cruising with celebrity? think twice if you're disabled

[adriennej]

We have sailed four times on theCelebrity Eclipse from Southampton, and have always enjoyed theexperience.

However, we decided that we would try afly-cruise for the first time. This is a quantum leap for us, since Ihave MS and am reliant on an electric scooter to get around; I canwalk only a few yards with assistance, and can't navigate stairs.

So we booked a cruise on the CelebritySilhoutte from Cittivecchia to the Western Mediterranean., departingon October 11.

The flight both ways was faultless, anda disabled taxi was laid on to take us and another couple to and fromthe ship.

However, any illusions we had that ourneeds would be catered for were quickly shattered. On past cruisesthe dock has generally been close enough to the destination to enableus to get ashore with no problems.

On this trip, however, many of thedocks were a long way from the towns, and getting there by scooterwas not a practical proposition. Ibiza, for example was a 45 minutewalk away.

There were 'courtesy buses' forpassengers, but none that were disabled friendly -and there were alot of disabled passengers on the ship. What made matters worse wasthat guest relations couldn't provide any information on alternativetransport – seemingly ignorant of the fact that in many ports therewere public transport buses with disabled ramps.

Since the company was selling cruisesto disabled passengers, it was surely fair to expect that they wouldat least ensure their holiday was adequately catered for – and manyof the problems that we experienced could have been easily resolvedhad Celebrity done its research on what was available in the ports itwas to visit.

The final straw was Marseilles, whereable-bodied passengers could get to the city by coach if they partedwith $20. This opportunity wasn't available to disabled passengers,and in the absence of an alternative, we were stuck on board

The Eclipse and the Silhouette aresister ships, identical in most respects – except one. The formerhad a kettle and tea and coffee in the cabins, the latter did not. Idon't sleep well, and at home my husband often gets up during thenight to make me a cuppa. To do this on the Silhouette meant he hadto go from our cabin on Deck 3 to the coffee station on Deck 14 –there's one on Deck 7 but it's closed at night.

When we asked about the reason for thelack of facilities in the cabin, we were told it was for health andsafety reasons. Apparently the humble kettle is now a danger to lifeand limb.....

My husband was sufficiently incensed towrite to the company's CEO in Florida on our return to England. A fewweeks later we got a telephone call from the company's 'executiveconcierge'. My wife asked her to send us an email outlining thecontent of her call, which she duly did.

What is says in essence is that, unlessa passenger books a shore excursion from the ship then he/she has tomake his or her own arrangements via taxi or port bus. Bu shoreexcursion buses are – to my knowledge - not adapted to transportwheelchair or scooters. She also told us that should we wish to sailwith the company in future we should email them clarifying ourrequirements.

Since we've always booked a disabledcabin, our requirements should have been self-evident.

There were numerous disabled people onboard, and we certainly weren't the only people who complained.

Previously we have enjoyed sailing withCelebrity; the ships themselves are easy to get around and the crewsare unfailingly polite and cheerful. Our most recent experience,however, has led us to conclude that the company's approach todisabled passengers is to take their money then wash their hands ofthem.

I'd caution anyone in my positioncontemplating a trip with Celebrity to do their homework in terms ofport access, distances to town centres and alternative means oftransport, otherwise the holiday will fall far short of expectations.

Ours certainly did.

[1025cruise]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. It is well known that in most cases, there are no kettles in cabins. They tend to be considered a fire hazard. Though, in some cases, cruises from Southhampton do have them, but I would not guarantee.

 

The rest of your issues have to do with the ports, not with Celebrity. So what are your complaints with Celebrity?

[bEwAbG]

I'd caution anyone in my position contemplating a trip with Celebrity to do their homework in terms of port access, distances to town centres and alternative means of transport, otherwise the holiday will fall far short of expectations.

 

This is good advice. Celebrity doesn't plan for the needs of its passengers when they're not on their ships, disabled or not. They do make an effort to be accommodating and have many resources devoted to it. However, for those of us who travel with people who need special assistance, the onus is on us to plan ahead (for any trip anywhere). Cruise Critic has a board devoted to such issues and each port of call has a board as well. All three resources are good for planning purposes. Celebrity also has a special needs department who can help, but that needs to be done in advance. I'd never just show up and expect my needs to be met without confirming in advance.

 

 

https://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/accessibility/

[dateacher]

I have cruised with a friend who has cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair and needs help with everything. It was up to us to arrange all of the excursions outside of the ship, which we did. If you book through the ship, it details who should and should not go on the excursion based on their abilities.

[Sonoma fans]

I feel bad the this affected your vacation. I have an auto immune disease called in clusion body Myositis. I can walk with a cane for short distance but use a scooter for ports. We usually sail the Caribbean, so not many issues. We usually stay on the ship as we have been fortunate to have visited most of the islands prior to being diagnosed. As far as Europe goes, we did Norway on Eclipse from south Hampton. I did a ton of research to determine what excursions I would be able to do. Most companies were fantastic. Norway was pretty disabled friendly as well with ramps at side walks, bus with ramps etc. we are sailing from Dublin to Iceland in April of 2018.again, have done a tremendous amount of research and have set up excursions thAt can support my disability. As far as help on the ship, Celebrity has twice raised the bed by 10” to allow me to get out on my own with this disease. They have been incredible no matter what the situation.

[coldcdn]

This is a most unfortunate post in many respects. My wife too has MS and travels with a small scooter, BUT we travel exclusively with Celebrity as their S-Class ships are BY FAR the most accessible at sea (and we've tried them all). The heading of your post leads one to believe that if they are disabled they should choose another cruise line, and this could not be farther from the truth. As others have insinuated, the main responsibility lies with your lack of planning (sorry to be blunt), or high expectations of the cruise lines responsibility once off the cruise ship.

 

Could Celebrity have more disabled-friendly shore excursions? Yes! (and hopefully they see the opportunity to corner this market given their first-class, disabled friendly S-Class ships)

 

Could they have local buses to transport disabled people to the cities in Europe, Asia etc? Yes!

 

But please do not characterize Celebrity as being poor for disabled or mobility challenged passengers. This is simply not factually correct.

[Mr&MrsBee]

Any experience with wheelchair assistance when boarding or disembarking. Are the chairs difficult to push? All comments are appreciated.

[cl.klink]

I do not fault Celebrity in this matter

- Joel

[GUT2407]

I’ve found Celebrity very wheelchair friendly, a port that isn’t wont be no matter who you cruise with.

 

It’s an old story,,,

 

Do your homework.

[Mr&MrsBee]

I’ve found Celebrity very wheelchair friendly, a port that isn’t wont be no matter who you cruise with.

 

It’s an old story,,,

 

Do your homework.

 

"It's and old story" "Do your homework" No reason to be nasty to a simple question.

[Straughn]

1. Passengers book accessible cabins for many reasons. The inability to walk for more than a short distance is only one of them. Celebrity does not know the extent of your disability, UNLESS you tell them. Nor, can they legally, assume anything. Did you contact their Special Needs Dept. and ask for any sort of information or assistance?

 

2. The distance from the ship, down the dock, to the port area is out of Celebrity's control. They dock where the local port authority allows them to dock.

 

3. Did YOU do any research on accessible tours, either thru ~X~ or independently?

 

4. I get the kettle thing. I am also well aware that many Brits assume having a kettle at their disposal is a god given right and in Britain it is. However, the ship has the right to decide what they consider a hazard and the right to ban them.

 

If you came here looking for sympathy, it isn't going well. I understand you were unhappy with your experience and perhaps you should research other cruise lines and their policies and procedures as related to passengers with disabilities BEFORE you book the cruise.

 

If my post is harsh, it is because I have a dear friend who needs a wheel chair or scooter, as she can only walk a few feet with a cane. She and her husband research all of this before they book a cruise, a land tour, etc. They know, before they depart on their holiday, exactly what she can and can't do. What you are hearing/reading from everyone here is that you need to do your homework.

[Mr&MrsBee]

I am not seeking sympathy. I have done homework. Just asked a simple question about boarding on 1st day and last day. Get up on the right side of bed.

[Brisgal1290]

I am not seeking sympathy. I have done homework. Just asked a simple question about boarding on 1st day and last day. Get up on the right side of bed.

 

 

 

You might want to post your question on a separate post with a bit more detail rather than asking it on someone else’s post. The responses are being made to the OP.

 

 

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[bEwAbG]

I am not seeking sympathy. I have done homework. Just asked a simple question about boarding on 1st day and last day. Get up on the right side of bed.

 

The people you are sniping at are not talking to you. They're addressing the OP (original poster) on this thread.

 

As to your question, how difficult it will be to push a wheelchair depends on how strong the pusher is and how heavy the person in the chair is. The port may have carpet in its boarding facility but may not. It will typically be high-traffic, flat carpet if they do. There will be ramps to get to the ship's entrance. How steep those are also depends on the port and which door the ship is using to board people. If you've been able to push someone from an airplane door to the baggage claim, then it should be a similar experience. If you think you'll need assistance, then contact Celebrity in advance and let them know. They will give you the options. The sooner you contact them, the better your chances of not being surprised.

[mom says]

Mr&MrsBee, I don't believe either of those posters were addressing you, but were directing their remarks to the OP. No need to return (perceived) snark with more of the same.

 

As to your question, at the embarkation port there should be crew to help push the wheelchair up the ramp to the ship. At other ports, the steepness of the gangway depends on whether it's a low or high tide. Again, I believe I have seen crew assist with pushing a chair up to the ship. Your best bet is to contact Celebrity through their Disabilities line and make them aware of your needs.

[Mr&MrsBee]

Only need help on day one and have already made arrangements at the pier. Thank you for your reply.

[gek]

The main complaints from the OP seem to be port-specific but even for able-bodied passengers I sometimes find that Celebrity's arrangements for people who just want to get off and look around are somewhat lacking. I've been on other cruise lines (including in the Western Med) that did a lot more to prepare independent passengers for a day off the ship (advice on public transport options, free shuttles, maps, etc). I agree that Celebrity needs to up their game in this area, particularly for disabled passengers.

 

As for the kettle issue, I have never seen one in our cabin on any cruise ship. I've heard that there may be a difference for cruises out of the UK, but I've never seen one in Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East or the Med.

[Jem 12]

We had an interesting experience on our last cruise to Israel with Celebrity, we had been off the ship in Haifa and were waiting at port for the shuttle back to the ship.

We were pretty hot and tired but we had had a nice day anyway the shuttle pulls up we were the only people waiting to get on, a man gets off the bus probably the same age as my hubby and skuttles off, the driver then asks my husband to help him lift off a large ride on scooter, which it took both of them to do. When it was off the bus my husband looked around for the person who needed and to our surprise it was the man who had rushed off to the duty free!!!! I appreciate some people can only walk short distances but I am sorry I still don’t think it is fair to risk other peoples backs etc, if you need help you need to travel with help.

 

 

 

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[PBC29]

Other than the "kettle" the rest are PORT specific = Not the fault of a Cruise Line. Have to laugh when people want ADA top compliance all over the world - NOT GONNA HAPPEN. Just because you book a handicapped cabin means NOTHING, you have to specifically tell them your needs. Joining in 2014 an being the 1st post - Research much? doesn't seem like it.

[delondin]

If you booked a ‘disabled’ hotel room on land would you expect them to arrange trips outside of this ?

[delondin]

There is room service for drinks during the night. No need to go out to top deck at all hours.

[Algebralovr]

In general, cruise ship rooms don't have kettles. When Eclipse sails from the UK it does, because the company knows the market expects it. Everywhere else, no kettle.

 

We sailed on Equinox in the Med in 2014. At the last minute, my daughter, then age 20, was in a wheelchair. We couldn't get a scooter, nor could we get an accessible roo. Luckily, she could walk a short distance, enough to walk through the doorway when we collapsed the WC before she again sat down. We didn't expect accessible ports. She mostly stayed on board and relaxed. When I approached Shore Excursions, they were happy to help me find a couple of excursions she could go on, but clarified she would need to climb a couple of steps into the bus because they didn't' have sufficient time to arrange an accessible bus. I would have needed to arrange excursions with special needs 30 or more days before sailing. They were very helpful, though, and we found the entire crew went out of their way to help as much as possible.

[Mr&MrsBee]

Algebralov: Thank you for your comments. Mine situation is similar. I can walk short distances and in all probability use my rollarter most of time. Just need help on 1st and last day.

[Beanb41]

I believe the OP is being a bit harsh on Celebrity. My experience is that the staff bend over backwards to make disabled passengers as pleasant as possible. I have seen about 8 staffers getting a lady off the ship on a steep gangway often putting themselves at risk of injury. The upsetting thing about this evolution was the ingratitude shown by the passenger involved. As far as shore excursions go it is very much up to disabled passengers to ascertain whether or not particular ports and excursions are suitable for them. Not all ports are disabled friendly. This is beyond the capability of cruise lines. Tendering is a case in point. Depending upon one's level of disability tendering may not be an option either. Cruise lines publish what excursions are suitable for the disabled and what aren't so I have to agree that those who are not fully fit must do their homework before committing to a particular cruise. If in doubt ask.

[mek]

My husband has been unable to walk long distances for about 10 years. We use a folding transport chair and people are always available to assist him off and back on the ship - we've never had a problem with any cruise line, including X.

 

Because his chair easy to store, we usually don't have problems with transfers or shore excursions, but some work better for him than others. I can see where people with scooters or regular wheelchairs have problems in some ports, but IMO, that is the responsibility of the port, not the ship. People with issues of any nature are always responsible for doing their homework in order for trips to work for them.