LokiPoki

Whittakers has some interesting chocolate varieties you can’t buy here. I know he won’t be able to go ashore in Akaroa, but if anyone in your family/group does, there are a couple of shops selling pretty good handmade fudge. There’s a sweet shop in Wellington that sells goodies from all over the world - but can’t remember the name...hopefully some NZ members will have an answer for you.

A couple of tips for Wellington: you will be shuttled off-port to the central city in Wellington. At least half of the shuttles are wheelchair accessible and the staff will prioritise wheelchair passengers to the front of the queue to enable easy boarding. All of the major attractions - Te Papa, Wellington Cable Car, Parliament, Space Place, Wellington Museum - are accessible venues. While Wellington has a reputation as a hilly city, the waterfront and downtown area are all flat.

 

There's a couple of tourism operators who specialise in wheelchair transport if you want to tour - have a look at: https://www.wellingtonnz.com/discover/plan-trip-to-wellington/accessible-wellington/

https://www.wellingtonnz.com/discover/sights-activities/silver-cloud-luxury-tours/

It must vary from day to day; I’m fairly certain there was only a single accessible shuttle when we were in Wellington - and know there was in Dunedin. No priority coming back to port either, just everyone making a mad rush and pushing through for the next bus to come along, and never mind us chair (and scooter users) who’d been waiting for much longer.

Hi Maree,

I can well understand that ... I’ve just got a power assist device as my wrists and shoulders are shot after years in a chair, and the freedom is amazing!

Yep, it was a Princess cruise. You had to pay for the shuttle - except in Wellington, as pedestrians weren’t permitted to walk through the port area (I think when we were there, the ships were docking in a different spot to normal because of earthquake damage - whether that’s been fixed or not, I don’t know) I think otherwise it was about $5 - not a huge sum.

Not sure if you’ve already looked at either of these sites, or how much help they might be -

http://accessiblenz.com/wp/tour-options/new-zealand-cruise-ship-tour-shore-excursion/

http://www.toursnz.com/services.htm

Laura

I'm looking at a tour for kangaroo and koala interaction; found the following for a tour but it doesn't say specifically where this is. any guesses?

"Walk amongst large free ranging "mobs" (groups) of wild kangaroos. Spot Emus, Cockatoos and other unique Australian wildlife on the grassland, in the bush and around the billabongs of Melbourne's Western Plains. Visit an open forest in a National Park that is home to a large and healthy population of wild koalas. The koalas research project ensures that on most days you'll have multiple sightings of these delightful creatures.

Within easy reach from the center of the city of Melbourne, these environments provide the perfect introduction to Australia's unique wildlife and indigenous culture. The area you walk through is of great significance to the local Aboriginal People of the Wathaurong Tribe. Freshwater lakes and billabongs nearby provided a rich food source for them, and some signs of their occupation still remain."

Not sure, but at a guess could be Brisbane Ranges NP ... there certainly is (or at least was) a koala research project in Brisbane Ranges. Maybe Serendip Sanctuary as well.

Not sure what sort of “interaction” you’d get - I’d suspect sightings, rather than “up close and personal” - roos might approach if they’re used to humans (usually because they’ve been fed by tourists, which creates a whole host of problems. Koalas generally are not able to be handled by the public - I think Qld, possibly South Australia are the exceptions. Not as cute as they look either...they’ve got bloody big claws and they bite (though not as dangerous as drop bears ...)

When we did round NZ last year, both those ports (plus Tauranga - as the ship docked in Mt Maunganui, which is a little way from Tauranga itself - though I assume your tour guide will pick you up from the ship anyway?) had a shuttle service running. It appeared that there was only a single bus each time that was wheelchair accessible, so if you take that option, make sure you allow plenty of time to return to port... with the multitude of scooters, I think I had to wait for the bus to come around three times in Dunedin before I could get on. Also very steep to get off the bus, as the bus just pulled up on the asphalt rather than having a kerb to drop the ramp onto. Once there, I found Wellington and Dunedin both okay to navigate in my manual chair - decent pavements, and enough kerb cutouts and the like to get around okay.

Not sure about independent tour operators or taxis though, sorry.

You can walk from the Cruise Terminal in Darwin to the City Travel Bureau and arrange an independant City Sights tour. We did ours in a double decker bus which took up approx half a day. Darwin has some very interesting wartime museums and military history and lots of memorabilia relating to the cyclone which destroyed the city many years ago. Any time left can be used to enjoy the pubs and cafes adjacent to the Cruise Terminal. Litchfield Park is an all day excursion which can be very hot and tiring but the last stop is usually a swim at the waterfall.

Assuming no salties have been sighted! I’ve swum at Wangi Falls and they - and Litchfield generally - I find a spectacular place, but when my parents visited a couple of years later they weren’t permitted anywhere near any of the pools as a number of large crocs had been sighted in the weeks before they were there.

Agree about a tour of Darwin being worthwhile if OP decides to pass on Litchfield.

You can catch a Melbourne icon, a Melbourne tram, from the city to St Kilda. I think it is less than 30 minutes but a local could tell you more accurately.

Yep, about 30 mins. Just be aware that you need a Myki card - which needs to be bought in advance from either a railway station. Some large tram stops also have them I believe, but couldn’t tell you which offhand.

If you’re there on a Sunday, there’s also a nice market along the esplanade.

I was told no to a plug in heat pad (I find heat helps both my neuropathic pain and pain associated with my muscle spasticity). I use “Hot Hands” instead (not just going away, but anywhere where it’s not possible or practical to use an electric pad) ... they stay warm for a long time - I’ve actually never timed one until today, but I activated one at 10am this morning - now coming up 6pm and it’s not even started to cool down.

I am looking for a couple excursions while here; we want to see the penguins and on another day possibly wine tasting in the Yarra River Valley. Is a whole day necessary for Philips Island when all we want to do is see the penguins? Well maybe some kangaroos too :) Suggestions? :D

Are the penguins the only reason you want to go to Phillip Island? If so, you might want to look at going down to St Kilda instead. Phillip Island is roughly 2 hours from Melbourne - St Kilda is not far from the Cbd. http://stkildapenguins.com.au/skp/?page_id=93

For other Aussie wildlife - if you’re already considering a Yarra Valley wine tour, you might look at whether you can combine it with a trip to Healesville Sanctuary (if you’ve not come across it - it’s a zoo, but with Australian wildlife only). Depending on time of day, you’re also likely to see plenty of wild roos on the way out (I live that direction, not as far out, and have to stop for them - and wombats, echidnas, deer...definitely not native, total pests, but impressive nonetheless) on almost a daily basis.

Lol it's the Yarra. It's extremely famous for being dark brown. I live in the CBD and see it every day. It ain't stunning !

 

 

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Agree it’s not impressive during the day (or not in the CBD...I live a stone’s throw or so from the Yarra, just a lot further upstream) but I rather like the river at night... I used to row in town and was lovely seeing everything start to light up as darkness fell.

Laurie, the banks are pretty ordinary in the CBD to be honest. Much nicer as you go further upstream - not that I’m biased or anything ;) Probably too far given your very limited time in Melbourne though.

In Summer in Melbourne we see maybe one fly per week.

 

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That must be because they’ve all been throwing a party at my place ;p (outer NE, so not as “city” as some areas) We had so many this summer that I thought I’d be carried off every time I ventured outside :o

Very sorry if I have offended anyone.

Not sure how what you’ve said could be seen as offensive. I’ve been a chair user for 10+ years - if that doesn’t make me “truly disabled” I’m not sure what does - and I’ve had a good laugh thanks to you and Franco :D

i walk onto plane with mine and have them fold and put in closet incase i need to go to washroom (DELTA )

I do this with my wheelchair on widebody planes (never seen a narrow with a big enough cupboard though?) - no help with getting to the loo in my case, more for peace of mind after one very scary incident watching my chair get dropped when unloading (thankfully chair was okay other than some minor scratches....my nerves were less so!)

RE: P & O

P & O has a very strict policy as to the size a wheelchair must be in order for it to be allowed in a non-accessible cabin. FYI P&O has just as strict of policy for mobility scooters. When booking with P&O all information requiring the need for a wheelchair should always be disclosed upfront to avoid exactly what your friend is now experiencing. Information can by found in the FAQ section in P&O's website. Here's the link https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/before-you-sail/Wheelchair_Scooter_Size

 

For reference here's the link regarding P&O's mobility scooter policy https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/before-you-sail/po_mobility_scooter

 

RE: Princess

It's been posted routinely on this forum that most all cruise line standard cabins doorways are 23" from door frame to door frame. Being that the door does not open flush to wall than 2" must be deducted which results in the threshold clearance being only 21" . Any mobility device needs to be less than 21" in width.

I think the problem is that she booked through a travel agent, notified THEM that she was bringing a wheelchair - and agent has 1/ given her & her family incorrect info to begin with and 2/ not passed on all details to P&O (And as I've had similar happen to me twice when others have booked flights for me through a TA, and even once booking myself direct with the airline, this doesn't surprise me in the least...)

Re Princess - I know on (the former) Dawn at least, suite/mini suite doorways were a good bit wider than inside/OV/balcony as I had to fold my chair and be supported by family to get into the latter, but could easily get through our mini suite door on our last cruise - which is why I wondered about P&O (esp as most of those out of Australia I think were Princess ships in a past life)

Appreciate the links - I couldn't find such clear information on P&O Australia's site.

Asking for an acquaintance, as I've never cruised P&O - but does anyone know whether suites/mini suites (non accessible) have a wider doorway than standard cabins - as is the case on some other lines?

Acquaintance booked a cruise (via TA rather than directly through P&O) - made clear that they used a wheelchair & were booked into a suite with family members. Rang to give chair dimensions to P&O to be told they'd (P&O) not been notified of any mobility device - and are being told that the chair will not clear the doorway. Acquaintance is being given the option of an accessible cabin, but at considerable additional cost.

My experience elsewhere is that customer service quote the standard cabin doorway width, and don't have information on any variation between cabin category - and knowing on Princess my chair failed to clear a standard cabin door by maybe 1.5" vs having close to that clear either side in a mini, I thought I'd ask the brains trust here.

TIA

I've not been to Isle of Pines or Mare - but Lifou is a tender port so I doubt you'd even get ashore. If you do, it's a very pretty, but essentially very small island with very basic facilities (a couple of very small cubicle toilets with a step up - and looked awkward even for fully able-bodies people to manage) and it's quite a steep road up.

The day we were in Noumea was a public holiday, so we chose to go to Amedee Island - they do supply a (very wonky, makes a shopping trolley look easy to steer) beach wheelchair on request - but 1/ you'd be needing someone to push you and 2/ probably not an option if you can't do a standing transfer. They got me on the ferry out to Amedee, but I'm a manual chair user and can do standing transfer...I can't recall whether or not it had roll-on capability.

Pretty sure there are w/c accessible vehicles available in

Noumea though - couldn't tell you what sort, or how hard/easy it is to book something privately, just recall there being accessible options offered by the ship ...I think to the aquarium (so presumably that is at least reasonably accessible - just phenomenonally expensive the day the ship comes to town - as I think you can only go if on a ship tour) and maybe a city drive as well... I apologise for my info not being more precise, as it's a few trips ago, but hopefully gives you something to start with.

Laura

If your daughter has paraplegia, she will undoubtably need an accessible cabin. She would not be able to get into the bathroom in a regular cabin (6 inch step up) and there is not enough room in the cabin to negotiate around the beds with a wheelchair.

 

Instead of a scooter, I would recommend that you discuss power-assist wheels or a power-assist device to make it easier for her to get around both the ship and the ports. These are not cheap, but can be taken on/off the chair as needed, and maintain the flexibility of a manual wheelchair that you can fold and put in a taxi when touring ashore. They work best for rigid framed chairs (which have quick release wheels and a folding back).

 

Here are some to look at and discuss with her therapists:

 

https://riomobility.com/firefly/

 

https://www.spinergy.com/products/zx-1-power-add

 

http://www.sunrisemedical.com/manual-wheelchairs/quickie/manual-power-assist/xtender

 

 

http://www.max-mobility.com/

 

http://www.alber-usa.com/produkte-rollstuhl-zusatzantrieb/zusatzantriebe-fuer-rollstuehle.html

 

Also, although not a power assist device, this device can be added to the chair for going on uneven or unpaved terrain a lot more safely:

 

https://www.gofreewheel.com/

Most do work on a folding manual chair too - bit of fiddling because you've got extra adaptor bars and such -but I use a freewheel on my chair - and currently waiting on OT to submit reports so I can get funding released for a SmartDrive. Expensive as you say, but so much easier.

Only place I've got stuck with the Freewheel was a beach in Fiji (which it's not designed for anyway); it's been off-road in all sorts of conditions and done well.

They are not cheap, but if you have your own chair and can afford it or have access to funding and will get the use out of it, I'd highly recommend looking at a "Freewheel" attachment...this basically converts a manual chair to a three-wheel trike by lifting the small front castors off the ground and instead you have a larger wheel (without checking, I think it's 7-8" diameter) with a pneumatic tyre. The castors clear the ground by a few inches, so it makes going over grass, gravel, cobbles, etc., much easier than otherwise - whether you're self-propelling or have someone pushing. About the only thing it really won't manage at all is dry sand...isn't fantastic on wet sand either unless it's really hard, but pretty much every other surface I've tested mine on, it does a good job on.

Scooter will certainly make it easier in some ports - especially as I'd imagine on the sort of itinerary you're looking at, you'd at very least have stops in Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland - which take a bit of getting round if you decide you want to go out sightseeing on your own.

If you and he do decide on a scooter, I'd strongly suggest that it's a lightweight one that can be dismantled.

At least one port, possibly two (Akaroa and Bay of Islands, though not all cruises go through BoI ) are tender - I've never had an issue with Princess tendering with my wheelchair, whether or not they permit lightweight scooters (maybe, if the parts come in under the weight limit?) I don't know.

But probably half the NZ ports, you really need to either have hired a car, or make use of the shuttle service to get anywhere - in Dunedin, the ship actually docks at Port Chalmers (which is I think about 12-13km from Dunedin) and currently in Wellington passengers have to be shuttled through by bus as the ships are using the commercial port due to the earthquake - though that may well have changed by next year. Others may have experienced different, but I found in every port, there was only one low-floor/roll on bus operating as a shuttle, and the rest maybe 50/50 between tour bus type and school bus (I.e. no storage space) - but if your husband can manage bus steps with assistance, at least a scooter you can break down means you can get on a tour bus if need be and get the driver to stow the scooter underneath (which is what I did with my chair when I had to) - rather than being like one poor lady on our cruise, who had a large scooter and had to wait close to 1 1/2 hours for a bus she could board.

Not sure what Australian cities you'd be visiting (Sydney or Melbourne?) I don't know a great deal about getting around Sydney - just that it's bloody enormous! Melbourne is generally not too bad, but it is big - just not quite as big as Sydney. There are some hilly bits even in the CBD, but a scooter ought to handle most of them with no problem. Trams are a pain in the proverbial if you use any sort of mobility device (thanks to some bright spark, we have routes with accessible stops that aren't serviced by low floor trams - and routes with low floor trams that don't actually have accessible stops anywhere near where you need them) - but with a scooter you'd be able to largely avoid the trams - and there is a city shuttle that as far as I know is accessible.

This is a topic I find interesting - I'm far from an experienced cruiser (two, two week cruises) - but both port intensive and I have never been permitted to get myself up/down gangways. Crew always insist on pushing me up or down - which is actually not to my preference, as being a regular chair user, I feel far safer being in control myself than trusting to someone else. On a wet, steep gangway, I will not put my hands in - and I tell the crew so - as for my safety and theirs, I want to know I've a way of stopping, or at least slowing myself if one of them slips. It hasn't happened to me, but I have seen very close calls with other passengers.

Even though they're pushing, and not physically lifting, I also cannot help wondering whether, particularly with larger passengers and/or heavier mobility devices, this practice would comply with oh&s under most western workplace rules.

If you're asking about simply getting on and off the ship at a particular port stop, unless you are participating in an organized cruise-sponsored excursion, you can get off the ship any time you want. You don't have to wait. My sister uses a mobility scooter and no one has ever stopped us from getting off the ship whenever we wanted to.

Nor us. Only wait I've had is with tendering where they usually just hold us off to one side until the tender is full, then get me on, then lift my wheelchair on, so that I'm not in the way of other passengers trying to board

The other thing I'd add in favour of taking a chair with you - is that moving around on a ship isn't like moving around on dry land...even in very calm seas there is a little movement, and in higher swells you might find you struggle. I can walk a very short distance with crutches and use a chair for anything further - but on a ship I use my chair pretty well exclusively as with my balance issues, just one little roll or bump is potentially enough to cause me to fall. You should have room to shove a folding chair in your cabin - even if you have to pull bits off to do so - you might not use it, but better I think to have it and have no need of it, than to find yourself stuck in your cabin because it's too difficult to get around.

No idea about Southampton, but both Princess cruises I've done they've had a separate table/booth thing in the terminal where you notify them of a need for assistance - then been taken through check-in, customs, etc. and onto the ship. If you don't get the answers you're after here, perhaps ask in the Disabled Cruising forum :)

Haven't been on Crown - but as far as excursions go, a lot not designated "wheelchair accessible" - or even that state they're not suitable - might still be doable depending on what your capabilities are...if you can do a standing transfer or if you can walk a couple of steps with assistance, it opens up a lot more than just the 'chair-friendly' excursions offered...whether you use a folding chair or rigid - if you use a manual - can also make a difference.

Often it's possible to work out who the tour operators are - and contact them independently prior to your cruise to find out whether they can accomodate you (have done this a few times...I'm a chair user who can walk a little with support & think most of the excursions we've done through Princess have been "unsuitable for those with mobility issues"). Shore Ex staff have always been pretty helpful about sussing stuff out too...but obviously that has to wait 'till you're on board.

Depending on how limiting your shoulder issues are, I'd think you'd only need a buoyancy vest (like those you linked) rather than a full on life jacket ...they're also less cumbersome, and you'd likely have less issue with it riding up while you're in the water.

Are you under care of a physio or rehab person? Just thinking that as hydrotherapy is used for so many conditions now, and there are plenty of people who aren't safe without support even in a shallow pool, a physio might have some experience or at least ideas of devices - beyond the usual pool noodle - that might be helpful. If you've a local kayak or boating place, they might be able to give suggestions also - and you'd be able to try them on to see if they're comfortable out of water rather than trusting to an online purchase (if that was your intention).

Otherwise - best of luck with the shoulders - I tore one side about 3 years ago and suspect I've done the other - they're a right pest.