GoHuskies!

On 6/7/2021 at 5:19 PM, Mosttoyswin said:

Slightly more than you want to spend. I've had a navigator XL by forcemech for over two years. It is a fold up heavy duty Power wheelchair. It's been on dozens of airplanes, through zoos, amusement park, Etc.  It has great battery life which is often a problem for power wheelchairs.

My other suggestion would be to check craigslist in your area. There are often used Power wheelchairs for sale.  

Yes, do check craigslist.  I just did that for my Tucson area and found several, many in the 350-500 price range.  For that price, you could afford to buy one and have it serviced for reliability at a mobility shop.

On 5/19/2021 at 6:12 AM, kearney said:

We have rented scooters and been able to get them into a regular cabin on some of the newer ships. But you need to try to get a cabin with the bed by the window to give you more room to maneuver. One of the best ships for this is Harmony of the Seas. Now DH gets a heavy duty scooter..which is 22" wide and the doorway is abut 23"... I read someplace on Adventure. So it should fit. One of the challenges is that the door to the bathroom generally opens towards the entry way... so you need to position the scooter in such a way to allow the door to open sufficiently. What was nice in Harmony is that the door opens towards the bed.  We usually try to avoid getting an accessible cabin since DH does not need the roll in shower.. and he can manage a step up.. not easy..but he can still do that...  Now I am told that if it does not fit..the cabin steward can take it away at night... or sometimes... if you are lucky..you may find a place out of the way where you can plug it in over night... But for this to work...you really need to know the ship. We started using scooters a few years ago and have found that on the Celebrity S class ships... there is a place near their 1A cabins that does not block the hall and has a plug spot.. and they have allowed us to plug in there..since it does not interfere with movement. 

Those doorways--you have to realize that when any door is opened, the measured width of the opening is reduced by the thickness of the door itself, since the door cannot fold flat against the wall.  Thus the 23" opening, for example, may only be 21.5" or so in actual space to get through. 

I don’t think the issue is really the expanding technology itself.  I am retired from a lifetime of computer systems work—designing, programming and installing computer systems, or “apps” (applications) as they are known today.  One of the hallmarks of good computer design is that it becomes easier and easier to use as time goes by.  Yet I find it frustrating and disgusting that there are so many technical issues confronting people who should be able to just plug in something and it will work immediately.  Instead, we still have to jump through a complex myriad of hoops in order to make it work.  Shouldn’t even have to call a technician for help.  This is not brain surgery!  A good designer/programmer can create a hands-off installation—just plug it in and walk away—but it seems we have lowered our expectations of the people we hire, so that we get just people who can code, not code well.  Not to mention programming done by cheap sites across the world, instead of here in the USA where we can have some control.

Wonderful idea!  I hope Princess does this too.

On 10/27/2019 at 5:54 PM, c&d said:

I understand what you are saying,  but very frustrating when you see someone using a scooter,  parks it and walks over and gets on a tread mill, yes a passenger did this on a cruise to Hawaii, or they park it at a electric outlet and walks away to play a slot machine.    I have also read on another thread where folks get scooter for a convenience.    It is frustrating when you travel with a person who can not walk without a walker, can not push her own wheelchair and someone has to push them.  Then you see folks who can walk but it is easier to cruise around on a scooter, then park it and walk 15-20 ft across a room.  Also read where many book the HC cabin early then if change plans they cancel the cruise,  not sure if they will need it or not.  That is frustrating, esp when you have folks who genuinely need the HC cabins and other just want it because they had a knee or  hip replacement or are up in age.  

I hope you have become better educated about disabilities by now--if not, let me tell you that your observations may be very wrong.  I myself can walk short distances, but only with a cane or a walker (or rollator) because my balance requires me to have a third point of contact, and my diminishing strength only short walks.  At home I have a treadmill to keep up what strength I have, but to even get on and off it I must use a quad-footed cane.  Once I am on it I hold both arms of the treadmill, which is of course an impossibility walking on a cruise ship.  I need either a scooter or a wheelchair to get the distances there.  I also need grab bars way more than are offered in a standard cabin.  And I also have problems lifting my feet over the thresholds in the standard cabin bathrooms.  Are you frustrated with me?  If so, sorry.

Many cruise lines who cruise to Hawaii stop in Lahaina, Maui, because it is a very interesting little town for walkers.  Not only is the Front Street area full of interesting shops and sights, but it has Hilo Hattie's store, the Sugar Cane Train (sometimes available and a very interesting round trip), the interesting waterfront, and a lot of history, especially if you have read Michener's "Hawaii".  However it is a tender port.  

I really prefer Kahului as a stop, where the POA docks and you can either walk (or roll) from there on nice flat ground to a couple of shopping centers (like the Kahului shopping center, which is an old one and very interesting, and the Maui Mall with newer stores--including the Guri-Guri smoothie shop, don't miss!).  Then rent a car and drive to plenty of interesting places--up Haleakala mountain, the Tropical Plantation, Iao Valley, sugar cane factories, down to the Wailea beaches, the Maui Ocean enter aquarium, the day-long drive to Hana and back--and oh so many more.  MUCH more interesting than Lahaina, in my opinion, and we had a condo on Maui for over 20 years and went there every year.

On the Big Island, it's similar--in Hilo, where the POA docks, you can rent a car to get to more interesting places (like the volcano, lava flows, and history like the results of the 1946 tsunami and the small peninsula where a whole school of children and teachers were swept away, and there are coconut trees in a line nearly a hundred feet up above the waterline where coconuts were planted by the tsunami) than in the tender port of Kailua Kona, which is less scenic but has interest to walkers and shoppers.

I would forgo the sun side of both Maui and the Big Island, for the rainy side of both, which are both docking ports.

Sorry--you got me going and I gave TMI!  I love Maui, can you tell??

I know.  We were scheduled for a cruise to Hawaii from LA next week, and of course here we are on land in Arizona!  At least we are not snowed in.

5 minutes ago, katisdale said:

I have a "fold and go" wheelchair. I really like it but it is pricey. It has lithium batteries that hold a charge well and I can go several miles. I have found it very easy to use on board. I need an accessible cabin so I don't know if it would fit through a standard door. It could fit inside a standard room. It has a joy stick for maneuverability. It can go on either the right or left arm. I have never heard of forcemech so I can't compare. I had polio as a child and can only do a few steps although I can still stand and transfer. Previously I used a "travelscoot" scooter and it was also good to use until I lost my ability to step over the center bar. That is not a problem with the fold and go. Also I like the seat as it is quite comfortable. The chair is manufactured in Texas and they have a good web site. Just google "fold and go". I hope this helps.

Thank you very much--your wheelchair sounds very much like the one I am thinking of.  Do you find it easy to use boarding, getting to restaurants and buffet, other places onboard?  You have been helpful to me, and thank you.

On 2/1/2021 at 12:39 PM, katisdale said:

We did this cruise in 2019. It ended on January 4, 2020 so we were on-board for both Christmas and New Years. We traveled with our daughter and adult grandchildren. The Christmas decorations were lovely. The meals at Christmas and New Year's were also special. We especially enjoyed the holiday time with none of the preparations usually associated with the holidays. The crew were great. I use an electric wheelchair (completely collapsible) and had a good inside cabin. We had anytime dining which worked well for the 5 of us.

We especially enjoyed the team called Elua who provided Hawaiian enrichment activities. Our cruise was on the Star Princess out of San Pedro. Star has left the Princess fleet.

We had some poor weather so we missed one port stop but that allowed us to have an extra day in Honolulu. Overall we were very pleased with this cruise.

Katisdale--I intended to reply to you but messed up.  In the period since I was here last, there have been changes to the way posts are done.  Sorry I mismanaged my post--I haven't been here for a while.  I have a question about your collapsible wheelchair, if you don't mind.  I am sure I will need such a thing by the time I cruise next year.  Is your electric wheelchair similar to some of the chairs I have seen similar to the Forcemech?  That type appeals to me, with my balance problems and limited distance ability.  I'd like to know how you have found yours to be easy to use aboard ship, boarding, maneuvering, getting to the various places onboard, storing in the cabin, etc.  I'd appreciate your opinion and assessment of how you use yours.  Thank you so much--you will put my mind at ease if I can hear what you have to say.  

4 minutes ago, GoHuskies! said:

 

Sorry I mismanaged my post--I haven't been here for a while.  I have a question about your collapsible wheelchair, if you don't mind.  I am sure I will need such a thing by the time I cruise next year.  Is your electric wheelchair similar to some of the chairs I have seen similar to the Forcemech?  That type appeals to me, with my balance problems and limited distance ability.  I'd like to know how you have found yours to be easy to use aboard ship, boarding, maneuvering, getting to the various places onboard, storing in the cabin, etc.  I'd appreciate your opinion and assessment of how you use yours.  Thank you so much--you will put my mind at ease if I can hear what you have to say.  

On 2/1/2021 at 12:39 PM, katisdale said:

We did this cruise in 2019. It ended on January 4, 2020 so we were on-board for both Christmas and New Years. We traveled with our daughter and adult grandchildren. The Christmas decorations were lovely. The meals at Christmas and New Year's were also special. We especially enjoyed the holiday time with none of the preparations usually associated with the holidays. The crew were great. I use an electric wheelchair (completely collapsible) and had a good inside cabin. We had anytime dining which worked well for the 5 of us.

We especially enjoyed the team called Elua who provided Hawaiian enrichment activities. Our cruise was on the Star Princess out of San Pedro. Star has left the Princess fleet.

We had some poor weather so we missed one port stop but that allowed us to have an extra day in Honolulu. Overall we were very pleased with this cruise.

I see there is Roquefort Cheese in this; is there a non-blue cheese sub for this? My DW is allergic to any form of blue cheese.

Well, the Blue in the name of the soup means blue cheese.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Nawiliwili is a tender port and can be missed (as we did this year) if sea/weather conditions are iffy.

Nawiliwili is a tender port? I've been there three times on different ships and always tied up to the pier.

Actually in my earliest post here I did not ask for any advice or opinion on a hotel. I thought I would add an individual take on where we are staying, and why. This would have been in keeping with many other such statements in the thread, or so I thought.

Thank you for chiming in. I would also describe myself as a "frequent economical traveler"--and will run the gamut of places to stay, from Motel 6 to Four Seasons, Hyatts, etc. It all depends on the need at the time.

With all due respect, allow me to explain further my appraisal of the Sunrise. Of course, I will also acknowledge that at least one poster on this thread has termed me an "elitist" and suggested I had no right to opine on a hotel if I haven't personally stayed there.

 

That said, let's note that we all have different standards and expectations--especially when it comes to hotels. I will also tell you that I spent the early part of my career working for that beacon of the cheap hotel industry, Motel 6, Inc....so, I do know quite a bit about hotel operations and about varying consumer standards. Some people will put up with almost anything for a cheap price...others want only the best and are willing to pay whatever it takes. Most of us are somewhere in the middle...We want a good price, but we want it to be at as nice a hotel as we can get for that price. And, yes, a lot depends on the purpose of one's visit. If you are staying at a destination resort for an extended period, you'd like a whole slew of amenities and as comfortable as possible. If getting in late and leaving first thing in the morning, you don't care about amenities--you just want a comfortable bed, a clean room and a sanitary bathroom with a shower...Motel 6 made an industry out of that concept.

 

However, IMHO, no matter the purpose and timing of your stay, there are some minimum standards everyone SHOULD expect--a CLEAN room, a SAFE environment, QUIET and trouble-free. Location is always important.

 

Years ago, one might rely on major hotel chains--knowing that there were some corporate standards in place and that there was a national or international HQ to complain to if something went wrong. Past that, and absent personal knowledge or trusted recommendation, you were on your own.

 

Nowadays, with the internet, you have other sources...sites like Trip Advisor or Yelp give you scores of reviews on every possible hotel. Sounds simple...but, of course, there are some quirks. Some hotel owners find ways to increase their own ratings by posting numerous good reviews for their own properties. But, also, the reviews are colored by individual expectations. A person who frequents 5-star hotels may downgrade a rating because of something inconsequential--like they didn't supply a shower cap or that the front desk took too much time to answer their call. A budget traveler may give a 1 or 2- star hotel an excellent review because the room seemed clean enough, the guy at the desk seemed nice and they didn't get robbed while staying there. Again, people's standards and expectations differ. So read the reviews and read them carefully. A hotel with an overwhelming number of excellent reviews is likely to be an excellent hotel. But read them--see what those people loved so much about the hotel. One with incredibly negative reviews is likely to be a very poor choice in which to stay...but, again, READ the reviews. If a large number of reviews deal with pest infestation, dirty linens, lack of service and response, poor old and worn mattresses, etc., then there is likely something to it. Even if a relative few reviews state they thought the room was clean, just be aware that a lot of people just don't look that close.

 

Now, go to Trip Advisor and Yelp and READ the reviews on the Sunrise.

 

To the plus side, YES, it is a convenient location...and, yes, it is relatively cheap. It is just too bad that it is not a well-kept quality hotel.

 

So, you are only staying one night. You are paying thousands of dollars for a nice cruise vacation. You are choosing this hotel to save maybe $50 on your one night. Relatively speaking, the money difference is minimal. At least, IMHO...

We'll see.

By the way, you might want to drop the H from IMHO.

Well, it's all in what your needs are. We decided to stay at the Sunrise because we won't be in San Pedro for very long--we are driving from San Jose as a second stop in a 3-legged driving trip (we live in Arizona) and will only reach SP in mid or late afternoon of the day before our embarkation. If we were staying in the port longer we would have chosen something more upscale but all we need is a place to crash for the night, a place to leave our car, and a shuttle to the ship the next day. We think we will have plenty of amenities during the next 19 days on the ship.

I'd go with steelers36.

We did the balcony dinner and it was really nice and felt it was worth the price.

However..."surf-n-turf" in the cruise industry has a whole new meaning.

 

I've had a beef medallion and a measly shrimp that I guess qualified as surf n turf.

I wouldn't get your hopes up for that monster New England lobster over butter.

 

 

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Anyone with a handle like that deserves a shoutout! :D

Please do not "bash" the messenger:) Today I received an email from a well know travel agency who stated what ports were affected by Irma. I think we all know that St. Maartin, St. Martin, St.Thomas and St. John are on the list of destruction. The ports that will be opened or not affected are: Bahamas, Dominica Republic, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Nevis, St. Bart's, Antigua, Haiti, St. Kitts, Turk and Caicos. The ports with no damage: Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, Curaco, Grand Cayman, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, St. Croix, and Trinidad.

 

This is what I received and I thought I would share. As posters have stated in a few posts the cruise lines will do their best to alter the itinerary to avoid the ports that were damaged.

 

 

Have a good day everyone.

Thank you for posting this. Just one question--you included "Dominica Republic". Do you mean the Dominican Republic or the island of Dominica? I've been to Dominica and they have a very small pier at which to dock--my ship, the Azamara Journey, tied up its forward and aft lines to bollards on land, since the pier was too short. But a very interesting small port with a great fort overlooking the small harbor--I hope it was not damaged.

If what I see in the photos are the tops of lifeboats and the mechanisms used to lower them, that is certainly a shame. It would certainly spoil the effect if the view of the ocean is blocked, even partially. At least for me. I want to see water all the way to the horizon, not machinery just feet away. After all, I am on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, not in a cafeteria in a factory. ;p

Yes, what you see are lifeboats and the DAVITS used to lower and retrieve them. In many ships the lifeboats are suspended overhead so that you walk underneath them on the promenade deck. I find this very ship-like, part of the ambience of being at sea, far from "spoiling the effect". Plus the fact that those boats are also used as tenders to take you into some ports as needed.

And on the treadmill idea--that is nowhere close to the idea of walking on deck. Might as well use it in a closet, particularly on ships where the exercise center is {INSIDE}with no view. For me, the same goes for stationary bikes, which negate the whole idea of taking a bike ride!

I don't think they "dock". They head out to sea and use radar to avoid the storms. A lot of passengers are getting extended cruise days...lucky dogs.:D:D

That's true. Much safer at sea--not only can ships avoid much of the storms but also can orient the ship to oncoming waves. And the passengers may be dogs all right--as in "sick as dogs".

As you can see you will not get one consistent answer that is right or even wrong. Again ask the Head Waiter on the first night and follow his guidelines. Ignore all those on here as half will be right and most will be wrong. Have a great cruise which should be clearer after the first day.

The real usefulness of a forum such as this is to see the varied responses and come to your own conclusions. I'd urge you to not ignore the responses--rather, use them to get a feel of how wide the spectrum is and synthesize your own answers to your questions. It isn't that anyone is wrong--it is that everyone is right on this issue.

I never did find in this thread any real explanation (or picture) of what the guayabera shirt is about. In many countries--Cuba, Philippines, Mexico, all over the Caribbean and central America, the guayabera shirt is not only acceptable formal wear but indeed is expected, and in the case of Cuba, in 2010, Cuba declared the guayabera to be its "official formal dress garment". It is even called a wedding shirt. I suppose this picture could push some people over the edge--after all, the people here do not conform to the norteamericano image of acceptability in the MDR on formal nights. I know it's hard to take--so many tuxedo fanatics frothing at the mouth over it--but the world includes much more than what is just beyond our noses. And since Princess sells itself as a cruise line for the world--

I think masks are a good idea, and I am getting a box (20) of them to take on our upcoming cruise. I'm really not paranoid about this, but we are very careful about washing hands--coming home from almost anything where the public is, the supermarket (and the cart handles), restaurants, places where you touch handles, etc. I often find myself in a room where another person is coughing. Last week it was in a dentist's waiting room and a young girl coughed often. So I expect to carry a mask in my pocket and whip it out whenever I am confronted by a cougher, in a line of people, in a bus, in a buffet line, etc. It may not be foolproof but might help.

Well, I stand corrected. Should have looked it up before hitting "post quick reply."

Black Cross Rock at milepost 10.4 marks the spot of a blasting accident that buried two railroad workers under a 100-ton granite rock. This is their final resting place.

Picture and info at http://www.goldrushtradingpost.com/white_pass_yukon_route