Suggestions please for wheelchair traveler

[shelly222]

Hi, 

 

I took my daughter who is wheelchair bound on her first cruise via Disney. We are wanting to go on a second cruise and have been looking at a Western Caribbean cruise out of Galveston, TX for December 2019. We are looking at Carnival Freedom. Thoughts? We would be able to get a fully accessible cabin (unless its taken by the time I book). She is very sensitive to smoke fumes so I will have to be careful with keeping her away from that. All the ports on this itinerary are docking no tenders. 

 

Would love to hear others experiences with Carnival Freedom. Also, if you have any recommendations for wheelchair transportation or excursions at any of these ports, I would love to hear about them: Cozumel, Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay. 

 

Thank you all so much! 

[Buckimion]

Depending on your preferred cabin style, the Conquest-class ships including Freedom are easily a favorite if booked early simply because booking a fully accessible  "window" cabin it gets an automatic upgrade to a balcony! (cabin 6208) These are at the very front of the ship so smokers are not an issue.

 

As far as handicapped excursions, Kun Che Park in Cozumel is also a favorite. In our case, I was able to walk aboard while they stowed my wheelchair. They placed me in one of their chars on the grounds and pushed me though, although reports are they will change their routines depending on the visitor to accommodate them best. They feature a Mayan ball game* and have a 'village' where they demonstrate Mayan life. The day usually ends with dancing and lunch in a covered pavilion. *The show does include smoke effects so this may be an issue.

[shelly222]

Thank you so much. She is okay with these kinds of smoke fumes. 

Sounds like a fun excursion. 

[Essiesmom]

It depends on how sensitive she is to smoking.  Unfortunately on the Conquest class of Carnival, as well as the Fantasy Class to get from front to back, or vice versa, you have to go by or through the casino which is always a miasma of smoke.  You would do better with the Dream class or Vista.  EM

[Kcheine]

My son is in a wheelchair also.  We did 3 Disney cruises then switched to Carnival.  Our first Carnival Cruise was on the Freedom.  We loved it.  Much cheaper than Disney.  We had the handicap accessible room 10202.  We have used that room on Carnival Breeze, Vista, and Horizon.  Its near the pool and the buffet.  Highly suggest that room.  Plenty of room and a window.

 

I agree that you do need to walk thru the Casino to get to some things near the back of the boat but I think you could also take the elevator at the AFT to skip the Casino.

 

Regarding Mahogany Bay, we loved this port since you could just get off the ship and walk to the beach and shops right from there.  My son used his wheelchair then I carried him to the water.  The water was warm and beautiful and you could just walk back to the ship when you are tired of the beach.  Also, we do not always get off the ship at some ports like Cozumel since we have been there so many times and my kids enjoy the ship more when everyone is off the ship.  They have the pools and waterparks to themselves.  My son can walk thru the waterpark splash area with his walker and its less crowded on port days.

 

I will say that I suggest going with the more updated ships in the future because they are even more handicap accessible and they have more things to do.  They have Imax Movie Theatre that my son loved going to, to watch just released movies.  There is also ropes courses and sky ride for other in your party.  My daughter loved both.

 

The Carnival Shows at night are great for the whole family and we highly suggest the comedy shows.

 

You can't beat the price of Carnival vs. Disney.  Hope you have a great time.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Kelly

Edited January 5, 2019 by Kcheine

[shelly222]

On 1/5/2019 at 8:28 AM, Kcheine said:

My son is in a wheelchair also.  We did 3 Disney cruises then switched to Carnival.  Our first Carnival Cruise was on the Freedom.  We loved it.  Much cheaper than Disney.  We had the handicap accessible room 10202.  We have used that room on Carnival Breeze, Vista, and Horizon.  Its near the pool and the buffet.  Highly suggest that room.  Plenty of room and a window.

 

I agree that you do need to walk thru the Casino to get to some things near the back of the boat but I think you could also take the elevator at the AFT to skip the Casino.

 

Regarding Mahogany Bay, we loved this port since you could just get off the ship and walk to the beach and shops right from there.  My son used his wheelchair then I carried him to the water.  The water was warm and beautiful and you could just walk back to the ship when you are tired of the beach.  Also, we do not always get off the ship at some ports like Cozumel since we have been there so many times and my kids enjoy the ship more when everyone is off the ship.  They have the pools and waterparks to themselves.  My son can walk thru the waterpark splash area with his walker and its less crowded on port days.

 

I will say that I suggest going with the more updated ships in the future because they are even more handicap accessible and they have more things to do.  They have Imax Movie Theatre that my son loved going to, to watch just released movies.  There is also ropes courses and sky ride for other in your party.  My daughter loved both.

 

The Carnival Shows at night are great for the whole family and we highly suggest the comedy shows.

 

You can't beat the price of Carnival vs. Disney.  Hope you have a great time.  Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Kelly

Thank you so much Kelly for taking the time to share your experiences. It is so helpful and appreciated. 

Yes, I have found other ways to not have to walk through the casino or near it to get from point A to B. 🙂

Do you have any recommendations on what to do on Cozumel as we have never been and would like to get off the ship? We were thinking of a partial beach day and walking around maybe some shopping, etc. Are there things in walking distance or is a taxi necessary? Thank you so much. 

 

It is just my daughter and I so we are very limited in what we can do on the ship. We are hoping that there will be a few shows we can go to that my daughter will enjoy. 🙂 But we both really enjoy the ship when its more empty than full too. We spent a lot of our later evening times walking the ship on Disney. She loved it as did I as it was so quiet and hardly anyone out, plus the weather was so nice. We hope to be able to do that on this cruise too. 

 

I am hoping to be able to take her swimming on this cruise. I wasn't able to on Disney (not warm enough) so we shall see. 

 

Thank you again,

 

Edited January 6, 2019 by shelly222

[Kcheine]

One correction, on the Freedom we were in room 1002 but all the other Carnival newer ships, we were in 10202.

 

Regarding Cozumel, there is plenty to do.  There are tons of shops right at the Port and a Margaritaville for food and drinks.  We have also gone to Chankanaab in the past.  We swam with the dolphins.  I held my son in the water and the dolphins came right up to us so we were able to touch it and stuff.  We didn't ride it or anything since I wouldn't be able to do that with my son.  They have a Sea Lion show, shops, beach, gardens, small version of Tulum, etc.  Plenty to do for an afternoon.  I think we took a taxi and used my sons folding stroller instead of the wheelchair.  I bring both on cruises because it's so much easier to use the folding stroller on excursions.

 

The pools are a bit colder than I like for my son but he does love the hot tubs.  The Freedom has a few of those so you should be able to get your daughter into that.

 

You both should enjoy the shows.  They have reserved seating for wheelchairs.  It is mostly singing and dancing.  The PG comedy shows are great too.  We have done the Dive In Movies to at the pool.

 

Let me know if I can help you at all.  I am a single mom who finds going on cruises with my 2 kids the best and safest way for me to go on vacation.  So many options...

 

Kelly

[SpencerNY1]

I am a quadriplegic travel agent and I have had pretty decent experiences with all the cruise lines as far as wheelchair cabins. The freedom rooms should be great with roll in shower and everything. I mainly only choose Carnival for the price value and port. I prefer other cruise lines but would not pass up carnival if everything looks favorable. What ports are you thinking about visiting and are you planning on any excursion. 

[shelly222]

On 1/6/2019 at 4:01 PM, Kcheine said:

One correction, on the Freedom we were in room 1002 but all the other Carnival newer ships, we were in 10202.

 

Regarding Cozumel, there is plenty to do.  There are tons of shops right at the Port and a Margaritaville for food and drinks.  We have also gone to Chankanaab in the past.  We swam with the dolphins.  I held my son in the water and the dolphins came right up to us so we were able to touch it and stuff.  We didn't ride it or anything since I wouldn't be able to do that with my son.  They have a Sea Lion show, shops, beach, gardens, small version of Tulum, etc.  Plenty to do for an afternoon.  I think we took a taxi and used my sons folding stroller instead of the wheelchair.  I bring both on cruises because it's so much easier to use the folding stroller on excursions.

 

The pools are a bit colder than I like for my son but he does love the hot tubs.  The Freedom has a few of those so you should be able to get your daughter into that.

 

You both should enjoy the shows.  They have reserved seating for wheelchairs.  It is mostly singing and dancing.  The PG comedy shows are great too.  We have done the Dive In Movies to at the pool.

 

Let me know if I can help you at all.  I am a single mom who finds going on cruises with my 2 kids the best and safest way for me to go on vacation.  So many options...

 

Kelly

Thank you, Kelly.. Yeah, I am a single mom too and while we've been doing road trips for years, I have decided to venture out into the cruising world to see more. 

 

Thank you for letting me know about reserved seating for the shows. 

 

 

[shelly222]

On 1/27/2019 at 7:04 PM, SpencerNY1 said:

I am a quadriplegic travel agent and I have had pretty decent experiences with all the cruise lines as far as wheelchair cabins. The freedom rooms should be great with roll in shower and everything. I mainly only choose Carnival for the price value and port. I prefer other cruise lines but would not pass up carnival if everything looks favorable. What ports are you thinking about visiting and are you planning on any excursion. 

 

Thank you Spencer... 

 

The same ports as mentioned in my OP.. Cozumel, Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay. 

 

We haven't decided what to do in Cozumel or Costa Maya but have a private tour set up already for Mahogany Bay (Roatan) with Victor Bodden. 

[SpencerNY1]

6 minutes ago, shelly222 said:

 

Thank you Spencer... 

 

The same ports as mentioned in my OP.. Cozumel, Costa Maya, Mahogany Bay. 

 

We haven't decided what to do in Cozumel or Costa Maya but have a private tour set up already for Mahogany Bay (Roatan) with Victor Bodden. 

Is that a wheelchair van service in Mahogany Bay? In Cozumel I always use ThisisCozumel. This March I am just going to chankanaab park in Cozumel and on a drive around Jamaica.

[shelly222]

7 minutes ago, SpencerNY1 said:

Is that a wheelchair van service in Mahogany Bay? In Cozumel I always use ThisisCozumel. This March I am just going to chankanaab park in Cozumel and on a drive around Jamaica.

 

Yes, I booked a private tour through Victor Bodden who just got a wheelchair accessible vehicle to transport wheelchairs. He was just waiting for it to clear customs. However, he was willing to work with me on putting my daughter in a seat and taking her chair apart to transport her and it for a tour in their regular vans/suvs. But I am so glad we were able to book the accessible vehicle - so much better for her. 

Oh I will check out ThisIsCozumel (Thank you for that suggestion). I would love to hear about your experience in Chankanaab park. Have a WONDERFUL cruise/trip. 

 

Ours isn't until December - wish it was sooner.. 

[Benthayer Gonbak]

On 1/30/2019 at 5:53 PM, shelly222 said:

Thank you, Kelly.. Yeah, I am a single mom too and while we've been doing road trips for years, I have decided to venture out into the cruising world to see more. 

 

Thank you for letting me know about reserved seating for the shows. 

 

 

Reserved seating can fill up and some simply cannot read!  When I notice a wheelchair bound passenger I often move down a few rows and leave my walker now scooter at the top in the corner.  My husband will normally move it out of the way and bring it back.  He has also been known to move from a companion seat to get some who also needs the handicap area.  We normally learn who is regularly coming and make adjustments to help with others who cannot manage even one step.    Some people do move too if they see you and think you need the space more but then there need to be close by seats for them to move too!  

 

It'll work, although I’ve not done Carnival because of the smoking most cruise lines are getting better.  I get pretty good with changing ends of the ship before I get on the elevator so I don’t have to do the up , over, and down to avoid the casino.