Scotmay Posted February 1, 2023 #1 Share Posted February 1, 2023 FYI. Tried to book tours on ship and found out no tours will take any of the above wheelchairs, scooters or walkers. I am so annoyed that there is no provision for making the disabled feel included! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsSoCalCruiser Posted February 1, 2023 #2 Share Posted February 1, 2023 5 minutes ago, Scotmay said: FYI. Tried to book tours on ship and found out no tours will take any of the above wheelchairs, scooters or walkers. I am so annoyed that there is no provision for making the disabled feel included! Which cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Rick&Jeannie Posted February 1, 2023 #3 Share Posted February 1, 2023 I agree...we need more info. On almost every cruise I have done there are excursions listed specifically including wheelchair access. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PacnGoNow Posted February 1, 2023 #4 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Yes, I’ve always seen tours available, in fact, same tours on some cruise that were duplicated for accessibility buses. Unless, they were tendered ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromep Posted February 1, 2023 #5 Share Posted February 1, 2023 I was going to ask what cruise are you looking at? I'm happy to do a little legwork online if I knew the embarkation date and the ship. Our upcoming Alaska cruise has lots of ADA friendly excursions. Most of them are bus related excursions and sight seeing, there are at least a couple of excursions in each port. If your cruise is more warm weather or active, then you might find the selection of excursions for those that need mobility devices more limited or less exciting. So, yes, it is possible for a port or series of ports on a cruise to no have a lot of excursions that are geared toward people with limited mobility, but it would be pretty rare for there to be none at all. Also note, a tender or water taxi port may not be suitable for people who are wheelchair bound or unable to easily get in and out of a mobility scooter. I've definitely been on tenders where scooters and walkers were stowed on the center platform while in transit, but their users had to have the ability to get up and down a couple of stairs and sit on a bench in the tender during transit to get into port. If they didn't have the ability to do that, they wouldn't have been allowed to tender due to safety concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Rick&Jeannie Posted February 1, 2023 #6 Share Posted February 1, 2023 1 minute ago, PacnGoNow said: Unless, they were tendered ports. That could very well be the case here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katisdale Posted February 1, 2023 #7 Share Posted February 1, 2023 I use a wheelchair and do feel included when cruising. What ship? What itinerary? Tender ports? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotmay Posted February 1, 2023 Author #8 Share Posted February 1, 2023 41 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said: Which cruise? Enchanted Princess B2B 28th & 28th January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotmay Posted February 1, 2023 Author #9 Share Posted February 1, 2023 I am on 19 minutes ago, katisdale said: I use a wheelchair and do feel included when cruising. What ship? What itinerary? Tender ports? i am on the cruise right now! No Ports were tendered. All tours were marked as low strenuous level, but in very small print at the end of the description of tour they stated no wheelchairs, scooters or walkers are allowed. I am absolutely horrified at this. My husband uses a walker! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotmay Posted February 1, 2023 Author #10 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just now, Scotmay said: I am on i am on the cruise right now! No Ports were tendered. All tours were marked as low strenuous level, but in very small print at the end of the description of tour they stated no wheelchairs, scooters or walkers are allowed. I am absolutely horrified at this. My husband uses a walker! I am on the Enchanted Princess B2B 28 & 28 January Caribbean! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotmay Posted February 1, 2023 Author #11 Share Posted February 1, 2023 Just now, Scotmay said: I am on the Enchanted Princess B2B 28 & 28 January Caribbean! Should be 18th & 28th January. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotmay Posted February 1, 2023 Author #12 Share Posted February 1, 2023 I am just so upset about this and I don’t seem to be getting any help from the Tours Desk. We are on 2 - 10 day cruises back to back and thought we would leave tours until this portion of our cruises only to find out nothing is available to us because my husband uses a walker. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ldtr Posted February 1, 2023 #13 Share Posted February 1, 2023 (edited) Many activities in the Caribbean are pretty difficult for those with mobility problems. Due to Cobblestone roads or poorly maintained roads, just as it is difficult to use those devices on sand so that pretty much eliminates beach activities, In San Juan the fortress outing would be difficult due to rough surfaces and steep inclines. Also a lot of the excursions use small vehicles that might not have any storage room for devices. Though I just looked at the Feb 7 20 day and found several excursions that did not say that those devices were not allowed. Edited February 1, 2023 by ldtr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted February 1, 2023 #14 Share Posted February 1, 2023 What part of the Caribbean are you visiting? Many of the excursions that are listed as a "drive" can accommodate folks with walkers or wheelchairs. There are also (usually) some excursions that specifically mention wheelchairs. Of course it may well be that, by failing to check or book in advance, the excursions that are wheelchair friendly may be sold out. Easy St. Thomas Panoramic Drive (Wheelchair Accessible) 2.5 hours | St. Thomas | STT-146 Easy Scenic Drive of Dutch & French St. Maarten (Wheelchair Accessible) Easy Antigua Panoramic Drive (Wheelchair Accessible) Easy St. Kitts Scenic Drive & Romney Manor (Wheelchair Accessible) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromep Posted February 2, 2023 #15 Share Posted February 2, 2023 (edited) Is the cruise Wednesday January 17, 2024? Looks like a great cruise. I wish I had that kind of free time to take that long of a cruise. As others have said, the Caribbean can be challenging for persons with mobility issues as historical sites are typically rather rustic, and a lot of the other tourist locations are basically equally rustic. Island tours are typically your only options when you must have an assistance device. Unlike in Europe or the States or in Alaska or Canada where a lot of tours are on large motor coaches, or modern shuttle buses, most of the island tours are conducted in mini-busses, some are equipped for wheelchairs, but most are not. If you have a travel agent I'd get to talking with them about tours that you schedule outside of the cruise line. A good TA can find operators in the countries you will be visiting that advertise and have accessible tour options available. Don't feel limited to booking your shore excursions through the cruise line. A good TA is going to only suggest tours that operate inside your scheduled port day, with plenty of time margin to help ensure that you get back to the ship on time. A good TA is also going to make sure that you have sufficient travel insurance or protections in place to deal with canceled ports or missed excursions due to unforeseen circumstances. If you don't have a good TA, this is the time to fine one. Edited February 2, 2023 by jeromep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dog Posted February 2, 2023 #16 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Walk/ roll off and get a taxi tour at dock. We do this all the time. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PacnGoNow Posted February 2, 2023 #17 Share Posted February 2, 2023 1 hour ago, Scotmay said: Should be 18th & 28th January. Should this be Jan 17 & Jan 27, 2024? I looked at those and the excursions are not available yet to book. It’s too early. They are not sold out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jwattle Posted February 2, 2023 #18 Share Posted February 2, 2023 15 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said: Should this be Jan 17 & Jan 27, 2024? I looked at those and the excursions are not available yet to book. It’s too early. They are not sold out. They're on it right now 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arizonaperson Posted February 2, 2023 #19 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Looks like the op is on the cruise now and tour desk is not helpful? Agree if only a walker should be able to book an available tour. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeromep Posted February 2, 2023 #20 Share Posted February 2, 2023 2 minutes ago, jwattle said: They're on it right now Oh my! Well I do feel for them. I'm a little surprised that they didn't work to pre-book excursions that had mobility services before the cruise rather than rolling the dice on if those excursions would be available once they arrived on board. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PacnGoNow Posted February 2, 2023 #21 Share Posted February 2, 2023 20 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said: Should this be Jan 17 & Jan 27, 2024? I looked at those and the excursions are not available yet to book. It’s too early. They are not sold out. Sorry about that. Didn’t realize you’re in the middle of the cruise now. Then, they are probably sold out. I would try to waitlist if there are any excursions that would work. The excursion desk should know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PacnGoNow Posted February 2, 2023 #22 Share Posted February 2, 2023 2 hours ago, Scotmay said: I am just so upset about this and I don’t seem to be getting any help from the Tours Desk. We are on 2 - 10 day cruises back to back and thought we would leave tours until this portion of our cruises only to find out nothing is available to us because my husband uses a walker. Are they able to waitlist any of the Easy excursions that you could use? It is not unusual to be sold out once OB the ship for any Princess tour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike45LC Posted February 2, 2023 #23 Share Posted February 2, 2023 There is a maajor difference between "the accessible tours are sold out" and "there are no accessible tours offered." The first is "I'm so sorry to hear that." The second is "contact an attorney experienced in the Americans With Disabilities Act claims." Which is it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SargassoPirate Posted February 2, 2023 #24 Share Posted February 2, 2023 Unfortunately, for those with disabilities, the "American's With Disabilities Act" does not extend to ports outside of the US. Even for someone with no disabilities but whose odometer has rolled over at least once, some excursions are not just appropriate. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsSoCalCruiser Posted February 2, 2023 #25 Share Posted February 2, 2023 4 hours ago, Scotmay said: Enchanted Princess B2B 28th & 28th January. I’m not sure if I’m looking at the right cruise, but if I am, it looks like there may be some excursions available in the ports of Antigua, St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Dominica, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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