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Wheelchairs Scooters or Walkers

Scotmay

By Scotmay,
in Princess Cruises

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jeromep

jeromep

Posted
Posted

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.

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Scotmay

Scotmay

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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!

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Scotmay

Scotmay

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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!

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Scotmay

Scotmay

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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. 

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Guest ldtr

Guest ldtr

Posted
Posted (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 by ldtr
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Thrak

Thrak

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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)

 

 

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jeromep

jeromep

Posted
Posted (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 by jeromep
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jwattle Holiday Sharing Rare

jwattle

Posted
Posted
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

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jeromep

jeromep

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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.

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PacnGoNow Holiday Sharing Rare

PacnGoNow

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Posted
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.

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PacnGoNow Holiday Sharing Rare

PacnGoNow

Posted
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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.


 

 

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Mike45LC

Mike45LC

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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?

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