For travelers needing accessible transfer services

[kodykatt]

I'll start with we had a wonderful time on our cruise but would like to highlight issues we recently encountered with our Holland America cruise to Alaska.  My friend is in a power wheelchair and requires a bus with a lift.  All paperwork was provided to HA advising of this plus phone calls to Accessibility Desk to reconfirm.  We booked transfers, hotel and handicap excursions directly with HA. No transfer from the airport to the hotel showed up so we walked. It was an inconvenience but something  we could handle. The HA handout provided by the hotel advised the bus would pick us up but found out the next morning they do not pick up at the hotel so we walked back to the airport.  HA did not book an ADA room. Arrived at the bus departure to Vancouver and was told the bus did not have a wheelchair lift. The HA representative was able to get a non-accessible van (another issue resolved) to take us to Vancouver and we arrived about 1/2 hour before departure. As you can see it turned out OK but the stress meter was off the charts for a period of time. Holland America definitely dropped the ball on our accessible needs. All excursions were without incident. I realize this situation only affects a small number of passengers but for those that need this service it is of utmost importance.  I posted this on "Disabled Cruise Travel" but wanted it on HA as well.

 

Awaiting a response from Holland America.

[FOPMan]

Thanks for sharing. I’m sorry you faced these challenges. It’s precisely concern over this that we’re reluctant to book transfers with HA from the ship to the airport and instead are using an excursion- there’s no capacity to note when booking the transfer that accessibility is needed, and I could see it being dropped. Not what we want and then have a missed flight, or a cruise, as a result. 

[GeezerCouple]

We arrange our own transfers and hotels.  (It's usually less expensive, but that's not the point.  Or we may want a nicer hotel, but again, that's not the critical part.)

 

And we ALWAYS call the hotel when the reservation is made (whether by us or our travel agent) and then we call back a few days prior to our arrival.  We do that because the evening before... they may have others booked in what we needed/requested, who are staying more than one night.  But we *also* try to call the day before also.

It's well worth it to avoid what could be very inconvenient last minute problems.

 

Same with any transport service.

GC

[FOPMan]

Finding reliable transportation that is capable of taking a power wheelchair user  or a chair where the person using the chair cannot transfer is challenging.

 

I have repeatedly waited over 3 hours, in different cities (Raleigh and Fort Lauderdale), for a wheelchair taxi to show up. When I made a reservation 3 or more weeks in advance and confirmed it both the day before and morning of the pickup. 
 

If you’re using a folding wheelchair or a scooter that collapses, you have many more ground transportation options.

 

Getting a transfer from the cruise line is appealing because, at least theoretically, it should be accessible (in the US), and I don’t have to do a bunch of research or worry about the driver not showing.

Edited October 17, 2022 by FOPMan