Wheelchairs and Tenders in the Med

[kitty9]

I'm going to post this on the Handicapped board also, but I was wondering how they handle getting the disabled in wheelchairs onto and off the tenders in the Med ports. We're going to book a Med cruise on X, for May of '07, and we'll be taking Mom on her very first visit to Europe. She'll be 80 by then and a wheelchair will be the best thing for her. Anyone with experience on this matter?

[ocngypz]

Kitty:

 

Which itinerary are you contemplating??? Some ports are easier than others.

I will say the cobblestones are a challenge.

 

If the seas are quiet, they carry wheelchairs down. This has always scared me to death for fear they would drop someone.

 

Many times when we receive paperwork in the office they contain notices that in tender ports wheelchair users may not be able to disembark.

 

Hopefully, Mom will still be ambulatory enough to make her own way on and off the tenders.

[kitty9]

Thanks ocn. We're probably going to do the Classic Med which includes stops in Nice, Livorno, Civitiveccia, Naples, Dubrovnik, Santorini and Venice. I know Nice, Dubrovnik and Santorini are all tender ports and from experience I know that Santorini will probably be the easiest, as the ships usually drop anchor in one of those protected coves. The one I'm most concerned with is Nice. On one of my Med cruises on the Grandeur, I was unable to get onto the tenders because it was so rough. Mom has osteo, so her bones are brittle and can break easily, so the crew has to be very gentle with her when assisting her onto the tender. I guess we'll have to play it by ear, and see how things are when we get there.

[Barry ATL]

My partner is parapledgic and HATES, HATES, HATES to tender. More often than not he is carried backwards down the steps and down into the boat. Imagine eight people holding you almost upside down above the ocean and you are praying they will not drop you.

 

I say this so you will understand if Mom gets scared. Ken even skipped one port because he said there was nothing that interested him enough to go through the tendering process.

[ocngypz]

For Nice, Millie usually anchors in Villefranche at the mouth of the harbor.

 

The tender dock there is slatted wood.

 

From the dock to the trainstation is uphill. I've used the stairs. They are stone.

 

I suppose you will rather have a private car and driver to get to Nice.

[kitty9]

Ocn, we will hire private cars in France, Livorno and Rome. Not sure about Athens, but probably there also. Since I use a cane, my lovely sister will be worrying about the two of us, but since I have 43 cruises under my belt, with maybe half of those as a solo, I'm pretty good at judging when the water is too rough to take the tender. Plus, unless it's really bouncy, I can get into the tenders with just a little help.

 

Would you happen to know if those private cars can keep a folding wheelchair in the trunk? I never really thought about that when I've had private cars for tours, but with mom, we'll need a car big enough to keep a WC. We all know how small those Euro cars can be.

[ocngypz]

Ocn, we will hire private cars in France, Livorno and Rome. Not sure about Athens, but probably there also. Since I use a cane, my lovely sister will be worrying about the two of us, but since I have 43 cruises under my belt, with maybe half of those as a solo, I'm pretty good at judging when the water is too rough to take the tender. Plus, unless it's really bouncy, I can get into the tenders with just a little help.

 

Would you happen to know if those private cars can keep a folding wheelchair in the trunk? I never really thought about that when I've had private cars for tours, but with mom, we'll need a car big enough to keep a WC. We all know how small those Euro cars can be.

 

Volvo and Mercedes sedans could. Some of the smaller ones. yikes! best thing to do would be to ask what type of cars they have.

[DeepWaterMariner]

We've shared a taxi from Villefranche to Nice and the taxi handled two wheelchairs. Hiring a car for touring is probably the best way for you to go. The Med is tough territory for wheelchairs. Venice is especially difficult with all the bridges, all of which have steps, and no cars. Livorno usually means Florence if your mother is up for an all day tour. As I recall, Florence isn't very hilly but, as with most of the cities in the Med, there are cobble stones. You can walk ashore in Naples but be careful picking tours. Most tours in that area of the world, even the ones that look appropriate for people with limited mobility, include walking due to streets which are too narrow for buses or are restricted to vehicular traffic.

[Petert]

Hi Kitty,

 

We sailed on the Millennium Med cruise in May of 2004, and thought that it was a really great itinerary. We docked in Dubrovnic at a very new facility that was about a 15 minute bus ride to the old town. There are no motor vehicles in the old town, but the streets are paved with a very smooth marble, that should be easy to navigate with a wheel chair. I can't remember if there are any stairs at the gate entrance, but access should not be a big problem. Dubrovnic was the high light of the cruise for us.

 

The harbor in Santorini was like glass and should present little difficulty with the excellent tender facilities on the Celebrity ships. The tramway there may require some planning, as I believe there are steps required to enter the cars. Hope you have great weather, and that you enjoy your cruise as much as we did.

 

Petert

[kitty9]

Thank you to everyone. I know I'll have more questions, but since the cruise is more than a year away, I'll have time to prepare everything

[woodofpine]

Well Kit - you're up for a challenge!

 

I did a med cruise on Princess in '03 with my mother who is wheelchair bound and can not trasfer/transfer assist. The only tender on the intinerary was Monaco which she stayed aboard for (she'd visited the area in earlier years). Wheelchair tender transfer depends a lot on the disposition of the crew, sea chop notwithstanding.

 

The downside of Europe is that they are WAY behind the US in ADA type curb cuts; many historic buildings simply aren't genuinely chair accessible due to grand stair entrances etc.

 

The upside is that high quality wc van and guide services are available (ditto Istanbul) so, there is much quality wc touring to be had with advance planning. Keep up the good advance work. The Acropolis in Athens is not chair friendly, but there are some terrific elevated sites of historic note from which to view the Parthenon/Acropolis.

 

I made the arrangments for my Mom on our trip, but with my own bevy of kids we did separate excursions. A couple of other family members were accompanying her and us occasionally. It was sort of funny seeing wheelchair contingent beat us to the Tower of Pisa/Field of Miracles from Livorno. We ran into them later at Topkapi Palace in Istanbul too.

 

Keep a stiff upper lip and have fun!

[kitty9]

woodofpine, thank you for the information. I've been to the Med a few times on my own, and it really is disappointing to see how far behind many places are in terms of the disabled. Not that the locals don't try and help, but with the age of their buildings, and the historical significance of the same, it's tough going. What really got to me was St. Peter's. They have this great ramp that takes you right up to the main entrance, but the gate to the ramp was locked and no one was there to open it. I was also told that there was no elevator to take the disabled to the Sistine Chapel, which I since have discovered, is not true. We'll do our best.

[DeepWaterMariner]

I don't have first hand knowledge but remember reading that Holland American has some tenders that have special wheelchair facilities, like lifts to make sure the wheelchair on the tender is even with the pier. It's an alternative that might be worth checking into.