Experiences on our Alaska cruise on the Oosterdam

[rfbdorf]

Yesterday we returned from our cruise on the Oosterdam. DW has been in a power chair since she became paraplegic 2 years ago; this was our first vacation in 4 years, and so was quite a big thing for us.

 

The two best experiences:

I had independently booked two excursions, both of them because of recommendations here on Cruise Critic.

 

The first was with Orca Enterprises in Juneau. Our driver Lacey picked us up in a wheelchair van and took us out to Mendenhall Glacier, where we spent a too short hour, then to the dock where we boarded Captain Larry’s boat. He designed this boat specifically so people like DW can get on board. We saw quite a few humpback whales. What a thrill this was for DW, who didn’t think she’d ever be able to be in a boat again! Then Lacey took us over to a place that does a salmon bake. This was crowded, as several tour buses had just arrived, so we diverted to another (independent) place, where we had very good salmon and excellent halibut, and enjoyed a pleasant and interesting conversation with Lacey. The excessive cost of the dinner was the only downside to this tour. I recommend this company, particularly for anyone with mobility problems.

 

In Ketchikan, I took a floatplane flightseeing trip with Michelle of Island Wings (there’s no way that DW can get in a small aircraft since she’s been paralyzed, so this was on my own). Michelle was great, and I took well over a hundred photos. I noticed, while we were taking a break on a small island in the lake where we landed, that none of the 3 other aircraft that landed on the lake had flown a normal landing pattern so they could check out the lake surface – a practice I felt was dangerous, as they were assuming that there was no block of ice or piece of floating wood in their path that could create a dangerous situation or damage a float. A pilot myself and very conscious of flight safety, I felt in excellent hands with Michelle, who shared her enthusiasm for flying and for Alaska, and who showed us some marvelous scenery (and also a bear!). Again, very highly recommended, but unfortunately not accessible for a non-walker or someone with very poor balance. For a lightweight with a strong helper, a helicopter trip may be a better idea; not a floatplane.

 

The two unpleasant experiences:

We drove to Seattle the day before, having made reservations at the Red Lion in Tukwila for a handicap accessible room. When we got there, it turned out that they had only one accessible room, and it was already occupied. Thanks a lot. We tried a regular room, but the bathroom door was too narrow for my wife’s chair to go in. So we went to another motel a couple of miles away for a few $ more, and it was much nicer (not only the accessible aspects).

 

The other was on the ship. We entered the lounge some 20 minutes before a program, and parked ourselves, DW in her power chair. Immediately before the program started, I heard a woman behind us say to her friend “I can’t see with that in front of me.” She then said to me “Can you ask your wife to move? I can’t see.” Having heard what she said previously, clearly referring to DW as an unpleasant object, I was a more than a little ticked off, so I said “Why don’t you ask her yourself?” I may have also said something about how she could also move her own chair to where she could see. DW is more forgiving than I, and she maneuvered her chair to the side.

 

The Oosterdam was great. I met Smiley Agus and Hunky Dory in the Lido restaurant the first day. Steward Ipto and waiter Rifki were excellent. Hotel manager James Deering told me he reads Cruise Critic several times a day. Apart from the one experience above, people were accommodating and very helpful towards DW. We had no problems with the elevators. I had packed lots of extra medical supplies; although most went unused, one (a Foley catheter tray) turned out to save the vacation; also a power strip and a second extension cord; both were very much needed (CPAP, chair battery charger, alarm clock with multiple settings to remind DW to turn at night, camera battery charger) – the single outlet was quite a ways from the head of the bed. A bit of a nuisance was having to check our baggage the evening before disembarkation; that meant we had to haul stuff like the CPAP, clock and Hoyer sling in our carry-on bag.

 

- Richard

[OceanFantasys]

Richard it sounds like you and your wife had a great time on the Oosterdam. We did the sailing before you. I have just now gotten a power chair and have a few questions. Do you ever take it on an airplane? They are so much more heavier that a scooter. I usually take my scooter but it is getting so old and the gears are getting cranky. I am just wondering if the power chair might work for cruising instead but I am concerned about the weight. Thanks and welcome back .:)

[rfbdorf]

Rhonda - This was the first traveling we have ever done with a power chair. We drove to Seattle, so no flying was involved. DW stayed on board at Sitka because that is a tender port and the power chair is too heavy for their lift. We could have brought along a manual chair & taken her ashore in that, but she was happy to stay on board at that one port.

I know that people fly with a power chair, but you need to transfer to an aisle chair at the gate, then into a regular seat on the plane. I've also been told that you should remove anything from the chair that might break or disappear, such as the control unit.

Splinter (here on CC) can tell you a lot more.

- Richard

[OceanFantasys]

Thanks Richard. My DH says it would be very hard to get my scooter onboard the tender to Sitka and said I would have to do steps and I can't so I stayed on the ship also.