nikitty

1 hour ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I also concur that your mum shouldn't bother going through the house but just enjoy the gardens. They are beautiful. The iconic lake where the waterlilies are is across the road but it's very easy walking and there are places to sit around the lake. She should probably tell the guide that she is just going to wander around and arrange a time to get back to a meeting place. 

 

We enjoyed sitting under a willow tree for a short break, enjoying the views of the waterlilies. It's such a beautiful place!

 

 

OMG. This is so gorgeous. 😍

Thank you for sharing!

I definitely would not want to miss this pond  so I’m really glad that you pointed that out.

I can’t wait to show my mom your pic. Thanks again! 💖

On 9/1/2023 at 9:06 PM, ontheweb said:

I cannot imagine a trip with a broken ankle. I was still using a walking boot for the Paris/Amsterdam trip.

 

Another site we visited in Paris was the Palace at Versailles. DW started climbing a very steep and very crowded staircase. I yelled at her that I could not do that and would fall and hurt someone. An attendant then said "Monsieur, elevator." There were very well hidden elevators. In fact, we could not find the one going back down even though we had come up in it. We had to ask, and I am sure if it were not for my walking boot, we would not have been told where it was.

I do find accessibility an issue in general and it’s not easy to get assistance without having to ask for it. 

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

The trip was actually 3 days in Paris and then 3 days in Amsterdam. We landed in Paris on our wedding anniversary which is in mid-August. I had broken my ankle during Memorial Day Weekend. When we told the surgeon of our travel plans, he made a face and said if the recovery worked out perfectly, we could do that.

 

BTW, the only time we have ever had a bag not show up from an airline was the short flight from Paris to Amsterdam, one bag there, one missing. And that was the only flight on that trip, that we were charged for baggage. (I did make a claim with my credit card company for the fee for 1 bag and had it refunded as I do not think the airline contested it.)

Sounds like a great trip! (Except for the lost luggage)

Our luggage went mysteriously missing from the cruise terminal in Hong Kong and when I went ballistic after they said to file a report our luggage was found very quickly after that. 🤠

Also - on our last cruise my mom had broken her ankle the day before we got on board but the ship doctor told us it was just a sprain. Oops!  That was fun trying to manage that trip. 

6 minutes ago, 1965 said:

My souvenir from Monet's Home & Garden tour-a dish towel. We travel with carryon only so my souvenirs must weigh nothing & take up no luggage space. BTW, this dish towel has never touched a dish. It's for decorative use only. 😊

I have no idea how you can travel with a carry on only because my luggage weighed  the max when starting my trip so hats off to you but I definitely want that towel and maybe two (one to use and one to stay pristine.) 🤣

4 hours ago, CruiseMGM said:

We didn't visit Giverny by cruise ship, so can't really advise you about what the ship offers. But I just wanted to say that we LOVED our visit to Monet's gardens. It was really beautiful and peaceful. A bit rainy on our day, but it added to the romanticism we felt there. The house was very crowded and wasn't very mobility-friendly (stairs, tight spaces, etc.), and it seemed like a one-way loop (into the ground floor, up the stairs, down the stairs and out). You may experience something different on your visit.

 

I agree with the poster who said to notify the guide and then go at your own pace and meet up with them at the appropriate time. While the commentary is nice, it's not paramount to your experience and enjoyment. Hope you have a wonderful visit!

Thank you for the info and the amazing photo! Is it bad I don’t really care about going into the house? 😀

We went to Crawdor Castle (near Invergordon) and we didn’t have time or the inclination to look at the castle. Only time to look at the garden which was gorgeous! 
 

I don’t think we will have a lot of time but hopefully a couple of hours in the garden (factoring in the walking time from the tour bus to the location) and hopefully it won’t be too difficult to manage. 🙏

5 hours ago, ontheweb said:

I do hope she gets to see this as it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Can't help with your question as we saw this when we were in Paris on a land trip. (Rather romantic to land in Paris on your wedding anniversary.)

 

Funny story while there, DW wanted to buy a tee shirt and they were all either large, extra large, or children's sizes, none of which would have fit her. We somehow found one small, but when she went to pay for it, the cashier said this will never fit you. She then took it out of its wrapper and held it up to her, and the size was perfect.

That’s a lovely story! I’d love to go to Paris with my hubby one day!  

43 minutes ago, LynnSD said:

When we have done this, we were able to tour at our own pace.   The guide gives you a meeting time & place.  
But be sure to clarify that upon arrival!  
 

It was crowded but the worst crowd was around the house, shop, restrooms.  

That’s awesome. Going at your own pace is what I hoped for. I will clarify to see if it’s still the same. I did ask but I think they weren’t sure so that info really helps. Thanks very much!

52 minutes ago, 1965 said:

We took this tour in 2017 so not exactly recent. We loved it. At that time we were 70 & 73, fairly active without mobility issues. We felt the pace was comfortable. Not sure this helps but this was our experience. I hope your mum is able to take this tour. For me it was a thrill. 😊

Thanks so much! Yea she really wants to go and I don’t want her to sit out for this one. Hopefully it will work out!

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Is there a twin tour that is wheelchair accessible?  You might care to look into that one.  Maybe they would have a few more accommodations or modify the time.

Apparently the path is very narrow so it’s not wheelchair friendly. She isn’t in a wheelchair though. She just walks extremely slowly. 🙂

2 hours ago, HKM said:

It's been many years since I took this tour but at that time we were able to tour the gardens on our own and were given a time to meet to tour the house.  The house does have stairs so she might or might not want to do that portion of the tour.  You'll want to get comments from people who have taken this tour more recently to make sure it hasn't changed.

Thank you! Hopefully someone who has taken it more recently will know. Apparently it is very crowded so not sure if it was like that for you as well. I think she was going to avoid the stairs for that.
 

It’s near Paris (Le Havre). There’s no indication in the description that there is an issue but the tour operator said there might be an issue since there’s a lot of walking. 
 

This is a question for those who have done this tour. If we can walk slow at our ien

pace, that would be helpful information.

Hi there,

I booked this tour for my mum who loves Monet’s Garden. It’s the tour she has been most looking forward to on the cruise we are on currently.

If someone has been on this tour, can you let me know how difficult it is for someone that has mobility issues? My mom can walk without assistance but is very slow. 
 

I don’t want to inconvenience anyone on the tour but I do t want her to miss out either so just wondering about logistics.

Thanks in advance!

I get motion sickness so for instance, if I sit "backwards" on a train it's not a good scene.

If my room has beds facing the same way as a backwards seat on a train, I feel the same way.

If you don't have that issue, it wouldn't be an issue or anything to ever concern yourself with. 😉

On 1/11/2020 at 11:10 PM, Thrak said:

 

Ohhh... OW.... 😋  As you surely know, post count often merely indicates things such as "bored at work" and later "retired" and is absolutely not an indicator of knowledge or expertise. I certainly don't believe it's an indicator of anything other availability of time to read posts and reply. I read heavily and, when not reading, tend to troll these forums as I'm interested. Back when I was a gamer I had a very high post count in the technical support area of the gaming boards. For some reason I just enjoy that sort of thing.

Oh my gosh!  LOL!  I meant it as a compliment and was making a bit of a joke at my own expense.  😆

I am obviously, super picky and I found it funny that you haven't come across this before being a veteran.

Everyone is so helpful on here and i'm super grateful to have my question answered.

Thanks again Crystalspin and Thrak!  🥰

18 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

I've had cabins with my head forward, my head aft, and my head to the side. Never had an issue with any of the orientations. I'm somewhat surprised that it matters to folks.

Well, considering you have the impressive amount of posts that you do, I suppose that's saying something.  😆

2 hours ago, Thrak said:

I know.  The last (and only) time I sailed with Princess, I had issues with them assuring me we were in a forward facing room the last time and when I got on board it was aft facing.  This is why I am posting here and doing added research.  😂

We actually vowed never to sail with them again because they did not want to help rectify the situation in any way.  When the same issue happened on Celebrity, they really went out of their way to fix the issue.  

I'd rather stay with Celebrity but their itinerary, timing and pricing doesn't work this time.  

2 hours ago, Thrak said:

Don't count on the customer service folks at Princess ever having been on any ship, let alone the one you are asking about. They usually know far less than those who have sailed Princess.

31 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

The contradiction with C443 and C421 can be understood with the two handicapped cabins falling right at a 'dog-leg' in the hall -- that is there because C421 and the others on that side of the jog in the hall are longer/deeper minisuites and wouldn't have lined up left-right-left-right anyway (remember the wet-wall advantage to the builder).

 

With mobility (as well as my stamina) as a factor, I would definitely go with C443 -- even if you got a little noise from the proximity of the elevator (sometimes people talk as they walk away from the lift) -- it would be more than made up for by being midships. And as you thought, the right-angle turn to the elevators and stairs is several doors away.

 

I think when you have seen people talking about others being able to see into their space, it's pretty much restricted to the ships that are built with receding upper decks above deeper balconies, and what the view is, is down onto the balcony. Regal doesn't seem to have the "wedding cake" receding decks -- looking at outside views of the ship the decks all seem stacked even -- those slightly deeper minisuite balconies forward of C443 might give the slightest angular view of the smallest part of your balcony, if their tenants leaned over the rail (not recommended). I would not worry about privacy in this cabin!

Thank you so much Crystal!  

I had to put a deposit down and the customer service agent really didn't understand the whole room configuration issue.  She said our room was is backwards (facing aft) but she also said the rooms on either side of us were backwards as well. 😂

I appreciate all the information.  Definitely feel better about this room location now!  

Thanks again!

41 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

The contradiction with C443 and C421 can be understood with the two handicapped cabins falling right at a 'dog-leg' in the hall -- that is there because C421 and the others on that side of the jog in the hall are longer/deeper minisuites and wouldn't have lined up left-right-left-right anyway (remember the wet-wall advantage to the builder).

 

With mobility (as well as my stamina) as a factor, I would definitely go with C443 -- even if you got a little noise from the proximity of the elevator (sometimes people talk as they walk away from the lift) -- it would be more than made up for by being midships. And as you thought, the right-angle turn to the elevators and stairs is several doors away.

 

I think when you have seen people talking about others being able to see into their space, it's pretty much restricted to the ships that are built with receding upper decks above deeper balconies, and what the view is, is down onto the balcony. Regal doesn't seem to have the "wedding cake" receding decks -- looking at outside views of the ship the decks all seem stacked even -- those slightly deeper minisuite balconies forward of C443 might give the slightest angular view of the smallest part of your balcony, if their tenants leaned over the rail (not recommended). I would not worry about privacy in this cabin!

14 hours ago, crystalspin said:

 

Also, if you want the second chair in a balcony cabin, you will have to ask your steward if there is one available. Do it right when they come by to meet you OR seek them out!

Thanks for this!  My mom has limited mobility and can't do a lot of walking so we like being close to the elevator.  My only concern is that it might be too close?  I'm not sure I understand where the doors are on this ship (we usually do Celebrity) but it looks like the doors are closer to C435/C437 so we should be ok?  

A friend told me these ships can be quite challenging in terms of cabins as the walkways and lifeboats protrude all around - so it can be quite bright at night in certain spots on the ship.  I don't think we have a cabin that you can see into either, but I'm not sure about brightness.

Thanks for mentioning cruisedeckplans.  I have looked into this website before but we go on trips every couple of years so didn't think it was worth it.  I have a friend who used it in the past and said she couldn't find any pictures she wanted for her room and that it was a waste of money, which is my concern.   I am using another site and it is showing contradictory information as to rooms. 

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/category-detail.php?c=1446

C443 looks to face forward but on this site, it shows C421 as facing forward as well.  Counting from C443 to C421, with each room going back and forth, C421 should be backwards.  That means one of these pictures is wrong.  I'm hoping it's C421.  😂

And thank you for mentioning the chair!  We are used to having a couch on Celebrity so we might not have thought to ask and then it would have been too late by the time we bothered!

16 hours ago, crystalspin said:

Here is a video of D604, which should (and does) have the layout of D605, because they are one-off from being directly across from each other. Normally in a length of same-category cabins, port and starboard are opposite (mirror image) layout and those next to each other alternate -- for one thing that usually if not always means their bathrooms adjoin so the plumbing shares a "wet wall".

 

Note, for D604 the head of the bed being on the right means it "faces" aft, but if you were to swivel the room, you would have D605. Your toes would be toward the prow/forward of the ship.

 

I cannot recommend a subscription to cruisedeckplans enough!

1 hour ago, crystalspin said:

Your lucky day, both of these cabins have photos on CruiseDeckPlans and both have the head of the bed against the aft wall of the room.

 

Both of the locations have staterooms over and under them, so similarly quiet from that aspect. C443 is more midship and closer to the midship elevator/stairwell. D605 is closer to the aft elevators and also closer to the self-serve laundry room... probably not so close as to be noisy, but I have not sailed (1) on Princess, or (2) so near a ship's self-laundry.

 

I would choose the Caribe room as any particular journey would be closer to half the ship away!

Thank you so much for your reply!  So if the head of the bed is on the aft wall, then that means it faces forward correct?  I did see photos on that website which showed them both facing forward but the agent at Princess said D605 faced backwards and it did not look backwards in the photo to me.  I also wanted to find out if there might be other issues with either of these rooms.

I remember reading that passengers can look right into some of these rooms from the glass walkway and I definitely don't want to run into that type of surprise on the ship!   😂

Has anyone ever stayed in cabins C443 or D605 on the Regal Princess?
I need to find out if these beds are forward facing.  (ie:  When you are sitting in bed, your toes are pointed towards the front of the ship.)

Any other issues with either of these rooms?
I tried to look in the thread that has cabin info but neither of these rooms were listed (or anything remotely in their region.)

TIA!

5 hours ago, gnome12 said:

River cruises are not really very accessible for people with mobility issues; sometimes you are rafted to another ship (tied up side by side) and you have to climb up to the sundeck. cross over to another sundeck that might not be at exactly the same height, climb down from the sundeck (again no elevator to sundeck level) and exit the other ship. Embarkation and disembarkation is by a narrow gangway; depending on water levels it could be fairly steep.

Wow!!!  Thank you so much for that information.  I think someone else mentioned something about mobility issues but I think I misread it and believed river cruises were better for people with these issues as this line catered to a more senior crowd.

The scenarios you mentioned involving stair climbing and steep ramps is definitely something that would be VERY challenging for my mom.  Thank you so much for clarifying! 

On 3/13/2019 at 5:14 PM, dogs4fun said:

We have enjoyed both ocean and river cruises. We completed our Danube river cruise this past November - visited most of the same places on your itinerary and ended in Budapest. We have also completed two Baltic cruises and I have visited Russia multiple times (flew into Pulkovo).

River cruises are very different from ocean cruises - there are less than 150 persons on river cruises, thousands on the ocean cruises. River cruises offer meals at set times - there are no buffets from which to grab a snack - no other eating venues. River cruises include a tour in each city visited - these are usually walking tours (I would consider this in view of you mother's mobility issues). There are no shows on the river cruises - entertainment is very scant. 

If it were my choice, I would choose the Baltic itinerary as I think you and your mom might have a more enjoyable experience on one of the big ocean ships. However, the river cruises do cater to each guest as there are so few of us onboard.

Whatever your choice, hope you have a great cruise.

Thank you!  We are going back and forth because there are pros and cons to both.

I am trying to find videos of people on Avalon enjoying their cruise from their room and the same of Celebrity passengers sailing the fjords.  I am having difficulty finding either.  LOL.  I think if I sent both to my mom it would help her make a decision as ultimately she is the boss and whatever she says goes. 

20 hours ago, hallasm said:

I have done both river and ocean cruises - I have also done Norwegian Fjords and Baltic cruises with my 90+ mother in law - for the same reasons as mentioned in posts above I’ll suggest the Ocean cruise rather then River Cruise.

The Baltic cruise is nice and my mother in law did well - only organized tours in St. Petersburg - other ports  DIY tours. But Norwegian Fjords is my favorite. Also a lot to see from the ship - nice sceneries when sailing through the Fjords.

Thank you for this!  I think what would help is to see some videos people have taken from their rooms (on deck, etc) from this sailing, to give us an idea what the sceneries are like. 

Is there a good place to find those videos/photos/reviews in the forum?  I'm not great at navigating the threads. 

23 hours ago, MagnoliaNC said:

I was in Room 305 of the Avalon Illumination in May-June, 2018. I did not notice any noises overhead except one day when I stayed aboard and they were fixing something on the upper deck. It did not last long, sounded like a drill, andI never heatd it again. I imagine anything noisy is done while the passengers are off sightseeing. My trip was Prague to Budapest. I cannot say enough wonderful things about the Avalon staff, and the great travelers I met onboard. I was doing the trip as a single and wanted the Panoramic Suite. It was so worth it! I cannot wait to do another trip!

 

What a lovely room!  You must have enjoyed yourself immensely!  Thank you for sharing your pics!  I love your choice of nail polish too! 

I posted on another thread about this I think it wasn't the right place so asking here....

It seems that after all the research and back and forth that I've done with our travel agent, my mom is now leaning towards canceling our hold on this river cruise.  We have another reservation for a Scandinavia/Russia trip around the same time on the Celebrity Silhouette that we booked back last Fall.  Her reasoning is that it's for 14 nights rather than 8 so we will be able to have more time to just relax. 

I have been doing so much research on this cruise my brain has turned to mush.    Having never been on a river tour, I really don't know what we are in store for.  We are used to the hordes of Celebrity passengers and the cattle lines at the buffet - so obviously this will definitely pale in comparison to the pampering we are sure to receive on Avalon.   My mom has limited mobility and needs a wheelchair for embarkation.  Not sure if Avalon is able to handle this request considering the size of the boat.  Does anyone have any thoughts to add on other factors I should consider when making our decision? 

23 hours ago, MagnoliaNC said:

 

 

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

Here she is, briefly "caught on camera": ship Avalon Envision.docx

 

I know, one cannot really tell it is her, but I happened to see her approaching Koblenz on marinetraffic.com and took a screenshot of the webcam. As I write she is still docked in Koblenz.

 

notamermaid

 

Thank you!  I can't view this photo though!