ST. JOHN ISLAND TOUR; Discover Tortola Tour - Accessible???

[btc1951]

We're booked on NCL Escape for the Nov. 19, 2022 sailing out of Port Canaveral. We booked two excursions; one is the St. John Island Tour out of St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. My husband uses both a motorized, collapsible wheelchair (for distance) and a foldable rollator for shorter jaunts. In the case of this type of excursion he would probably use the rollator. In choosing excursions on the NCL Escape, I don't see any indication of accessibility. Other than an activity level of 1, how would you know that an excursion is accessible? The tour indicates "you depart via your tour boat..." and "you'll arrive in the charming town of Cruz Bay, where you'll board an open air safari bus..." Are the boat and the safari bus accessible? Nothing in the description of the excursion tells me it is. 

 

The other excursion we chose is on Tortola, called Discover Tortola. Another Activity Level 1, it is mostly comprised of a ride on a safari-type tour bus, with a stop for shopping or swimming along with way. Again, nothing in the description mentions whether the tour bus is accessible. 

 

So I'm hoping others have knowledge about these tours and can weigh in. Thanks!

Edited July 24, 2022 by btc1951

[FOPMan]

When I last checked about four or five years ago, I could not find a tour operator that had a wheelchair-accessible boat for transfer between Crown Bay or Havensight (the two cruise ship docks at St. Thomas) and St Johns. There is a vehicle ferry that goes from the other side of St. Thomas, and there has been a fast ferry in the past going from Havensight that may be accessible.

 

We have been sailing mostly on Holland America, which docks at Crown Bay.  I don’t remember where NCL is docking.

[1025cruise]

I've done the St John island tour from another cruise line.

We walked to the ferry from the ship. I believe the ferry had steps, no ramp. But I don't recall that detail.

Once on St John, we boarded an open air taxi. Think pickup truck with benches in the back. You will need to climb a ladder like thing to get in.

 

I think I also did the same tour in Tortola. An open air safari bus is the same as the vehicle on St John. For some reason, I'm thinking we had an air conditioned coach, but again, I don't recall.

 

One thing to note, if tours are accessible, they will be labelled as such. No label = no guarantee.

[btc1951]

On 7/24/2022 at 11:15 AM, 1025cruise said:

One thing to note, if tours are accessible, they will be labelled as such. No label = no guarantee.

None of the excursions listed for our cruise at any port are labeled as accessible. Does that mean they have nothing for people who are ability-challenged?

[kokopelli-az]

19 minutes ago, btc1951 said:

None of the excursions listed for our cruise at any port are labeled as accessible. Does that mean they have nothing for people who are ability-challenged?

Maybe.   Level 1 does not necessarily mean accessible.   Will the stairs getting into the bus be a problem?   Are you planning on taking the motorized wheelchair or the rollator?   And is there a place on the bus and tour boat to store which ever one you take?    

 

You should contact NCL's Access Department and ask if there will be any accessible tours for your cruise.   

Ask NCL specifically about the tours you have booked and whether your husband will have trouble getting on the bus, etc.  NCL can contact the tour operator for specifics and answers to your questions.  

 

Note that since you are crusing in November, it  may be too early for NCL to have all the tours set up.   

 

Take a look at the link; there is a section on shore excursions.   Please contact NCL's Access Department for additional information (and any forms they need you to complete).

 

https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising

[VirginiaIsForCruisers]

I would suggest trying Larry and Atanya at It Could Be Worse on St. Thomas. They have an accessible van and I believe they offer a day trip to St. John. I've used them in the past for St. Thomas trips and been delighted with them. They strive to do everything possible to make your trip memorable.

[Joseph2017China]

You can also contact the company running it by googling it and getting contract info.  We have done many tours that say no to disabled, and find out, that they say no problem after explaining exact needs.  When a tour says handicap accessible, they are basically saying all handicap, and not everyone is the same.  So, to prevent issue, they either say no, or just don't say.  

[FOPMan]

It is plausible there are no wheelchair-accessible excursions that may be purchased through the ship. 
 

I don’t remember how NCL’s private island is set up for getting ashore- at one point, they were beaching boats and using a ramp off the bow into shallow water (years ago- what was funny is that my parents used to anchor off the island while my father was a captain for Windjammer cruises and used to beach their launch in about the same place.

 

For St. Thomas, the “taxis” are almost all trucks with benches in the back- you climb up a ladder to embark/disembark, so making alternate arrangements is needed. The couple mentioned above are great- they’d also be happy to take you to a beach and leave you for awhile.

 

Puerto Rico is not disabled-friendly. Usually, the tour of the distillery is included as an accessible tour, which it is. I like Bacardi product, but I don’t need to go to the distillery. I already know much more about the company’s history than the tour guides.

 

 

[FOPMan]

On 7/27/2022 at 3:12 PM, FOPMan said:

It is plausible there are no wheelchair-accessible excursions that may be purchased through the ship. 
 

I don’t remember how NCL’s private island is set up for getting ashore- at one point, they were beaching boats and using a ramp off the bow into shallow water (years ago- what was funny is that my parents used to anchor off the island while my father was a captain for Windjammer cruises and used to beach their launch in about the same place.

 

For St. Thomas, the “taxis” are almost all trucks with benches in the back- you climb up a ladder to embark/disembark, so making alternate arrangements is needed. The couple mentioned above are great- they’d also be happy to take you to a beach and leave you for awhile.

 

Puerto Rico is not disabled-friendly. Usually, the tour of the distillery is included as an accessible tour, which it is. I like Bacardi product, but I don’t need to go to the distillery. I already know much more about the company’s history than the tour guides.

 

 

To clarify, a bit on Puerto Rico: Old Town is a bit hilly, with curb cuts. But some at odd angles. You may find yourself needing to wheel in the street rather than the sidewalk. People are generally friendly. The forts are pretty and generally accessible.

 

A number of the more interesting restaurants don’t seem to have accessible entrances.

[btc1951]

On 7/26/2022 at 5:04 PM, kokopelli-az said:

Maybe.   Level 1 does not necessarily mean accessible.   Will the stairs getting into the bus be a problem?   Are you planning on taking the motorized wheelchair or the rollator?   And is there a place on the bus and tour boat to store which ever one you take?    

 

You should contact NCL's Access Department and ask if there will be any accessible tours for your cruise.   

Ask NCL specifically about the tours you have booked and whether your husband will have trouble getting on the bus, etc.  NCL can contact the tour operator for specifics and answers to your questions.  

 

Note that since you are crusing in November, it  may be too early for NCL to have all the tours set up.   

 

Take a look at the link; there is a section on shore excursions.   Please contact NCL's Access Department for additional information (and any forms they need you to complete).

 

https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising

I have sent NCL's Access Department an email for clarification since I booked the excursions through NCL, and I submitted a Guest Special Needs Request Form and have gotten an initial and second response to that (just not about excursions). 

 

[IslandFamilyTime]

I have cruised with Holland, Carnival, Princess, RCCL, NCL and Celebrity.  Found that across all cruiselines, the access desks don't have clear knowledge of excursions.  It is best to find the company the go through and contact them directly.  If you can't find the company, go directly to the excursion desk and ask to speak with a staff member that has recently been on that excursion.  I started out with a walker and over the years have transitioned to full time use of electric wheelchair.  In June I booked a snorkeling excursion (I can walk flat ground with assistance approx 50 ft.) The on board excursion desk said no problem. Ha! The boat transfer was fine. But I had to walk down 2 flights of steps made of rocks built into a steep hill and then a 100 yard walk on the beach before entering water. And then I was supposed to go up those same steps in the end. No one on the boat or the guide directing us from the dock to the stairs ever mentioned anything to me while in my wheelchair.  Clearly I couldn't even attempt the stairs! I sat in my chair at the top of the stairs watching while my family snorkeled for three hours. They loved it and I got eaten alive by mosquitoes from the bushes where I was waiting.  This is why I usually book private excursions where I can ask lots of questions and get pictures before booking.  IMHO, worth missing out on the NCL excursion credit.

[1025cruise]

14 hours ago, btc1951 said:

I have sent NCL's Access Department an email for clarification since I booked the excursions through NCL, and I submitted a Guest Special Needs Request Form and have gotten an initial and second response to that (just not about excursions). 

 

The Access Department and the Excursions are two different departments and have nothing to do with each other. Don't assume that because you contacted the Access department that the Excursions department will know you access issues.

[FOPMan]

It’s usually very difficult to determine what company a cruise line has a contract with for an excursion, it’s usually pretty easy to determine if the excursion is using/going to some major attraction, and what specific attraction it is. Finding out about the accessibility of that attraction is one part of the issue. Figuring out accessible transportation is another matter. That can include some map work (how far one needs to go) and willingness to be somewhat adventuresome We, for example, are not afraid to use public transportation in many places, but do always check on the reliability of schedules and what method of payment is required. I’ve got no issues taking trains/buses in Spain and France and have done so  many times.