It has been a number of years since we did a partial river cruise in Europe. However, our problems were not with the boat, they were with the ports of call. Even though the boat was accessible, many of the ports were not. To my knowledge, that may still be true.

We have the same issues, thus I'm fully aware of your needs. I was still playing able bodied in Egypt, thus did not get very far in The Valley of The Kings.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

We are the adventurous type and wanted to see things beside shops. The hill behind the town is a nasty one for the small scooters and I'm positive that it would be a challenge for anyone in a wheelchair. Regardless, there is a cathedral and a nice park that you might be able to get to. I would be real hesitant about going up that hill in a wheelchair, would suggest taxi. We enjoyed ourselves, regardless, no desire to go back.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

It has been years since I was there, regardless, I do believe the main streets in the downtown all have cutouts. I traveled with another lady also on a scooter. We took a taxi to the Water Tower once and scooted back to town. We also took the back street to the zoo and was told that was not a safe area for two lone women. So on our return, we took the coast street back to town. On another trip, we took the water taxi to Atlantis and scooted back on our own. At that time there was sort of a “fisherman's wharf” under the bridge on Nassau side.

Other than wandering around down town Nassau, I would highly recommend you have someone with you if you plan to venture out of the immediate area. You can maneuver through the Straw Market. It may be a bit of a maize, regardless the people will aim you the correct direction.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Betty

Being a user of oxygen, I fully understand. Those of us with “lung” issues are also on the top of the list of being susceptible to getting the virus. That plus the fact that many of us cruisers are seniors, who are on the top of the list of being susceptible, that would be rather risky. And that does not even including those of us with high blood pressure. Looking on the positive side, those of us with type O blood are less apt to get the virus.

Falling into all the above categories, I'm in no hurry to get out into the world just yet. After I receive the vaccinations for this virus, I will have my doctor include that notation in my travel letter and then head out on the high seas.

Personally, I have not read anything regarding kidney dialysis. Regardless, I would assume there is reason to be concerned. The restrictions are for our benefit also.

And yes, I am looking at booking a cruise in late 2021.

I know that Princess cruises are offering to charge scooters during the night and have heard that other lines are also doing so. But I'm not positive which other lines. Both Princess and Hal are part of Carnival, so it may be Hal and Carnival that are also offering to charge scooters, or some of the other lines.

Also, I thought some of the airlines had restrictions on scooters. Of course for those that drive to and from, that is not something they have to take into consideration.

I am aware that the large scooters may not fit through some doors, but really see very few large scooters on cruises. Actually, I can recall of seeing only a couple large scooters out the 60+ cruises I've been on.

A width that some may have not ever taken into consideration is the “arms” on a scooter. Personally, I do not like the arms, thus had them removed. I am not positive, but I do believe that the arms may the widest point on some scooters.

On one cruise I spoke with a person that told me they used a large scooter at home and a small one strictly for travel for practical reasons. That person was disabled.

Regardless, I feel that the handicap should have first opportunity at the HC cabins. If there are some available at the 90 day point, put them into general bookings. Then, if an able bodied booked an HC cabin, it would be more understandable. One can ask for a specific cabin by number even after all cabins go into general bookings. At least Celebrity would check, do not know about the other lines.

Currently, I'm considering a cruise (September 2021). Just waiting for response from the gal I would be sailing with. In my opinion, the deposit is considerably higher than what I have experienced over the past 20 years (approx. 37%). To me, it really does not make much difference as long as it is 100% refundable.

Betty

Many of the people that rent scooters are not disabled. They are seniors or someone that has physical limitations, but not to the extent of being classified as disabled. I certainly understand their use of a scooter and think it is great that they can benefit from using one. However, I do feel that they should not reserve HC cabins. If one cruises a lot, it is definitely more economincal to purchase a scooter.

Some of the cruise lines are now offering to take scooters at night, charge them and return in the morning. Being stuck in a standard cabin, I became aware of this procedure. Regardless, I could not benefit due to the fact than in the event of an emergency, I would require my scooter. And yes, I am disabled.

In regards to elevators, get on when you can regardless of what direction it is going. You will eventually get to the correct floor.

In regards to the rude individuals that sneak in ahead of us entering the elevator, I actually had a long legged man step over me to get in ahead. The only reason I stopped is because I did not want him in my lap. But if it happens again, I may not be that polite.

The one time I was accused of running to a gentleman, he even admitted that he ran into me. Regardless, his wife still blamed me. The guy apologized and I continued on my way. Really doubt that many of the able bodied actually intend to display something considered aggressive behaviour. Most seem to be apologetic and a bit embarrassed if they caused a mishap.

Have not been on RCCL recently, however their releasing the cruisers on mobility devices a couple minutes before the mobs during muster has helped a little bit. Wish that the other cruise lines would follow suit.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

3 hours ago, GUT2407 said:

To be precise it was Pacific Jewel.

I am not familiar with PO cruises, however, if any U.S. Coast Guard member comes on board that ship in U.S. waters, they would get a violation for allowing the wheelchair or scooter to be parked in the hallway (passage way).  However, there are a few ships with a designated non-traffic area that do allow parking of mobile devices, which is legal.  Also, on one cruise, Princes did offer to take scooters from standard cabins at night, charge them and return the scooters in the morning.  I could not participate in that program due to the fact that in case of an emergency, I would require my scooter.  However, for those that are not disabled and use scooters to make some things easier, it definitely helps them.  I would like to see all ships do something like that.  Many can benefit by using a mobility device even though they may not be disabled.

To my knowledge, random inspections of cruise ships are very random, regardless they do happen.

Some years ago, we were checking out both the Columbia and Mississippi river cruises and was told that they all have to be ADA compliant. Unfortunately, Ruth passed away before we booked one and I did not desire to do it alone. Do not remember which lines we were looking at, however their ships did have cabins for the handicap. One of the ships on the Mississippi even offered tours that that were handicap accessible.

Info copied from deck plans applicable to cabins 4605 and 4607.  Two twin beds that convert to Royal King, and private bathroom. Stateroom: 117 sq. ft.; Accessible: 128 sq. ft.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Betty

We stayed at Doubletree by Hilton San Juan, 105 de Diego Avenue, San Juan and took a taxi to the ship. I do not remember what I paid for a taxi, regardless, I felt it was reasonable. I use a small scooter, thus we did not require an “accessible” taxi. If you require an “accessible” vehicle, just mention to whoever calls for taxis.

Sailing on Royal Caribbean, you will probably depart from Pan American Pier, thus not near the Old San Juan down-town area. There are a number of hotels in the Old San Juan area, but I am not familiar with any of them. When we sailed from Pan American Pier, the ship had an evening sail-away which allowed people time to see some of Old San Juan before the cruise.

In Old San Juan, I believe the trolley has space for one mobility device, however I have not ever used it. We scooted everywhere on our own. The sidewalks have cutouts with some in strange places. Yes, one has to pay attention when riding on those sidewalks. Most are rather high and in some areas rather narrow. If you stay in the main area shopping area of old San Juan, should not have any problems. You would also be able to get to Castillo de San Cristóbal (fort) without any problems. If you have an American Parks Pass, that can be used for free entry.

The map below is about the best I have found for old San Juan (across the harbor from where you will board the ship).

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Likewise, this does not answer your question, however on at least one trip, maybe two, the port's tenders were used and they carried our scooters on and off for us. I'm reluctant to make any positive statements, regardless, recently I've noticed that the cruise lines are sort of going back to putting small (light weight) mobility devices on tenders if the person is able to walk on. In that aspect, they do not commit themselves until everything else (weather, ocean condition) is doable.

Normally I just go through in the standard line and wait my turn. I'm comfortably sitting on my scooter and cannot justify going ahead of the line. Unless the TSA system has a specific designated area for those of us with mobility devices, I do not mind waiting my turn. Many of those standing and waiting line could be experiencing discomfort.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Betty

4 hours ago, airdale said:

I will be renting my scooter from the "Carnival approved" Scootaround.  So I am thinking that the crew will take care of it.  But if I had purchased it, I can see your concern.  I am going to buy a folding cane to carry along as you said you do.  

Great idea!  Scootaround does have a cane holder to rent, but it only takes the type of standard foot canes.  Mine is a 3 toed foot for more stability.  Don

Unless things have changed, please do not expect the ship to take care of the scooter. Your are the one renting it, thus it is your responsibility.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

My info is not current, however, maybe it will help.

In October 2007, my friend and I boarded the train in Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. We both used scooters. We did not have any reservations. There was also a third lady with us, however she does not require a scooter.

In October 2014, my friend took Amtrak from San Diego to Santa Barbara without any reservations. I think she scooted from the ship to a station nearby.

Also, in September, 2014, we did a number of east coast trips, however I had made reservations on all those. If there was an option for advising we were using mobility devices, I would have checked it, however we did not request any special assistance.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Don - The size of that guy would probably squashed me. I'm not exactly small, regardless, that guy was big. Yes, I can attest that people all over the world are wonderful. Actually in the 60 some cruises I've been, I've only experienced two incidents. The other one was some guy talking to his wife while running across traffic. He actually hit me broad side and apologized and his wife accused me of running over him. In the long run, it is probably better that he hit me. If he would have hit the railing, he might have gone over. It was an upper deck with a banister around the area where we can look down at the decks below to see everything.

I fully understand the benefits many can receive from using a mobility scooter and think it is great that they are using them. However, I do feel that those that who are not disabled utilize the standard cabins; most the disabled do not have any options. I can survive in a standard cabin and the hardships are minimal. Regardless, I am not really comfortable in the standard cabins. There are challenges.

I am not sure, however Medicare use to have some restrictions on the type of scooter. They did have a negative attitude toward the three wheel scooters. I personally do not want a large scooter. I like the little three wheel.

Betty

It sounds like you pretty much have everything under control.

The problem with the elevators is the lack of courtesy. At times when the majority are going to some function, it may seem we have to wait forever while the able bodied just walk right in ahead of us. Seems like we just may be below their vision. Also, there are many that are very nice and allow us to have our turn. The worse I have personally experienced was a long legged man that just stepped over the front of my scooter as I was entering the elevator. Not wanting him on my lap, I stopped, but wished I hadn't. One of the cruise lines occasionally lets those of us on mobility devices escape muster before the mob in hopes that we can access the elevators. Excluding the rush times, you should not have any problems with the elevators. Ruth and I would normally head for dinner a bit early to avoid the crowd. Easier to wait at the dinning room door and dodge the mob.

If you plan on doing a lot of cruising, I'd suggest you consider purchasing your own scooter. From what I've heard, rental is not cheap.

I was in St. Maarten in December and the sidewalk into town was sort of tore up one place and I sort of got stuck. Nothing major, just an inconvenience. In Grand Turk, Carnival's private island type area is totally accessible.

San Juan some of the sidewalks are rather high and some are rather narrow. They do have cutouts. If you have a National Parks Access Pass, that will allow you free access to most the sights in San Juan. Castillo de San Cristóbal is close enough to the ships that you can easily get there on your own. I have been told there is one space for a mobility device on the trolley, but have never checked it out.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Your biggest problem on the ship will probably be the elevators. So please be prepared to wait. Other than that, just take your time and you should not have any problems. If you have a very standard scooter, do something unique to make it stand out. I have a kitty license plate on my basket. I also have a cord on my key and always ask the waiter that parks it to bring the key back to me.

I'm assuming that you have booked an HC cabin. If not, please verify that your scooter will fit through the cabin door. Also, you should fill out the special needs form. Ask your TA for one.

Most ships are very accessible, however some of the older ones have strange routes getting to public places. Thus find the routes that work best for you. The crew is always considerate and very helpful. Just take easy and you should experience a wonderful trip.

I assume you are referring to your cruise on the Radiance. You will require transportation to the ship's terminal. Unless they have changed things, mobility devices could not go over the bridge. All the ports of call are fairly accessible. San Juan has a steep hill, but is doable. Just make sure your scooter is always fully charged when you go ashore.

You have plenty of time between now and that cruise, thus you should be very familiar with your scooter. I up-graded my batteries to 12V 15AH to get better mileage. At the time I had a few extra pounds and it really made a difference. If you have one with lithium batteries, I believe you have to take the batteries out and carry them on airplanes with you. The airlines will probably ask you to fill out their form when you book.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

You mentioned that you have wheelchair assistance to baggage claim. It has been over 10 years since the last time I flew into LAX, however at that time the airline provided assistance to get our scooters and luggage and then escorted us to the shuttles. Other than drive our scooters, we did not have to do anything.

Currently, I have gate delivery for my scooter. In December, for my flight home, in Atlanta, I was escorted all the way to my connecting flight and in Minneapolis I was escorted all the way to the exterior door where my transportation was waiting. I do not know if that is a new standard or if those escorting me just enjoyed the walk. I attach my suitcase to the back of my scooter, thus I am totally independent. In both cases it was nice having someone to chat with.

I would suggest that you contact your airline and verify what service you are getting.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Well, this is not exactly what you are seeking, but it is the best place I can think of that you could see a multitude of animals up close... San Diego. To my knowledge, San Diego Zoo is still one of the largest in the world. We took my grandparents from Denmark there many years and they thoroughly enjoyed their visit. I also took my granddaughters there in more recent times and they thoroughly enjoyed it. One can easily spend a full day there. The zoo does offer forms of transportation. I believe San Diego port is basically a port for cruise departure or arrivals. Not aware of San Diego being a port of call.

To my knowledge, most tours avoid animal places because people fail to abide by the rules.

Ruth and I traveled all over the world and I cannot think of any ports where they had wild life nearby. However Ruth was able to ride an elephant in Phuket, Thailand and a camel in Tangier, Morocco (I baby sat the camel's calf). In Dubai, camel rides were available, in stead, I held one of the birds or prey (actually, it held onto my arm).

We have also been to the Ostrich Farm in Aruba which was a very nice trip. Think they also had a llama there at the time. One can take a taxi to and from or they still may offer some form of transportation. I have also been to the donkey refuge in Aruba. Confiscated apples and pears from the ship to give to the donkeys. The donkeys sure enjoyed the fruit. Booked a round trip taxi, except we had him drop us off at Wilhelmina Park so the gal with me could see all the wild iguanas. It is approximately 1 km back to ship from the park.

Nassau has the Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Center. We scooted to and from the ship, however it is recommended that one takes a taxi. The route we took was not considered safe.

Some of the other Caribbean islands have refuges for donkeys or horses. St. Maarten use to have a nice zoo, but gave away their animals to another island zoo after they got hit by a hurricane.

The monkeys in Gibraltar are very friendly and out right thieves. They will take anything they can get away with.

The Norwegian Fjords has goats and birds plus a slim chance of seeing a Norwegian Fjord horse. I do not recall seeing any of the horses, but we saw a lot of goats and birds and a lot of snow. One of the early spring cruises.

Both Ruth and I require the use of a mobility scooter. At the time we visited many of these places, there was not anything “wheelchair accessible”, thus I sent dimensions and weight of our scooters to most of the private tours verifying that they could transport our scooters.

I was told that the Zoo in Washington, D.C. was the largest in the world. Well, that may be land wise, however when I was there they had very few animals. That was in the mid 50s.

Hope you can find something that you can thoroughly enjoy.

Betty

There are too many unknown factors. It is not the cabin as much as it is the width of the door to get in and out vs width of scooter. As soon as you have that info, you should be able to determine exactly what would work for you.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Most the Scandinavian ports are real easy to get around. Yes, they have the cobble stones and many bumps, regardless if you look at a map and predetermine what you want to see, chances you can get there without too much problem.

I am not familiar with Kristiansand or Skagen.

For Oslo, since you will be on foot, I would suggest taking the Ho Ho bus. Oslo is spread out, thus that could entail a lot of walking. We both used mobility scooters and used the metro to get to the further most point and scooted back toward town.

Copenhagen will depend on the ship you are on. If it is small ship, chances are that you will dock at Langelinie. The advantage there is the fact you would be closer to the center of Copenhagen. However, if it is a medium to large ship, you will be docked Nordhavnen. I understand that the metro has been completed, thus you can get from Nordhaven either on the metro or a bus. You will definitely require transportation out of Nordhaven, where as, Langelinie is within walking distance of some sights. Both Copenhagen and Oslo have excellent transportation systems, however using the Hop on buses might be the easiest.

You will find that most of the sights let the “helper” in free of charge. This is because it is up to the helper to assist the disabled person. That includes getting them up and down stairs if need be. Very few of the historical buildings have elevators.

If you are fond of “fish & chips” make a stop at Torvehallerne. Right in the midst Copenhagen and very close to many sights. I have had great fish & chips in London, but these are the best.

Also, Tivoli Gardens is in Copenhagen. Too bad that the ships do not spent the night in Copenhagen. That is the best time to go to Tivoli Gardens.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Betty

I have been to all. Basically, we just put together a map with the places we wanted to see within scooting distance from the ship and saw things on our own. The routes are not necessarily the smoothest, but were doable. No worse than the cobble stones in Europe.

Since I've been to all, the last few trips plus the up-coming trips, I just have things shown in basically scooting distance and use the maps to avoid getting lost.

If this is of any interest to you, I can send you my .doc files for each. Just email me at bettysworldnow@yahoo.com with a note in subject “from Cruise Critic board”. I have a tendency to dumb strange email.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Excluding the guarantee cabins, there are some aspects we can benefit by. Yes, I agree we all need to book early to get an accessible cabin. Regardless, if you have a decent TA and your cabin category price drops before final payment, and you bring it to your TA's attention, your TA will get that lesser price for you. We have already received a big discount on a booking we made a few months ago for a 2021 sailing. I informed my TA of the price drop and the next morning we had a new confirmation with the better price.

As far as up-grades, it is by cabin category only and if you are in a HC cabin, they suppose to have your approval for upgrades. They do not normally check to see if the up grade cabin is an HC cabin or not. That is something you would have to verify. From what I have seen, it is not normally an HC cabin.

One of the cruise lines use to have a waiting list and I think it was Celebrity. Unfortunately, cancelled HC cabins normally went back into general inventory without the HC status. I do not know if that situation has changed or not. We grabbed one of those cancelled cabins once because I knew the cabin number.

Actually, you can pretty much see what ever you want on your own. The roads or sidewalks are not any better than the cobble stones in Europe, but they are doable. I've been to all the ports multiple times. Using Google maps, you can determine the distances you will be traveling. I currently use 12V15AH batteries, thus better mileage.

Roadtown – Suggest you refer to Google maps and copy a map area a bit further north than what I show on the attached one. The Botanical Garden is worth a visit and it is a tad bit north of what I show. Head there first and then you can see the rest of the things when you come back into the town area. The ship indicates where you will dock.

St. Martin, I normally just go into town. Many years ago, before becoming disabled, I did see a few sights out of town. Now I just take the sidewalk into town and collect the free give-aways (jewelry) for my granddaughters. The sidewalk from the ship comes in on the lower right hand side of my map. Unfortunately, one of the hurricanes wiped out their zoo. The animals they were able to rescue, they donated to another island.

San Juan you have a couple choices of Forts worth visiting. However, Castillo de San Cristóbal is the easiest one to get to from the ship. Actually, it is much closer than Castillo San Felipe del Morro. I have heard that there is a space for a wheelchair on the free trolley that goes to all the sights, but have never seen the trolley, thus I do know. San Juan sidewalks do have curb cutouts with a few in strange places. The ship on my map is the area you will dock at. There is a beautiful walk way directly west of the dock and it is doable. It will take you to the city gate. It does go further north, but we never went that direction. I am hoping to get to Casa Blanca on my next trip. They have goofy hours. It is suppose to be partially wheelchair accessible and I would really like to see the insides.

If you have a small scooter, many taxis are willing to take you. They normally charged the same rate, however we would give a little extra tip for lifting the scooters in and out of the trunk (boot).

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Kristin,

Due to an abundance of unknown factors, we normally did not book anything in advance. That particular trip was in mid October and the only place we had a problem was Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. They could not accommodate both scooters at the afternoon program and we did not want to be out after dark. Sherlock Holmes museum was just around the corner, regardless we headed off someplace else of interest.

I've been to Buckingham Palace twice. The first time was back in 1998 when my granddaughter who was just 9 years old then. For some reason, she did not want to go in. Regardless, she enjoyed watching everything going on outside and we had to see the changing of the guards. The other time was when Ruth and I were there That was in October 2013 and Ruth was not interested in going in. I think she may have visited there in her college days. People were going in and coming out, but I am not aware of circumstances.

If your tour in Copenhagen is actually in Copenhagen, ask your tour guide to stop at Torvehallerne for lunch. You can find excellent “fish & chips” in London, but this place has the best in the world. It is close to Rosenborg Castle where the Danish Crown Jewels are kept. This is where your “helper” comes in handy. There is not any elevator and the Crown Jewels are in the basement, thus it is up to your “helper” to get you up and down the stairs. What I remember most about the Crown Jewels is not the jewels, it is the “armor”. Actually, the size of the armor. Those men had to be little, a fact that someone confirmed.

Also, if you are an art buff, Vor Frue Kirke (Copenhagen Cathedral) is home to Thorvaldsen's statues of Christ & the apostles. Do not think it is on any of the regular tours. I became aware of it when my grandparents visited us in the Los Angeles area. There is a replica of Christ statue at Forest Lawn which my grandmother noticed immediately.

If you are doing the castle tour, Frederksborg (Europe's best) and Kronborg (Hamlets), it is unlikely that you will have much time to see anything in Copenhagen. Regardless, in my opinion, Frederksborg is definitely tops. They do have an elevator, however I doubt that the up stairs is open to the general public but would not hurt to ask. . We were with my cousin at the time and he managed to get us access to the elevator. Also, depending on the time of year, the tour might stop at the Queen's summer residence (Fredensborg Slot) for the Changing of the Guards.

It is too early for the Copenhagen's Port Authority to show your docking. However, based on the size of Island Princess, you could dock at Langelinie. The Advantage there is you would be close to central Copenhagen. Actually, it is just a mile to Amalienborg Castle and you would go right past the Little Mermaid. I believe Amalienborg is still the Queen's winter home where you can also see the Changing of the Guards.

The metro at Nordhavn /Orientkaj extension opens in early 2020. Thus this would provide transportation out of the Port. Scooters are not allowed on Copenhagen buses. The metro in Copenhagen is fairly new. I have not used it. In my able bodied days, I used either the buses or the trains. I have used the trains in recent times, however my cousin usually picks us up at the ship.

Love your itinerary. I have not been to Hamburg or Gothenburg but have visited other parts of Sweden and Germany.  With your tour, I also doubt that you could benefit with the Copenhagen Card. We used it for transportation and sights. 

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty