Family cruise

The ship was great with nearly 4000 passengers on board. Fun activities, food, entertainment ,  & staff. I was traveling with my handicapped 86 yr old Mother, son & his fiancee .  Mom & i had a handicap room which was awesome .  She was assisted at buffets by on board staff which was great. This was her 2nd cruise with 10 years in between .  Getting off in Jamaica was only possible because wheelchairs were available as the dock to shore excursions distance was too far for her. We did not get off in Nassau because wheelchair assistance was not apparently available .  We had a wonderful time but embarkation /debarkation was a nightmare .  I put her thru the handicapped entrance to board & Carnival staff made her comfortable. I personally handled her oxygen concentrator & CPAP bag arranged thru our reservation .  I put each separately on the security belt with my one carryon bag & in no more than 30 seconds the CPAP bag was gone. The security staff took us to embarkation office who helped us a lot. We were taken to checkin with NO special handling except the Wheelchair . They took us to guest services on the ship & after about 30 mins a passenger came up to us as they had inadvertently picked up her CPAP bag off of the security line. 2 hours to board was ridiculous for a special needs person. While debarking we were herded like cattle to a slaughter with no wheelchairs available until we got on the ramp off the ship. Six elevators were So crowded. There must be a clear opportunity for special needs passengers to get on & off the ships BEFORE the 99% of passengers who don't have physical ailments. This should include families with very young children .  Again, we had a very good time but there has to be immediate changes to the boarding process as the airlines have done for quite some time. The special needs passengers need to have this preferential treatment getting on & off.