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How does one wheelchair travel on day trips from cruises in the Med?


Cagent
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I read through a number of the threads on this disabled cruise travel board however not all my questions have been answered as yet.

I have receive some feedback already from the Princess cruise Board and I am repeating my post here in the hope of getting even more advise on wheelchair accessible tours through the Med.

My wife and I are booked on a Princess Mediterranean cruise for later this year (October 2018) from Barcelona to Barcelona via Greece, Montenegro, Italy, etc. . and one of us is virtually full time in an electric wheelchair. However the cruise line web site for shore excursions only lists one wheel chair compatible tour for the entire cruise and this is in Livorno for a tour to Florence.

The website indicates that the trip is in a motor coach for 40 people. Can anyone advise me how someone who cannot walk can get up the steps into a motor coach please? Or do they use a special coach that wheelchairs can drive into? from feedback so far it appears the latter is the case but I want a bit more confidence before I pay out several hundred dollars (non-refunable) per tour only to find out we cannot get on the tour of choice.

Also if any one has a similar mobility issue and has done this tour before any tourism advice on things to see and do and how to get around will be greatly appreciated. We particularly want to see Rome and Pompeii, however a bit of Greece and the other places would also be nice if we can swing it. Pompeii sounds like it might be a tough one.

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Typically any time a tour is listed on the main website showing a wheelchair icon generally does not mean the vehicle has a lift. Rather it generally means that the vehicle can accomodate a folding wheelchair if the individual is able to walk up/down a few steps. Some where in the tour description this should be explained. Sometimes you have to scroll over the wheelchair icon for more details.

 

Individuals requiring a vehicle with a lift must contact Princess'Acces Office directly as if there are any such tours they're not posted on the website .

 

Typically for European Cruises you'll have to attempt to locate private tours.

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Thanks for the feedback and information to all who responded to my query re the wheelchair friendly nature of Med cruising. From the responses it becomes plain that anything is possible if we can put up with the cost and discomfit that wheelchairs create. And, that is the very nature of wheelchairs regardless of where we are.

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I'd check with cruise line and ensure I have the answer in writing. However, there are coaches that have electric lifts in the centre door and it lifts the wheelchair up into the space.

 

Most public buses and HOHO buses can accommodate wheelchairs. You need to do more research and maybe look on Sage Traveling.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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  • 3 weeks later...

We normally cruise on Celebrity and they are terrible about knowing if a port has lift or ramp equipped anything. In 2004 we docked in Livorno and found that of the 4 shuttle buses to town one had a lift. We lived in Italy for years so chatted up the driver and he gave us his schedule and told us where to go and he would make sure to pick us up. He also recommended a great restaurant for lunch for the 10 of us. We had all lived there long enough that we preferred food to all the places we had seen before. So, yes, they have lift equipped buses they can get for excursions. Do make sure to call special needs and get their email address and the name of the senior person there. Then email your question to confirm that your excursion is on a wheelchair lift or ramp equipped bus suitable for a non-walker. Make sure to bring copies of these emails and answers with you because once on the ship it is a she said, she said and without proof, you lose. Kotor, Montenegro is a tender stop and I doubt they have anything accessible. Dubrovnik has ramp equipped city buses as of 2011 but back then they rotasted to different routes on no known schedule so try a city Web site for their city services to see if they are all accessible now. Venice has an accessible elevator that takes you to the water buses and many of the bus stops are accessible including Piazza San Marco. Santorini is a tender also. Rhodes is flat and has the most interesting and painful stone streets but the place is wonderfully flat just have a spare inner tube or use solid tires on your wheelchair. Hope this helps a bit. But do get email guarantees that any "wheelchair accessible" shore excursions include the wheelchair user cannot be folded and put under the bus.

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