Logistical Mariner Question

[Gina-Lou]

I am booked on the Mariner for June 2006 with a group of family and friends. My mother needs a wheelchair to be moved about the ship. She is able to get out of it to sit at the table for dinner or at the shows. She has balance issues and impaired mobility. What I would like to know from all you experienced travelers is the logistics of the ship with regard to the 3 levels of dining rooms. Our rooms are on deck 7. We have early seating and are planning on attending shows after dinner. I cannot tell from the deck plans (being the inexperienced traveler that I am) which floor has the entrance to the theater. So if you could tell me if one of the floors of the dining room has better access to getting to the theater with a wheelchair than another it would be very helpful. Having this info ahead of time I'm hoping I won't have to make Mom dizzy trying to get her there (she's dizzy enough already!! ). Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

[Nliedel]

The ship does have elevators right outside the dining room. That's the good news. The bad news is the main entrance for the theater is on deck two but you cannot get across the ship on deck two and the dining room starts at deck three (you cannot go across at deck three either). You need to go up then down. There is a dining room entrance and a balconey entrance to the theater on deck four and you can go across through the casino.

 

It does not matter which level you are on for dining you will probably want the main entrance for the theater. From deck four go across the ship and take the elevators down near the front of the ship.

[Gina-Lou]

Thank you for your response. This helps make sense of the deck plan when I look at it. I didn't realize you couldn't get across decks 2 and 3...thanks for the info. Planning ahead will mean less time spent getting lost.....and less time riding up and down in the elevators. Thanks!

[Nliedel]

No problem. You will be amazed how fast you figure it out once you are there. It's not hard at all. One note. I have MS and I get vertigo as a result. I could barely walk through the casino. There is a Plexiglass floor with casino chips and things under it. Very interesting but I had a real tough time figuring out where my foot went. If your mom has serious balance issues go up to deck 5 and cross. It got to the point that I could not even walk over the darn thing by midweek. I knew that if I kept trying I was going to have an episode. As it was I managed to stay in remission throughout the cruise, and since (YES!) but for a bit there I was nervous (not that plexiglass floors make MS worse but you can sort of tell if you are about to have a bad spate after a while).