Our alaskan cruise 8/21 with wheelchair momma :)

[bingomamma19]

Hi, all. I am the cruiser that asked a few months ago about taking my 77 year old mom on the cruise after she broke her ankle on July 4th and had plates and screws placed during surgery on july 11th.

 

She did VERY WELL . We flew from Milwaukee to Seattle --a bit over 4 hours. Southwest gave her an extra seat to put her leg on for the flight (for free), she wore compression socks also.

 

We brought her travel wheelchair and walker---a bit extra stuff, but it all worked out well. She even started walking while on the cruise (with her walking boot).

 

I cant say enough how well she did--we even did a 5 day trip in Denver right after the cruise that involved the Amtrak going to Glenwood Springs overnight also. Lots and lots of traveling in our almost 2 week trip.

 

We went on the Legend on 8/21/18.

 

A short review

 

We had room 6279-- a premium balcony room. A very large room with a very large balcony. There are only 6 of them on this ship and are well worth the cost--a bit more than a balcony, but way less than a suite.

 

We showed up at 1:15p...no lines. We had my mom who was in a wheelchair (temporarily as she broke her ankle 6 weeks prior. There were no lines for any check in, we were directed to the disabled check in. Got our cards and walked on.

 

You don't embark at the atrium like most ships, but rather near the shops...not exactly breathtaking, but this was my 10th cruise.

Went right to our rooms as it was 1:30pm...loved walking in to see our huge room. We left our suitcases and went looking for food :). Got some Guys burgers and checked out the pool area. This ship has 2 very similar pool areas right next to each other--one was covered by a dome (not sure if it is retractable) and one is not covered. The covered one has the DJ stage. The water slides are above the serenity area, and the serenity area is HUGE and really nice.

The buffet area is well arranged, the pizza pirate is right before you walk out to the serenity area. The pizza pirate is turned into the omelet station for breakfast.

 

I really liked all the entertainment areas and performers on board. The band, Murphys law, Dolce trio (a violin trio), the soloist Brandon, another girl soloist, a duo and Scott the piano guy. We saw all of them many times on board.

 

They all got together on Saturday night at the Red Frog Rum bar for a giant jam session ---that was the best thing I have ever seen!! The entertainment on this ship was the best I have encountered.

 

There is no big screen on this ship. I kinda missed that...I enjoy movies under the stars at night. They did show some movies in the comedy lounge according to the funtimes, we never went there for a movie though. We did go to karaoke and comedy shows there.

 

I really liked the size of all of the venues in comparison with the number of passengers. Never a line anywhere for us. Never felt crowded. I never waiting more 5 in line for any food venue..including the omelet station for breakfast. And most of the time there was no line at all.

 

My daughter, 12, was one of the few kids on this cruise and loved it. She got to go on stage a few times for things and she loves to talk to people. So many passengers knew her wherever we went.

 

I was a participant in the drink mixology contest, a judge in the hairy chest contest, a finalist in the 80's trivia/dance party and danced everywhere I could:) I love participating in all the activities on board!!

 

The crowds and nightlife are very different on an Alaskan cruise vs Carribean. At midnight it was like walking around a ghost town. That was really weird.

 

Overall...I loved this ship and have rebooked it for a Carribean sailing in spring of 2020 in the same room we had for this cruise.

 

I took lots of pics, but don't have time to post them now...maybe some over the weekend, especially of our room.

[cb at sea]

Your mom sounds healthy and strong....that's great!

[bingomamma19]

Your mom sounds healthy and strong....that's great!

 

Yeah, it surprised me how well and fast she is healing. I was the most worried about flying and her leg swelling, but that was ok too. I was very impressed with Southwest that they offered an additional seat for free for her to elevate her leg during the flight.

[riclop]

Thanks for the report.

[Quilcruisers]

That is so good to hear. Glad your mom had a blast and sounds like a relief for you too. My husband is 20 years younger and hurt his back before our August cruise and still hasn’t recovered. He too got wheelchair assistance to get around. Hopefully he will get some relief soon, but thanks for reporting back on your mom and your cruise.

 

 

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[luvcdays]

What a great review! It sounds like you had an awesome trip.

[stargate fan]

Hi, all. I am the cruiser that asked a few months ago about taking my 77 year old mom on the cruise after she broke her ankle on July 4th and had plates and screws placed during surgery on july 11th.

 

She did VERY WELL . We flew from Milwaukee to Seattle --a bit over 4 hours. Southwest gave her an extra seat to put her leg on for the flight (for free), she wore compression socks also.

 

We brought her travel wheelchair and walker---a bit extra stuff, but it all worked out well. She even started walking while on the cruise (with her walking boot).

 

I cant say enough how well she did--we even did a 5 day trip in Denver right after the cruise that involved the Amtrak going to Glenwood Springs overnight also. Lots and lots of traveling in our almost 2 week trip.

 

We went on the Legend on 8/21/18.

Sounds like you had a great trip. Legend is one of my favorite ships.

 

I'll most likely be in a walking boot on our Dream cruise in November. (Ruptured my Achilles tendon, had it surgically repaired, re-ruptured it, had a more extensive repair only 15 weeks after the previous surgery.) Here are other posts with advice on my thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2668281

Any tips you would share on cruising while temporarily "disabled?" We are flying from Boston to New Orleans on Southwest and hope I can get the front row, at the least, so I can stretch out my booted leg.

 

We'll bring my crutches and cane. Not sure yet if I'll want a wheelchair for if I get tired.

Did you contact Special Needs before the cruise?

Thanks so much!

[Schoifmom]

I'm so glad that things worked out so well for you and your mom! A little pre-planning takes away so much of the stress when traveling with an injury or other disability. Southwest has always been great to us, as well. One time, they rebooked us on a more expensive direct flight to our destination at no extra charge so that DH would not have to change planes with his mobility scooter.

[Schoifmom]

Sounds like you had a great trip. Legend is one of my favorite ships.

 

I'll most likely be in a walking boot on our Dream cruise in November. (Ruptured my Achilles tendon, had it surgically repaired, re-ruptured it, had a more extensive repair only 15 weeks after the previous surgery.) Here are other posts with advice on my thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2668281

Any tips you would share on cruising while temporarily "disabled?" We are flying from Boston to New Orleans on Southwest and hope I can get the front row, at the least, so I can stretch out my booted leg.

 

We'll bring my crutches and cane. Not sure yet if I'll want a wheelchair for if I get tired.

Did you contact Special Needs before the cruise?

Thanks so much!

 

I feel your pain, or at least close to it (I just had PTTD repair and a number of other tendon surgeries about 10 days ago). I was in a walking boot this last summer and had to travel for work. Take my advice, get wheelchair assistance at the airport and at the cruise ship (for embarkation and debarkation). If you have wheelchair assistance, Southwest will automatically put you into the preboarding group, which gives you the best opportunity to get one of those prime bulkhead seats with extra legroom. I typically joke that I don't need legroom (I'm only 5' tall), but I definitely needed it with that boot!

 

You might think about ditching the crutches and getting a knee walker for the trip, at least. It makes things much easier to navigate and I (at least) don't get as tired with that as I do/would with crutches. You can pick one up on Amazon for about $150.

[bingomamma19]

Sounds like you had a great trip. Legend is one of my favorite ships.

 

I'll most likely be in a walking boot on our Dream cruise in November. (Ruptured my Achilles tendon, had it surgically repaired, re-ruptured it, had a more extensive repair only 15 weeks after the previous surgery.) Here are other posts with advice on my thread: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2668281

Any tips you would share on cruising while temporarily "disabled?" We are flying from Boston to New Orleans on Southwest and hope I can get the front row, at the least, so I can stretch out my booted leg.

 

We'll bring my crutches and cane. Not sure yet if I'll want a wheelchair for if I get tired.

Did you contact Special Needs before the cruise?

Thanks so much!

 

Yes, I did call Special needs, they provided a shower chair, which was all we needed since we brought our own wheelchair.

 

Depending on how mobile you are, you may want to bring a travel wheelchair, easy to fold and lightweight. It makes getting around the ship much faster and easier.

 

The Legend is an easy ship to navigate and the elevators were never crowded or too hard to get on.

 

On our initial flight to the cruise, I explained to the Southwest gate person that mom would need extra room to elevate her leg, that is when she said she could provide and extra seat for free. So definitely let them know what your needs are and they are very helpful and getting you what you need.