Wheelchair Accessible Tours Alaska

[sanders]

Hi ... I posted this in the Alaska forum but thought I would also post it here... I am going on the Brilliance of the Seas May 14th going to Sitka, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Haines, and Ketchikan... I have been researching but haven't quite found what I am looking for... I contacted RCCL about accessible excursions but wasn't completely confident in their response that their excursions are wheelchair accessible. I primarily use a wheelchair (manual) to get around but can walk a very limited amount if needed. I was wondering if anyone would have an idea of possible wheelchair accessible excursions for this itinerary? I am going with my sister and my niece.  Thanks in advance. 

[Essiesmom]

For a start, go to the upper right where the oval says search.  Click on This topic and from the drop down menu, choose this forum.  Type Alaska where it says search.  You will get a number of threads on the same topic.  EM

[sanders]

 I will check it out. Thanks.

[TwinMamainMN]

On 11/28/2022 at 4:41 PM, sanders said:

Hi ... I posted this in the Alaska forum but thought I would also post it here... I am going on the Brilliance of the Seas May 14th going to Sitka, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Haines, and Ketchikan... I have been researching but haven't quite found what I am looking for... I contacted RCCL about accessible excursions but wasn't completely confident in their response that their excursions are wheelchair accessible. I primarily use a wheelchair (manual) to get around but can walk a very limited amount if needed. I was wondering if anyone would have an idea of possible wheelchair accessible excursions for this itinerary? I am going with my sister and my niece.  Thanks in advance. 

We did Alaska on Radiance in 2018 with our daughter who needs a wheelchair in a very similar way to what you describe. She walks with forearm crutches for short distances and uses a wheelchair out in the community or anywhere that is busy/congested.

 

We booked all private excursions in Alaska, except the Bering Sea crab fishing excursion in Ketchikan. Private excursions meant we had time for her to transfer and we could make sure her wheelchair would travel with us. Cruise line excursions like to say a bus tour is accessible, but you have to be able to get on/off the bus and there is no guarantee they will store your WC or scooter below the seats. We did the crab fishing excursion in Ketchikan, private whale watching in Icy Strait Point/Hoonah (incredible service and a once in a lifetime experience!), private tour in Skagway that drove to Carcross (Caribou Crossing) to see sled dogs, learn about how they train them, see the puppies, and go on a sled dog pulled cart; and we rented a minivan in Juneau and drove to Mendenhall on our own.

 

I used Trip Advisor and these boards to find the private companies. One bonus is being able to do what you want. A city bus tour looking out a window does no interest us. Ditto the long train ride in Skagway which would have interested our kids for the first 10 minutes and they would have been bored after that (also I think I recall only wooden bench seats). Our daughter wouldn’t have been able to walk on the train either from car to car, she would have had to stay in her WC.

 

Happy planning! Alaska is incredible!

[GeezerCouple]

We also much prefer private excursions, for a variety of reasons.

 

First, in terms of "ability", I can no longer walk quickly for very long, and I may need to rest.  That's either going to get us left behind in group outings... or annoy everyone else.  So that's usually a non-starter, except for "bus tours", which are rarely of much appeal.  (There could be certain unusual locations where this might be appealing, but that's not too likely.  Chances are that we'd still prefer a smaller vehicle, possibly with stops that we are able to arrange, etc.)

 

Then, aside from "ability", we strongly prefer to be able to arrange our own itinerary, such as what to see and how long to spend at each location.  In fact, there have been times when we've decided on the spot that we LOVE "this specific <space, event, view, etc.>" that we were able to change things to spend "more time here and less time there" (making some changes to the remainder of the outing).  That's especially great if one stumbles across something that wasn't expected.  Or... we are able to say, "Oh, this isn't really so interesting to us... could we head on over to <the next place>?"

That can make all the difference in the world.

 

It also avoids the delays when others in a group are constant laggards...

We can also arrange to avoid "shopping" stops unless we specifically request them for some particular items.

We've started with a simple Google search, with something like "<location> cruise excursions wheelchair", and then start investigating.

Finally, when we are arranging the specifics by email with the guide, we eventually ask something like, "Given the questions we've asked and the interests we've mentioned, is there anything else you think we might enjoy but might not know about?"

That has occasionally led to a change of plans that worked out very well indeed.

 

We do look for others who have given reviews of a guide/agency, not just what they themselves show.  But the best indication, in our experience, is the "back and forth" emails in advance.  If someone can't be bothered to answer specific questions, then that's probably not someone we would enjoy as a guide.  And someone who responds well to our questions has thus far always turned out to be a terrific guide.

 

Sometimes we invite a few others from our Roll Call, such as if we charter a large catamaran that can easily accommodate more people, but often it is just the two of us (or with family when they accompany us).

 

The less likely we are to return to a particular place, the more careful we are about selecting any outings. 🙂 

If we are likely to return to the area, then we may use some of that first visit to check out future itineraries, sometimes including hotels for longer stays.

 

Is this a RT cruise, or do you end up in Alaska with some time there before heading home?

 

GC

[sanders]

Sorry for the delay in responding... thanks so much for your feedback... its a RT this time... I have been to Alaska about 7 times but have never done excursions here...  this is the first time for my sister and my niece however. I will do some more research once life settles down a bit more.