TigerB

One of the comments on the article said she may have been a Saturday lass!🤭

We have; we were flying from Manchester to join Arvia in Antigua.

Three hundred quid!😯 What is it they say about a fool and their money?😂

Thanks @Pasty feet; we're going to the Canaries instead, which suits my wife better as it actually falls over her birthday. We may look at Iona round trip to the Caribbean for the year after, so no stressing about flights.

No, we weren't asked for medical proof, but I would have had no problem providing it if they wanted it. In the email though I did disclose how my wife's medical conditions affect her, and because of that we never fly economy.

By charging so much for seat selection they really are taking the proverbial!🤬 For a family or four who may have bagged a cheap cruise, pre-selecting their seat due to the fear of being split up if they don't, will add another £360 to their holiday cost. We never pay to select ahead as our lass always has special assistance, and for all the scheduled flights we have taken, the bulkhead seats have always been blocked out and kept back for folk like us. However, for our flight back from Barbados with TUI in January, it was row 2 in PE that was blocked out; they were selling the bulkhead seats, with folk keen to pay for them as they had extra legroom. I sent an email to P&O, complaining that profits appeared to be more important to them than the needs and welfare of their disabled guests. The response I got back was that seating assignments and the charges were down to TUI. Given what @Megabear2 writes in post #5, that was a total lie! Luckily, due to the seat pitch in PE, she just about managed, but if we were in economy there is no way she would have managed with the second row.

That's exactly the same cruise I spoke with her about; same price as you with the full discount, and we wouldn't have their insurance either. We had pretty much decided we wasn't going to book before the call, but was interested in the prices. I was surprised, given the age demographic for their cruises, that they only have six accessible cabins, and only two of those are standard grade. I've reassigned our registration fee to early 2028, when it's my 60th; I could maybe justify the expense then. I mentioned about maybe looking at a round trip Caribbean cruise with P&O; "Oh, we have one on our list". A 45 day one, Caribbean and Central America. For a laugh, I asked her to give me prices. Standard (J): £13252pp (30% discount) Deluxe (C): £20434pp (35% discount) I told our lass the prices, and what you were paying for yours. I won't repeat what she said as some children may read this!🤭

@Selbourne, I have had an answer from SAGA about the transport. I had my pre-registration call this morning; long story short, we haven't booked anything for the season that has just come out. Anyway, I asked loads of questions about the transport... - The upper threshold, increased to 300 miles for 2024, will remain that distance. - If our lass wished to stay in her wheelchair, we would be guaranteed a WAV; that would be sub-contracted to one of the companies they use with such vehicles. Due to the limitations of such a vehicle for carrying extra passengers and luggage as well as a wheelchair, it would be for our sole use, and we would not be charged any extra. - The shared service usually uses a mini-van, she said. She then said they have VW Caravelles. I didn't think they made those anymore, but they are essentially a Transporter; we used one of those at work and I know for certain that our lass could not be able to step into one. So, that is a no-no for that mode of transport for us. Mind you, I've dipped into the live blog of NorbertsNiece on the SAGA boards, and she had a car as a shared vehicle. - I said that my wife's wheelchair folds, and she could transfer to a car, but it would have to be a large saloon or estate car. She said that could be requested, but not guaranteed. She went on to say that if it was a car rather than a van, although strictly speaking we could be sharing, because we will have a folded wheelchair as well as luggage, we would almost certainly have the vehicle for our sole use, and we would not be charged any extra.

Fort-de-France, Martinique: We visited here in 2018 and it is the one that our lass recalls having a great experience in her wheelchair, despite her very much not being a flag waving Francophile. It maintains a very strong French influence, and that is evident in the street layout, with a block street design, and a wide boulevard along the wide open seafront area near to the port; it very much had a French Riviera feel to it, but without the abundance of street cafés. Captain Brown parked the ship at the Pointe Simon pier, and from there is was a short, and very level walk/boule of about 400 metres to the edge of the town. Along that journey you pass by a row of market stalls set up on the quayside. Incidentally, although Martinique uses the Euro, just about all of those traders would take the Yankee Dollar from you. This is the footpath that runs along the seafront boulevard... Of the side streets, there were a couple that did have narrow pavements, and were a little awkward for our lass to negotiate; like this one... However, the majority of them were like this... There were also a few pedestrianised areas... The market... To get from the town to the waterfront area is a breeze in a wheelchair; there are a few pedestrian crossings along the boulevard, and the dropped kerbs at them are excellent; an example... This is part of the quayside... That's not an ideal example as there are steps down to that part, but the rest of the waterfront is a wide open and very wheelchair friendly area... Apart from the narrow footpaths on a few side streets, I really don't think you and your good lady will have any problems getting around Fort-de-France. --------------------------- Well, that's all the ports in the Caribbean we have visited that match your list. From my descriptions, and some of the photos, it may cause a little trepidation on your part, but please do not be concerned. Overall, I'm sure your visits will be positive. You may do the same but, when visiting somewhere for the first time as tourists, where we will need to negotiate the streets by foot/wheelchair, Google maps is my friend when planning; the street view aspect really helps in assessing the potential problems for the wheelchair. I use the same resource to find potential parking when we visit in a car. There are plenty of resources already mentioned on this thread that you can look at, and of course, plenty of folk on here to offer sound advice. Enjoy your planning; for me, that's half the fun of taking a trip.🙂

That's a good resource! 👍

Philipsburg, St Maarten: We visited here for the first time in January; it was our first port after crossing the Atlantic, so everyone and their dog I reckon got off the ship. As with other ports, the port shops were reasonably accessible, but they were nothing to write home about. We did notice the boat that ferried folk from the quayside to the jetty at Great Bay beach, as mentioned by other in this thread. There was a massive queue for it. It certainly wasn't accessible for a full time wheelchair user. It was no good for our lass either as, although she was in her folding chair, and can manage a few steps on a level surface with assistance, she simply cannot, even with assistance, manage a step up or down or more than a few inches. If your good lady can manage more than that, then it could be okay for you. Sorry, I don't have any photos that show the surface area near the port or in the town area, other than these... If you choose to walk/boule to the main part of town, you turn left when you leave the secure port area and travel for about 700 metres along Juancho Yrausquin Boulevard, until you come to a petrol station; you can then cross to the back of tha,t and cross over a small pedestrian bridge that leads you to a group of shops. That will take you about ten minutes and, although the footpath along the road is generally level, it is narrow and has seen better days. At some points it is difficult for two wheelchairs/scooters to pass. And it is heaving with folk going from and back to the port area. Our lass did claim a few ankles of folk who simply do not look where they are going, and certainly don't look below chest level. I think the final score was Lady In Wheelchair 4 - 0 Daft Pedestrians 😂 From the described shopping area, it is not far, and quite level to the boardwalk that runs along the main beach. The boardwalk is very accessible for wheelchairs, and there are plenty of cafés and bars along it, each with a differing degree of accessibility. Here's a couple of Google images of the boardwalk... ...and one of a cut through to the main shopping street, Front Street... Front Street, where the tourist and boutique shops are, is also quite good for wheelchairs. At some points the footpaths are quite wide and, although at one or two places dropped kerbs are missing from where you would expect them, for the most part the kerbs themselves are not that high, and at some points level to the road. Also, although it is not a pedestrianised area, traffic was light when we were there and, when we were on the road, drivers were respectful towards us. Here are a few Google images of Front Street... We had to go onto the road to negotiate this obstacle So, I would say that Philipsburg is totally okay for you and your good lady to visit. If you can't get on the boat, the footpath should be okay for you, but please make sure that you take out a few ankles of daft and 'blind' tourists!😉

To be clear, we didn't venture any farther than the town, so I cannot comment on the rest of the island. I do mirror what Eddie writes; we saw all of that, and we certainly got that, "Are you local"? vibe. But, going on further from that, in amongst the stalls selling all sorts of things (more akin to a car boot sale), I did see drugs exchange hands, and I was very conscious of the eyes on us from groups of boys of a certain age. I am not generalising or labelling here, but I do recognise a tea leaf when I see one. After that, we made our way back to the ship. Even after witnessing the armed police screeching to a halt in Antigua, and jumping from the back of a pick-up, we didn't feel as unsafe there as we did in that particular part of Kingstown.

Apart from the cruise port areas, you can pretty much write off accessible toilets elsewhere. Even in the cruise port areas, we have found them to be inside either of the gender specific blocks, rather than a unisex one; that creates additional problems in itself, as I have to assist our lass. She has a catheter, so that is a pressure taken away. But on an occasion where she would need a sit-down do, and that is usually with very little notice, it can be troublesome. When we were in St Maarten, she needed to go urgently, and she only had the option of a block with a row of cubicle in it; there was no accessible one, and I had to assist her with that cubicle door open. Luckily, the attendant on duty was sympathetic to her plight, and she blocked the main door to bar entry to anyone else.

Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: This was another one from 2018. The cruise port shopping area was very accessible; you'll have no problems with a wheelchair in this area... Having looked again at those photos, I think it may have been here that our lass got her knock-off LV bag I recalled it hoyed it down just after we got off the ship, and had to take shelter for about ten minutes before venturing into the town area. This is just as you leave the cruise port area... This is the first street we walked/bouled along... Remember what I wrote earlier, about high kerbs and gullies?... To the best of my recollection, there was no dropped kerb when we entered that street, so she had to boule along the road for the first part of it. Away from the dead centre of town, the footpaths were a little better... ...but dropped kerbs were sometimes missing from where you would expect them to be... ...and you would have to be careful of a sudden change in camber on the footpaths... Independence Square was quite okay for a wheelchair though... I recall sharing the jetty with the Jewel of the Seas, and we were so close you could have a proper good neb in the cabins... Of course, there was the obligatory sing-off as they departed. So, very hit and miss in Bassetterre. As I recall, there were plenty of taxis available for trips, so that may be an option for you.

St Johns, Antigua: We visited here in 2018, and of all the ports we visited on that cruise, this had the best port shopping area; it was really accessible and you could get a fair bit of cheap stuff. Shops selling knock-off handbags were popular. I can't recall exactly about the town centre, but I seem to recall that the kerbs were high and the dropped kerbs steep. Here are a couple of photos... That was an armoured cash truck doing a drop off / pick up, with an armed police escort. Even if you decide not to go into the town centre, the area around the cruise port will keep you occupied for a while. Perhaps it is one for a taxi ride to farther afield.

Kingstown, St Vincent And The Grenadines: As previously written, we were there in 2018, when she used her big chair. This is the area from the quayside towards where the town starts... That, I'm afraid, is about as smooth as it gets. Photos from the town... This area next to the market was the most level part in the town, but getting to it was troublesome. As I've mentioned previously, Kingstown was the only place that we didn't feel safe. So, it's up to you, but you may decide it is only worth a walk/boule to the port shop to peruse the tourist tat and get a magnet.

Bridgetown, Barbados: We were here in both 2018 and this year, so our lass has experienced it in both chairs. The walk/boule from the port to the town is easy enough along the seafront, with generally smooth paths, albeit the surface can be a little rough for a few hundred feet; it will take you about fifteen minutes. Once you get into the town though you can experience problems with dropped kerbs, or the lack of. There is no consistency. Generally, you will find the dropped kerbs at junctions: an example... But that isn't always the case... Often, when we were gong to turn the corner into a different street, I would leave her be and scout ahead to establish where the dropped kerbs were. So there may be a couple of times when you may find yourselves walking/bouling along a small stretch of the road to get to a dropped kerb on the opposite footpath. That said, we did find the drivers respectful to us when we were on the road. It's not all bad though; on the waterfront there was a boardwalk, which our lass found really easy to boule along... On our most recent visit we did an organised tour on our first day. It was through P&O, so we paid a pretty penny for it, but it used one of the Blessed Rental minivans, which are wheelchair accessible. As it happens, there were just us two on it, so it ended up being a private tour. Our guide was fantastic. At the end of it we got her private contact details, so we could organise a bespoke tour with her next March, and cut out P&O, but we've since cancelled that cruise.

Oranjestad, Aruba: We were also here in 2018, and like Willemstad, with its western European colonial history, the road and footpath infrastructure is similar. Even footpaths, decent dropped kerbs, and pedestrianised areas. There are trams running through the centre, but they are not wheelchair accessible. Our lass didn't encounter any real problems, and neither will you. Some photos to illustrate:

Right, now to the ports on your list that we have visited: Willemstad, Curacao: We visited in 2018; our lass had no problems in her big chair, and neither will you with a manual chair. As I recall, the walk from the quayside was quite level; you cross the water on this pontoon bridge: The town centre generally has wide pavements, and the dropped kerbs were fine; there were one or two pedestrianised areas, and they have a European style pavement café culture. Here are some photos to illustrate... I can reassure you that you won't have any problems here🙂

Sorry, I didn't mean to rain on your parade, and don't let me either! You need to know what to expect, and I will tell it how it is. You though are in a slightly different position to us; you are pushing a lightweight chair so will likely find it easier to gently drop it down from awkward kerbs, and lift the front wheels so she can get into shops where there is a very small step. Your good lady can transfer to cars, and you can fold the chair easily enough. In 2018 our lass couldn't experience any of those things; her chair was far too heavy for me to assist, and obviously, no vehicle could carry it. I do remember a funny encounter on one of the islands though. You will find that as soon as you leave the secure port area there are loads of 'taxi' drivers begging for trade. One guy, obviously not licenced, was offering us a tour; I responded that it was impossible, and gestured to our lass. With that, he gestured to his mate and then to his flat bed pick-up truck, then said that they could lift her and her wheelchair onto the back of it. That's a wheelchair of 100kg alone, plus our lass. I looked at him and just said, "No, it ain't happening mate", and we went on our way. He wasn't deterred though, trying to gather assistance from more pals as we walked/bouled away. In some circumstances, her current chair is better, in that it can be put into neutral and is light enough for me to assist her up and down awkward dropped kerbs, and it can fold so we can use certain vehicles. None of the Caribbean islands we have visited had shuttles; generally, the ports and right next to the main town. As you do, we also just have a walk/boule around the town for an hour or two, just to soak up the atmosphere, and maybe get some local items or tourist tat. You will certainly be able to do that at most of the islands we have visited. The only one we ever felt unsafe in was Kingstown, St Vincent. Footnote: So as not to confuse you and others, up here in the Hull area, 'boule' means 'to wheel'; as in, "I saw her boule the tansad (pram) up Hessle Road".

We first visited the Caribbean islands in 2018 on Britannia, and again this year on Arvia. I'll try and cover those that I can remember, most likely from this year. My recollection of the trip in 2018 is a little more hazy; I've slept since then! I'm probably going to have to look at photos from that trip to remind me, and I'll come back at a later time to cover those. What you need to have in the back of your mind is that most of the islands are dirt poor, and thus the road infrastructure is poorly maintained, and the footpaths, if they exist, worse still. As a generalisation when describing the footpaths for most but not all of the islands, is that the kerbs are generally high, the dropped kerbs are sporadic and sometimes steep, most roads have wide and/or deep drainage gullies running alongside the footpaths, and sometimes large storm drains (the kind you see in the US). In 2018 our lass used a real beast of a power chair, which alone weighed 100kg. It has big chunky wheels, and could go some. It was generally fine with most of the obstacles described above, but still did struggle sometimes. This year she was using her new travel chair, a KWK foldable one with lithium batteries, which only weighs 30kg. The front wheels are smaller than her previous chair and, even in the UK, usually has to go down dropped kerbs backwards. Be prepared that, with you pushing your good lady, you are often going to struggle getting around some of the islands. As far as accessible transport is concerned, generally there isn't any. Back in 2018, for the islands we visited, only Barbados had accessible taxis. The company is called Blessed Rentals, and they are used by P&O for the transport between the airport and the ship, and for shore excursions. Back then we were driven back to the airport by the owner, I think he was called Michael, and he was talking about getting a licence for one of the other islands, although I can't remember which one. I don't know if that came off, what with Covid and the problems it caused to tourism. I would have thought there would be some kind of accessible transport in Antigua at least, as P&O fly into there. And for our (now) cancelled cruise next March we had booked a shore excursion in St Lucia, so they must now have accessible transport; perhaps Blessed Rentals. Back to Barbados, we were told on our last trip that a few of the public buses are now wheelchair accessible, but we didn't see any. I can't remember if you've said before about Mrs S being able to transfer to a car; if she can, and with her having a manual foldable chair, your options for using regular taxis would be much better than ours. I'll post again with some island specific comments on the ones on your list that we have visited. For now, I can concur with the views of Eddie99 about Kingstown in St Vincent. During our 2018 cruise that was probably the worst of the islands for a wheelchair user. Our lass, even in her beast of a chair, had to mainly boule along the road, with me along side her to wave traffic away. Not a good experience! Consequently, we only spent about an hour ashore.

@mklions is on Ventura. @majortom10 was responding to @lindylooellalouise, who is on Iona.

Don't you just hate it when that happens?🙄 If I were in your shoes I would tell them to stuff it, and demand my money back and tell them to reinstate my Ventura cruise. Seriously though, my policy is: I've paid a price I'm happy with and that's that; just like when booking air fares. Yes, you may have saved a further £15/night on the cabin, but what you have paid is an absolute bargain. And, if you had left it until today, you would risk missing out altogether if the cabin had sold in the meantime, or they didn't honour the extras that you got. Just a thought on the insurance.... Ours is through my old job, and it carries on into my retirement. Years ago, although I paid the same premium as others, the excess for our lass was £3,000. That meant I had to seek insurance elsewhere for the both of us, and it usually cost a pretty penny. In the last eight years or so they changed underwriters, and now I pay the same premium as everyone else, with no exorbitant excess. All we have to do is have a letter to state that her condition is managed and she is fit to travel. Her MS nurse does one every year in time for the start of that year's policy. My point is, I wonder if there is a policy out there available to the general public, where the premium is the same as anyone without medical needs would pay, subject to there being a fitness letter in place. By the way, another cracking find with the parking!👍

I wouldn't worry if you do find yourself in one; ours was at the foot of the bed and our lass could easily get past the other side in her wheelchair.

In January on Arvia we had a GA cabin on deck 11, with left transfer; that didn't have a pole. That said, I'm not sure it follows that there is a pole in every other cabin where they are in a block. We were due to be in a seaview cabin on deck 4 (Arvia) next March. There are four in a row, so two have right transfer and two have left transfer; when booking, I was told that only one of the four cabins had a pole.