Over 70 and with mobility problems

[lindiloo65]

Looking for a cruise/land tour that would be easy on two sister that have mobility problems. Thinking of Alaska or Riverboat cruise on Missippi-your thoughts will be greatly appreciated

[crystalspin]

Lindiloo!

I can't believe you never got an answer! How heartless we must seem.

 

I can't speak for riverboat cruises, and any answers for Alaska will have to be hinged on HOW mobility challenged you and your sis are. Wheelchair-users? Scooters? Rollator or canes? Or, just slow-moving?

 

I'll be happy to provide more insights with just a few details from you. When are you thinking of cruising? And from whence will you be travelling, as that could make a difference on what port you want to sail from... for instance, we are cruising to Alaska from Los Angeles! No flying!

 

Cruiseships have a limited number of handicapped cabins, if one is needed, and they may sell out early (or not, I have heard on CC of "guarantees" that did not need a HC cabin, being awarded one anyway!

 

ETA: I wasn't reading this board in March or I surely would have chatted you up then.

Edited June 29, 2019 by crystalspin

[purduemom1]

A riverboat on the Mississippi just might work depending on the degree of mobility impairment.  While I haven’t cruised the Mississippi, I have taken a river boat cruise in Europe and that could  prove to be difficult for you because of the rafting that is common today with so many boats on the rivers in Europe. I have not heard anyone mention rafting on the Mississippi. I have looked into this cruise and from what I can tell, the port tours are on a HO HO bus so if you can manage the bus steps it could work out well. Even if you wanted to stay on the bus or just get off at a few stops. I also understand that the upper Mississippi has prettier scenery than the lower part of the river but of course the ports and itinerary is an important consideration. 

 

Crystalspin, my sister has mobility issues and I know she would love to cruise to Alaska. Which cruise leaves from Los Angeles? Is it round trip? My sis lives in Riverside County so might be interested in the cruise you mentioned. 

 

Lindiloo65, I hope you find a cruise that will work for you and your sister. 

Sharon

[lindiloo65]

Thanks for the delayed responses. We actually did go on a cruise to the Bahamas in Feb. but it was not the most pleasant cruise. The night we pulled out of Charleston, my sisters husband passed away and since my brother in law had begged us not to cancel the cruise we honored his wishes and stayed cruising for the 5 days. Regretfully my sister got very sick with pneumonia so did not go ashore at all. I did go into Nassau with my daughter and my nieces and they wheeled me around in a wheelchair while they went shopping. We are trying to go on another cruise next March from Baltimore to Turks and Caicos, Freeport, and private island so hopefully it will be more pleasure this time and we know the things we need to do before hand. We both took rollaters which were a big help getting around the ship. My sister had trouble with her oxygen so she knows that she needs to do before hand now. So if anyone has any ideas for what we should do in Turks and Freeport I would appreciate ideas for shore excursions.

 

Linda

[purduemom1]

So sorry your cruise was not all you hoped it would be. My sympathies to your sister and the family. I’m sorry I don’t know anything about the ports you are planning to visit. If you haven’t already, you might want to  check out the Caribbean ports board  and The Disabled Cruise Travel board. 

 

I wish you you and yours an awesome cruise!

Sharon

[crystalspin]

12 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

Crystalspin, my sister has mobility issues and I know she would love to cruise to Alaska. Which cruise leaves from Los Angeles? Is it round trip? My sis lives in Riverside County so might be interested in the cruise you mentioned. 

Hi Sharon!

Princess has San Pedro (LA) as a homeport, and this year (if she's in a hurry!) the Royal Princess is doing a 12-day round trip (Los Angeles, 3@sea, Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park (Scenic Cruising), sea day,Victoria, 2 sea days, LA) which is nice because Glacier Bay... 

https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details?voyageCode=1935

Oops I just noticed the Royal is only doing this ONCE in mid Sept... hmm wouldn't be my choice but if she needs to go this year...

 

BUT next year it will be the Golden Princess doing a 14-day Alaska R/T (Los Angeles, 3 sea days, Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Scenic Cruising (Hubbard Glacier), Skagway, Sitka, sea day, Victoria (Canada), 2 sea days, LA). Which is nice because (1) Hubbard is also fantastic (can't honestly pick a favorite!) and (2) Sitka (and Icy Strait Point) are less cruise-visited ports, although we did visit them last year, my DH and I didn't get off the ship in ISP.

https://www.princess.com/cruise-search/details?voyageCode=5017

That's a random date and the Golden is going to do it May to early August.

 

2020 will be the Golden's last year under Princess's umbrella -- she's being transferred to P&O Australia, and some reports are coming in (already) that she's getting shabby. But we're so excited not to have to fly (particularly my mom, sis, and BIL who live in SE Utah and have no convenient airports), and to be going back to Alaska, that I don't think we'll be finding fault! 

 

Princess website does let you see excursions for the ports, including which ones are wheelchair accessible (hint: WHALE WATCHING IN JUNEAU)(in JUNE, maybe early July: the whales are much more active in my experience). 

Edited July 4, 2019 by crystalspin

[purduemom1]

Hi Crystalspin, wow I had no idea that Princess homeports at San Pedro. Never cruised Princess’s so I’m not up on their details. I grew up in So Cal and while we don’t live there now, we could still easily drive to San Pedro. I knew that Princess does a 10 day out of SF and have considered that. Our one Alaska Cruise was on Celebrity, Vancouver to Seward. 

 

So I will pass your info on to my sister and see what she thinks. I worry that getting around the ship will be a problem for her and she doesn’t seem interested in renting a scooter. Just maybe she will consider it if the desire to cruise is strong enough.  We cruised in May in 2010 and only tendered at ICP. I know that some ships have to tender in other ports if there are several at the same port.  We did a lot of walking in the other ports and she couldn’t do that for sure. So I wonder if she would be happy just seeing Alaska from the ship. I guess that is for her to decide. However, knowing that she would not have to fly just might make a big difference for her. Thank you so much for the info.

Sharon

[crystalspin]

16 hours ago, purduemom1 said:

Sharon

Well, I may be slightly off to call it 'homeport' as I do not think there are any ships that sail SOLELY from San Pedro, but there are a number of round-trips at various times of the year. I played with the search function and found there are TEN ships that start/end or R/T from LA between Sept this year and May 2021 (which is as far out as schedule is published). I would list them but you/sister are not a repeat Princess passenger so you have no favorites (yet)!

 

On the Princess website, follow this path:
Plan a Cruise (on white banner)
Find Cruises (left most blue column)
Start/End Port (on pink? banner)
Click North America, choose Los Angeles
At this point there are 56 itineraries (or maybe cruises in all) that either start or end in LA, or both.
You can go to Destination or Date-&-Length selections to narrow the field, or just browse the 56, looking for round trips!

 

As far as getting around the ship, this was pertinent to me as well, as my mom, sis, and BIL are all heart patients with some degree of lung-impairment too. So I made sure to choose a mid-ship cabin. That way, at any particular time, nothing is more than half the ship's length away (theatre forward, dining rooms aft). If you want to go from show to dinner or the reverse, might have to rest on the way!

 

For Alaska in particular, and if you don't think you (she) will be getting off at some ports, a balcony is very nice. Balconies on many if not most of Princess's ships do not have a sofa and reports are they have removed the armchair aka barrel chairs from them as well, leaving just a desk chair... although there are still two chairs on the balcony and people are bringing one in! If you are going to be travelling with your sister, a mini-suite will be nice -- they have the balcony, a loveseat or sofa, the desk chair and possibly the barrel chair as well. 

 

Have to apologize to @lindiloo65 for hijacking your thread! Maybe there are a few thoughts in this message to give you an idea or two!

 

ETA: PS, Sharon, for what it's worth, we will be on the June 13 2020 AK sailing. It's likely to be cooler in June, but the whales are much more fun (they are so happy to be back to the food-rich northern waters) and the babies are also fun. And I get a kick out of being in Alaska on the summer solstice; this will be three out of four AK trips so timed.

Edited July 5, 2019 by crystalspin

[purduemom1]

Thank you Crystalspin for all the info.  I will share with my sis and see what she thinks. I’d love for her to try cruising and I think that AK is a good choice because there is a lot to see even if she doesn’t get off in the ports. Definitely a balcony so thanks for the details about the cabins. It would also be good since we’ve been there and could cut back on time off the ship in ports if she chooses to stay on board. 

 

Hoping she gives it careful thought and who knows maybe we could look into the cruise you have booked!

 

BTW, did you feel the earthquake tonight? We did and we are over 200 miles away from Ridgecrest! I feel so very sorry for everyone in that area. News reporting people scared to go into their homes tonight.

Sharon

Edited July 6, 2019 by purduemom1

[crystalspin]

We did feel the e-quake last evening (although neither of us did on Thursday -- it stopped the grandfather clock both times). That was a big one for sure; even down-graded to 6.9, it was still more forceful than the Northridge Quake that mangled the freeways up there. Sorry for the area residents, but fortunate for a greater number of people it wasn't in a more populated region.

 

I can't really tell you more about Princess, as our R/T South Pacific next February will be our first cruise with them. Of course there is a Princess board on CC to ask specific questions about the ship or the line.

[purduemom1]

On 7/6/2019 at 4:41 PM, crystalspin said:

We did feel the e-quake last evening (although neither of us did on Thursday -- it stopped the grandfather clock both times). That was a big one for sure; even down-graded to 6.9, it was still more forceful than the Northridge Quake that mangled the freeways up there. Sorry for the area residents, but fortunate for a greater number of people it wasn't in a more populated region.

 

I can't really tell you more about Princess, as our R/T South Pacific next February will be our first cruise with them. Of course there is a Princess board on CC to ask specific questions about the ship or the line.

 

We didn’t feel the first big one either but some here said they did. Hoping, for the sake of everyone affected that the worst is behind them.

 

You have given me a me a lot of good info for my sister. Will suggest that she do some research and figure out what she would like to do.

 

Sharon   

[Janet-S-K]

Just got back from Alaska on Holland America-I was using a walker after foot surgery and my husband with cane after knee surgery.  We were traveling with friends from Seattle-he with walker and wife able bodied.  I DO NOT RECOMMEND HAL FOR MOBILITY LIMITED !!  HAL used to be known as catering to "mature travelers"...but now that we have mobility issues they could care less :-(  They have eliminated the trays in the buffet and gone to smaller plates.  I can understand the smaller plates as it eliminates a lot of food waste...but eliminating the trays is actually a real hardship--I could balance food & a drink on the seat of my walker but my husband could only carry one plate at a time and then have to go back for his coffee--so much for a hot breakfast!!  Our able bodied friend was constantly interrupting her meal to help the rest of us!!  While there use to be staff that would see a handicapped person and offer assistance that is a thing of the past.  They have seriously cut staff, including the staff that came around to offer coffee, tea & juice.  Now you have to get your own.  The staff just smile at you and WALK AROUND you while you struggle with plate and or hot cup.  We will never use HAL again.  We always sign up for excursions before hand and then go to the excursion desk when on board and ask them to check to be sure what we have selected is suitable and ask for ADA accommodations.  This should not really be necessary for Alaska but we were told it "first come, first served"...I asked the clerk if they were planning a footrace to the buses!?!?  The woman didn't even have enough English to understand "footrace"...another clerk said there were "too many" handicapped to make personal designations on seats but "first few rows" would be designated handicapped.  So we did end up getting to the buses early in order to get our walkers stowed and get in the front rows.  But the worst was that we signed up for a Royal Tea at Abkhazi Gardens only to be told ON ARRIVAL that the gardens were not handicapped accessible and in fact would be considered DANGEROUS as they had steps and gravel walkways...so it cost us $104 pp for a cup of tea!!  There was even an able bodied passenger that fell on the rock steps and had to be escorted back to the ship to be checked out by the ship's dr.  We have written a letter to HAL but have not received a reply yet.  SO TO MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT :-)  IF YOU ARE MOBILITY CHALLENGED TO NOT USE HOLLAND AMERICA-THEY DO NOT PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE, EITHER ON BOARD OR WITH EXCURSIONS.

Good luck and happy cruising.  BTW the trip to Alaska is beautiful and you can choose the level of exertion.  Our able bodied friend took some more active excursions i.e. small boat that got within 1 mile of glaciers and we 3 watched from Crows Nest which was warm and enclosed but 3 miles from glaciers-LOL  Cruising is good for us older folks as we only unpack once and choose our activities-then get together over dinner and compare notes. 

[cb at sea]

If you need a walker or are unable to carry food to the table...use the DINING room for breakfast!  You are served whatever combinations of foods you would like....so much easier for the mobility impaired or folks with small children!

[lbastida01]

On 3/11/2019 at 10:38 AM, lindiloo65 said:

Looking for a cruise/land tour that would be easy on two sister that have mobility problems. Thinking of Alaska or Riverboat cruise on Missippi-your thoughts will be greatly appreciated

I don't know if this will be helpful for you but Scootaround Mobility serves Alaska cruise ports.  You can rent a wheelchair, scooter, walker, rollater etc.  They will place your rental in your cabin on embarkation and you can leave it there for pickup on disembarkation.  Here is a link:  https://scootaround.com/en/cruise-ports.  It saves the hassle of checking your equipment on the plane.  I am new to this topic but recently rented a transport wheelchair from them for my mother for our cruise out of Miami on Regent Seven Seas.  Since so many cruisers have mobility issues the industry definitely needs to cater to these customers.  I hope the trend continues in that direction.  I'm sorry I can't be of more help.  I wish you the best in finding a cruise where you can be safe, happy and comfortable.

[honumaui]

I would definitely recommend Alaska as the scenery is so amazing from the ship. We are over 75 and going for the third time. You really can stay aboard most of the time. Also.no matter where you go,.don't go to the buffets. Choose a line that had open dining in the dining room for all meals. It is not only a lot easier to be served but also more relaxing and not rushed. We don't like the big ships and would only sail on a ship with  more than around 800 passengers if it was free (maybe). Check out Oceania. They are excellent. Another recommendation...if you need to fly try to go the day before the cruise so you are not rushed. You can book a hotel through the cruise line ( expensive but they get you to the ship) or stay at an inexpensive hotel and take a cab to the port. We did European river cruises years ago and I definitely do not recommend them for any one with mobility problems unless you plan to skip the tours and stay on board most of the time. We have not done The Mississippi or Columbia but i have heard they are good. Another possibility is the East coast cruise to Canada.  The scenery is wonderful. We have done it twice, once on Regent and once on Windstar's Pride. Regent does a lot of scenic bus tours that don't require much walking. We went to the Mediterranean with them twice. They are pricey but everything  is included and they fly you over in Business class( Included in price)