dmccue Posted July 11, 2016 #1 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Hi There For those in a wheelchair. We recently travelled Sydney to Honolulu via Bay of Islands,Auckland, Papette, Moorea, Bora Bora, Maui and my wife could only get off in Auckland and Papette as the rest were tender ports. I got off everywhere but my wife can not stand or take any steps and uses a wheelchair all the time. We were prepared for this so I am not complaining at all but I had the question before I travelled and no-one seemed to know whether Solstice would allow a full wheelchair person to get off on a tender so I wanted to share the answer and it is NO and I can now see why. There is a mechanised seat that can get you down to the tender deck (3 down to 2) but once there you need to be able to step into the tender boat as both the tender and the ship can go up/down (sometimes in opposite directions) at any time depending on the swell in the water. At times I saw a gap of 18 inches to 2 feet (even on a smooth day) and unless you are stable on your feet an injury would be quite possible. The ship staff are not allowed to lift anyone for obvious reasons. Enjoy the ship and it's facilities and don't worry about going ashore as most of the roads and footpaths are gravel and uneven anyway so in a wheelchair it would not be at all comfortable and you would not be able to go on the small busses etc anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxoocruiser Posted July 12, 2016 #2 Share Posted July 12, 2016 (edited) Thanks for the information. For future reference the Celebrity tender policy is published in its website. Following was copied directly from the Celebrity website: Traveling from Ship to Shore Guests with disabilities should be able to experience all aspects of a cruise operation available to guests without disabilities. Certain tenders may not be accessible to individuals using motorized wheelchairs or mobility scooters, or the status of the tendering process at a particular port under certain weather, sea, swell, current and/or tide conditions may prove difficult for a safe transfer to take place. In each case, it will be the decision of the ship officer to determine, based on their evaluation of safety issues for our guests and crew, whether or not a guest with a mobility disability may board a tender. Prior to boarding the tender, the guest should speak to the staff, and advise whether the guest wants or needs assistance and the method of assistance the guest prefers so Celebrity Cruises can enable the guest with a disability to embark and disembark the tender in a safe manner. On Solstice class ships there is an accessible route to the tender platform. Currently, on Millennium class ships, there are exterior stairs with 10 steps to the tender platform. While our staff will provide limited assistance, they are not permitted to lift and carry guests. Motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters cannot be taken on tenders, unless roll-on capability is available. For more details or questions, please: call our Access Department at (866) 592-7225 (voice) or (954) 628-9708 (local voice); fax (954) 628-9622; send an e-mail to special_needs@celebrity.com; or - on board the vessel - feel free to ask our Guest Relations Staff for a Complaint Resolution Official (CRO). Edited July 12, 2016 by xxoocruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enforcer Posted July 12, 2016 #3 Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hi, I have mobility problems and use a scooter but I am able to walk short distances. Using tenders is one of the most frightening things I have done and I am not easily frightened. Even when the sea is like a mill pond there is always movement. We research our cruises carefully to make sure there aren't any tender ports or where I am prepared to stay on board. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chunky2219 Posted July 13, 2016 #4 Share Posted July 13, 2016 My apologies if you asked the question originally and I missed it. We did Solstice from Auckland to Sydney but I was able to get off at the tender port in Akaroa by stepping across and my wheelchair followed me on to the tender. I knew what the arangements were before I travelled. The crew were terrrific. The only line I'm aware of that have wheelchair or scooter accesible tenders on some of their ships is HAL although others might know of additional lines. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrierjohn Posted July 14, 2016 #5 Share Posted July 14, 2016 (edited) Our only experience of tendering on Solstice class was on Eclipse in Villefranche, although my wife can stand unaided I doubt that she could step into a tender. However once on the tender platform she was pushed across a small gangway onto a shore based tender which enabled her to stay in her chair the whole time. I am not sure if this would have been possible on a ships tender though, or if their had been any sort of rough swell. Edited July 14, 2016 by terrierjohn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xxoocruiser Posted July 14, 2016 #6 Share Posted July 14, 2016 (edited) My apologies if you asked the question originally and I missed it. We did Solstice from Auckland to Sydney but I was able to get off at the tender port in Akaroa by stepping across and my wheelchair followed me on to the tender. I knew what the arangements were before I travelled. The crew were terrrific. The only line I'm aware of that have wheelchair or scooter accesible tenders on some of their ships is HAL although others might know of additional lines. . OP stated in his post " I got off everywhere but my wife can not stand or take any steps ". Therefore his wife was not able to step across onto the tender and have her wheelchair follow. Additionally Celebrity's policy states "While our staff will provide limited assistance, they are not permitted to lift and carry guests." Edited July 14, 2016 by xxoocruiser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chunky2219 Posted July 14, 2016 #7 Share Posted July 14, 2016 OP stated in his post " I got off everywhere but my wife can not stand or take any steps ". Therefore his wife was not able to step across onto the tender and have her wheelchair follow. Additionally Celebrity's policy states "While our staff will provide limited assistance, they are not permitted to lift and carry guests." Yes. I can read. What's your point? . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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