Update: Just arrived home and I wanted to post an update on Volunteer Point for those interested. I did go to Volunteer Point. I took a cane and decided to leave my scooter on the ship. I believe I would have had a better experience if I’d taken my scooter than I did with my cane. Let me explain. First, I did not take an excursion through the ship. I booked a semi private one. Second, my scooter, Travelscoot, is very compact. It folds down like an umbrella stroller and weighs around 30 lbs. so very easy to put in a vehicle. I believe if you take a large scooter the vehicles they use to transport you there may not fit your scooter. You need to contact the tour operator and inquire about it. Also, if you have a collapsible wheelchair that would probably fit in the back of the vehicle, but contact the tour operator about that too.
Upon arriving at the site your vehicle will park fairly close to the penguins. The ground is firm enough to traverse however, the issue is, there is a small valley down and then a larger incline up to see the largest group of penguins. Getting a scooter up and down those inclines is the problem. I think with a wheelchair, it probably could work a bit better depending on the willingness and strength of the person pushing the wheelchair.
There are penguins in the first valley. This is pretty easy to get to. You need to go along the ridge and look for the gentlest sloop down. That was the only way I could get down there with help from my husband and my cane. I was able to stand there and watch the smaller group of penguins and do some photos from there. I did not have the strength to go anywhere else by the time I got up the incline again. I just got back to the truck and sat and waited until everyone came back.
If had brought my scooter, I could have stayed out there much longer and at least watched the penguins, even if from a little far away, I could have also seen the area better by traveling to the other side of the parking area over to the beach area. If only to see the sights and not go down to the beach. Also, I wouldn’t have been so exhausted and had to spend my time just sitting in a truck.
Once in town my scooter would have come really handy to check out the sights and do a little shopping also. This is my thoughts and experience with my limitations. You may be different. I just want to say that if something is really important enough to you, don’t let others discourage you. You don’t have to resign yourself to only taking a bus tour of someplace for 2 hours because your handicapped. You can have the adventure you want. You may need to do it differently than you would have before you became disabled, but usually, not all the time, but usually you can find a way to do it. And even if you don’t get to see everything others get to see, you at least got to do some of it. Just enjoy what you get to experience and don’t be discouraged by what you can’t do. It’s better than sitting at home twilling your thumbs. Like in the movie Mame, “Live! Life is like a banquet, while most poor fools are starving to death. So live, live, live!”
