Cruise ships and wheelchairs

In article
<dfmanno-41ED07.22234516072008@sn-radius.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net>, D.F.
Manno <dfmanno@mail.com> wrote:

> Also, tenders are used at Cayo Levantado.

You can certainly cruise if you are wheelchair bound. The newer ships
all have accessible cabins. Don't know anything about that particular
ship. I would not pick that itinerary if you want to get off the ship.
In addition to Cayo Levanado being a tender port, Grand Cayman is also
a tender port. Cozumel and Key West have docks. However I have been on
ships that tendered to Cozumel and Key West. Since MSC is not one of
the industry leaders they might not have docking priority and end up
tendering at Cozumel and/or Key West also. I suggest starting with one
of the major cruise lines for your first cruise.

--
Charles

"D.F. Manno" <dfmanno@mail.com> wrote:

>I raised this question on another NG, and I was advised to bring it here.
>
>There's a cruise on the MSC Orchestra in February that I'd like to take,
>with the following ports of call: Key West, Cozumel, Grand Cayman and
>Cayo Levantado. The ship leaves from Ft. Lauderdale.
>
>I'm wheelchair-bound, and I have no idea how feasible it is for someone
>in a wheelchair to take a cruise. My sister warned me that even though
>the ship claims to be wheelchair-accessible, the cabins would be
>impossibly small for me to use.
>
>I have called the cruise line, and was told that the accessible cabins
>are 226 square feet in area, which would be roughly 15 x 15.
>
>Also, tenders are used at Cayo Levantado.
>
>Do any of you have any experience/knowledge of the particular ship, and
>on taking cruises while in a wheelchair, and would be willing to share
>it with me?
>
>I appreciate any assistance.

I had a wheelchair accessible cabin on the NCL Jade and it was huge (I
don't have a wheelchair, I just use a cane). The greatest difficulty
ON the ship is that you have to take an elevator between levels and at
peak times the elevators may be crowded. There are also thresholds on
some of the deck access points IIRC.

Will you be traveling with someone who can help push and carry
luggage?

As others have mentioned, I would not do that itin in a wheelchair
because at least two of the ports are tender ports. I have seen
people do tenders in wheelchairs, but looked very uncomfortable for
them, as the chair and person had to be moved from the ship to the
tender by muscle power, with both the ship and the tender bouncing up
and down, but not together.

Occasionally, even in the non-tender ports, the ramps are too steep
for the wheelchair and the wheelchair bound pax could not get off.

Also you have to consider what you will be able to do if you do get
off. I don't think the streets of Cozumel are very wheelchair
friendly. I don't know how accessible the cabs are. If you dock at
the RCI dock you are quite a long distance from town.

J Carnaghie wrote:

> Dear Nonny,
> You wrote - "If your conveyance can turn sharply and is >22" wide..."
> I hope you mean "<22" wide. [Less than 22" wide].
> Cheers,
> John in LALALand (On the Left Coast)

Absolutely, and thanks for catching that.

--
Nonny

Nonnymus
I'm not who you think I am. I'm not who
I think I am. I am what I think you think I am.

Neal Eckhardt wrote:
>
> This cruise that D.F. mentioned was specifically for a support group
> cruise. The point is not which cruise line is best to start with, it's
> that he wants to go with this group, and he doesn't have a choice of
> cruise lines, and he is worried about getting around in a wheelchair
> if it is required.

Hopefully it's not a support group that will have lots of people
in wheelchairs, since it sounds like a particularly bad
itinerary for them given the number of tender ports that have
already been mentioned.

Bill

[Default] Thus spake Colin McGarry <webmaster3@cpmac.com>:

>
>Many people cruise with wheelchairs. At Le Havre, when a ship like the
>Rotterdam comes in with 2000 passengers, there are about 30 buses
>waiting for shore excursions. I reckon I have a wheelchair on 1 in 2
>buses that I guide on. That indicates that there are at least 15
>wheelchairs on a cruise ship.

Let's do some quick math. 15 wheelchairs. 30 busses would mean
around 1200 people at 40 per bus (about average in the US, don't know
about France). That would mean 1.25%. Now I suspect that it's more
than 1 wheelchair per "wheelchair bus", but even if it was 150 (10 per
"wheelchair bus"), that would be 12.5%, not what I'd call "many".

"Dillon Pyron" <invaliddmpyron@austin.*******> wrote in message
news:4juf84tpgaaf6lolda4i47tetg7dm9kkqd@********...
> [Default] Thus spake Colin McGarry <webmaster3@cpmac.com>:
>
>>
>>Many people cruise with wheelchairs. At Le Havre, when a ship like the
>>Rotterdam comes in with 2000 passengers, there are about 30 buses
>>waiting for shore excursions. I reckon I have a wheelchair on 1 in 2
>>buses that I guide on. That indicates that there are at least 15
>>wheelchairs on a cruise ship.
>
> Let's do some quick math. 15 wheelchairs. 30 busses would mean
> around 1200 people at 40 per bus (about average in the US, don't know
> about France). That would mean 1.25%. Now I suspect that it's more
> than 1 wheelchair per "wheelchair bus", but even if it was 150 (10 per
> "wheelchair bus"), that would be 12.5%, not what I'd call "many".

Rotterdam is a HAL ship... so if Charles is right, and they hide the old
people on HAL... they might also be hiding wheel chairs. : )

So getting an accurate percentage may be difficult...

--Tom

clint wrote:


rode over my cow's foot(she was wearing scandals)
> Boy was she steamed!

:)

[Default] Thus spake "Tom K" <tkanitra@**************>:

>
>"Dillon Pyron" <invaliddmpyron@austin.*******> wrote in message
>news:4juf84tpgaaf6lolda4i47tetg7dm9kkqd@********.. .
>> [Default] Thus spake Colin McGarry <webmaster3@cpmac.com>:
>>
>>>
>>>Many people cruise with wheelchairs. At Le Havre, when a ship like the
>>>Rotterdam comes in with 2000 passengers, there are about 30 buses
>>>waiting for shore excursions. I reckon I have a wheelchair on 1 in 2
>>>buses that I guide on. That indicates that there are at least 15
>>>wheelchairs on a cruise ship.
>>
>> Let's do some quick math. 15 wheelchairs. 30 busses would mean
>> around 1200 people at 40 per bus (about average in the US, don't know
>> about France). That would mean 1.25%. Now I suspect that it's more
>> than 1 wheelchair per "wheelchair bus", but even if it was 150 (10 per
>> "wheelchair bus"), that would be 12.5%, not what I'd call "many".
>
>Rotterdam is a HAL ship... so if Charles is right, and they hide the old
>people on HAL... they might also be hiding wheel chairs. : )

Wasn't it a HAL ship a few years back where they "hid" two passengers
in a freezer?

>
>So getting an accurate percentage may be difficult...
>
>--Tom
>