Handicapped on NCL's POH

[cruznut1111]

Had Mom on this ship last week. Some really good, some not so much.

 

NWA 1st Class seats made the trip a whole lot easier than it would have been in our usual coach.

 

Hawaii Greeters was right at the gate and had a beautiful lei waiting. Did more than just hand it to her. Really made her feel special. As soon as they left-

Aloha VIP Tours picked us up at the gate and got us to the ship. They didn't have a lift, so Mom had to get out of her chair and do a transfer. It was an easy one, so no problem. When we got to the pier, after a minute or two of confusion (during which we lost a bag) we were moved right along past the usual lines to the special needs desk. This actually moved so well we didn't even try to go to the VIP desk/area until after we were checked in.

 

Care Vacations brought the power chair just about the same time we were saying "where's the ($295 for the week) power chair." It was smaller (at my request) than her home chair and after the first day of refusing to use it- said it wasn't properly charged, but I doubt it- really enjoyed it and was asking if we could change out her home chair. The small size made it easy for her to get through the halls.

 

The room (11650) was roomy and well laid out. There was access to either the left or right sides of the beds. A worry for her caregiver was that the beds were both away from the wall, so they were placed together to make sure all the pillows could stay placed properly.

 

The toilet was high enough that a riser didn't turn out to be necessary. I had order one from access desk and it was there, but hadn't been installed correctly and caused a small accident when it was first used.

 

The door to the balcony had a button to open and close it. Mom enjoyed going in and out until the time she got the chair stuck in the door grooves. She had to crawl out of the chair to get to the phone. Wish she had a portable phone that she could have kept with her, like I did.

 

The main door to the room did not have a button. Much harded to access and she couldn't do it alone, but her steward was very helpful.

 

She and my sister chose the smaller venues for their meals. The Aloha Iti? Lanai worked well for them for breakfast. Alizar was a favorite dinner choice and had her favorite waiter. Blue Lagoon was their lunch treat.

 

A funny sidenote- on @ day 3 Sister and I both have morning excursions so Mom goes to breakfast on her own (our butler is supervising from a distance to be sure she doesn't get in trouble). Day 4 Sis tries to get a fresh omelet for breakfast and the server refuses and points her to the pre-mades because, "you left Mama alone yesterday."

 

First Tour - Volcanos. Mom and Sis get moved to the afternoon tour because the early one isn't really HP accessible, despite the ads. (Good thing, because our bus breaks down and the 2nd one is mildew-laden. More aout Polynesian Adventure Tours in the next fiasco.)

 

Second Tour - Gus at "Classy Taxi" in Maui. Now "classy" is a matter of opinion, but we loved it. Gus drives a slightly, really, falling apart 1929 Ford with it's stuffing falling out, no seat belts, no springs, no roof. He bungied the transport chair to the side, the four of us piled in with room to spare and away we went. Gus entertained Mom when the rest of us went in different directions. Six hours - $350.

 

Third Tour - Manor House, train and premier seating for Luau. (There isn't going to be a second time, so the idea is to make the one time as good as possible.) Perhaps. Unfortunately, again this is handled by Polynesian Adventures. When Mom and Sis get to the bus to get on, the driver refuses to let them use the lift. Now this is where it all gets blurry for me, but according to the twosome, the driver insists that the lift is ONLY to be used by ONE person on the tour and Mom isn't it. (If you are not as confrontational as I would have been in the same situation, then I would suggest you get a special ticket or letter from the shore excursion desk authorizing you to use the lift.)

 

So - Sis grabs Mom by the gait belt and forces her up some very steep steps onto the bus injuring her hip so severely we were having x-rays done three days later because it was still hurting. The therapist is able to pop the hip back into its socket properly and except for some pain, all is now well.

 

The dining at Gaylord's is behind some palm trees, so they don't see the dinner singers and of course, can't eat the foods, but that wasn't the point now, was it.

 

The point was the dancing and the front row seating and that is all she has talked about since. That very handsome older warrior with the great chest who came off the stage and held her by the hand, made her trip. We have ALL heard about that several times over.

[vickila]

Ah, a sense of humor goes a long way! The Pride of Hawaii is being deployed to Europe and becoming the Norwegian Jade. As we are going on it with a scooter in February, do you forsee any problems with mobility? Are the hallways wide enough for a scooter? Seating in theatre, etc. So glad Mom enjoyed Hawaii, but why didn't you go to the Old Lahana Luau - that's #1 and very accessible.

[chefonwheels]

Cruznutt1111...Loved your review about your experiances.Very well written,I felt as if I was there myself! I am planning my next cuise now and all of the stories printed here give so much insight as to what one might expect.Thank you!-

[jeffh228]

My wife and I sailed on POH in September. She's a paraplegic with a manual wheelchair.

 

Check out our thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=637683