Wheelchairs able to use tender on NCL Pride of Hawaii?

[kaylahszoo]

We are booked on the NCL Pride of Hawaii. Kona is a tender port. Have been able to tender off some ships, but not so on our last cruise. The Carnival Spirit tenders in Sitka and there was no way possible. There was at least a dozen steps- no ramp or elevator. We were very disappointed. We were wondering since the POH has US registry and is sailing in US waters if it was required to have handicap access to tenders. Would certainly be nice.

[Queenie2]

I don't know about the tender access on POH, but have been on POA and can say that it was even hard for slow walkers and folks unsteady on their feet as the little tender (privately owned) was really rocking and rolling.

 

As to the legalities of it, no it's not required because the Access Board has not yet developed guidelines for it. On the plus side, you still have time to submit your comments to the Access Board on the proposed guidelines. You can read the draft here:

http://www.access-board.gov/pvaac/revised-draft.htm

 

Comments can be e-mailed to pvag@access-board.gov, faxed to (202) 272-0081 or mailed to Office of Technical and Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, 1331 F Street NW, suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-1111. Be sure and include Docket No. 2004-1 in all of your correspondence on this subject. Comments sent by e-mail will be considered only if they contain the full name and address of the sender in the text. The deadline for public comments is September 5, 2006.

 

As it stands now the draft is leaning towards having access to the tender boarding areas on the ship (platform lift will be allowable access) and wheelchair spaces on tenders that carry over 60 passengers. Dockside access would be the responsibility of the port authority. It's more complicated than that (all rules are) so I encourage you to read that section of the draft and see if it meets your needs, then submit your comments to the Access Board.

 

Candy