accessible tours and vans in Hawaii

[Splinter]

I am very familiar with all those sites, most of which provide little useful information specific for the needs of the wheelchair cruiser. If anything, they provide information about accessible hotels (not needed) or the Bus in Honolulu (already have used it in the past), or are only selling their own all-inclusive tours in groups of PWD (ie, air, hotel, tours, meals, etc.), etc. Try to find information about companies providing accessible tours that will pick up at a cruise ship terminal...not so easy.

[Queenie2]

I think Pootsie was just trying to be helpful and share resources, and that's what this forum is all about. I research accessible travel destinations and vacation options for a living, and sometimes it pays to re-visit an old resource that didn't pan out before. Things change, and a lead is a lead.

 

That said, several travel agencies were listed, and although you may be able to glean a lead or two from visiting their sites (photos, company names, etc) in general you should not expect a travel agent to provide access information to you if you didn't book the cruise from them. Everyone has to make a living and arranging accessible shore excursions is time consuming, and the only way most TAs can do this is to make it a *benefit* of booking with them, and collect the commission on the cruise. I think Howard (Accessible Journeys) *may* plan accessible shore excursions to non-cruise clients, but there is a itinerary planning charge involved. I really don't have a problem with this, as I don't expect anybody to give away their services for free.

 

Unfortunately we can't report what isn't there.

 

And last time I checked with Princess, they charge extra for shore excursions that require what they call "specialized" transportation (in some markets). From what I've heard, they pass the additional cost of the specialized transportation on to the consumer. I don't know if they are still doing this, or if they are doing it in Hawaii. I've talked to the DOJ about this, and the consensus is that they are pretty much walking a fine line, but are probably within legal limits, as they don't claim the "specialized transportation tours" are the same as the regular shore excursions.

 

Candy

[LilCruiser15]

We are looking to go to Hawaii in 2007 but we have always sailed from near by dep. ports. We need all the info. we can get as far as what ship and what there are for shore tours?ALSO WHAT THE BEST DEP. PORTS FOR HANDICAP ARE? My daughter is totally wheelchair bound and can't transfer. Does anyone have any pictures of Handicap rooms you could post or send . Also wondering how the new All America NCL ships are as far as dinners,ports of call entertainment for young adults and because it's a freestyle ship. I am not sure if there are alot of things to do etc.Anyone with any info. please post any info. even though it's a long way off, but need start planning soon due to limited number of handicap cabains.Does anyone know if any cruises go like between the last week of May up until late July.

[Ghoti]

We will be traveling Pride of Aloha Aug. 7-14. Yesterday we received word that my wife has avascular necrosis (a resulting side effect from steroid use after a successful bone marrow transplant yeh) and must limit weight bearing on her legs thus she must use a wheel chair as much as possible on our trip. We are thankful there are treatments but we won't be able to see our orthopedic surgeon until after our trip to Hawaii and our GP doctor wants us to exercise caution as much as we can. We have a week in Oahu for my brother in law's wedding and then a week cruise. We have decided to do the rental car thing wherever possible and utilize a "portable" scooter if we can locate one. Does anyone have any idea as to the adverage cost per week rental. We are going to enjoy our trip no matter what. We would love some advice about tours, don't miss sites that are accessable. This is new to us and any pointers about wheel chair use on the cruise would be appreciated. Thanking you in advance

 

Ghoti (FISH)

[KL&KR]

My disabled partner and I took the Princess RT cruise L.A.-Hawaii in April 2004. We thought the Princess was very good about ordering up lift-equipped buses, but the problem we found was that the buses were incredibly uncomfortable--she felt shaken to pieces. Also, in the first bus we took (a small one in Hilo, for a trip that went up to the volcano)--the driver had been called out of retirement and had never been trained in tying down chairs. Since we had no experience either, we thought her weight and inertia would keep her scooter in place; :eek: whew, what a mistake!

Kudos to Hawaii for making sure the lifts on buses will handle truly LARGE people and their wheels; next time, though, now that we know the lay of the land, we plan to rent a minivan.

[ashleysmm]

My husband and I were on Serenade of the Seas this past May. We stayed at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Oahu for 3 days prior to our cruise and found it was very convient and easy to get around.

 

The night before our flight my husband's bearings in his front small wheel went. Since it was after 10pm, I went on the internet and contacted 2 medical supply business' in Oahu. After determining that we could get the replace parts he needed we rigged his wheel and hoped it would last until we got to Hawaii. We arrived on Sunday but the medical supply wasn't open until Monday. On Monday when we called we were told that their technician wouldn't be in until Tues. We were sailing on Wed so back to the phone book were we located another business that had the part in stock and could repair the chair while we waited. We took a Charlies Cab (mini-van) and within an hour we were back at the hotel with a fixed wheelchair. The cab ride cost was $120 with tip the part $34 a small price to enjoy our vacation.

 

We used the bus when we visited the Internation Market Place, China Town and Aloha Towers (where the cruise ship departs from). It was very easy and convient not to mention much cheaper than cabs. We inquired about the accessible trolley at Hilo Hatties flagship store in Oahu and were told you have to contact them 24 hrs in advance to use it. No problem we just took the bus again.

 

Our major concern was tendering in Lahania and Kona. We were pleasantly surprised to discover that on the Serenade they had wheelchair lifts on the stairs that folded flat against the side when not needed. When it was my husband's turn to go down they lowered the lift, he rode on held onto the grab bar in front of him and slowly was lowered to the deck and helped into the tender. We used this tender twice in Lahania and once in Kona and wish that all cruise lines would impliment this for tender ports.

 

Kaui - there were various vendor shuttle buses right at the pier to take you to their shops. I was surprised to find quite a few with wheelchair lifts. You might have to wait for one to come back but you could get one. We decided to spend the day on the beach at the Marriott. It was about a 15-20min walk past Nawailli Park and there are 2 small shopping areas near the Marriott. Once at the Marriott you could rent beach chairs and umbrellas. There also were accessible restrooms and restaurant. As we sat on the beach we could see our ship off on the horizon. Next time we'll prearrange an excursion but loved the day at the beach.

 

Maui - we walked around Lahania and had lunch at Cheesburger in Paradise. Highly recommend their burgers and drinks not to mention the fabulous setting. We went to the Old Lahania Luau the first night in port but made the mistake of walking to it from Lahania. It was at least 5 miles but who knew? We took a taxi back from the Luau. The second day we took a taxi to the Sheraton on Kanapali Beach. Great for snorkeling but the waves are very strong. They have sand wheelchairs at the Sheraton at no charge even if you're not a guess at their hotel. Again chairs and umbrellas were available to rent as was snorkeling equipment. Also had accessible facilities. Another great beach day. In case you haven't noticed we're beach people.

 

Kona - we rented a car thru Dollar. If you go on their web site you can pick up the car at the King Kamehameha Hotel which is directly across the street from the tender pier. This is the only location other than the airport to get a rental car in Kona. We went to Kahaluu Beach Park (black sand beach) again rented beach chairs and snorkel equipment and they also had accessible restrooms and nearby restaurant. On the way back from the beach we stopped at Ali'i Gardens Marketplace which has small shops with various handmade products along with produce and flowers. After returning the car we walked around downtown Kona and purchased Kona coffee at Hula Bean Coffee. You get to taste the coffee before buying and can get either ground or whole bean. It's the best.

 

Hilo - we contacted PolyAd Adventure Tours a couple of months prior to our cruise and arranged an all day private tour. We were met at the pier by our guide Henry and a mini-van. We toured downtown Hilo enroute Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots. We then headed to Panewa Rainforest Zoo where we spent about an hr. Next stop was a tour of Volcano Village and Volcano Winery where we had our purchases shipped home. We had lunch at Volcano House (buffet style nothing special) and spent most of the afternoon in Volcano's National Park and a quick visit to the Lava tubes. Enroute back to the pier we stopped at Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Store for goodies then back to the ship. What a great way to end our tour of Hawaii from then on we just had 5 sea days to Vancouver.

 

Our room on the Serenade was very spacious. Cabin 7610 which is a cat E1 Balcony. Your cabin key activated a self opening and closing cabin door. To exit you just pushed the button inside and the door again opened and closed on it own. You could also open it manually to leave but the door was extremely heavy and difficult to open unless using the button. We had a small couch, coffee table and club chair in the room. After 2 days of back and forth with guest services and housekeeping we finally managed to have the chair removed from the cabin. It was very large and either blocked the path to the balcony or clogged up the space by the vanity, minibar and tv. Once it was removed my husband had no trouble manuvering around the cabin. The bathroom was spacious with a fold down shower seat in the shower. The balcony accommodated 2 chairs, a small table and a lounge chair. It was one of the largest handicapped cabins we've had and very comfortable.

 

If anyone has another other questions, please ask and I'll try to answer them for you.

 

Carol

[daju22]

Thanks so much for your Hawaii cruise post. Will be on the Infinity with a handicapped cabin. I really got some new ideas from you.

Thanks for your time!

Judy