MS and cruising

[TechKnowBabble]

First of all I am delighted to see many posts from people with MS that are cruising, which makes it look favorable for my family to take a cruise with my mom who has MS and is in a wheelchair.

 

Any suggestions on what cruiseline would be the most 'wheelchair friendly'? We are located in Baltimore, MD. I 'think' we would probably like to leave from a port we could drive to like Baltimore or NJ, so we don't have to fly. Any recommendations on good itinerarys to try?

 

Thanks for any information!

[CaptData]

Whatever ship you chose, ensure you get a Handi-capped room. I have MS, myself. I have found that the newer the better. Ensure she has a scooter and a folding wheelchair (rent one if you must). The reason is that it is easier if you can transfer mom from a folding wheelchair into a taxi or car. Most places in Carb and Mexico are hard to do with a scooter. You may have to tender (which is use another small boat to go to an island) and a folding wheelchair is easier to handle on tenders.

 

 

Some rules of thumb that I use.

 

Newer ship the better, better equiped to handle me. ie automatic doors to the outside decks, actual H/C washrooms.

 

H/c room near elevator, close to mid ship if possible.

 

Ensure that I'm on their emergency list for help if needed. (you might be up on the pool deck while mom is resting in cabin).

 

Bring extention cord for scooter recharge. (a must).

 

I perfer inside rooms so I can rest better in mid day.

 

Have the Room Steward remove any extra furniture that is not needed to enlarge the turning area if needed.

 

Ensure all meds come with me.

 

Remember if you fly any mobility aid will go with you free, wheelchairs, canes and scooters as well as lifts if needed but you must notify Airline upon booking.

[DEL67]

CaptData gave you good information, but here are a few more thoughts.

 

Most handicap cabins only sleep 2. if you need a 3rd in your mother's cabin, your best bet would be Royal Caribbean, NCL or possibly Holland America. Otherwise any newer ship (built in the last 5 years) should do.

 

Does your mother have a power chair? If not, I would suggest renting a power chair or scooter so that your mother can be independent aboard ship. But as Capt Data said, taking a manual chair for use on shore is a good idea as most ports are not very accessible.

 

When choosing your itinerary try to stay away from tender ports as the tender process can be difficult for wheelchair passengers and the ship will probably not allow your mother to go ashore if the water is rough. Otherwise I would choose based on what you and she would enjoy. None of the islands are very accessible, but if she can transfer to a car, you usually can hire a taxi for an island tour and possibly do some shopping.

 

Leaving from the Northeast will be easier for you since you do not have to fly; however it also somewhat limits itineraries except for some of the longer cruises, your choices include:

 

Bermuda: Bermuda is lovely; however it has limited accessibility and taxis

are expensive. The Kings Wharf area might be more accessible than

Saint George or Hamilton, but I have not been there.

 

New England/Canada: Probably your best choice in terms of accessibility.

 

Eastern Caribbean - Best known for beaches and shopping, some of the

islands are scenic and worth a tour.

 

Although I say we are seeing the world, one port at a time, for me a cruise is more the journey than the destination. So, other than avoiding some of the older ships, go and enjoy.

[Splinter]

Another issue may be how heat sensitive she is. This can be an issue for any shore excursions in hot areas. Of course she can stay on the ship, but at every port this can get old. In spite of wanting to stick to the East Coast, I would encourage you to look at Alaska, Northern Europe and Canadian (fall color) trips if heat is a problem.

 

Some of the new Princess ships (such as the Island) do have accessible cabins that sleep 3, as do some of the Celebrity ships.

[CaptData]

Heat can bother me too. I make sure my tours are short 3-4 hours max, and in the morning. I rest in afternoon (my comment on resting was because of this). I snorkle near the boat because my left side is weak but it does two things: it keeps me cool (water) and lets me get some exercise (I still see fish and some coral). The boats I choose have a shaded area usually. I have used my scooter is St Thomas at Havensite Mall which is right at the pier (some of the stores are air conditioned).

[TechKnowBabble]

thanks for all the wonderful information. My mother does have a scooter but she's never used it because it didn't provide enough support since her balance even sitting is not the best. She has quite a few folding wheelchairs. My mother is able to wheel herself, I guess that wouldn't be the best since people would probably grow impatient behind her, but most of the time someone else would be pushing her. I was wondering about the heat...I know years ago the doctors told my grandmother that my mom shouldn't be exposed to the heat. I can't wait to tell the rest of my family the information you have all provided and that there are indeed alot of folks cruising with MS. Now I just have to start budgeting for it as my mom is on a limited income (disability) and I need to pay her portion :)

[CaptData]

Techkwonbabble. You are sweet paying her way.

 

I have balance problem too. Use a seat belt on those days. Scooter have arms and you can rent one with a wrap-around for on ship. The ship's crew will help you out a bit but ensure they know where to lift if that is needed. They are not trained, so you must train them.

 

Hope she enjoys her trip.

[Splinter]

If a scooter provides insufficient support, it is time to think about a power wheelchair instead. These can be modified with postural supports as needed. A plus is they have a smaller turning radius than a scooter. A downside is they are more difficult to transport, but if transfers are getting difficult anyway, it is easier to transfer from a wheelchair. My mother has used a power wheelchair for the last 8 years and we still cruise with it and a manual wheelchair (a Quickie II).

[Oceanwench]

DH has MS and we are going on our 5th cruise in November -- and have booked our sixth for March 2006!

 

DH uses a power wheelchair. As has been stated above, a power strip/extension cord is a must! The HC cabins do not have a lot of outlets.

 

Three of our recent cruises have been on HAL. Our next two are on HAL also. We have found the ships to be very handicap-friendly, and the crews have been outstanding.

 

DH does not get off at the ports. He has traveled quite a bit in the past, before he needed a wheelchair, and he insists he isn't interested in visiting a lot of jewelry stores, T-shirt shops and beaches! He loves to read, to talk to people, to roam the ship, etc. I was able to convince him to get off in Key West -- he knew it would be accessible, as it was the U.S.

 

Although heat bothers him, it was never an issue on the ships.

He even spends a lot of time with me by the pool on sea days -- he just stays in the shade.

 

One thing we learned on our last cruise on the Zuiderdam: The SS cabins on the Vista ships have a very strange shower configuration in the bathroom. When you pull the curtain shut to shower, you and the toilet are on the same side of the curtain! It makes for a very wet toilet area -- I was always mopping the floor!

DH has spoken to HAL about fixing this and they told him they're working on it!

 

We are fortunate in that we can drive to the ports in Florida, so we don't have to deal with airlines. :)

[TechKnowBabble]

Thanks to everyone with their great suggestions. I have spoken to my aunt about it. I 'think' we're going to shoot for a 2008 cruise my mom will be turning 65 that year and I think it gives us enough time to work out any kinks & save the money after our upcoming cruise. My aunt has mentioned bringing an aide with us to stay with my mom overnight, change her, give her meds etc (my mom lives in ....well I don't know a better term for it, it's not just assisted living, it's a nursing home) Does anyone have any experience with that? My aunt said we would pay for the cruise for the person, and maybe a little extra? Basically my mom would be with us most of the time, so the aide would have a good deal of time to herself to explore, relax, etc.

 

Also on most ships are all of the HC rooms together? We'd like to have our rooms together, but not of course take any of the HC rooms for us.

 

Thanks again!

[DEL67]

Technobabble:

 

It varies by ship, but since most of the newer ships have hanidcap cabins in several categories, they are not all together. However, they tend to be in clusters of 2 or 4, often next to each other. Regardless, there should be plenty of non-HC cabins near them.

[TechKnowBabble]

Technobabble:

 

It varies by ship, but since most of the newer ships have hanidcap cabins in several categories, they are not all together. However, they tend to be in clusters of 2 or 4, often next to each other. Regardless, there should be plenty of non-HC cabins near them.

 

Excellent. Thanks for your input, we want to be close to her but obviously not take a cabin that someone needs and we don't. I assume there are balcony cabins that are HC?

[CaptData]

Yes, there are balcony ones. You have to book early for them as they go fast. These are mainly on the newer ships. If you book early enough you can get the cabin next door. As for the aide check with her home, they could recommend someone. Remember that everyone will need a passport including the aide (so she can not have a criminal record). Yes, you will have to pay for the aide's trip and some extra. Explain to the home that the aide would only be working atnight mainly, with meals and meds as well.

[TechKnowBabble]

Yes, there are balcony ones. You have to book early for them as they go fast. These are mainly on the newer ships. If you book early enough you can get the cabin next door. As for the aide check with her home, they could recommend someone. Remember that everyone will need a passport including the aide (so she can not have a criminal record). Yes, you will have to pay for the aide's trip and some extra. Explain to the home that the aide would only be working atnight mainly, with meals and meds as well.

 

Excellent, excellent. You guys are the best. I can't wait to start investigating in detail what ship, itinerary and so forth we want to take. I'll probably return after that and ask everyone's opinion :)

[Oceanwench]

I can't recommend HAL Vista ships enough! :)

 

They do not cluster their HC cabins.

We have always had verandah cabins, and there were plenty of other non-accessible cabins close to us.

There are spacious verandah cabins all the way forward on the upper verandah deck, for instance, with non-accessible inside, oceanview and balcony cabins adjacent or close by.

 

One thing I love about HAL -- we rarely had an elevator problem.

The Vista ships [Oosterdam, Zuiderdam, Westerdam and soon-to-be-launched Noordam] carry about 1,800 pax.

We almost always had an empty elevator available with no crowds, with the exception being right after a show lets out.

 

We did not have that same experience on Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas -- which made that experience very unpleasant.

People crowded to every available elevator, and DH had long waits to move from one deck to another. :( Very frustrating for both of us.

[Nliedel]

Heat is the WORST! I am a mess and have attacks in the heat. It is never an issue onboard because the rooms are so cold it can be outside and I start dropping things. I use a plastic glass when outside. It bothers me most on shore.

 

I have recently diagnosed remitting repeating MS so I don't have issues every day and in fact most days are smooth but some days I cannot seem to put my feet in forward.

[DEL67]

Oceanwench:

 

Perhaps cluster was the wrong word when describing the placement of HC cabins. What I meant was that you rarely find one HC by itself. Usually there is another one next door or in the same position on the opposite side of the ship. The later is true on the Vista class ships. There are at least 2 HC cabins in most categories, usually opposite each other. Regardless, all have regular cabins near them.

 

I agree that the Vista class ships are very accessible and we had also less difficulty getting elevators, partially due to the fact that our cabin was near the aft elevator. I was, however a little disappointed by our veranda cabin. The veranda was great and well-ramped, but the bathroom was smaller and more difficult for a wheelchair to maneuver than on most newer ships. In addition there was not enough space for my husband to turn his wheelchair near the bed or turn into the bathroom until I had our cabin steward remove my bedside table and push the bed over.

[Oceanwench]

Oceanwench:

 

Perhaps cluster was the wrong word when describing the placement of HC cabins. What I meant was that you rarely find one HC by itself. Usually there is another one next door or in the same position on the opposite side of the ship. The later is true on the Vista class ships. There are at least 2 HC cabins in most categories, usually opposite each other. Regardless, all have regular cabins near them.

 

I agree that the Vista class ships are very accessible and we had also less difficulty getting elevators, partially due to the fact that our cabin was near the aft elevator. I was, however a little disappointed by our veranda cabin. The veranda was great and well-ramped, but the bathroom was smaller and more difficult for a wheelchair to maneuver than on most newer ships. In addition there was not enough space for my husband to turn his wheelchair near the bed or turn into the bathroom until I had our cabin steward remove my bedside table and push the bed over.

 

I realize there are usually HC rooms in similar positions on both sides of the ship -- say, 6003 and 6004, all the way forward, on the Vista ships.

But I wouldn't consider those rooms close together.

I think the OP's point was that she did not want the able-bodied pax traveling in the same group to take HC cabins, and if a particular ship put HC cabins together in groupings, then it could present a problem.

 

My experience with HAL has been that the HC cabins are somewhat scattered and there are plenty of non-accessible rooms in the same area.

 

For instance, 6003 is an HC cabin -- with a verandah. Directly across from it is an oceanview cabin, which I believe is also HC.

Next door in a regular verandah cabin, and right down the hall are inside cabins.

So AB pax traveling with a person with disabilities would be able to be close to an HC cabin, but could book non-accessible rooms for themselves.

 

We've found that the verandah cabins are better for us than the Superior Suites.

The layout of the bathroom in the SS cabin was not good for DH. Also, there was so much furniture in the cabin, we had to have a coffee table, chair and vanity seat removed so he could maneuver in the room!

On our next two cruises we have gone back to verandah.

 

But we are definitely staying with HAL! :)

[SeaDeacon]

Hi, great to read all of this great input. I am getting ready to sail for first time with chair and for first time on Princess. So far they have been very helpful and encouraging. The accessible veranda cabin is midship across from elevator and near laundry room. I will be sharing cabin with a friend who lives in a different state so we wll meet at ship in Southampton.

 

I too have MS and was able to get around with a cane until last July. I got my power chair this past November and although there are a few scars on the walls in my apartment and the elevator entries and doorways in the building, I am able to get around fairly okay. I have no balance either so that is why I was prescribed chair rather than scooter.

 

I plan to keep a journal and take photos of this trip in order to give a presentation on accessible cruising later this fall. So I will report back here when I return.

 

Peace,

 

Judi

[DEL67]

SeaDeacon

 

Have you considered taking a manual chair in addition to your power chair or having one delivered to the ship? Although poer chairs are great aboard ship, they can limit where you can go ashore.

 

Also, do not forget to take an extension cord in case the plug is in a bad place for leaving your wheelchair when recharging your batteries.

[jbettlam]

Greetings:

Just a note for those of you that wish to RENT power chairs. We were just on the Jewel of the Seas British Isles- Norwegian Fjords cruise. We decided not to take my power chair from New Orleans to London so we rented one.We got to the ship used the chair the first night & put up to charge using our converter to plug the English plug into our American outlet. We went ashore the next day & did not take the p/c w/ us; we left it plugged in the entire day.

When we got back & tried to use it; the light blinked indicating the chair was not fully charged after about 22 straight hours of charging. It took us about 3 days for the people on the ship to figure out that we had to plug the ENGLISH plug into our converter & then set our converter to fit into the EUROPEAN outlet (there are no English outlets in the rooms). The company that supplied the chair failed to supply a converter so we could re-charge the chair. Luckily, my wife brought a converter so she could use her curling iron while in London.

Just a note

jim

[DNCButler]

My DH has MS and has been cruising for many years. We have 2 children so we understand how hard it is to find ships that allow 3 or 4 in a cabin. We have been VERY luck with HAL and Celebrity. Princess' balcony cabin was disappointing as you would not be able to move with the chair outside. I also would suggest a cooler destination cruise although he has done well in the Caribbean so far. We book shore excursions on a/c buses. HAL has had some great prices for fall, I don't remember if you gave a date or timeframe.

[montgomeryfamily]

DNCButler, did you have a wheelchair accessible balcony cabin on Princess? Which ship was it? We cruised on the Ocean Princess and there was a nice size ramp to go to/from the balcony. So if if is different on other ships, I would like to know. Thanks.

[DNCButler]

I'm not aware of Ocean Princess, perhaps was this an old cruise? We were on Caribbean Princess in October in B301 I think it was a cat BD cabin. There was a ramp but very limited room to move on the balcony with the furniture out there. We had a chaise lounge chair and a table and 2 plastic chairs. The ramp took up the majority of the balcony to the rail and then the rest of the furniture was in the way to move it or turn it around. Hope that helps.

[montgomeryfamily]

Thanks for the information, DNCButler.

 

Yes, the Ocean Princess went to P & O and I believe is now called Oceana. I have cruised on Princess many times, but only had to get a wheelchair accessible stateroom a couple of times due to my brother's worsening balance and weakness necessitating a wheelchair be often. When we were on the old Ocean Princess we were also with another family member who was in a wheelchair--that balcony was huge and we had lots of room.

 

This time on our Princess cruise we decided to get the balcony stateroom. We are going on the Caribbean Princess. When I checked, I found that the BA category wheelchair accessible balcony is much larger than the other categories of balcony wheelchair accessible balcony staterooms (I have the dimensions, but don't want to post them here, because some people might see that and want to get the bigger balcony even though they are AB, but if you email me, I will send them to you)

 

However, I am concerned about one thing you mentioned. When I aske the Princess rep. about the ramp to the balcony, she checked with someone and came back to say there was no ramp because they had made the stateroom door without the lip so it was the same level as the room. I wonder if she was talking about the door into the room? I will check back and ask again about the ramp to the balcony.

 

We have sailed on some other cruise lines and found the furniture on the balcony to be a problem, but I have either piled it to one side on top of each other or had it moved elsewhere. But I hope we don't have to do it on this cruise because the balcony is so big--as long as that ramp doesn't take up too much space.