With search gone, cannot find answer re Panama Canal ports for pax with mobility prob

[jocelysue]

DH & I doing the eastbound trans-Panama canal on Infinity. DH has some mobility psroblems and takes a long time getting organized in morning. Walks with a cane but preferably a Walker.

 

We do plan on taking some private expéditions hwere the van accomodates a Walker. However, some of these vans are outside the port area so it would be difficult to arrive there at the same time as fellow pax.

 

Would appreciate knowing which of these ports is an absolute must see:Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Puntarenas, Colon, Cartagena.We must tender in to Cabo so is it worth the discomfort? Is PV tradirional? (We have done land tours in Acapulco, around Mexico and have visited the Yucatan Peninsula in depth). We are taking the ship's bus tour in Puerto Quetzal to Antigua where we will simply walk around the centro and visit closest churches.

 

Do we revisit the Canal by ferry in Colon, take the railroad , visit an Embera village,or simply get off the ship , look at the local products by the pier, and return on board?What about Cartagena which has a reputation of being a lovely place to visit?

 

The imortant thing is that my husband is able to enjoy his onshore visits without too much walking ? He doesn't mind waiting in the bus or van for us; his problem is getting to the van or bus within a limited amount of time so that we do not hinder other passengers,

 

Had started studying this when the "search " function was disabled so now am reposting what must be a frequent question. Sorry for that . It's not laziness on my part believe me .I am worried. This is DH's bucket list cruise and so want him to enjoy it as much as possible without hamperinh others.

 

If we could afford a private guide for both of us ,we would certainly go that route but financial circumstances don't allow and, given DH's worsening condition, time probably won't allow forputting it off for another year.

 

Thanks for what I know will be your considerate responses.

[Kamloops50]

If you are doing the Full Transit , ships normally don't stop in Panama at all. The only cruise line I know that regularly stops at Panama on a full transit is Princess . They overnight at Puerto Fuerto ( tender) for tours to Panama.

Check whether your cruise stops in Colon. If so it will be docked for excursions to prceed.

[cb at sea]

Going through the locks, especially on a full transit IS the "excursion"...no real need to get off the ship at all just to see what you're seeing from the ship!

[jmf123]

While I can't be of assistance with specific ports, you may find helpful info on the Disabled Cruise Travel forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190. Also, discussion on your ports of call here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=89. Granted, it is much more difficult without the Search function, but perhaps you can obtain some info or post your question there.

 

Have you checked your Infinity Roll Call? There may be others who have mobility issues and are interested in private tours to share. Here is a link to Celebrity Roll Calls: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=206.

 

jocelysue, I wish you and your DH a wonderful and memorable Panama Canal cruise. :)

[kitty9]

Jocelysue, I just returned from Equinox and had the some of the same ports you'll have, and I use a mobility scooter. I've also done a full transit of the canal on Infinity, and went to the other ports you mention. I don't think Cabo is a port for mobility challenged. The walk from where the tender stops, to the tourist area is a rough walk with lots of sand and uneven pavement. I'm not a fan of PV, so I just stay on board the ship. I have to warn you about Colon, Panama. The dock is in a very poor section of town, and walking far from the ship is not recommended. And, there's really nothing there but a few very tacky shops. Our maitre'd even told us he doesn't get off the ship there anymore as one of the crew was recently attacked by locals, about two blocks from the pier.

 

I do recommend the Railway tour as it's accessible, and interesting. But you are doing a full transit of the Canal, so you'll be seeing that up close from the ship.

 

Personally, I'm not comfortable in Cartegena, but many do the tours there. A walk down the pier will take you to a small shop with perfume and then a few steps from there, you'll find a shop with jewelry and other items. There's also a patio area where they have some interesting birds and other animals. Equinox had a shuttle bus take passengers to these two shops.

 

Hope this helps a bit.

[Dayenu]

From the main page scroll down to "special interest" and "disabled travel" - you may get answers there.

[jocelysue]

Thank you ever so much for your considerate answers. Because of them, we will not be visiting either Cabo nor Colon.Better safe than sorry. We may visit PV but not too sure about that. We may simply decide that we're on a TA with many consecutive days on board.

 

We had reserved a walking tour of Antigua with Elizabeth Bell but cancelled it because of the pavement. We'll simply sit in the plaza , attend a religious service and just Watch the locals enjoying themselves.

 

Emilien & I appreciate your advice. We have been on our roll call for months but it's a slow one and he seems to be the only mobility challenged person. There were a couple of others but they've cancelled completely. Actually, this is the first time this problem has occurred. We've cruised considerably and have always been able to organise private groups ahead of time where either not too much walking was involved or the person with mobility issues could stay in the van. This hasn't happened so far but we still have over a month to go.

 

Since we do enjoy life aboard, staying on the ship will not be a hardship. The important thing for DH is that he gets to traverse ,i.e. transit, the Canal. Once again, you have been very helpful and we shall surely look into your recommendations & suggestions.

[Essiesmom]

In Cartegena, we avoided the more crowded tours and did the Carriage ride tour, which was interesting. It starts out on a bus, to where the carriages await. In Colon, we took the Gatun Locks and Expansion Center tour, which was also interesting. The canal tour involved a bus ride to the Gatun Locks, and there was an area to sit, right by the locks, and an observation area which involved climbing stairs. And a small souvenir shop. Bus ride to the expansion center, where you could walk around and shop. Not much rushing on and off the bus. In Antigua, be sure to visit the jade factory, where you can use the restroom, and pick up an inexpensive (or not) souvenir. It's a bit of a walk to the main square, but it is a good place to people watch. It is right across from the cathedral, which you must visit. There are steps up to it, though. You can rest in the Narthex, which is the active part of the cathedral, as the rest was demolished by one of many earthquakes. Be sure to ask the way to the rear to view the ruins of the nave, apse, etc. EM

[rpb718]

While the Cruise Critic search is gone, Google is not. Just go into Google and input the following:

 

Panama Canal ports for pax with mobility prob site:boards.cruisecritic.com

 

And you'll see pages of posts from the Cruise Critic site.

[goose30]

Go to the very top of the page. There is a box that says "search cruise critic" with an magnifying glass next to it. Over type the words with "panama canal mobility issues" even your thread comes up.

[jocelysue]

Thank you ever so much. Very appreciated.