Wheelchairs

My brother and his wife live in Canada, and we live in the UK. We want to do a Rhine cruise together in 2016. My sister-in-law has mobility problems and needs a wheelchair over longer distances.

Does anyone know of a cruise line which would be able to provide her with a wheelchair?

Don't know what your expectations are, but wheelchairs are not practical on river cruises in Europe. Space in the dining rooms is limited and trying to maneuver a wheel chair there would be near impossible. Getting a wheelchair on and off the boat, in many ports, particularly if the boats are rafted is near impossible, at best. Most all land tours involve a multitude of steps along with cobbled streets. I can put a long list of impracticalities up, but in short you would be better off sticking with ocean cruises.

I believe OP said a wheelchair was needed over longer distances - not for short distances on the ship.

Since a river cruise ship is much smaller than an ocean cruise ship, walking from one end of the ship to the other would not be as much of a problem.

I don't believe anyone furnishes wheelchairs - you would have to provide your own. You could either buy or rent. You may want to look at some light-weight folding wheelchairs. One of them may be practical on a river cruise for someone who can walk short distances and who has someone else to push the chair for longer distances. The light-weight folding chairs are not very good for self-pushing.

The buses used for tours may not be able to handle larger wheelchairs, but they should be able to handle the smaller folding ones.

Make sure you check on the elevators in the ships. For example, Viking longships have an elevator between the middle and upper decks, but not the lower or sun decks.

Thank you for your reply, pinotlover.

My sister in law can walk short distances, and would be able to manage the stairs and walk around the boat. There are lifts on the boats too.

I am aware of the problems of lugging a wheelchair across boats to get off, not to mention hauling my s-i-l over.

However, a Rhine cruise is something we all want to do and we are prepared to put ourselves out to make sure she can have the pleasure of doing it.

I have spoken to several river cruise firms, who all tell me that she will not be able to use the wheelchair on the boat, but that she may keep it in the cabin.

My husband and I are prepared to hire one and take it with us on the plane, so that we can all holiday together.

Thank you NavyVeteran for your helpful reply. The wheelchair would be to get my sister in law around on shore. She is only a lightweight, so it would be possible for us to help her on and off the boat, if we had to get across other boats.

I know that reason says we should look for a different kind of cruise, but this is what we want to do......

Canalhopper - it is possible, as long as you are aware of the challenges. Definitely get one of the light weight transport chairs vs a real wheelchair. This is, as stated, much more manageable.I did a Rhine river cruise with Avalon and we had an older couple with the wife using one of these types of chairs. The husband always made sure he disembarked the ship 10 minutes before everyone else so he wasn't in the way. If we were walking somewhere, he would often start out early and we would catch up. His wife was able to walk a bit, so she could climb the stairs on the ship and go up and down and across other boats when rafted.

I commend you & your family for trying to make this a reality. Much of Europe is not wheelchair friendly and there are MANY cobbled streets. This will make pushing a wheelchair more difficult compared to on even paved surfaces, but again not impossible. Know that there are some places that she may not be able to go due to the number of stairs involved. One that I can think of is the Heidelberg castle tour. There is a VERY steep hill to climb to get to the castle, very uneven ground once at the castle and a lot of steps.

Also - don't expect much assistance from the crew. They may help you load and unload the wheelchair, but this is not something they deal with routinely and depending on their other duties, may not be able to.

Check with the different cruise lines because each have different itineraries and different inclusions / excursions at each port. They should be able to give you an idea of which stops are more wheelchair friendly and which would be very difficult. This should help you narrow down which line to cruise with.

Good luck in your research.

There is information available for river cruising with a wheelchair:

http://www.travelsignposts.com/river-cruises/riverboats/river-cruising-for-disabled

http://www.accessibletravel.co.uk/rivercruises

http://cruise-international.com/cruise-search/RiverShipDetails?nShp=1431

Disable Cruise Travel Forum

http://cruise-international.com/cruise-search/RiverShipDetails?nShp=1431

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1847998&highlight=river+cruise

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

Thank you Youngdubfan and G.M.T.for your positive and very helpful posts. I feel encouraged!

My cousin and aunt did a Viking Tulip cruise about three years ago in a similar situation. They had a lightweight traveling wheel chair and were able to do many of the tours. They had a wonderful time.

Talk to Scenic on our cruise earlier this year we had a guy with similar problems they coped wonderfully even with his mobility scooter, I was most impressed. CA

Good for you canal hopper. You are so kind to be willing to make this happen for your SIL !! As the others have said with a light weight transport chair and help from you all I am sure it will be a wonderful trip. She may not make it to every site on every tour, but no matter. It will still be a great time! I would suggest that you look around at different brands of the transport wheelchairs. Some are much lighter than others so would be much easier to carry on/off the ship and since your SIL is small a lighter chair would work fine for her. Often times the rental chairs are heavier (since they have to accommodate heavier people) but the good news is the lightest weight chairs don't cost much more to purchase than the rental fee. Happy travels!

I believe the name for the chair is a transport chair. It has 4 small wheels instead of the 2 large ones. They are much lighter.

I used one on a cruise with my late wife. They do not count against your luggage allowance.

They are relatively inexpensive, and you wheel her down the jetway to the plane. At that point they will stow it and deliver it at the other end of the flight. They do the same thing with strollers.

If she can walk short distances she may be OK. One problem I found is in many places such as restaurants the rest rooms are either up or down a flight of stairs.

The bigger problem as someone stated was cobblestone streets and steep streets.

I think you could manage - but it will take some organizing on your end.

On our Elbe cruise this past year, we had a woman who regularly used a wheelchair (she walked with braces/crutches at all times) so it was second nature to her. Many on the cruise were very respectful (ie: leaving the front seat on the bus open so she could easily embark/disembark) which did help out. The guides always took the time to ensure she had access to a lift, a ramp etc. (if available).

Although most (if not all) companies are quite clear about needing to provide your own support/companion if you have mobility issues, I have yet to see any crew member who has not gone out of his/her way to assist.

On our 1st Rhine cruise, we had a gentleman on board who had significant deficits due to multiple strokes. This was a Christmas market cruise, so the weather made the roads and sidewalks a bit slippery - it could have been disastrous.

His wife spent a bit of time each morning with the cruise director - talking about the excursions, and planning their day. If the excursion was going to be too difficult, he would stay on the boat and enjoy a quiet day (think that only happened once during the cruise). Each time they left the boat, they always had a Plan B - just in case he became tired and needed to come back to the boat. Once or twice they did a partial tour and then took a taxi back. They made sure that their room had an easy access to the dining room, and often ate at a table close to the door of the restaurant.

Good Luck with your planning!!

Fran

If any help to you. On my Venice trip with CroisiEurope the Uniworld ship was rafted next to us. A lady was assisted across our ship and down the gangway to her wheelchair by family and Uniworld crew.

On my Russian trip using Vodohod one passenger needed a wheelchair at times due to MS and was helped by crew and other passengers in ports.

Thank you to everyone for such helpful replies. You have all been very kind to take the time and effort, and it certainly boosts our collective morale and to see that it IS possible.

I learn now from my brother that they have a lightweight electric scooter which thy can bring. They have taken it on flights before. So it looks as though I shan't need to hire one.

I believe it will be possible to do the cruise, as long as we choose the right one and make sure that in general my s-i-l will be able to get off the ship and enjoy the places we visit.

As I said before on our recent Scenic South of France cruise one gentleman had a small mobility scooter that was plugged in at reception each evening. One day it got extremely wet the crew insisted on ensuring it was completely dried and working properly for the next day. He and his wife joined in everything even going ashore at least one evening to meet friends for a meal. There was also a lady on board with MS and several others with different mobility issues, nothing ever seemed a problem for the crew or the rest of the passengers. So it's worth talking to Scenic and of course any other cruise operator to discuss the situation and possibilities as the companies seem to be falling over themselves at the moment to offer everything possible. CA

CanalHopper - make sure you describe the type of mobility scooter to the river cruise companies you are considering. I'm pretty sure most will take a transport chair but all may not be able to accommodate an electric scooter. Just because it can go on flights doesn't mean it can go on the cruise. Good luck with your planning & come back if you have more questions. I would recommend spring or late fall for your cruise to avoid the possibility of low water. I like to cruise in mid to late May.

On my most recent Viking Seine cruise, there was a gentleman who was severely disabled. He managed to walk in to the dining room with the aid of his wife, but it took some time for him to get to a seat.

The bus was able to accommodate the gentleman's wheelchair, but I think not for a scooter. He did manage to walk on and off the buses, but again this took some time. If your SIL can walk independently on the ship (nothing is very far), you can keep wheelchair in room and save for excursions. It's do-able, but you may have some limitations.

I've also done a Viking Rhine cruise. What you may not realize is that many of the ports involve being bused to the town or attraction. (no bus for Kinderdijk, Rudesheim, and Cologne) but the cobblestones and hill climbing could be a problem (Marksburg Castle).

Thank you NavyVeteran for your helpful reply. The wheelchair would be to get my sister in law around on shore. She is only a lightweight, so it would be possible for us to help her on and off the boat, if we had to get across other boats.

I know that reason says we should look for a different kind of cruise, but this is what we want to do......

As someone who has walking issues and has done 8 river cruises, I have some ideas that might be helpful to you.

Walking on the ship itself is no problem....they're nowhere near as big as ocean liners and many of them have an elevator. Vantage (the only company I'm familiar with) also has a chair lift between main and sun decks which I use all the time because stairs are difficult for me. I read in one of the posts that there are small collapsible wheelchairs that can easily be carried off the ship and used on land. I don't know how they would work on the dreaded cobblestones, but I have noticed on some of my more recent trips that cobblestones seem to be getting better....I think some of the ports are trying to "even them out" without destroying the authenticity they provide. Another thing I use that has helped me immeasurably is a three legged cane with a folding seat that I purchased from Magellan for about $35. It weighs next to nothing, the 3 prongs make it a little more stable (for me since balance is also an issue) and the seat is wonderful for when you have to stop while the guide tells you about things you're seeing. Another thing that Vantage, and from what I read here on CC many of the others do as well, is divide you into groups based on walking ability (pace and endurance). At our first port talk everyone filled out a brief questionaire and then were assigned different color groups based on their answers. We got to see everything the fast walkers saw it just took us longer (a plus if you're a photographer!) The only place we had less time would be shopping time but it wasn't an issue and there are plenty of opportunities to shop anyway. Our first trip was Castles on the Rhine and it was marvelous, but you don't actually visit the castles themselves because they are either abandoned ruins or privately owned. I can only say that I have trouble doing three things: walking distances, climbing stairs and standing and I was able to do everything I wanted to on all 8 of my trips with only 1 or 2 exceptions. Talisker mentioned the one thing I had no control over and that is the number of restaurants where the rest rooms are either up or down stairs. I can do them one at a time while holding the railing and that is something to discuss with the TM on board.

I hate to be contrarian, but . . . If "transport chair" means four small wheels, that's not the best idea. With cobblestones and curbs, a chair with big rear wheels is much superior. When the going gets rough, and it will, small wheels will get stuck in the cracks and lifting is required. With large wheels the pusher can go into "wheelie" mode to get up curbs or keep the small wheels out of cracks

without needing to support a lot of weigh.

Also make sure the push handles are at a comfortable height for the pusher. Nothing worse than spending a lot of time bent over and pushing for hours.

I hate to be contrarian, but . . . If "transport chair" means four small wheels, that's not the best idea. With cobblestones and curbs, a chair with big rear wheels is much superior. When the going gets rough, and it will, small wheels will get stuck in the cracks and lifting is required. With large wheels the pusher can go into "wheelie" mode to get up curbs or keep the small wheels out of cracks

without needing to support a lot of weigh.

 

Also make sure the push handles are at a comfortable height for the pusher. Nothing worse than spending a lot of time bent over and pushing for hours.

I agree...the one I was talking about isn't a "transport" chair....that's the one the airlines use for passengers unable to walk down the aisle and it's just a narrow seat with a back and no armrests, correct? The one I'm talking about is a smaller version of a standard wheelchair called a "travel chair"...they have one in the Golden Violin catalog. It collapses easily and doesn't weigh much. The wheels are smaller than on a standard w/c and I can see where it could be a problem with cobblestones but I think it could be managed especially since the person using it is apparently rather small and light.

Here is what I was thinking of.

You may even be able to hire one.

Here is what I was thinking of.

 

 

 

Yes, that's the one. I agree it could be a problem with cobblestones but OP mentioned that traveler was small so it might be more manageable. It's not going to be as easy as walking that's for sure, but it's better than not going at all.

On our cruise with Scenic last year a largish gentleman had mobility difficulties and used a small mobility scooter. This was charged each day in the foyer the crew were really good nothing was to much trouble they went out of their way to ensure that he was comfortable. He could walk short distances with two sticks and there was a lift but it did not go to the lowest cabin deck. It did not stop him going on some of the more challenging excursions. So it's always worth talking to the river cruise companies. Good luck & fingers crossed CA