Alaska - Handicap accessible?

[rsspurple]

I am looking into going on an Alaskan cruise this summer. My brother wants to join us. He is handicapped. He uses a scooter mostly when home. I have a few questions. I hope someone out there can answer them.

1) are the Alaskan ports accessible?

2) Which ship is best for accessibility? We are looking into holland America ( ryandam)

3) Is there anything we should know (to ask travel agent) when booking the cruise?

 

Thanks,

:)

[kyriecat]

I can offer a few suggestions. I was on a trip to AK in fall 2006 with my folks. My mom in a full-time manual wheelchair user. We were booked on RC's Radiance of the Seas and went to Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, and Icy Strait. My mom had no problems with navigating Radiance on her own.

 

In Junaeu they booked a tour on a lift-bus with Mighty Great Trips that made stops around Juneau for sightseeing and a stop at Mendenhall Glacier.

 

In Skagway they took the White Pass Railroad in a lift-car then wandered around Skagway for some shopping. The town is small and easy to navigate.

 

In Sitka they took a lift-bus to the national park and walked the paths then returned on their own to town. The streets were a little bumpy but overall okay for a wheelchair. I can't find the site that they booked the bus through.

 

Icy Strait was disappointing because there isn't much to do. There is a small shopping area and one path that isn't dirt to walk around. There is a small village a couple miles from the dock but when we were there, there wasn't a lift-bus and the road was too narrow for a wheelchair to safely navigate and stay out of the traffic lanes.

 

If you use a TA,. make sure that you tell them you need a wheelchair accessible cabin. Some ships have "accessible" cabins that have extra bars in the bathroom and a few amenities, like blinking lights for the deaf, but are not designed for a wheelchair or scooter occupant. Be specific about your requirements.

[rfbdorf]

Ask and read in the special interest - disability cruising forum, you'll find lots of info there.

My wife, in a power chair, did well on the Oosterdam, and we will be on the Volendam later this year. She stayed on board at Sitka, which is a tender port. No problems in Juneau or Ketchikan.

- Richard

[rsspurple]

Thanks for the info. I will continue to do research.

[wrp96]

Please do not wait too long if you need a handicapped accessible cabin. Accessible cabins are limited on ships and tend to be booked months in advance. The longer you wait, the more limited your choices of ships will be if you need a handicapped accessible cabin - and if he plans on bringing his scooter, yes he most likely will need one as most cabin doors in non-accessible cabins are not wide enough to accommodate a scooter.

[rsspurple]

Please do not wait too long if you need a handicapped accessible cabin. Accessible cabins are limited on ships and tend to be booked months in advance. The longer you wait, the more limited your choices of ships will be if you need a handicapped accessible cabin - and if he plans on bringing his scooter, yes he most likely will need one as most cabin doors in non-accessible cabins are not wide enough to accommodate a scooter.

 

Thanks, I am checking out cruises now. Will book this week if we can find one.:)

[Oceanwench]

We've not been to Alaska, but we've cruised on HAL many times.

DH is in a powerchair.

The Vista ships are very accessible and have 28 HC cabins per ship.

The smaller ships have fewer HC cabins.

We were unhappy with the cabin selection on the smaller ships. The VAs or SYs on the Vistas are perfect for us.

 

And I second the above comment -- book ASAP. We have to book more than a year out, and even then we don't always get our first choice.

[Tinknock50]

As has been alluded to in an earlier post.....some handicap cabins have step ups for the bathroom and are not fully accessable. This is true of the Ryndam, so be careful which one you choose. There are a couple of really nice "C" category cabins on Lower Promenade.

[ackieboy]

Hi!

 

As both a physically challenged cruiser who has done Alaska twice and a travel agent, I can offer some advice. First, for something like this I would definitely recommend working with a travel agent. In order to find one that has experience in dealing with physically challenged clients you can go to http://www.sath.org which is the society for Accessible Tourism and Hospitality. There are two companies that I can recommend that sometimes do group sailings where they block alot of the accessible cabins for the groups use. One is Accessible Journeys and the other is Flying Wheels Travel. Also, If you are not planning on bringing your own wheelchair or scooter you can rent one through a company called scootaround at http://www.scootaround.com and they will deliver it directly to the ship. As far as shore excursions, they will vary in accessibility and alot depends on the individual. That is why I recommend working with someone who is on the same page as you and who you feel you can talk to about your specific needs. However given all of this I would definitely say that, yes you can do this and have a great time. If I can be of any more assistance in answering any questions, please feel free to get in touch with me.

 

Regards,

 

Dean