Ventura - Amsterdam - cabin choice & distance to amenities

[Clarycat]

Good morning everyone. 
 

I think this is my first post here so please bear with me - hopefully I’m posting in the right area!

 

I’m thinking of the short Southampton-Amsterdam cruise with my elderly mother and neither of us have taken a cruise before. She has COPD and cannot walk long distances without getting out of breath (relieved by an inhaler) and also walks with a rollator. Would a cruise even be suitable?  Or are there cabins we could consider that are close to everything?

 

Thank you for any help!

[Izzywiz]

Hi and welcome to Cruise Critic. 

I think that you have made a wise choice to try a short cruise to see if you like it.

Ventura is quite a large ship so there will be walking involved but I have seen many people using rollators on ships and I have mobility issues myself and manage by pacing myself and knowing where there are chairs available when I need to sit down.

I have a couple of suggestions:

• After you book your cruise, contact the P&O ‘assistance team’. There is a designated area in the terminal where personnel will be able to help you with the boarding process. There will be seats and the use of a wheelchair if necessary.
• It might be a good idea to look at the deck plans for Ventura. Most cruise ship designs feature the main dining venues at the rear of the ship and the entertainment areas like the theatre are generally at the front of the ship. That is why I always book a cabin in the middle of the ship and close to the lifts. I’ve never experienced any problems with noise from the lifts and the cabin position negates the amount of walking needed.
• Ventura has 3 main restaurants. My recommendation is to book ‘Freedom dining’ and use the Saffron Restaurant which is situated near the middle of the ship. Freedom dining is the equivalent of going to a land based restaurant where you book a time to suit you or turn up and wait for a table.
• There are areas in the theatre that are reserved for people with disabilities so parking the rollator won’t be a problem.
• I have always found all crew members most helpful when I have required assistance.
• You can ask for extra pillows, a nonslip shower mat etc. 
• There are specially adapted cabins for people with mobility issues which have larger showers, wider doors and more space. These do, however, get booked up very quickly.

As a disabled person myself, I find cruising an ideal way to travel because everything I need is within a relatively short distance and crew members go out of their way to help when needed.

[Selbourne]

Excellent advice from Izzywiz. I agree with all of it, but accessible cabins should really only be booked by those who are physically unable to cope in a standard cabin, or are forced to book one due to having a scooter. Even when my wife was a part time wheelchair user we booked regular cabins, as we didn’t wish to deprive those who couldn’t cope without one. Now that she is a full time wheelchair user we are unable to cruise unless we can get an accessible cabin, and they are difficult to secure.

[Clarycat]

Thank you so much Izzywiz, that has really put my mind at rest!

[Clarycat]

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Excellent advice from Izzywiz. I agree with all of it, but accessible cabins should really only be booked by those who are physically unable to cope in a standard cabin, or are forced to book one due to having a scooter. Even when my wife was a part time wheelchair user we booked regular cabins, as we didn’t wish to deprive those who couldn’t cope without one. Now that she is a full time wheelchair user we are unable to cruise unless we can get an accessible cabin, and they are difficult to secure.

 There’s absolutely no need for us to have an accessible cabin at this point in time so I wouldn’t consider booking one.  I do appreciate your point though.