Ski Mom

Please excuse the misspelling on my response! I was posting via voice activation and it doesn’t always translate the best spelling or grammar! I tried to edit it but posted it by mistake!

Hi Jim! Thank you for your feedback! No there are no tables of two. They are either 4or 6. We were the same way about liking to socializing with fellow passengers but choosing to dine just the two of us. We were a little nervous that there were no tables of two. We quickly realized that the reason for this setup was to encourage people to meet. I honestly think that it made our trip to dine this way ! I have never met and got to know so many wonderful and interesting people on any other cruise I’ve ever been on. It is a truly unique experience and I look forward to our next one. Please make sure you make it to the coattail hour before dinner because it’s phenomenal!

Thank you so much! I hope it helps!

You are very welcome! I hope you have just as much of a pleasant experience as we did!

Thanks for your review! I enjoyed your pictures! Can I ask you if you saw anyone disembarking at cruise ports in a wheelchair and was the staff willing to help? I was on the Columbia Snake River cruise in July and you’re right some of the ramps are pretty small and steep but the young crew went above and beyond to assist me and my husband get on and off the ship using my transport wheelchair.

You are very welcome! Thank you for the feedback !

Beautiful photos! Fabulous review! Your daughters are lovely and so is mom! I love their style! I will be on a Celebrity cruise in late September. I have limited mobility and will probably be seeing Naples in either a transport wheelchair pushed by DH or a mobility scooter I will be renting for the cruise could you please recommend an activity for us to do in Naples?

I am really Enjoying following along with you on your journey! Thanks so much for sharing!

Loving your review!

Thank you for the link! That helps a lot!

Thank you so much for your response and information. You are right about my post being misleading. I tried to correct it but it was too late I meant to say I would like to see the Sistine Chape and the Basilica while in Rome. I’m not planning on doing any excursions in Venice it’s just that my cruise ends there and I am definitely showing my lack of knowledge because after talking a closer look at the itinerary the cruise terminal is actually in Ravenna not Venice. Celebrity made that a little confusing to a newbie in Italy like me! Any way due to time constraints if I choose the September 17th date I would not be able to extend my stay in Venice. As far as an all day excursion it’s my fatigue level which is the worst part of my MS and I never know when it going to hit me . It could be the weather because heat and humidity are draining to me or like I said climbing in and out of a vehicle or let’s face it the longer the excursion the more likely I will have a need for not only a rest room break but finding an accessible restroom. I have read that a lot of the ruins are not very wheelchair or scooter friendly and that of the two that Herculon was more accessible. I think I would like to just see the beautiful coast and the quaint towns and maybe have lunch in one and save the history for the museums I hope to visit. I really appreciate you taking the time to respond and sharing your experience with the water taxi. I’ve been in situations like that myself! Maybe not the most graceful way to do things but at least I manage to do things that I love. I always try to research and be prepared ahead of time, but we both know that sometimes the best day plans can go wrong too! I have traveled a lot but never to Europe and this is so overwhelming to plan and MS is a progressive and unpredictable condition that I never know when my mobility will decline to a point where I’m in a wheelchair full time . Right now I can transfer from a wheelchair to a vehicle with difficulty, but I can do it, but it might be in my future to here to book a vehicle with a wheelchair lift .

Thank you so much for your response and information! The breakfast in the Vatican sounds lovely! Did you say I would book them right through the Vatican? I did read on either the Vatican website or on the CC disability board that there are certain areas in the Vatican that prohibit the use of a scooter and that I would have to transfer to a manual wheelchair that they would provide for free if there was one available. Do you know this to be true? If so I might be better bringing my own transport wheelchair that my husband would have to push. Unfortunately that would make rest room breaks a lot harder to do independently..

Thank you 😊

Thank you!

Believe me! This is all new to me and I appreciate any feedback I can get! I have a girlfriend from my MS group that went to Italy, but she went from Rome, France and Barcelona, so she can only give me information on those destinations and we also have different things we are interested in doing and seeing. She gave me a recommendation on a hotel in Rome and a tour operator but she was there five years ago and things may have changed. That’s why I posted my question and I really appreciate your response. I’m now researching for accessible private tours and reading all I can on this board. I just hope I’m not being too naive to think I can do this!

Hi Juliet! Are you talking about the canals and bridges in Venice? I would not be able to do those either. Venice would just be either a starting point or an end point to our cruise. If I started our cruise in Venice I would probably have the scooter delivered to the ship but if I started in Rome I would probably have it delivered to the hotel so I could use it to tour the Vatican and the Colosseum or the parts that are wheelchair accessible. I just thought if I rented a scooter my husband would not have to push me all over the place. I guess I was just asking for opinions on which itinerary would be best for a first time visit to Italy. Thank you for the and and well wishes. Best wishes to you and your husband,

Thank you ! Thank you! I too am not interested in full day tours or getting In and out of an SUV or hiking around ruins. I have put both your tour operators suggestions in my notebook! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond!

The departure dates I’m looking at are September 6th or September 17 th

Hello I am in the preliminary stages of planning a cruise to Italy and Croatia. I will be traveling with my husband. I have MS and travel with a transport wheelchair and rent a mobility scooter for cruises. I am interested in the best of Italy and Croatia cruise One is 10 days and sails September 17th and the other one sails September 6 for Eleven days and begins in Venice and ends in Rome. Although these two itineraries are very similar they are a little different. I like the idea of starting in Rome and ending in Venice but it doesn’t include Sorrento Amalfi coast. The early September one is a day longer but it is an extra day at sea and ends in Venice instead of Rome which would entail me doing Rome at the end of our trip which is doable but not ideal. I am not familiar with European travel so this is all new to me. I understand that the cobblestone in Europe are an obstacle for wheelchair travelers but I plan on taking private escorted tours with either my wheelchair or the rented scooter. In Rome I would like to see the Vatican and the Colosseum and Venice looks like it maybe do a Rome at night tour by private car tour. Any advice or recommendations on which itineraries you would recommend would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary-search?sailStartDate=2024-09-01&sailEndDate=2024-09-30&departures=ROM,BLQ&q=italy&feature=off&dateToggle=M

Sure! Here’s a link to my review and I would be happy to answer any questions you have! https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2951942-my-american-song-columbia-river-review-long-but-i-hope-it’s-helpful/?do=findComment&comment=65761637

I just got back from a Colombia Snake River cruise on the American Song. Beer and wine available always in the dining room as stated by Dave you can get any kind of mixed drink at the lounge where they have happy hour starting at 5:00 and or you can also get a mixed drink at the Skye lounge bar on deck three just about anytime. The lounge bar that has happy hour is open till about 10 for the evening entertainment. We also enjoyed the Back Porch Deck grill for a quick lunch or breakfast . It is located right outside the Sky Lounge.,They are opened early morning at 6:30 am till 2 pm. They have a small menu of hot breakfast items and also burgers and wraps for lunch., You can either eat outside or in the Ske Lounge which also serves yogurt fresh fruit and delicious baked scones! Snacks and cookies are also available and of course they’re famous homemade cookies! I saw people enjoying their mimosas and Bloody Mary there every morning and the Sky Lounge is where I enjoyed a delicious homemade white sangria while just sitting and watching the beautiful views from the open deck or the lounge where there’s plenty of windows! I don’t know anything about room service for alcohol though. Hope that helps!

Hello I just returned from a fabulous 8 night River cruise with ACL on the American Song July 8th through July 16th. I posted my review on the Disabled board but I thought that it would help other people on this board to see what ACL has to offer. A little about us. We are in our early sixties and I have MS. I walk with a cane and travel with a transport wheelchair. I usually rent a scooter for larger ships but didn’t for this trip and I will explain later. We didn’t know what to expect when we booked with ACL because I honestly was not familiar with them. A big shout out to Essies Mom for suggesting this line when I posted a question about a year ago. I had so many questions about this cruise line and its itinerary and everyone here was so helpful That I just wanted to return the favor! Except for one couple in their forties and two young adults traveling with their parents we were probably one of the youngest passengers on board but you know what? It didn’t matter! We met so many wonderful and interesting well traveled people and we had a blast! We usually travel with a few friends and if we had done that I don’t think we would have met the people we did so I feel this is a great cruise for a single traveler. The food was great and the cocktail hour was fantastic. We also loved the back porch grill for a quick lunch with great views inside or out and a few choices for early breakfast as well! We loved the breakfast sandwich and the fresh baked scones and fresh fruit! Oh and don’t get me started on the fresh baked cookies available several times a day and the after dinner root beer floats and popcorn while you enjoyed local entertainment on board! The dress code was pretty casual during the day and at dinner most ladies wore nice slacks and a top or a casual dress and the men wore chinos and a polo shirt or short sleeve button up. This was the first cruise My husband did not bring a sport coat and I didn’t see any other men wearing one either. Some people wore what they wore on excursions during the day but they still looked nice. I wore one nice dress on our last night because I was celebrating my birthday but it was still on the casual side. Initially in the early stages of planning this cruise I was a little taken back by the price. It’s definitely the priciest cruise we’ve been on including our Alaskan cruise but it is all inclusive with drinks and gratuities included and also some nice complimentary shore excursions. Although the staff was willing to always help out I do think ACL needs to improve the overall accessibility in their staterooms and the disembarkation process on both shore excursions and the first and last day. I had done some research on line before the cruise and saw that the hallways and elevators were small and narrow and a scooter would have a hard time getting through especially when there are carts in the hallway from housekeeping staff who by the way were awesome and always seemed to be working and available if need be. The ramps to leave the ship for excursions were quite narrow steep and bumpy and I don’t think you would be able to use a scooter on them. That is the one thing that Princess and Celebrity have ACL beat hands down because I’ve been on both of them and never had a problem using my scooter. The ramps going ashore would definitely not accommodate a travel scooter and the shower in my accessible stateroom had a six inch lip that if I was traveling alone I would have not been able to use. I took pictures of the bathroom to show others so they are prepared. The balcony also required a step. All and all it was a wonderful cruise and I would definitely recommend them but I think at this point it would be a bit hard on a wheelchair traveler to do on their own. Just a note and just my opinion I’m glad I started our journey in Clarkston WA which is hot and dry and almost dessert like. On the day we disembarked it was a scorching 95 degrees! Luckily it got cooler and much more pleasant as we traveled down the river towards Oregon. Although both landscapes are beautiful in their own right I think it would be a bit of a let down to go from the lush green scenery in Oregon to the desert like landscape of eastern Washington. But again that’s just my opinion. There is also an option for a pre cruise Jet Boat excursion that we didn’t take because it wasn’t wheelchair accessible but fellow passengers said it was wonderful but you would have to start your cruise two days before in Clarkston to accommodate it. The Columbia River is made up of a series of locks and we passed through eight of them on our journey. Some of them at night. They were designed to let ships pass seamlessly from one water level to another dropping at levels of 90 feet and a defiantly an engineering marvel! I loved all the excursions and it would be hard to pick my favorite but I will say definitely Mount Saint Helen, Cape Disappointment and the M Falls are a must see! We did take a break from the museums and exhibits one day and visited the Merry Hills Winery where the wine was great and the scenery was spectacular! We also loved watching the masses of wind surfers in Mount Hood where can have wind velocities of up to 70 miles per hour! No wonder it is known as the “ Wind surfing capital of the world “ I forgot to mention that forgot to mention that we had four motor coaches that followed our cruise all week and two of them had lifts to accommodate wheelchair travelers and room on them to fit two wheelchair passengers that needed to stay in their wheelchair. I had trouble navigating the stairs on the motor coach the first day and needed to bring my wheelchair to excursions that required a lot of walking so this really helped me! I was blessed to have a wonderful driver named Abra who was always there to assist me with the stairs or operate the lift on days when I needed it. I told her that she was my angel and I couldn’t have done what I did without her help. Although I thoroughly enjoyed all the excursions offered by ACL I think one of my favorite days was the last day of our cruise that we spent just cruising and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Oregon. It was so nice not to have to report to anyone or rise at dawn to board a motor coach for an excursion. These last two random photos are of my wonderful bus driver Abra and the other is of the last day of our cruise that we spent on our balcony enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery of Oregon. I also loved our first day of the cruise when we spent the day cruising and enjoying the beautiful views of Washington. Well I hope I gave you a good idea of what the ACL Colombia River cruise was like! Thanks for reading!

I just returned from a trip on the American Song and was in an accessible state room. The bathroom shower was pretty small but had room for a shower chair so I guess it was a decent size. Usually on big ships the accessible showers are bigger and do not have a lip to step over. Mine had a six inch lip and I am pretty sure was the same size as the other ones on the ship. Hope that helps!

You have a beautiful state and I hope to visit it again someday because one week just wasn’t enough!

I tried to edit my original post but it was too late. I forgot to mention that forgot to mention that we had four motor coaches that followed our cruise all week and two of them had lifts to accommodate wheelchair travelers and room on them to fit two wheelchair passengers that needed to stay in their wheelchair. I had trouble navigating the stairs on the motor coach the first day and needed to bring my wheelchair to excursions that required a lot of walking so this really helped me! I was blessed to have a wonderful driver named Abra who was always there to assist me with the stairs or operate the lift on days when I needed it. I told her that she was my angel and I couldn’t have done what I did without her help. Although I thoroughly enjoyed all the excursions offered by ACL I think one of my favorite days was the last day of our cruise that we spent just cruising and enjoying the beautiful scenery of Oregon. It was so nice not to have to report to anyone or rise at dawn to board a motor coach for an excursion. These lat two random photos are of my wonderful bus driver Abra and the other is of the last day of our cruise that we spent on our balcony enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery of Oregon.