Excursions using rollator

[Oleander3401]

I just got back from a cruise on the Celebrity Equinox. I had arranged several excursions through their shore access department. For some reason that info never got to the folks at the shore excursion counter. Except for one employee, the others treated me poorly. They promised to get info for me and never did. They refused to recognize that their shore access dep't had contacted the tour operators and gotten approval for taking the rollator. They told me I couldn't use the open air buses when that was already approved. They were almost rude and decidedly unhelpful. So my advice to any of you who have mobility issues is to use your own judgment as to what you are comfortable doing but do not rely on Celebrity to help you and definitely do not rely on the tour operators to physically assist you.

[Oleander3401]

To continue with my experience. I booked a food tour in San Juan with Celebrity. Having been there several times in the past I knew the streets were cobblestone and the sidewalks may or may not have had curb cuts and I'd be climbing up and down hills. The brochure from Celebrity said no wheelchairs allowed on this tour. When the tour guide saw my walker he called the tour operator- Flavors of Old San Juan- and then told me I couldn't go on the tour. I went to the shore excursion desk and told them what happened. One employee was sympathetic and wrote up my experience. The others told me they had nothing to do with it since they were not the tour operator. I believe Celebrity should state in their brochures if walkers/rollators are not allowed on specific tours. We people with mobility issues are functioning adults who know our limits and should be treated as adults.

[spookwife]

as a former full time WC user myself, I guess I would have just assumed that if the description said no WC, that would be  expanded to include all assistance devices.. ECVs, rollators and walkers.  

 

and I would NEVER assume, expect or demand   any assistance with my physical needs from anyone but myself or my husband. not even Disney Cast Members do anything more  than offer a steadying hand.   its an insurance thing.   they have to protect themselves from being sued by someone they helped who  gets hurt.  

[Schoifmom]

51 minutes ago, spookwife said:

as a former full time WC user myself, I guess I would have just assumed that if the description said no WC, that would be  expanded to include all assistance devices.. ECVs, rollators and walkers.  

 

and I would NEVER assume, expect or demand   any assistance with my physical needs from anyone but myself or my husband. not even Disney Cast Members do anything more  than offer a steadying hand.   its an insurance thing.   they have to protect themselves from being sued by someone they helped who  gets hurt.  

 

I agree with some of what you said.  Just because an excursion says "no WC" (and by extension a ECV, given the size and scope of that device) does not mean that you cannot take some other assistance device.  Where would that end.  Would they then be able to deny someone who uses a cane?  DH successfully took a rollator on multiple excursions.  I will say, though, that we don't expect any assistance from the tour operators.

[kokopelli-az]

We have had similar issues like this.   The shore excursion desk never seems to know much about the accessibility of tours other than what they have right in front of them.   Always contact the cruise line's shore access department ahead of time so the cruise line can confirm the accessibility of a particular tour with the tour operator and whether it can accommodate a particular mobility device.   If you do this by email you can have a print-out of what was confirmed.  Also, there are typically accessible (not necessarily just for wheelchairs or scooters) tours available that are not in the regular shore excursion brochure but you have to request this from the shore access department before the cruise.   We have never had very good responses from the shore excursion desk on the ship regarding accessibility of shore excursion questions.