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Luxury cruising in alsska


jmspls72
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Assuming you know from the wheelchair in Alaska thread I am considering a trip in 2019 I am also considering doing a luxury cruise just so I can pamper myself and my wife of course

 

I wanted to get opinions about going on a luxury curise line Such as Crystal and Regent. Oceana Just wanted to see if anyone has been on those lines if it was worth the additional cost and also the accessibility of the ships and excursions that they provide for free

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Assuming you know from the wheelchair in Alaska thread I am considering a trip in 2019 I am also considering doing a luxury cruise just so I can pamper myself and my wife of course

 

I wanted to get opinions about going on a luxury curise line Such as Crystal and Regent. Oceana Just wanted to see if anyone has been on those lines if it was worth the additional cost and also the accessibility of the ships and excursions that they provide for free

 

Paying more for a luxury cruise is not going to ensure better accessibility as the basic rule of thumb is that regardless of the cruise line the newer the ship the better the accessibility. With that said even new ships are not without accessibility issues to overcome.

 

Another thing to ask yourselves in considering an "All Inclusive" luxury cruise is if you'll really be taking advantage of everything that's included in the cost or will you be paying for things that will never be fully utilized or utilized at all ? You have to research whether the free excursions offered are wheelchair accessible. For example all buses to Mendenhall Glacier are typical school buses that do not have accessible lifts. Additionally people tend to think that because Alaska is in the USA that everything has to be accessible. In fact ADA has a grandfather clause that allows companies that were in place prior to the implementation of ADA to not have to be accessible until such time that they do complete renovation. That's why many places in the USA are still not accessible as companies don't want to take on the cost of renovations because it means added expense to become accessible.

 

In the end only you and your wife are the only ones to make the determination if the additional cost for an "All Inclusive" Luxury Cruise is worth it or not.

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Crystal's ships are pretty accessible, but they have a very limited number of accessible cabins, and the ones they have are somewhat lacking in real accessiblity. There are two on the Promenade deck (2 passengers only), and a couple of suites that are adapted on each ship only. The bathrooms maintain their tubs (deep and impossible to do a safe transfer if you are limited in mobility) and otherwise there is a wall mounted shower chair outside the tub which requires pretty much turning the entire bathroom into a shower, and includes a lip that creates an obstacle for wheeled mobility (and possibly a trip hazard). Otherwise, the showroom, pool area, buffet, dining room, etc. a very accessible, and the crew very accommodating.

 

Have not sailed on Regents, so cannot speak to their accessibility.

 

When I was last in Juneau in 2014 I noted that some of the school bus shuttles to the Mendenhall Glacier did have accessible lifts, and even in 2000 we were able to get an accessible tour (van with lift) in both Juneau and Sitka through the cruise line (Princess) although with a considerable amount of pressure required by us to get this arranged. The ADA does apply in Alaska as in the rest of the USA for transportation...the "grandfathering" applies to other businesses but only if they have done no updates or revision of their facilities since 1992.

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Crystal's ships are pretty accessible, but they have a very limited number of accessible cabins, and the ones they have are somewhat lacking in real accessiblity. There are two on the Promenade deck (2 passengers only), and a couple of suites that are adapted on each ship only. The bathrooms maintain their tubs (deep and impossible to do a safe transfer if you are limited in mobility) and otherwise there is a wall mounted shower chair outside the tub which requires pretty much turning the entire bathroom into a shower, and includes a lip that creates an obstacle for wheeled mobility (and possibly a trip hazard). Otherwise, the showroom, pool area, buffet, dining room, etc. a very accessible, and the crew very accommodating.

 

Have not sailed on Regents, so cannot speak to their accessibility.

 

When I was last in Juneau in 2014 I noted that some of the school bus shuttles to the Mendenhall Glacier did have accessible lifts, and even in 2000 we were able to get an accessible tour (van with lift) in both Juneau and Sitka through the cruise line (Princess) although with a considerable amount of pressure required by us to get this arranged. The ADA does apply in Alaska as in the rest of the USA for transportation...the "grandfathering" applies to other businesses but only if they have done no updates or revision of their facilities since 1992.

 

Was in Juneau Sept 2016 and t=there were no buses to Mendenhall that had accessible lifts so guess it's hit or miss.

 

Think perhpas you misintrepreted me previous reply. Yes ADA does apply to Alaska but the point I was making was that don't expect everything to be fully accessible due to the "grandfather clause".

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