Handicapped beware

[myfuzzy]

And don't forget, too, the definition of handicapped, accessible, mobility challenged etc, when visiting a foreign port, can differ with the definition you know, what you make know in your country for a fact, may differ in the country you are visiting.

[Fouremco]

What this says to me is, prepare for worse case scenario as X cannot guarantee how entry access will be for any specific motor coach used for tours, since it is a third party providing them.

If Celebrity offers an excursion, they certainly are responsible for the type of motor coach used, and that would (or should) normally be part of the contract between Celebrity and the provider. In today's day and age, no cruise line should offer "accessible" shore excursions that can't accommodate passengers in wheelchairs or with others limitations.

[kathynorth]

You are so welcome! It's a world that no one understands unless they live it.

 

 

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I'm sure that many appreciate your posting this warning. This past July I cruised on the Summit with my mother who is wheelchair dependent. This was an eye opening experience for me. Despite numerous assurances we had several concerning situations related to different definitions/standards of accessibility.

[varoo]

Instead of going by the word "accessible" in the description, we find it better to inquire in detail in advance about the specific features that we need.

 

If the people at the shore excursion desk don't know the answers to your questions, you can ask them to contact the tour vendor and find out.

 

There are so many variables in the limitations and abilities of different people who have just about any type of disability.

Realistically, there is not room in the brief tour description to describe in detail all the abilities necessary to participate in any tour. So if there is any doubt, it is better to ask in advance.

The same applies to booking "accessible" hotel rooms.

 

 

I'm a full time wheelchair user an you really have to do your own research before booking anything that claims to be "accessible". We had the opposite happen on multiple cruises. Family an friends would do excursions that weren't listed as "accessible" yet when they got back to the ship everyone was saying how I could have done them. Yes there were accessibility issues but not big enough to say everyone in a wheelchair is unable to go an do these things..........

 

We have had similar experiences where an excursion was listed with an upper age restriction of 80. A member of our party who was 82 wanted to go and nothing in the excursion description made it look unsuitable. We asked at shore excursions and they contacted the vendor and got permission for him to go.

 

The only limiting factor was that one needed to able to walk up and down 3 steps. The excursion would have been easy for a 100 year old who could walk up and down 3 steps.

 

We have heard that they apply age limits to some excursions for insurance purposes, but yet for many excursions people may sign (or even be required to sign) liability waivers.

 

We have also heard that vendors sometimes apply an age limit for an excursion if they have had a problem with someone who was elderly on the excursion, which is very unfair to other elderly people who cause no problems at all.

If a 35 year old causes a problem, they don't ban all 35 year olds.

Edited October 15, 2017 by varoo

[chemmo]

 

 

We have had similar experiences where an excursion was listed with an upper age restriction of 80. A member of our party who was 82 wanted to go and nothing in the excursion description made it look unsuitable.

 

We have heard that they apply age limits to some excursions for insurance purposes, but yet for many excursions people may sign (or even be required to sign) liability waivers.

 

.

 

 

I do wonder about how going on a trip with an upper age limit when you are over the age limit or signing a liability waiver could impact on your own insurance if, unhappily, anything did go wrong...For example, if the guest fell and broke her arm (something that can happen to someone of any age). Could your medical insurance refuse to pay out on the grounds you had gone on an tour which had been indicated as 'unsuitable'?

[sanger727]

I do wonder about how going on a trip with an upper age limit when you are over the age limit or signing a liability waiver could impact on your own insurance if, unhappily, anything did go wrong...For example, if the guest fell and broke her arm (something that can happen to someone of any age). Could your medical insurance refuse to pay out on the grounds you had gone on an tour which had been indicated as 'unsuitable'?

 

I truly don't see how. 99% of the things you do every day don't have listed limitations at which it becomes "unsuitable", yet there are still plenty of things you can do voluntarily that are dangerous and you have to sign a waiver indicating that you recognize the dangers and are fine with them. I've never heard of medical insurance refusing to pay due to someone voluntarily taking on dangers. Even if it's something as simple as going on a roller coaster ride that lists that it's unsuitable for someone with a back injury. If you have a back injury and decide to ride anyway and get hurt. You certainly can't sue them, you violated their recommendations - but your insurance will still pay for the treatment.

 

Sometimes it's a tad silly. I went to a country with malaria recently. My insurance does not cover malaria preventative; total cost was under $100, I think, to pay out of pocket. Yet, If I went without, and came home with malaria, they would pay for my treatment which would be exponentially more than the silly preventative was.

[AIROHS]

I'm a full time wheelchair user an you really have to do your own research before booking anything that claims to be "accessible". We had the opposite happen on multiple cruises. Family an friends would do excursions that weren't listed as "accessible" yet when they got back to the ship everyone was saying how I could have done them. Yes there were accessibility issues but not big enough to say everyone in a wheelchair is unable to go an do these things. Sure not everyone in a chair is as able to do things like I can but there are variations of disability and accessibility. Nowhere is 100% accessible to everyone, at some point someone is going to need help doing things that are listed simply as "accessible". For my upcoming cruise they have a few "accessible" excursions listed but only TWO specifically say WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE.

 

Buyer BEWARE

I have traveled 18yrs in electric wchairs and booked countless WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE Tours only to be turned away upon arrival you just have to take ACCESSIBLE with a grain of salt.

[kitty9]

As someone who's been disabled since the age of 2, after a bout with polio, I have experienced just about everything with regards to tours on cruises. The number one problem is that cruise lines use able bodied persons to rate excursions as to their accessibility. Unless a person is disabled, there's no way for them to know how a wide variety of disabilities would handle any one kind of excursion. But let it be known that any tour that involves a large tour bus will likely not be accessible for those of us who use mobility devices full time. Other than Disney, I have not seen any tour buses that have a lift to take on scooters or power wheelchairs, especially outside the US/Canada, and I've been on over 90 cruises all over the world.

 

The one thing I've learned is that 99% of the time, I must book private tours if I want to see any port of call. That way, I speak with the tour provider and they know exactly what I require.

[coldcdn]

It would be fascinating to have everyone that is responding to this thread include whether they or their DH is either in a wheelchair or handicapped. It seems many who are responding are neither, and it shows in the response language.