Jump to content

Alaska in a wheelchair


Ski Mom
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi I'm new to cruise critic and this is my first post. I'm not sure hope I am doing this right as I do not wish to hijack a thread but from the faqs I read over this is how I do it. My husband and I are booked on the Golden Princess southbound Anchorage to Vancouver July 2018 I have Multiple Sclerosis and require a wheelchair for travel due to limited mobility and extreme fatigue. After researching all the forums and gathering as much information as I could I can honestly but sady say I do not have the endurance for the land tour. I would not be able to handle living out of a suitcase for 3 days because of all the medicines I need with me, the all day bus tours inside Denali or the long train ride from Denali/ McKinley either. Renting a car is not an option either because I don't drive. I would like to see as much of Alaska as I can but there is a limit to wat I can do. I wass thinking of taking the train from Anchorage to Seward and taking the 6hr cruise to Kenia fjords national park and returning that evening to Anchorage. Another option would be to spend the night in Seaward and go straight to the ship docked in Whittier. This option is pricey but would be easier on my endurance due to my limited mobility and fatigue that accompanies MS.

My questions is, is it worth the time and expense to add this side trip to my cruise or should I save my energy and wallet and book more expensive land excursions like a floatplane with Island Wings and a Wale watching tour with Dophin tours. I know I may sound wimpy but I really want to experience Alaska but I also have to be realistic of my limitations. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi I'm new to cruise critic and this is my first post. I'm not sure hope I am doing this right as I do not wish to hijack a thread but from the faqs I read over this is how I do it. My husband and I are booked on the Golden Princess southbound Anchorage to Vancouver July 2018 I have Multiple Sclerosis and require a wheelchair for travel due to limited mobility and extreme fatigue. After researching all the forums and gathering as much information as I could I can honestly but sady say I do not have the endurance for the land tour. I would not be able to handle living out of a suitcase for 3 days because of all the medicines I need with me, the all day bus tours inside Denali or the long train ride from Denali/ McKinley either. Renting a car is not an option either because I don't drive. I would like to see as much of Alaska as I can but there is a limit to wat I can do. I wass thinking of taking the train from Anchorage to Seward and taking the 6hr cruise to Kenia fjords national park and returning that evening to Anchorage. Another option would be to spend the night in Seaward and go straight to the ship docked in Whittier. This option is pricey but would be easier on my endurance due to my limited mobility and fatigue that accompanies MS.

My questions is, is it worth the time and expense to add this side trip to my cruise or should I save my energy and wallet and book more expensive land excursions like a floatplane with Island Wings and a Wale watching tour with Dophin tours. I know I may sound wimpy but I really want to experience Alaska but I also have to be realistic of my limitations. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me!

 

Also have Multiple Sclerosis and fully understand your concerns regarding fatigue and traveling with meds especially if one is a MS disease modifying drug (DMD).

 

First off I'm going to suggest that you rent a scooter for on board ship from one of Princess' approved vendors. www.Scootaround.com or www.Specialneedsatsea.com It gets very tiring operating a manual wheelchair on all the varying floor coverings throughout the ship. One thing having MS you learn that energy management is key to how successful your day is thus the reason to seriously consider renting a scooter.

 

As far as the cruise/land tour goes a friend of mine who has Spina Bifida and is in a wheelchair did this as it was on her bucket list. She said that Princess' land staff bent over backwards to make her comfortable on the daily bus trips and all through out the land portion. My point in saying this is that if this is a bucket list item than perhaps you should consider combining it now. After all MS is an incurable progressive disease and you don't know if you'll ever be able to handle such a trip again. As far as packing/unpacking goes for the 3 days my friend packed what she needed for the land portion in a duffle bag so she did not have to deal with her large suit case. In fact by packing this way she didn't even see her suit case until onboard the ship. My sister and BIL are doing the same for their upcoming Princess Alaska land/cruise and they don't have a disability. It just makes things easier.

 

If you forgo the land portion you certainly will have a wonderful Alaska experience. Been on 3 Princess Alaska Cruises as well as 1 with RCCL and all were wonderful unique experiences. Never regretted not having done the land tour portion.

 

If you plan to do the 6hr cruise to Kenia fjords national park suggest that you stay in Seaward rather than go back to Anchorage. Reason being it's all about energy management. Why take a 2 hour train ride back to Anchorage after having been on a boat for 6 hours only to do take the train to Whittier the next day. You can take a shuttle from Seaward to Whittier . Check out this link http://www.alaskashuttleservice.com/ Also check the Seaward Chamber of Commerce Website. http://www.seward.com/chamber-information/

 

Please don't hesitate to post any questions specific to traveling with MS as well as traveling with any DMD for MS. After all you don't get MS until you get MS. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard that statement. Also please post any other questions you might have in general as I'm certain those on this forum can assist you.

Edited by xxoocruiser
Link to comment
Share on other sites

RE: Kenia Fjords : as it gets closer to the cruise date you'll have to monitor the website for daily alerts as the park does get closed. For example today's alert posted on its website states:

  • Alert Closure Toe of Exit Glacier, Ice Fall Hazard Zone
    An ice fall hazard zone has been identified at the toe of Exit Glacier, due to tall blocks and slabs of ice that have detached from the terminus. For your safety, entry into this zone is prohibited. Please follow signage and see photo for more details.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Longstockingpippi

I loved all your suggestions and I said that in my replies. I only reposted because I was told I was on the wrong forum NCL instead of Princess. It was also suggested that I post on the disabled forum so that's what I did. You all are a wealth of knowledge and I really appreciate all the great information you all took the time to give me. In fact I have been following up on the information today. Never meant to offend or seem ungrateful. In fact I am still trying to figure out how to reply to each post individually but there is no rly button underneath their post. Going over the faqs now. I won't post anymore till I figure this out. Thank you all for your wonderful tips and advice I really appreciate it and I'm so excited to start planning my adventure!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Longstockingpippi

I loved all your suggestions and I said that in my replies. I only reposted because I was told I was on the wrong forum NCL instead of Princess. It was also suggested that I post on the disabled forum so that's what I did. You all are a wealth of knowledge and I really appreciate all the great information you all took the time to give me. In fact I have been following up on the information today. Never meant to offend or seem ungrateful. In fact I am still trying to figure out how to reply to each post individually but there is no rly button underneath their post. Going over the faqs now. I won't post anymore till I figure this out. Thank you all for your wonderful tips and advice I really appreciate it and I'm so excited to start planning my adventure!

 

For what it's worth Longstockingpippi didn't post anything it was me XXOOCRUISER that took the time to reply.

 

FYI - to reply to a specific post just click on ''QUOTE in the bottom right of the blue area of the post.

 

In fact if you scroll over the boxes in the bottom right of the blue area of the post it will tell you the function of each.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For what it's worth Longstockingpippi didn't post anything it was me XXOOCRUISER that took the time to reply.

 

FYI - to reply to a specific post just click on ''QUOTE in the bottom right of the blue area of the post.

 

In fact if you scroll over the boxes in the bottom right of the blue area of the post it will tell you the function of each.

 

Let me try to clear up some confusion. I did post something (little snippy so deleted it) Guess it was seen before it was actually deleted. I had helped her with her same question in a different board, that is what she is referring too. Nadine

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RE: Kenia Fjords : as it gets closer to the cruise date you'll have to monitor the website for daily alerts as the park does get closed. For example today's alert posted on its website states:

  • Alert Closure Toe of Exit Glacier, Ice Fall Hazard Zone
    An ice fall hazard zone has been identified at the toe of Exit Glacier, due to tall blocks and slabs of ice that have detached from the terminus. For your safety, entry into this zone is prohibited. Please follow signage and see photo for more details.

Thank you for the instruction on how to reply. I really appreciate all the suggestions you gave me . I am definitely going to rent a scooter for the ship and I will bring my manual wheelchair for shore excursions that involve transportation. I guess I'm pretty naive amout the weather patterns surrounding glaciers I never thought that a park would be closed because of ice in August! You've given me alot to think about and also some great alternatives to my original plans. Thanks again for taking the time to respond and for all the encouragement. Even with all my research it is very overwhelming. As you know with MS you just take it one day at a time but also prepare for the bumps in the road. Thanks again andd best regards.

Also have Multiple Sclerosis and fully understand your concerns regarding fatigue and traveling with meds especially if one is a MS disease modifying drug (DMD).

 

First off I'm going to suggest that you rent a scooter for on board ship from one of Princess' approved vendors. www.Scootaround.com or www.Specialneedsatsea.com It gets very tiring operating a manual wheelchair on all the varying floor coverings throughout the ship. One thing having MS you learn that energy management is key to how successful your day is thus the reason to seriously consider renting a scooter.

 

As far as the cruise/land tour goes a friend of mine who has Spina Bifida and is in a wheelchair did this as it was on her bucket list. She said that Princess' land staff bent over backwards to make her comfortable on the daily bus trips and all through out the land portion. My point in saying this is that if this is a bucket list item than perhaps you should consider combining it now. After all MS is an incurable progressive disease and you don't know if you'll ever be able to handle such a trip again. As far as packing/unpacking goes for the 3 days my friend packed what she needed for the land portion in a duffle bag so she did not have to deal with her large suit case. In fact by packing this way she didn't even see her suit case until onboard the ship. My sister and BIL are doing the same for their upcoming Princess Alaska land/cruise and they don't have a disability. It just makes things easier.

 

If you forgo the land portion you certainly will have a wonderful Alaska experience. Been on 3 Princess Alaska Cruises as well as 1 with RCCL and all were wonderful unique experiences. Never regretted not having done the land tour portion.

 

If you plan to do the 6hr cruise to Kenia fjords national park suggest that you stay in Seaward rather than go back to Anchorage. Reason being it's all about energy management. Why take a 2 hour train ride back to Anchorage after having been on a boat for 6 hours only to do take the train to Whittier the next day. You can take a shuttle from Seaward to Whittier . Check out this link http://www.alaskashuttleservice.com/ Also check the Seaward Chamber of Commerce Website. http://www.seward.com/chamber-information/

 

Please don't hesitate to post any questions specific to traveling with MS as well as traveling with any DMD for MS. After all you don't get MS until you get MS. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard that statement. Also please post any other questions you might have in general as I'm certain those on this forum can assist you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Let me try to clear up some confusion. I did post something (little snippy so deleted it) Guess it was seen before it was actually deleted. I had helped her with her same question in a different board, that is what she is referring too. Nadine

The post came to my email address and I just wanted to respond not offend. Thank you for taking the time to post all the great information.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also have Multiple Sclerosis and fully understand your concerns regarding fatigue and traveling with meds especially if one is a MS disease modifying drug (DMD).

 

First off I'm going to suggest that you rent a scooter for on board ship from one of Princess' approved vendors. www.Scootaround.com or www.Specialneedsatsea.com It gets very tiring operating a manual wheelchair on all the varying floor coverings throughout the ship. One thing having MS you learn that energy management is key to how successful your day is thus the reason to seriously consider renting a scooter.

 

 

 

As far as the cruise/land tour goes a friend of mine who has Spina Bifida and is in a wheelchair did this as it was on her bucket list. She said that Princess' land staff bent over backwards to make her comfortable on the daily bus trips and all through out the land portion. My point in saying this is that if this is a bucket list item than perhaps you should consider combining it now. After all MS is an incurable progressive disease and you don't know if you'll ever be able to handle such a trip again. As far as packing/unpacking goes for the 3 days my friend packed what she needed for the land portion in a duffle bag so she did not have to deal with her large suit case. In fact by packing this way she didn't even see her suit case until onboard the ship. My sister and BIL are doing the same for their upcoming Princess Alaska land/cruise and they don't have a disability. It just makes things easier.

 

If you forgo the land portion you certainly will have a wonderful Alaska experience. Been on 3 Princess Alaska Cruises as well as 1 with RCCL and all were wonderful unique experiences. Never regretted not having done the land tour portion.

 

If you plan to do the 6hr cruise to Kenia fjords national park suggest that you stay in Seaward rather than go back to Anchorage. Reason being it's all about energy management. Why take a 2 hour train ride back to Anchorage after having been on a boat for 6 hours only to do take the train to Whittier the next day. You can take a shuttle from Seaward to Whittier . Check out this link http://www.alaskashuttleservice.com/ Also check the Seaward Chamber of Commerce Website. http://www.seward.com/chamber-information/

 

Please don't hesitate to post any questions specific to traveling with MS as well as traveling with any DMD for MS. After all you don't get MS until you get MS. I'm sure this isn't the first time you've heard that statement. Also please post any other questions you might have in general as I'm certain those on this forum can assist you.

 

Dear xxoocruiser,

Thank you so much for taking the time to post all the information and advice regarding my trip to Alaske. I am much more confident now that I am armed with all the information to begin planning my trip. Thanks to you and the other members .I am so glad I found your forum and I apologize again for having trouble navigating the threads and how to respond so thanks againfor your help on that too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have done Alaska 2x with HAL with a manual chair. First time round trip Vancouver, and second did 7 day land/7 day sea with HAL, because we found the cruise did not show us enough of that wonderful state. The cruise employees and the excursion operators were all fantastic in making it work. The Alaska railroad was amazing, and the staff so helpful. There is a wheelchair lift to get you up to the domed car and down to the dining car. We did Fly Denali in the park and Island Wings in Ketchikan. Both are very experienced with mobility issues. The Tundra Wilderness tour is great, but may be too tiring for you. The White Pass train in Skagway is fully accessible, we hired DYEA Dave to take us to Carcross Yukon and drop us at the train station in Frasier BC, then he met us at the station in Skagway and took us back to the ship. My suggestion is, if there is something you want to do, the people there will make it happen for you! Enjoy, and don't be afraid to ask for help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have done Alaska 2x with HAL with a manual chair. First time round trip Vancouver, and second did 7 day land/7 day sea with HAL, because we found the cruise did not show us enough of that wonderful state. The cruise employees and the excursion operators were all fantastic in making it work. The Alaska railroad was amazing, and the staff so helpful. There is a wheelchair lift to get you up to the domed car and down to the dining car. We did Fly Denali in the park and Island Wings in Ketchikan. Both are very experienced with mobility issues. The Tundra Wilderness tour is great, but may be too tiring for you. The White Pass train in Skagway is fully accessible, we hired DYEA Dave to take us to Carcross Yukon and drop us at the train station in Frasier BC, then he met us at the station in Skagway and took us back to the ship. My suggestion is, if there is something you want to do, the people there will make it happen for you! Enjoy, and don't be afraid to ask for help!

 

Thank you so much for the info and encouragement! Planning this trip was initially overwhelming but I am much more confident now having found cc and the wonderful advice given by you all! I do agree with you that the Tundra tour would be too taxing on me but I'm sure Iwill find other ways to see the wonderful state of Alaska thanks to the information given to me. I am really excited to start booking some excursions thanks to everyones help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

I AM a royal Caribbean fan but thanks for convincing me to go princess. How do the handicap rooms compare to royal Caribbean in regards to size and functional

 

Thinking about booking cruise for 2019 Has anyone gone in May or early june.Is there a better time to see the wildlife. Also doing land tour.i Perfer to use my scooter. Can the buses and trains and the tours accomdate a scooter.

 

has anyone used third party tour operators for a land tour. Are there any excursions you felt were not worth the money

 

Thx for the feedback

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I AM a royal Caribbean fan but thanks for convincing me to go princess. How do the handicap rooms compare to royal Caribbean in regards to size and functional

 

Thinking about booking cruise for 2019 Has anyone gone in May or early june.Is there a better time to see the wildlife. Also doing land tour.i Perfer to use my scooter. Can the buses and trains and the tours accomdate a scooter.

 

has anyone used third party tour operators for a land tour. Are there any excursions you felt were not worth the money

 

Thx for the feedback

 

I felt that the Princess HA rooms were a bit smaller than the Royal rooms - but I was also comparing Oasis & Allure to Regal. I suppose it depends on the class of ship.

 

My sister and I just came back from Alaska on Celebrity Millenium northbound from Vancouver to Seward. My sister has MS and walks full time with a cane. She also uses a Luggie scooter (which is small and only weighs 50 pounds), and we didn't have any problems with any of our excursions. We only used ship-sponsored excursions so I can't answer your question about third-party tours. One of the few "accessible" excursions we did was the train in Skagway. They actually carried the scooter on and my sister walked up the few steps but they have cars with lifts to accommodate people who can't climb stairs. Our excursion in Juneau was the Mendenhall Glacier and Salmon Hatchery. It wasn't "accessible" but she took her scooter, they loaded into the luggage area of the motor coach and they reserved the first row of the bus for us. They were very accommodating. At Icy Strait Point my sister chose not to take the scooter because most of the area is gravel. The cruise line didn't tell us that there were golf carts to get us from the dock to the island area so we walked. It was a long walk and we took the cart back. We did a crab boat there. Again, not accessible but my sister managed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi I am the OP who asked this question. I booked with PrincessJuly 20018 mainly because of the itinerary and the recommendation of a fellow disabled friend who also has MS. If you read through this thread you will see I received many helpful responses on accessible shore excursions. I have not finalized my plans yet but I will say I have reached out to Island Wings float planes(Ketchikan) and Dolphin tours (Juneau)which are both third party companies. They are aware of my lack of mobility and have assured me we can make it work. FYI I can walk with a cane but only about 25ft and I can do a few stairs with assistance or a hand rail. Both have been great with responding to all my inquiries and concerns and I feel very confident booking both tours. In Skagway I wanted to take Chilkoot bus/train tour of White Pass but I was told that they did not have a lift and could not store my wheelchair for me only a foldable walker. So that leaves me with the train both ways which if I decide to take I will book it through Princess. I am just not sure if I want to book another long train ride because I also am planning on doing a pre cruise trip to Seward via the Alaskan RR. Hope that helps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the info I have cerebral palsy. I have similar limitations as ur sister so ur feedback is much appreciated have u done Alaska On Hal or princess if so how do they compare

 

Thanks

 

We've only done Alaska on Celebrity. We have only been on one Princess cruise and one HAL, which was years ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In Skagway I wanted to take Chilkoot bus/train tour of White Pass but I was told that they did not have a lift and could not store my wheelchair for me only a foldable walker. So that leaves me with the train both ways which if I decide to take I will book it through Princess. I am just not sure if I want to book another long train ride because I also am planning on doing a pre cruise trip to Seward via the Alaskan RR. Hope that helps.

 

We did the Skagway White Pass train. The views were spectacular and we really enjoyed this excursion. It leaves directly from the dock. They do have cars with lifts so you shouldn't have any problems. We did the post-cruise train from Seward to Anchorage on the Alaska RR. It was a lovely four-hour train ride. The train also leaves directly from the dock and actually pulls right into Anchorage Airport. I assume they have lifts, but the car we were on was set up like a dining car (we sat in booths). Again, they carried my sister's scooter on and she walked up the few steps.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We did the Skagway White Pass train. The views were spectacular and we really enjoyed this excursion. It leaves directly from the dock. They do have cars with lifts so you shouldn't have any problems. We did the post-cruise train from Seward to Anchorage on the Alaska RR. It was a lovely four-hour train ride. The train also leaves directly from the dock and actually pulls right into Anchorage Airport. I assume they have lifts, but the car we were on was set up like a dining car (we sat in booths). Again, they carried my sister's scooter on and she walked up the few steps.

 

Thanks for the info. How does your sister like her Luggie? How does it handle on thresholds and on land?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This website has a wonderful review of the Skagway White Pass train ride.

 

http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/travel-guide/a12151275/white-pass-yukon-route-railroad-alaska/

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Seashoregal,

When you boarded the train what did they do with your scooter? Did they store it or let you keep it with you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"If your time in Skagway is limited, you might want to choose the White Pass Summit Excursion. The 40-mile round-trip tour takes visitors to the summit of the White Pass, with an elevation gain of nearly 3,000 feet in only 20 miles. Lift cars make the train accessible for wheelchairs and scooters, but advance reservations for a lift car are required because of limited seating." Hope this helps. I wasn't using scooter back when we took train, but saw people with with them. Now I'm using a scooter and everyone has been so helpful.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...