tender ports

[goat rancher]

Hi,

We will be traveling in January 2007 on Carnival Spirit. One of the ports (Ixtapa) is listed as a tender port. We are taking 2 of my husband's sisters with us, one of which is partially disabled. She can walk short distances, but due to her weight (very heavy) and bad knees, often ends up needing a cane, a walker or occasionally a wheelchair. Is she likely to be able to get on one of the tenders? We would very much HATE to have to leave her on the ship at this port. We recently took a trip including a stop at cabo, and the tender boats in that port were relatively easy to board and exit, but it looked like the steps IN the boat might be difficult to get up and down for her...not really sure...

How "handicapped" do you have to be before they can't accomodate you?

Thanks :)

[sixy-six]

Not really how handicap one would have to be. I think its mor of an individual kind of thing. What one is able to do or not do. even people with the same disability may or maynot be able to do the same things.

 

I hope someone that is a more experanced travler than me can really help you.

[serene56]

I'd like to know too- In the past we took cruises with my mom who is in a wheelchari but can get around "some" this time we are cruoising with someone in a scooter who is not as able.. So this is a first time for me.

 

Can he not get off on the tendered ports-- Grand Cayman?

 

if so how would that work?

[Queenie2]

It depends.

 

Carnival does not have any lifts on their tenders. Generally speaking, I would say anyone in power wc or full-time in a full-size scooter cannot tender. Lightweight scooters are sometimes do-able, depending on the captain and the crew and the conditions.

 

Tendering is an iffy thing for other slow walkers, becasue it's always the captain's call. If he deems it too dangerous (because of choppy seas) he can decide to not allow you to tender.

 

It should also be noted that some ports that aren't traditionally "tender ports" (becasue of their small size), can become tender ports because of traffic or other conditions. St. Thomas is getting a lot of traffic these days, so some ships *do* tender there. Ketchikan (Alaska) is another example.

 

Candy

[goat rancher]

Thanks:) . I guess we will play it by ear....I forgot when we booked to mention my sister-in-law had extra needs, but will add that info. when I make my next payment. We will pray real hard for calm seas and an understanding captain. She can walk on her own...it is just easier for her to do it with a cane (one of those with the 4 rubber prongs at the bottom) and occasionally she needs more help like a walker. We have about 15 months to go before the cruise and she now has a goal....of course she can't take off a LOT of weight (safety issues of trying to lose weight fast) but at least she has a goal to work towards in an attempt to get more mobile...and either way, we are sure she will have a great time, since 2 out of the 3 ports we will be stopping at are supposed to be ones with regular docks.

[DesrtDrmr]

Goat Rancher,

I use a scooter most of the time, but when we go ashore, I have a folding wheelchair. I can tender with that, and then use it ashore. It will fold into a taxi trunk, or underneath a tour bus, or be pushed along the street. One does have to be able to climb a couple of steps both for the tender and for the buses. Tendering is okay unless it is pretty rough........then it can be "iffy" for people with mobility problems. The crew members are very good about helping by steadying your arms, etc.........they don't carry people. This applies to Princess and RCI. I was still pretty mobile when I was on HAL, so can't give information about them.

[LornaT]

We were on the April 2nd sailing of the Spirit and I can answer that question.

My Mom has a bad back and light Parkinsons's and can walk and stand some but not for long periods, so she uses a wheelchair to get around.

First you will need to use the mid-ship elevators to go to "A" Deck (make sure that Engineering unlocks the control panel to allow this......we had a little problem with this issue - check with the Pursers Desk before Debarkation occurs) once on "A" Deck Security stopped the line and had Mom and us (Myself and my daughter) cut the line and go the the top of the stairs, once there 2 crewmen got on either side of Mom and escorted her down the stairs (step by step) and onto the Tender, made sure she was seated confortably on one of the seats and then left, another crewmen folded the wheelchair up and hand carried it down to the tender and strapped it into a holding spot.

Same proceedure at the dock, 2 to help out of the tender, one to carry the chair. Suggest you wait to be last off the tender, makes it easier and doesn't ruffle feathers of fellow passengers when they have to wait a little to get off the ship (not everyone is considerate).

Then it happens the same way in reverse..............Becuase of how great all the crew is with Mom and her Wheelchair (Tenders, regular docking (a security person (or 2) has always taken her down the gangplank in her wheelchair and then back up again (they suggest we use the crew ramps for coming back on the ship, less lines!)) is the main reason we only cruise Carnival.

If you have any more questions and want to ask directly you can e-mail at: lorna.tilson@lmco.com

 

Also you need to contact guest services at x70025 for a form to be filled out and faxed back noting the wheelchair and any other medical issues, the need the size of the wheelchair etc. it's a pretty easy process all in all.

[goat rancher]

Thanks LornaT:)....

I still have to add the "handicapped" info to my sister-in-law's booking information. I made the reservations (paying for all of us) and was so excited making the booking that I forgot to tell the Travel Agent about her extra needs. However, I have several more payments to make and SEVERAL more months, so I will be sure to contact them to add that info. I also have to really sit down and talk with my sister-in-law and see what her stamina level is and where she thinks she will need help. I am so used to just walking without a care whereever I go that it is hard to visualize exactly what her extra needs are going to be and where she is going to need the extra help. I just want to be sure she gets the most she can out of this trip and that she is comfortable. After I get a chance to really work this out with her, I "may" be contacting you...really appreciate the extra info, because otherwise I might have brought her down to the tendering area the same way we went LAST time on the PRIDE....which involves a lot of stairs!!

By the way....I have always thought Lorna was a pretty name. One of my best friends in junior high was named Lorna (last name also started with a T)...I lost contact with her when we went on to high school, as we ended up being in slightly different school districts and were assigned to different high schools...