flymeaway

Wondering if the market has an elevator?  Thank you for your help. 

Joy_k. You’re so welcome. I hope the information can help you have the time of your lives this next year while you’re traveling. I’m working on a series of videos addressing my travels using a scooter right now.  I got very frustrated over the lack of current information out there addressing this. I hope I’ll be able to help others enhance their time while traveling. I’ll post a link here when I’m finished. In the meantime, I’m happy to pass whatever information I can to help you. South America can be a challenge for mobility issue guests but can be done. Please email me at Flymeaway at cox.net and I’ll try to personally address any questions you have. 

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!”

For those who have traveled on Oosterdam.  The shore excursion “On Your Own” shuttle from the ship to Buenos Aires says in the description it’s a 2 hour duration.  Usually when I’ve taken an on your own shuttle, they drop you off and you have several hours to explore and they pick up at a later time. What’s confusing me on this is that it states the duration is 2 hours. Has anyone taken this excursion and, if so, how did it work?  Thanks in advance for any help. 

Hi edinburgher. I understand you thoughts but yes, it is necessary for me to go as I really want to see the King penguin colony. I know the ride may be tiresome but being from Arizona, we are used to off road adventures and I don’t mind being uncomfortable for a couple of hours for a possible great payoff. Thanks for your input. It’s much appreciated. 

OMG!  Thank you so much GeorgeCharlie!  I’m grateful for your insight. I’m like you. More of a “can do” attitude. Really appreciate your help!

Oh, I misread.  I guess it is quite a walk into the area. Does anyone know about how long and rough the walk is?  Is it over a lot of rocks and stones. Probably in rough terrain I could manage about 1/2 mile but I would be pretty tired after that. Just really want to make it work with my handicap. 

Thank you for your help!  So no trail at all into that area but it sounds like fairly close. I probably will be able to use a cane to steady myself hopefully. I do walk a mile everyday but on a level surface. It would just be so much easier to have something to help me and a place to sit. Thanks again for the info. 

At the dock in the Falklands how far of a walk is it from the tender to the parking area? Is it difficult to walk?  Uphill?  Also thinking of going to Volunteer Point. Could I use a small mobility scooter on pathway?  Thank you for any help!

Here’s my story of how 2 different cruise lines have handled this crisis. We were booked on a Japan spring flowers cruise on Cunard. No communication at all. If I wanted any update I had to look through the boards on Cruisecritic or just see the blanket information they posted on their website. Calling got no information and still waiting for information on part of my refund from their customer service which will hopefully be answered at least 30 days from my inquiry. I do have a 25% pp fcc but I don’t care. I will never book again with them due to their poor response to this. 
 

Princess, on the other hand, has handled this unfortunate incident with compassion to their customer. They have responded promptly with me and have been clear on all my questions. I will ABSOLUTELY book again with Princess. I will be using all my fcc and gladly spend my money with a company that responds with their customer in mind. 

JoannaBullhead. We are still working out the details but it is a private tour and it will probably work out to around $500 pp. for the 2 day tour. They said that some places will not allow me to use my mobility scooter but they have a wheelchair they will provide at no extra cost for me to use. I received an email today with a schedule but I still need to work on it a bit. I think they would be open to looking at your wants and needs and making a tour that suits you. 
 

I know this forum is for those who have already traveled there but it’s so hard to get good info on handicap travel I wanted to pass on my experience to anyone who needed it. 

I checked out Dancing Bear Tours. While I was looking on their site I got a message to chat with Julia. I advised her that I had mobility issues and used a scooter to get around and I was looking for a private tour for my husband and I. She wanted to know if she could call me right then!  I was so impressed that she did that. She called and inquired about my disability needs and about what things I would like to do and see while in St Petersburg. She then said that she would work up a couple of itineraries for me to look over and email them to me. 
 

I am so impressed with her quick response and her attention to making sure we get to see what we would enjoy and not just some canned itinerary that it’s a no brained for me, they have my business. 

We have been there twice in the last couple of years. Our cruise was in port until later in the evening and there was a sunset boat tour that we did both times and if I went back I would go a third time. It was just beautiful. The sunset was amazing!  Small boat but outstanding time. 

We also did a drift snorkel during the day too. Beautiful coral but I feel that the damage done from the coral being too close to the surface is too great for me to do that again. My sister did a walking tour that talked about producing vanilla. She really enjoyed that too. 

We were in Christchurch this past February.  We did take the shuttle and brought the hop on hop off bus tour with a tour of their Botanical Garden. It was a wonderful day!  The gardens were beautiful!  And the tour was a highlight of our trip. Right next to the gardens is a museum that was interesting and free. We walked back to where the shuttle dropped us off from the garden and stopped for ice cream along the way. If I had a chance to go again I would do this tour again. I really like Christchurch.