ncc1701

We sailed on the Gem in 2015 and on the Breakaway in both 2013 and 2017. My husband has some mobility issues and we rented a scooter from Special Needs at Sea for the three trips which was arranged in advance of the cruise.

For the first trip in 2013, we had booked a tour in Bermuda, and realized after seeing the scooter, that it would be difficult to lift the scooter into the van. I went to Guest Services to see if I could borrow a wheelchair for a few hours to use on the tour. I was told no - however, they did have a limited number of wheelchairs available for rental from Special Needs at Sea. We ultimately had to rent a wheelchair for an additional $150 and kept it for the remainder of the week. We were fortunate that the handicap accessible room was large enough to accomodate both items for the remaining 4-5 days. So we ended up paying around $300 for the scooter and $150 for the wheelchair.

For the subsequent trips, since my husband's mobility has worsened, we brought our own transport wheelchair and rented the scooter from Special Needs at Sea.

You can get wheelchair assistance from NCL for embarkation/disembarkation - but not for anything else. Also, we were not able to go to GSC because you need to be able to walk down 15 steps to be able to go on the tender.

My husband and I were on the 7/23 Breakaway sailing. We arrived at the terminal at about 11:15am. My husband used his own wheelchair. After dropping the luggage off with porters, I pushed him into the terminal. There is an area to the left where those needing wheelchair assistance wait. After giving our name to the representative, we waited about 20 minutes and a crew member came and pushed him through security, check in and onto the ship. We asked him to wheel us to the main dining room on deck 6 and he was kind enough to do so. We were eating by noon.

My husband and I were on the Gem last year. My husband has mobility issues - he can't walk long distances and can't stand for long periods of time. We typically rent a scooter from Special Needs at Sea. We were strongly discouraged from going to GSC. In addition to the cabin steward discussing it with us, we received a letter and two phone calls from the access desk telling us that you have to be able to walk down 15 steps into the tender. There are beach wheelchairs available but they can't be reserved. I can understand why they don't want someone who has mobility issues to try tendering. You have to move quickly and if the seas are a little choppy, it would be dangerous for the person and the crew. We enjoyed the nice, empty ship.

Enjoy your cruise.

My DH has similar mobility issues and we have sailed on both the Breakaway and Gem. I would highly suggest renting a scooter from Special Needs at Sea. The Breakaway is a very big ship and it is difficult to get from one end to the other with walking issues. The only problem is that you need an accessible cabin to accomodate the scooter.

As far as disembarking - people choose when they wish to get off - they select the color tags the day before. There is an accessibility desk on the ship - contact guest relations and let them know that you need wheelchair assisted disembarkation. There is a lounge set aside for this - wait there (lounge has seats) and you will be escorted off the ship first come first serve.

With embarkation - we didn't get the wheelchair from the car to the ship. On the Breakaway, we were dropped off by taxi and walked to the elevator. Then we waited in an area set aside for assisted embarkation and were escorted to the ship. Once you get the chair, it is fast because you skip the lines and go to check in immediately. We rented a scooter which was in our cabin.

On the Gem, DH knew he couldnt make it to the elevator etc. so we took a wheelchair from home, wheeled him to the elevator and to the accessible waiting area. There, we got someone from the ship to wheel him in our chair to the ship. We also rented a scooter so he could be more independent. It was in our cabin.

Good luck. Enjoy your cruise!

We were on the Gem in May. My husband has mobility issues - he has difficulty walking and standing for more than very short distances. Since we rented a scooter from Special Needs at Sea and had an accessible cabin, we also spoke with the Special Needs Access representatives before sailing.

After embarkation, we received no less than four communications from the access desk on board trying to discourage my husband from going to GSC. First, the cabin steward discussed it with us. Then we received a letter that stated you have to be able to walk 15 steps to get on and off the tender and that although there are beach wheelchairs available, they couldn't promise that we could get one and that you can't bring scooters or wheelchairs on the tender that weigh over a certain amount. We also received 2 phone calls from the access desk on board saying the same thing. They weren't very subtle about discouraging him from going. We had no intention of getting off anyway, because we have been there before and knew the issues.

Also, depending on how rough the seas are, it can be difficult for able bodied people to navigate the transfer on and off the tender.

We actually enjoyed our day on board - ship was empty and it was very pleasant.

Enjoy your cruise!

My husband has mobility issues - he has difficulty standing and walking. We sailed on the Breakaway in 2013 and on the Gem this past May, and rented scooters with Special Needs at Sea for both cruises. The Breakaway is such a large ship, that it would be difficult getting from one end to the other if your friend has mobility issues.

As for wheelchair embarkation, we typically go up in the elevator after dropping the bags at the curb and then there is special needs area to the left where people gather for wheelchair embarkation. You give your name to the representative there and then members of the ship's crew come in waves with wheelchairs and lead you through very quickly to board the ship. They take you through the bag xray, check in, picture etc all the way onto the ship. This past cruise, we rented the scooter which was in our cabin, but we also brought our own wheelchair because it was too difficult for my husband to walk from curb to the wheelchair area. The crew member pushed our wheelchair through to the ship.

The ship wheelchairs are are only available for embarkation/disembarkation so I would suggest renting or bringing from home. Remember also that a scooter allows for more freedom - no pushing of the chair. But you also need an accessible cabin to accomodate the scooter. It won't fit in a regular cabin.

Enjoy your cruise!!

We sailed on the Breakaway in June. My husband has some mobility issues and we rented a scooter from Special Needs at Sea for the week which was arranged in advance of the cruise. We had booked a tour in Bermuda, and realized after seeing the scooter, that it would be difficult to lift the scooter into the van. I went to Guest Services to see if I could borrow a wheelchair for a few hours to use on the tour. I was told no - however, they do have a limited number of wheelchairs available for rental from Special Needs at Sea. We ultimately had to rent a wheelchair for an additional $150 and kept it for the remainder of the week. We were fortunate that the handicap accessible room was large enough to accomodate both items for the remaining 4-5 days.