Feedback on Travelling Danube with family requiring Wheelchair

[Airbear232]

My Aunt has always wanted to do a Danube River Cruise with Viking.  However, she is 87 and has mobility issues.  Last year, we did a Baltic Cruise on Royal and I was easily able to move her about in all of the ports.  How are Vikings ships and river cruising, in general, for people who will need to aid of a wheelchair to really enjoy each port.  My wife, aunt and I will travel together with Aunt in her own cabin.  Any insight, tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[Host Jazzbeau]

One thing in favor of Viking for your Aunt is that all their ships are identical and when there are many ships in a port the Viking ships generally 'raft' together rather than with other brands.  That means that Viking passengers are generally able to walk from ship to ship to shore lobby to lobby – when ships of differing design raft together passengers need to climb up a flight of stairs to the sun deck, go across a narrow metal ramp, and down a flight to stairs to the closer ship's lobby before disembarking [and the reverse on coming back].

 

There will still be challenges for a wheelchair-bound passenger [not least on shore, where Europe is not wheelchair-friendly], but if you decide to go forward with this I think Viking is your best choice.

[pontac]

There have been wheelchair bound customers on Viking cruises I have been on.

 

The Danube cruises are on Viking Longships. Information on Longship floor plans may be seen on the website.

 

You need a cabin on either the upper or middle deck as they are connected by a lift, and one has the restaurant, the other has the lounge, bar and Aquavit terrace. 

 

There is no lift on the lowest floor and that and the sun deck are only accessible via stairs.

 

I'm assuming your aunt can manage the few steps needed to board a coach and to cross the short gangway - a couple of feet - that bridges the gap between boat and the rest of the gangway which is wheelchair usable.

 

If the Viking boat is rafted on the outer side of a boat that doesn't have a reception on the same level then she may not be able to get off the boat - as in such a case one has to go upstairs to cross to the other boat via the sub deck and go down its staircase. Whether such rafting will happen is not known in advance.

 

Have you seen 'What are your wheelchair accommodations? Do the ships have elevators?' in Viking River Cruises FAQs? That has wheelchair size limits

[YoungDubFan]

Please do some research before booking. As stated, Europe has a lot of cobblestones that can be very difficult to push a wheelchair over. There are not ramps or other ADA compatible features that we take for granted in Northern America. There will probably be places she can’t get into. If you go, make sure you are fully aware of what challenges you will face.

[Airbear232]

Thanks for the feedback.  I have been doing research and reading all I can on Viking and other sites and will contact them directly in the next few days.  My Aunt can walk a bit and go up and down stairs.  However, the amount of walking in Europe is too much.  When we did the Baltic, we had no issue with a wheelchair on cobblestones and were able to navigate Stockholm, Visby, Helsinki, Riga and Tallinn easily.  I'm hoping someone who travelled on Viking either in a wheelchair or with someone in a wheelchair will see this and reply on their experience.

[Roz]

Gangways can be steep depending on the port and water level. 

[CastleCritic]

It might not be a bad idea to look at other lines as well. Both to see the itineraries and see which would fit better as well as the ships.  Viking is fine but there may be a better choice for you.

 

Yes in some cases you have to know the ships to really understand.  Like above, for example on AMA if you look at the floor plans there is an elevator that goes to all 3 floors, but its not clear (unless you read the fine print or just know better) that the first floor RESTAURANT can be accessed by the elevator but the 1st floor ROOMs are on the other side. of a wall. (they did have a Danube ship where the elevator popped out on the sun deck but they've literally paved over that now, I was on that ship in May).  

 

Land side is going to be the real issue, both steps sometimes getting off the dock (or just steep ramps) plus getting on and off the ship as well as the cobbles as said.

Edited July 8, 2023 by CastleCritic

[Host Jazzbeau]

3 hours ago, CastleCritic said:

Yes in some cases you have to know the ships to really understand.  Like above, for example on AMA if you look at the floor plans there is an elevator that goes to all 3 floors, but its not clear (unless you read the fine print or just know better) that the first floor RESTAURANT can be accessed by the elevator but the 1st floor ROOMs are on the other side. of a wall.

Many river ships actually have 6 decks:  3 cabin decks with low ceilings at the rear; 2 public decks (restaurant and lounge) with higher ceilings at the front; plus 1 sun deck [or 2 – sometimes the front part is a little lower].  The public deck floors may not line up with any passenger deck floor.  So the elevator could have 4 buttons but only go to passenger decks 2 and 3 and public decks 1 and 2.  It is rare for a river ship elevator to access the lowest passenger deck or the sun deck [there's no place to put the elevator mechanism]

[deec]

You do not say what size stateroom you have booked for your aunt but storing a wheelchair might be difficult. The hallways are narrow so she could not leave it outside her cabin.

[UDChE89]

I did not see anyone with mobility issues on my last cruise but I did see two people with issues on my cruise last year.  It was a different line than Viking but I think the issues are universal.  Neither were fully in a wheelchair but I didn’t see them off the boat that much.  They were hardly on the sun deck.

 

I will also agree with the previous poster that storage of a wheelchair in a cabin won’t be easy.

[pontac]

7 hours ago, UDChE89 said:

I will also agree with the previous poster that storage of a wheelchair in a cabin won’t be easy.

 

The OP days the aunt will have a cabin to herself. So is storage of a wheelchair that difficult? Cant it go, collapsed, by the side of the bed?

17 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

The public deck floors may not line up with any passenger deck floor.

 

That's an issue with Scenic Spaceships (and I'd have thought their narrow steep gangway was a non-no) but not with Viking, the OPs first choice.