Mobility issues (wheelchair)

[happy77]

We are cruising on HA Nieuw Amsterdam on Sept 1, Venice to Barcelona. Husband has COPD and cannot walk very far without getting out of breath. We are thinking of renting a wheelchair while we are on the ship, but the company HA uses does not list Venice as one of their ports to service. Does anyone have any experience with wheelchairs, renting, etc? Or alternate suggestions for us. Thanks

[Treven]

Instead of a wheelchair, can he handle a rollater walker? These have 4 wheels and a seat so he could sit down when he needs a rest. Also a lot of the European cities aren't equipped to handle wheelchairs. I'm a senior with COPD and if I'm going out, at home or on a cruise, I take my walker; it really has come in handy when I got "tuckered out"!

[Crew News]

I would contact Care Vacations and Special Needs at Sea directly for a scooter rental option.

Edited July 6, 2015 by Crew News

[SuiteTraveler]

http://www.wheelchairinitaly.com/Rent-Wheelchair-in-Italy.html

 

http://www.accessibleitaly.com/service/disabled-equipment.html

 

This offers some helpful advice on accessible travel in Venice:

http://europeforvisitors.com/venice/articles/accessible_venice.htm

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wheelchairs are hard to deal with in Europe as many cities do not have the "slopes" to get off the sidewalks like we have in the US.

I rent a walker/rollator.

I use Care Vacations -- don't know if they service Europe.

[BlueRiband]

Contact HAL's Special Needs desk.

 

A scooter may not fit in your cabin. That's a huge barrier because charging has to be done in your cabin. Cruise lines have become very strict in that all mobility aids must be stored in the cabin. No leaving them out in the hall or near the elevator.

 

You would be in a very difficult situation if you showed up with an undeclared scooter and there was no suitable cabin in which to move you.

[Nic6318]

Unless you are able to push the wheelchair over cobblestones, and get up and down curbs, as well as into and out of stores and restaurants (not all will be accessible ) a rollator/walker might be a better option as suggested. It will slow you down but will allow for more mobility. You can still request a wheelchair at airports and at the cruise terminal.

 

That being said why not rent the equipment at home. It will be checked for free on the airlines.

 

 

Have a great trip

[happy77]

Unless you are able to push the wheelchair over cobblestones, and get up and down curbs, as well as into and out of stores and restaurants (not all will be accessible ) a rollator/walker might be a better option as suggested. It will slow you down but will allow for more mobility. You can still request a wheelchair at airports and at the cruise terminal.

 

That being said why not rent the equipment at home. It will be checked for free on the airlines.

 

 

Have a great trip

 

Thanks for everyones suggestions. The rollator wouldn't work as he only has to go across the room and he is out of breath. We are thinking now more along the lines of a scooter. Several people having suggested looking on Craigs list for a used one. I know it would have to fold up to fit the 21" door, as we didn't reserve a handicapped room, not knowing at the time how bad he is getting. Thanks again

[Crew News]

Holland America Lines will store your scooter for you overnight so that it is not parked in the hallway (unless your room is large enough). Call the Front Desk and they will pickup/deliver it.

 

If you bring your own scooter, it is counted as "medical equipment" and not part of your luggage. It will be stored in the baggage compartment and delivered to you at the jetway. Contact your airline for more info.

[Talisker92]

A cautionary word- with all the canals in Venice, there are many bridges. Each bridge is stepped, and there is no way to get a scooter up and down.

I have attached a picture of a typical Venice bridge. Some are this size, many are higher.

Also, in a lot of =restaurants and museums, the restrooms are up or down a flight of stairs.

[Sailor_Sally]

It sounds like taking a trip may be too taxing for your husband . I would suggest consulting your doctor . He needs to be on Oxygen if he gets winded that easy .

[nolatravelgirl]

I am not trying to jump on the negative bandwagon but I have been doing some research on Venice. Have you researched your hotel in Venice and how you plan on getting to the port. I am an able bodied adult and have concerns about how to get my luggage from the port and around town to my hotel. I have read that there are no porters at the Venice cruise terminal so you will be responsible for transporting all the luggage as it seems your husband is not able to assist.

[happy77]

After reading all of the recent posts, you have me worried. The luggage will be a problem. We will take taxies from airport to hotel and from hotel to port. I can't believe there wouldn't be porters at the port. I will have to check into this. Anyway, we have taken out necessary insurance in case we do have to cancel, but that will be a last resort. We are determined , I'm sure "where there is a will there is a way". Thanks everyone

[Hlitner]

You must carefully consider hotel location. If you are staying in Venice you might have to use a Water Taxi (we are talking about 100 Euros + from airport to many hotels) in order to avoid much walking. And you would still need a wheelchair or scooter right off the plane to get from the terminal to the Water Taxi dock. If you stay out of Venice in a hotel near the airport or in Mestre you could use a regular land taxi from airport to your hotel and another land taxi from the hotel to the port. At the port the taxi can take you right to the luggage drop-off place so this is not an issue. There are a few Venice hotels in the Piazale Roma but we do know that at least one (Ca Doge) does not have an elevator. Not sure about the S.Chiara or Olimpia which are also in that area which is reachable by land taxi.

 

Keep in mind that Europe does not have anything similar to the ADA so getting around in some ports and sites can be a real challenge. You certainly should post and take advantage of the Disabled Cruiser blog here on CC to get more info. Scooters do make a lot of sense (we have a friend that recently purchased one and loves it) and there are some that are relatively portable. But you need to seek out good advice as to weight and battery range.

 

And one final tangential issue regards cigarette/cigar smoke. We know that many with COPD must avoid breathing in any kind of smoke and you might want to consider that HAL still have pretty liberal smoking rules (still allowed on all passenger balconies, in the casino, and several designated areas on deck).

 

 

Hank

Edited July 8, 2015 by Hlitner

[nolatravelgirl]

After reading all of the recent posts, you have me worried. The luggage will be a problem. We will take taxies from airport to hotel and from hotel to port. I can't believe there wouldn't be porters at the port. I will have to check into this. Anyway, we have taken out necessary insurance in case we do have to cancel, but that will be a last resort. We are determined , I'm sure "where there is a will there is a way". Thanks everyone

Just went and read some of your other posts that your husband has COPD and will need a portable oxygen concentrate at night. Have you and your husband traveled with this type of medical equipment before, especially overseas? I ask this because I have traveled with my disabled father who is in a wheelchair and requires oxygen. It is a massive undertaking and takes a lot of assistance! I couldn't imagine traveling in Europe like that. We actually have someone travel with us as it is a lot of work and that is considering that my Mom is there and I am a relatively young able bodied adult and feel like in order for Mom and I to enjoy any time we need a full time person to assist with the wheelchair duty. Do you have plans in each city to deal with the old European roads and walkways. If you decide on a manual wheelchair are you able bodied enough to push him around all day? There will likely not be disabled access and even if you hired a taxi they would likely just pull over and expect that you be able to assemble and disassemble a scooter/wheelchair to fit in the trunk of the car. Will you be able to do that or are you just planning on scooting a bit in the direct port area and spending the majority of your time on board the ship?

 

I see that you are on the Venice to Barcelona itinerary on the Spirit. We are actually disembarking in Venice that same day. Will you be staying in a canal accessed hotel? You may be quite locked in or expected to pay high taxi fares if you are only able to access things via private water taxi. You will also need to be able to get your scooter/wheelchair in and out of the water taxi.