Bob++

We had one on Celeb Silhouette .

Public conveniences are becoming increasingly rare. However, all cafes and restaurants will have toilets, although it is courteous to buy something if you use them.

Wheelchair storage on planes is designed for folding manual chairs, not powered equipment which tends to be much heavier and bulkier.

I cannot talk about Reflection as I have not been on her, but other Celebrity ships we have sailed on have been excellent.

A few years ago we hired an electric wheelchair from these people. They will deliver directly to the ship and the service is affordable and first class. https://www.mobilityatsea.co.uk/accessible-cruising The comment about ship organised tours is correct. Even shuttle buses are not always accessible. If you want a tour, you will probably need to make your own arrangements,

When we were there, some shuttles had ramps and some did not. I think we had to wait while three or four came and went before we were able to board.

I am not sure about the hand rests. In my experience, there will not be any wheelchair-friendly tours unless you organise them yourself. They use coaches that have three or four steps up to the seats. Shuttle buses are variable. Even in wheelchair-friendly Netherlands, we found that some had no ramp, while on others the ramp was very steep (okay going up but scary coming down). They also tend to be pretty crowded so there is less/no room for wheelchairs. I suggest you pick the ports you are most interested in and research local providers. A private tour may be expensive, but If you can share with others, that could make it more affordable. On the plus side, you do often get priority: At Embarkation, and at tourist sites where there can be long lines when a cruise ship is in town. Of course, much may depend on the chair: We hired one at first, which was okay and convenient. We now have two chairs - a heavy and comfortable six-wheeler, and a lightweight folding chair that we can take on planes.

I don't know about the hire situation, but I would go for a power chair. My wife, who can walk short distances, uses one and it is a lot more versatile than a buggy or scooter. This is most noticeable on the lifts where she can drive in a turn round ready to leave. Buggies have to either reverse in or out, and this often takes time and can be annoying to other passengers. Some ports of call are more accessible than others and it's true that buggies (so long as they are not the small folding type) cope better with rough paving and kerbs. You will need to do your own research and accept that your options will be severely limited. On board, do not hesitate to play the disability card. You will normally get priority boarding and if the ramp is steep, there are always staff to help. There are reserved spaces for wheelchairs and carers in the theatre. We often found ourselves moving furniture around in the dining room and the staff there bent over backwards to accommodate our needs (my wife prefers to stay in her chair). With some forward planning and a relaxed attitude to the obstacles you encounter, it can work very well.

We always pack as much as we can into the big cases, leaving just the minimum for the morning plus medications etc to be carried at debarcation. You should also have a water flask as you may be waiting around for some time. You will be told where to gather, but if there is any doubt, ask. Stick together with your partner until you have collected all your luggage together in departures and then send him off to get the van. I can only speak from our experience, but we have always found the staff, both on the ship and in reception very helpful.

I suspect the 25kg limit applies to tender ports. We have sailed with P&O, Princess and Celebrity with heavier chairs and had no problems. We do book an accessible cabin as they have wider doors, but boarding and disembarking on the quayside has not been a problem. Of course Fred may have a more stringent policy.

It's not just that the door is wider, but they usually open at the touch of a button/card.

Much the same in Heathrow although they will abandon you at the carousel if you don't specifically ask them to stay.

They seem to get pretty good reviews and have been around since 2013. I do find it a little strange to use a firm based East of London (Romford, Essex), 40 miles away on the opposite side of the city to Heathrow, for a trip to Southampton which is even further away. We usually suggest using taxi operators based in or near Southampton.

While they did not state that you must be accompanied by a carer, they do state that the staff and crew on the ship should not be expected to assist. We are now fairly experienced at travelling with a wheelchair and would never expect strangers to help. We ask airlines and rail companies for help and gratefully accept it. When boarding and leaving a ship we do sometimes need help if the gangway is steep. When it comes to casual passers-by, we prefer them to stay clear as their well-meaning efforts can often make things worse. The key to travelling with a wheelchair is planning and research. One also has to accept the restrictions that come with the territory.

After much criticism, they seem to be getting pretty good with refunds. My wife went to Portsmouth and back a few months ago and used her disabled pass to get a discounted ticket (she uses a wheelchair). The trip down was fine, but the return went horribly wrong. The trip is in two parts with a change at Southampton, and the train for the first leg was so late that she missed the connection. This should have meant an hour's delay, but time went past and no train. There were several explanations but two hours later she was on a train that stopped in the middle of nowhere. It turned out that there was a fatality on the line, and that stops everything while they investigate, check the engine for damage and find a replacement for the traumatized driver. In the end, I drove a 160-mile round trip to collect her from the station she eventually ended up at. I completed the online claim form, expecting a long drawn-out process, but a week later I received a full refund for the whole round trip. That did at least partly compensate for the cost of collecting her.

It may depend on how much luggage you have and where in Westminster your hotel is. To go by tube, you would need to walk over to Kings Cross underground Station (5 mins). For the Park Plaza or The London Marriot, you would need to go to Waterloo which means a change of trains. Personally, I would pay the £25 or so for a taxi - especially with cruise luggage.

The one we had on Silhouette had a door on the balcony that allowed access to the adjacent cabin.

Yes, no point in pre-booking a taxi for such a short trip.

Our first cruise (on Pacific Princess) was around the Mediterranean. The ship was on its way back from the Antipodes and had sailed through the Suez Canal, in the Spring of 2011 just after the riots and protests in Cairo. This was an important port for us, and as the sailing date approached it was increasingly doubtful that we would be able to go there. We did dock at Port Said, and stayed overnight in Cairo, before rejoining the ship at Alexandria. That was a very memorable port. While on board, we became friendly with two elderly American ladies who had been with the ship since New Zealand. They had intended to leave earlier, but they were offered a huge discount to stay onboard as so many people had cancelled due to the riots. Those ladies had only left the ship once on their entire voyage and that was in Bahrain to buy some gold. Now, a few cruises later, and restricted to UK sailings, we tend to stay onboard or just go for a walk if it's possible.

That's a pretty comprehensive reply from kokopelli-az. All I would add is for you to put a label of your own on the walker with your name and "Please Return To Aircraft Door" Hopefully, this will ensure that it is waiting for you when you get off the plane. Another advantage of booking (free) assistance is that the helpers jump the lines at both baggage drop and security. Also, you will get a lift down if there is no airbridge.

This from the port website: Port Location and Facilities Cruise ships dock at the Môle d’Escale, Atlantic Port La Rochelle, part of the large commercial dock area of La Pallice, located 6km from the centre of La Rochelle. The Sorata Cruise Terminal houses a tourist information centre and is where shuttles will depart from to drop off at the tourist information centre in the heart of La Rochelle (approximately 15-20 minutes one-way trip). I have only ever been there by car and remember it chiefly for the huge yachts that never seem to leave the marina and an equally huge plateau de fruits de mer we had in a harbour restaurant.

It's entirely up to you, but I would be in no great hurry to get ashore. When we arrive at Southampton, we have our car parked in the adjacent car park so we take our time, have some breakfast, and by the time we make our way down the ramps, all the hurry-up-and-go people have left. You will have to get through passport control/immigration but customs, as JB said, are normally pretty perfunctory.

They are the bays divided by yellow diagonal lines https://www.google.com/maps/search/Triangle+parking+at+Ocean+Terminal/@50.8942949,-1.4012152,62a,35y,180.07h,45.06t/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

I am thinking of organising a van/minibus to take a small group from Vigo to Santiago de Compostela. I wondered how others had managed to do similar trips. What problems I should be aware of etc.

I note that Cosco, as a wholesaler, sells in cases of 12 and most ships restrict how much wine you can bring on board. Most UK supermarkets sell wine, and prices and varieties are pretty similar to those offered at Costco and you can buy single bottles.