Slow walker excursions

[NMTraveller]

We are looking at booking a new cruise.  One of the walkers in our party is a slow walker.  She walks with a cane and does not do many steps.  What excursion options are available for slow walkers?  We asked about this on the Celebrity Edge and it seemed like most of the excursions were beach excursions or tours where they take you some place and you walk on your own.  Any ideas?  We are not fans of beaches as we have been to many.  We are looking at a European cruise.

Edited September 29, 2019 by NMTraveller

[Loracpin2]

2 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

We are looking at booking a new cruise.  One of the walkers in our party is a slow walker.  She walks with a cane and does not do many steps.  What excursion options are available for slow walkers?  We asked about this on the Celebrity Edge and it seemed like most of the excursions were beach excursions or tours where they take you some place and you walk on your own.  Any ideas?  We are not fans of beaches as we have been to many.  We are looking at a European cruise.

Your best option, especially on European cruises with sites that are not always easily accessible, is to look at private tour options that can be customized for your needs. One of the options is to look at the Roll Calls for itineraries you're interested in and read some of the posts to see if this might work for you.

[jelayne]

Agree that your best option may be to book private tours where you can work with the tour operator to customize the tours to minimize walking.  Walking on many parts of Europe is challenging with cobblestone or other uneven surfaces.

 

[Xport]

As an alternative to an ocean cruise, you might consider doing a European river cruise...

 

Excursions  are included and--at least on AmaWaterways [I think very highly of them]; other river cruise lines may well have the same practice--groups tend to be small and tours are offered at a "gentle walker", "regular walker", or "active walker" pace...

 

You'll find mention of those options here...

 

https://www.amawaterways.com/explore/included-tours

 

 

[NMTraveller]

4 minutes ago, Xport said:

As an alternative to an ocean cruise, you might consider doing a European river cruise...

 

Excursions  are included and--at least on AmaWaterways [I think very highly of them]; other river cruise lines may well have the same practice--groups tend to be small and tours are offered at a "gentle walker", "regular walker", or "active walker" pace...

 

You'll find mention of those options here...

 

https://www.amawaterways.com/explore/included-tours

 

 

Thanks.  They were one of the cruise lines that said that they had excursions for 3 different levels of walking.  This may be our ticket.  I have never river cruised.  How do I educate myself on river crusing?  What are some of the better itineraries?  We would probably want something that was around 2 weeks long, but could be on different rivers.

[varoo]

2 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

.........I have never river cruised.  How do I educate myself on river crusing?  What are some of the better itineraries?  We would probably want something that was around 2 weeks long, but could be on different rivers.

 

Here are a couple of links for starters :

 

   New to RIVER CRUISING??? START HERE!!!

 

   River Cruises: Ask a Question - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

               

 

[G.M.T.]

DW walks with a rolator, we either do things on our own or book private tours that will fit our specification.

[PelicanLvr]

I suggest you make an honest assessment of the "slow walker's" abilities given the challenges of European city touring. 

 

How about hiring a taxi to take you on a hour-long riding tour of the city and afterwards drop you off at a picturesque spot with cafes (like a city square or overlook etc) for lunch before going back to the ship.  See the sites you can drive by and soak in the atmosphere at a lovely lunch location?   

 

Be creative, but ship group excursions don't sound like the way to go!

 

Years ago we were on a larger group tour of Rome and there was someone with mobility issues that was told to stay on the bus and they basically missed everything.  

 

 

 

 

[bEwAbG]

You could also maybe split up your own group so that people who want to be more active can do that.  Maybe one or two of you could take turns going with the other person at a leisurely pace on a self-guided or private tour.  Agree that there is a lot of charm to soak in just sitting at a cafe and watching the scene go by.

[Xport]

10 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Thanks.  They were one of the cruise lines that said that they had excursions for 3 different levels of walking.  This may be our ticket.  I have never river cruised.  How do I educate myself on river crusing?  What are some of the better itineraries?  We would probably want something that was around 2 weeks long, but could be on different rivers.

 

Prior to doing my river cruises in May/June 2017, I found the River Cruise forum here on Cruise Critic--the "sticky" threads at the top of its home page [varoo has pointed to one; there are others], related discussion threads [such as this one] among members, and reviews--to be educational and infinitely helpful...  With that background, I then scoured the websites of those river cruise companies that had greatest conceptual appeal to me [I'm an avid Celebrity cruiser; was looking for a line I thought comparable] before selecting AmaWaterways from itinerary, reputation, inclusions and price point perspectives...

 

You will find that there are cruises of varying durations/routings and, if so inclined, most--perhaps all--river cruise lines offer land-based extensions in tandem with the cruise itself...

 

In my case, I was looking to do my "roots" trip...

• We [I did the first part of the trip with good friends I met while sailing Celebrity; we've traveled together often since] chose to customize our own land tour [ten days in Poland and The Czech Republic] before cruising...
• On embarkation day for the first seven day cruise [the Danube from Vilshofen (Germany) to Budapest], we met the Ama land tour group  at their hotel in Prague for transfer to the boat [with a tour and lunch in route]…  Ama sells such transfers separately upon inquiry; it was easy and perfectly/professionally orchestrated [same Cruise Manager directed both the land-based extension and the cruise itself]...
• On disembarkation day, we stayed on in Budapest for one additional night before my friends flew on to Amsterdam for an ocean cruise to Norway [I'd done a similar trip two years earlier] and I flew to Zurich for my second seven day river cruise [the Rhine from Basel to Amsterdam; also with AmaWaterways]...
• After two nights in Switzerland on my own, I again met the Ama land tour group  at their hotel in Lucerne for transfer to the river boat in Basel...

Based upon itinerary offerings, I believe that Danube and Rhine cruises are most popular but your destination goals may vary...  I know that I really appreciated and enjoyed my time in places like Salzburg, Bratislava, Vienna, Strasbourg and Cologne as well as a  number of smaller charming towns and wonderful scenery along the way...  I've visited virtually all ocean ports in Europe--many more than once--but these were very worthwhile destinations I would not have otherwise had ready opportunity to visit other than by packaged or self-constructed land tour...  

 

Finally it seems to me that the "gentle walker" [no direct personal experience other than to know that Ama did indeed operate such groups consistently on their most popular tours] in your group may appreciate the easier navigation around the much smaller river boats [one of my cruises had ~ 140 guests, the other had ~160 guests]… And tour busses were parked for loading and unloading at the boat immediately adjacent to the gangway...

 

Whatever you choose to do, I hope you find my experiences/thoughts helpful...  Haven't yet returned for another river cruise or two--other plans--but most assuredly will do so... 

 

Best wishes...

 

Edited September 30, 2019 by Xport