay safe ?

 

Also what type of transportation can we expect at the port ?

 

I can transfer to a car but a bus may be an issue .

 

Thanks for your support, Lori

 

 

Yes from everything that I have heard Little Bay does not have a pollution issue. G.Taylor (Gary) is very knowledgeable on this as well as other island news and he has posted links to newspaper articles attesting to this.

 

I have taken minivan taxis on the island. I can't remember seeing cars used lately but there may be some.

 

You might want to e-mail Divi and ask if the resort is accessible.

Here is the taxi association website

http://www.taxistmaarten.com/ They should be able to give you more information regarding the vehicles that are used.

 

Hopefully others will come up with other options for you or more info about the taxis or Divi Resort.

[The Big Booper]

Most of the taxis in use on the island are full size vans and Mini vans and could cause problems with the high step up. This shouldn't be a problem coming back in the afternoon as the car taxis wait at the beaches. In the morning, ask a pier dispatcher for a regular car taxi. The big vans tend to crowd in then to take as many people as possible. I had a bum leg in Dec 2011 and had a lot of difficulty climbing up the high step to the passenger compartment.