Looking for some advice/feedback. We will be cruising RC in Jan 2020, taking mom who just turned 91. She can walk, but it is limited. Heck that's good for her age. I have read many complaints that there are limited excursions and obviously using a walker in the sand won't work. Has anyone actually been on an excursion with someone with mobility issues that can walk a little? Do the rides to and from have room for the wheelchair (folds up to like size of a baby stroller)? Mom would not want to stay on the ship, she still thinks she is young and active and can do anything.
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Contributor Level:
Purser
Limited mobility -using a walker/wheelchair
5 Answers
Contributor Level:
Cruise Director
My wife walks with a cane the past few years...so we pay attention to little things like the length of piers (which are getting longer and longer hehehe) and so on. I can tell you we watch, with more than a little admiration, folks getting on tenders with wheelchairs, and going just about any place they have the nerve to go. Good for them.
Back in the day, folks who were wheel-chair bound didnt do much of anything. Fortunately, those days are over. Call the your TA if you use one, but don't stop there...CALL the cruise line direct..and peruse their website.. Handicapped individuals can usually board first. The cruise lines nowadays seem to go out of their way to accommodate folks with issues. Frankly,, they HAVE to. GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY THE CRUISE!!
Contributor Level:
Purser
My husband is in an electric foldable wheelchair. I click on wheelchair accessible box on the RC site. I also google accessible private excursions, which I tend to have better luck getting the sightseeing opportunities we would like. I also youtube for others that have posted the ship/private excursion providers, and the area/beaches that they go to. Even though it says "stopping at beach", I have found some of them to have nice boardwalks with shops.
Contributor Level:
Purser
I took dad on Explorer of the Seas for his 90th back in September. I wrote a review specifically about it on a rival site, but it focused primarily on the room and the challenges that it offered.
Dad's mobility sounds similar to your mom. Our only stop was in Victoria and we just pushed a wheelchair down the sidewalk. There were no problems.
That said, I'd look closely at the web page about the shore excursion that interests you. It will tell you if it is accessible or not. If it is, then you shouldn't have any issues.
Contributor Level:
Cruise Director
I would check with the TA. I have been on RC and there were a number of passengers with limited mobility issues. As far as I can tell, they didn't seem to have a lot of trouble navigating their way around.
Well, My sister has limited mobility issues. We went to Bermuda. Being docked there was no issue, but I have been o cruises with some passengers being chair bound. Please check with your TA for the stops as that makes a big difference. Also purchase early or assisted boarding and demarcation. We should have done that when getting off the ship in Boston.