FOPMan

Non-ship excursions could, and often do, require some additional walking. Golf cart rentals at Grand Turk are outside the secure port shopping area- carts are not permitted into the space. Please expect to add on an extra 500 feet from the ship’s excursion transportation pickup area.The port shopping area at Grand Turk (and Margaritaville) is very accessible. Many of the shops in St. Thomas require a step up into the store. A few can be extra-high. Most do not have a wheelchair-accessible alternative entrance.Sedan taxis are infrequently seen- most “taxis” are shared-ride trucks

Most of the Caribbean ports do not offer or provide wheelchair or “shuttle” assistance. One exception is Amber Cove, which does (sometimes) offer rickshaw assistance between the ship and the security office. It’s at least 1500 feet from there to where excursions leave from, Of the ports listed, San Juan and St. Thomas have probably the shortest walk from the gangway to excursion buses- 750 to 1000 feet. If you do choose to bring a walker or wheelchair, you probably will want to confirm with HAL excursion that your device can be accommodated.. Some vehicles simply have no storage space and/or may not be typical buses. St. Thomas, in particular, uses modified trucks with bench seating. Embarking/disembarking requires climbing a short ladder or stair. Greyhound-style busses require going up and down a stair. If you bring a wheelchair, someone in your party or another guest will need to push you. You could choose to rent equipment from Special Needs @ Sea or another authorized supplier-they will deliver the equipment yo your cabin prior to sailing. You’ll need to order at least a few days prior to your cruise. If you choose to bring from home, the airlines cannot for flying walkers and wheelchairs Depending on the excursion, walking at a particular pace is expected, or stairs may be on a particular route (shouldn’t be an issue on Grand Turk unless going upstairs in a building). The Bacardi plant in San Juan is accessible, please let me know if you go on the tour and find differently.

Most stops have a good bar within 50 feet of the dock. Stop 3 is at 15th Street Fisheries (very close to the 17th street stop) The Boathouse at the Riverside is good Shooters is at Stop 9 Bokampers is at Stop 9 See

missed that! I know it has been several years, but I still associate Viking and river cruises. The rest still applies, however.

A 20 inch or wider seating surface is generally considered a wide wheelchair, cruising or otherwise. Viking probably means 22 inches total width, including wheels. Many doors are between 22 and 23 inches wide. Anything wider won’t fit through the space. Often, river cruise boats tie up against each other and passengers must traverse one or two ships between their ship and shore. I am not sure about how they manage passengers using wheelchairs.

In the same way “South Beach” refers to a particular section of Miami, “17th Street” refers to a particular section of Fort Lauderdale. Kelly’s and Southport Raw Bar, for example, are on Cordova Road, which crosses 17th Street next to the Embassy Suites hotel. 15th Street Fisheries is at the east end of 15th Street (technically, Southeast 15 Street). Before the shopping center that now houses the Publix was built, most locals (myself included) referred to the area by referring to the name of the shopping center on the north side of 17th Street-“Southport.” To confuse things a bit more, Southport Raw Bar isn’t in the Southport shopping center. It is in a small set of shops nearby.

I’m sorry if I came across as even the tiniest bit hostile- not my intention. Addresses can be kind of confusing.

The Plymouth Hotel is on South Beach in Miami, about 30 miles from Fort Lauderdale’s 17th Street. South Beach is fairly convenient for sailing out of PortMiami, but not convenient if one is sailing out of Fort Lauderdale.

The boat parade is very likely to affect the Water Taxi, especially up the New River (downtown Fort Lauderdale). I would expect no service service up the river after 3 or 3:30. As to street and crowd traffic on Las Olas: it will be significant. There is not much pure public river access between the western edge of Riverside property to a park called “Tarpon Bend,” just east of SE 15 Avenue. The Riverside’s Boathouse restaurant is directly on the river; the hotel also has a private park immediately adjacent. I’d expect they would have a private party in their park. Restaurants will be very busy until dark. The Episcopal Church off Las Olas (about SE 13th Ave) typically puts up some grandstands on its property and charges an entrance fee. The (city) park at Tarpon Bend has not charged an admission fee, AFAIK.

Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport (FLL) is 28 or so miles from the Miami airport (MIA). While still a major airport, it is smaller than Miami (or SEATAC). it is adjacent to Port Everglades- about a 10 minute car ride between the airport and cruise ship terminals within the port (it usually takes longer to get from the entrance to the port to the ship than between the airport and the entrance to the ship port).

AFAIK it is NOT something HAL offers. Relatively efficient options include rideshare, taxi, Brightline, and TriRail.

There are 4 ways: TriRail- probably the most inconvenient of the four options, you’d need to take a taxi or ride share to one of two Trirail starions and then a shuttle, rideshaee, or taxi from the train station to the airport. Brightline- You’d need to take a taxi or rideshare to the Fort Lauderdale station and then transportation from the West Palm Beach station to PBI. Brightline does coordinate with some ride-share services Rideshare- no train involved Taxi- no train involved.

Facial recognition doesn’t work for me- I’m a wheelchair user and don’t can’t get my head in a position that works for their camera. We found this out on a back 2 back cruise last year. After our first cruise, CPB tried for 5 minutes to take my picture before giving up and letting me go old school. A week later, the very same CPB staff person spent another 5 minutes trying to take my picture again. I’d even started the interaction on the second cruise with a “Hi! I’m back! Remember, it didn’t work last week- has anything changed?” They responded , “ No, nothing is new.”

American has lots of gates at Miami, and some are pretty far from the main terminal.

The Amber Cove and Grand Turk ports areas have some things in common including shops and a pool. AC does not have a beach, as such. The DR has more trees and is more mountainous than T&C. There is a more diverse array of things to do, but many more of them are more active than experiences at Grand Turk.

Las Olas Boulevard is about 10 minites from Port Everglades. Stay at The Riverside Hotel.

Depending on route and traffic, you should be OK if you’re comfortable with a 12-1pm arrival. Going via the Florida Turnpike, you will catch the start of Tampa rush hour if you are starting from north or south of Tampa, a bit of St.Pere’s, plus some of Orlando’s. Once you actually get to the turnpike, it should be pretty smooth. If you go via 75, you will cross the Evetglades. Expect traffic until you get to 75. Once on 75, you should make good time.Be sure to have a full tank and whatever you want to eat or drink. A very long time ago, when the Alley was just a two lane road, I had the wildest tide of my life. I was in a Jeep Cherokee. I had a CB radio. I ended up between two semis. They wanted to make time and told me to hang on, put my car in neutral, and have my foot ready to brake. They put me in a ‘cradle” between the two trucks and I drafted @ 95 mph sll the way across the state, using almost no gas.

Sorry, I don’t have specific knowledge. Turkey is NOT currently part of the European Union (EU). The site below specifically discusses (free) transportation of (limited, in line with my “not more than 2” comment) mobility equipment both domestically and between South Africa and the EU. http://disabilityinfosa.co.za/accessible-travel-accommodation/accessible-travel-2/

The relevant US law is the Air Carrier Access Act. The Americans with Disabilities Act is irrelevant for air travel issues.

For flights to and from the US (and all US domestic flights), wheelchairs, motorized scooters for accessibility needs, walkers, and rollators are all NOT considered excess baggage and should NOT incur excess fees from the airline (I wouldn’t try traveling one person and more than 2 rolling devices). If you are flying somewhere from the US and then taking another flight (not to he US), the US rules do not apply- whatever the rule is in the country/region you are flying in would apply. Please also consider your ground transportation needs carefully. Some destinations (both domestic and foreign) are better equipped to meet your accommodation needs than others, especially if you are using a full-size, non-folding power wheelchair.

Below is HAL’s web page on cancellation. HAL applies the same cancellation policy to your cruise fare, air add-ons, ground transfers, pre-cruise and post-cruise hotel and tour packages. Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses are NOT subject to the policy. The cancellation windows vary on where/what currency you used to book your vacation, the type of cruise you are on, and the dates of the cruise. If you booked in the US using US dollars I am fearful that unless you happen to be on a cruise five nights or shorter there is no remaining opportunity for a refund of any kind for a cruise in the next three weeks without having purchased cancellation protection/insurance. You might have some cancellation protection through a credit card, if you used one to purchase your vacation and coverage is an included benefit. You might ask HAL for clarification and/or an exception, or if there is some other recourse. I truly wish you the best of luck. https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/legal-privacy/cancellation-policy-US-default.html

Fog is not an everyday thing in Tampa, but it can happen. The questions are how often, what delay may occur, and how do you manage delay? If trying to fly early, have a backup, such as a class of ticket that allows for changes at a fee you can accept, or carry trip interruption insurance that covers weather conditions, or an airfare that permits cancellation anytime. Orlando can be an alternate airport, though it is a bit of a drive.

While I enjoy Southport (Eat x, y longer), I would classify it more as a “burger joint,” with a significant focus on raw and fried shellfish rather than “fine dining.” I wouldn’t, and haven’t, thought twice about going in to Southport wearing flip-flops, a Jimmy Buffett shirt. with swim trunks. I don’t think I’ve ever been in there without having french fried potatoes.

17th Street is literally my home turf. Mezzaluna is probably the absolute best overall in the area. For an upscale experience where I’m looking for very attentive service, I’d pick 15th Street Fisheries Upstairs. It is directly on the Intercostal, Kelly’s Landing has been very good for a long time.

It is strongly recommended by most airlines to arrive at a US airport 3 hours before an international flight. If everything ran smoothly, you would probably be OK. If anything didn’t, you could get jammed up.