Taking disabled child on cruise - any excursions

[HPEmom]

Need advice as to what itinerary/ship to take. We are thinking a Carnival Cruise because : we have a 2 year old typical, 9 year old typical and 10 year old developmentally disabled & manual wheelchair user. We have done Carnival and RCCL before both eastern & western carribean (basically been there, done it). We would choose a different itinerary if there are any wheelchair accessible excursions. If there aren't any truly wheelchair accessible excursions, then they ship becomes much more important thus the inclination for Carnival because of Camp Carnival for the 2 year old. Also, son was accommodated fine in CC on another cruise.

Suggestions anyone?

[cjh]

I have 2 daughter in wheelchairs that have spina bifida. Alaska is the most accessible.

[norcalal]

We have had this same problem. My daughter who has CP and uses a wheelchair full time wanted to do a dolphin encounter. After researching a number of places in the Caribbean, most said no some said yes. I ended up calling direct, as this was the purpose of the cruise, and was told no. After much additional research I found that Sea World, San Diego stated that they were accessible. They were indeed and exceeded our expectations both in awareness of special needs and the extent of the experience. I was allowed as companion at no additional charge. About the same time, RCCL sent me an email with a resident discount offer and we were able to do a 4day Baja cruise on the MOS for not much more than the price of a couple days in SD as there was a convention. The 4 day MOS stops at SD so we had the cruise and used the Monarch as a "hotel" for the day in SD and a fine one she was.

I would check any Sea World venue.

[D&TTexasCruisers]

We took our 14 year old disabled child on a cruise last september and we had a blast, we were first told by the excursions desk that none of the excursions were handicapped accessible period! then we talked to the special needs purser on the Carnival Conquest and she talked to someone higher up and found out there were some we could do as long as we had a foldable manual wheelchair in which they loaned us only because we were lied to when we booked the cruise. So next time we know to take our own foldable one. Anyway if you have the foldable wheelchair and you can transfer your child into a bus seat or van seat you should be able to go on any that dont require climbing or things that your child cannot do. We took my son on the Turtle Farm and sting ray trip and he loved it they folded his chair and put it on the van with us and then they put it on the boat we went out on to the sting rays then I got into the water with him with no problems at all. he loved the sting rays rubbing agianst him and coming up to the top of the water to look at him he laughed the whole time. We also went on a bus ride to Negril when in Jamica and went to the beach. We could have done others had we remember his much smaller special stroller type wheelchair which we will be sure to take next time.

 

So just remember anything that he can physically do wont be a problem as long as you have a foldable chair for any walking part of the adventure.

 

Anytime you have questions that I might be able to answer please email me at terriann50@aol.com.

 

Terri