atexsix

I travel with that paperwork which is a pain, but you never know, whether or not a legal document in North America would be honored elsewhere IDK. That's nice that the Princess board did that, I'm assuming it knows your nearby because of the medallions?

Thanks. A couple of youtubers stayed in the cabin opposite ours (the other side of the pool) and didn't report any issues, although they were on the 2 day trip set aside for travel agents and I doubt the ship was full, I forget what they call that, the pre-maiden voyage is the best I can come up with.

I guess we'll just ask to be taken to that car, and if all else fails, one car over, at least I can put our device in there while the train is under way. I really appreciate everybody's help today, it is surprising how little information is provided by anybody in an official capacity, it's all word of mouth. I will definitely come back and post a review from a disability perspective. Not just about my Dad, but my own as well, as a stroke patient my deficits aren't as obvious.

Thanks. I had forgotten I posted this. Now that you mention it I don't ever recall seeing pool hours on Holland America either, it was always just made obvious that they were closed for reasons you stated, some kind of net would be over it or all the deck chairs are taken away and stacked off to one side. As to their aft pools, nobody in their right mind would use them anyway, they are ice cold.

Thanks. But I'm not yet sure if we can use that car if we're not ticketed for it. I really don't know what cruise lines mean when they are selling excursions considered "accessible". The details about the train were identical to the non-accessible Princess was selling.

We've considered bringing a 2nd device in case something were to happen to the 1st, so I can see benefits of doing this. And I intended to do the same thing, especially during embarkation when I'm unable to carry luggage and cart the chair; Dad will be using the chair the terminal provides, it's too much for me to wheel him myself that kind of distance. As to the OP's issue, cruise lines seem stuck in this port/shore excursion mindset and are unaware people like me exist, that is if it weren't for my Dad, I'd never leave the ship on most itineraries, I cruise for the experience of being at sea, not land. And I favor the Alaska itineraries because I'm 20 minutes from the port. You might have to just curl up in bed with a good book.

We booked through Princess, we just couldn't get the accessible booking, it was sold out, hence all the discussion on making the regular ticket work and I think it can, now it's down to particulars like where to put the walker while the train is moving, etc.

Exactly how I felt. But I'm never one of those fortunates that gets offered Neptune upgrades, I have to pay for them myself 😞

Bon Voyage, have a great time!

That's a good idea, I had thought about doing exactly that for embarkation because I can't handle our luggage AND the mobility devices, but I hadn't thought about that for the rest of the cruise. I googled pictures of the inside of the train carriages, it looks like there is extra space at the ends for walkers and such; but if not, I can always stand near the door and hold onto it, that way Dad can sit anywhere.

Well, I lucked out, the Discovery is the first to arrive and has been assigned the closest railroad dock to the train. If anyone else wants to check where their ship will be, here is the link to this information: https://www.skagway.com/cruises-and-ferries/cruise-ship-calendar/

I just looked at Skagway on Google maps, I think it's going to be a WC, we can't take the chance the ship is not going to be able to dock right by the train.

Thank you. That helps alleviate some of my concern. But we cruise in a week and I'm having the same internal debate: wheelchair or rollator? Dad thinks he'll be fine with the walker, but he has edema in both feet and I think he's overestimating what he can handle. These ships are big, it's not like a simple trip to the pharmacy. I might just have to do both so I'm not playing this guessing game on what his condition will be like a week from now. Do the staff members ask if you'll need assistance or do they more or less look for people in WC's? If it's the latter, perhaps a WC would be better so we'll be noticed. Bottom line, I think all of you understand that when it comes to disabilities, the more you know in advance the better off you'll be, nothing worse than arriving someplace and finding no accommodations whatsoever. Edit: There will be 3 other ships there, I sure hope Princess docks near the train, otherwise I don't know how we'd get there.

Really helpful info, we're really nervous about Skagway. How did people board the train? Is it a free for all? Or are there employees guiding people along? My Dad will probably have his walker, I think he'd be better off in the WC, but don't know how the gangway situation will be and the terrain. And is there anyplace to put it while on the train? The accessible tour with Princess was booked solid, I had to make regular reservations, but maybe the ship shore x office can help on what we are to expect.

We're still a go for short portion that stays in Alaska. How does the train boarding work? Do each cruise line have their own cars? I'm hoping it's not a free for all.

Forgive a dumb question, but if the Sapphire and Diamond are not in use and not returning until September, is there any reason they couldn't have swapped out the Crown for the majority of the Alaska season? Or was it too late for that?

A Neptune maybe. But we don't need the extra space in the Signature. I considered a similar deal on Princess, but we're really looking forward to the aft cabin, we've never had one and think it'll be fantastic for Alaska.

My thoughts exactly, I sail on the Discovery in a week. What could be so bad you wish you were on the neighboring ship?

I love meatloaf, but it's one of those things you're taking a chance on, everybody seems to have their own special version, Annie Wilkes puts Spam in hers (will see how many of you get it).

Thanks!

I did the initial part with passport and vax cards, but what's involved with the rest of it? I clicked on the first page and didn't even know what to select, I'm assuming a cruise is considered "discretionary/optional" travel?

Did you find it liberating? Or did you regret it? Because it is kind of a pain to paw through them looking for things, you're forced to unpack rather than leave some things in the suitcases. We're trying to make our upcoming cruise as fuss free as possible by going ultra casual, cruising is complicated enough as it is these days. So I've purchased two large packs designed for long weekend type trips. I'm just curious what other people's experiences have been, because we still have time to change our minds, we're not leaving for a week.

People who have been on the Sky Princess and her sisters did you notice a ton of noise under the Wake View? We're going to be in M724, directly under the stairway leading to the Sun Deck. I don't care so much about daytime, but after hours is another story. Being on the stairway side, I don't think it'll be too bad, not much space for people to run about, and it'll be Alaska, there won't be a lot of pool weather. I was under the Lido once before on a HAL ship and rarely noticed footsteps unless somebody walked especially hard (pounding heel walkers). I can only assume it'll be the same on Princess.

Hopefully the people up there won't be able to see too much onto our balcony, I found this photo somewhere on the web and it seems to be mostly covered. Our stateroom is also underneath the stairway connecting the Lido and Sun Decks, that should cut down on some of the noise. By the time people walk around it, there's only a small area people will be directly above us. I also looked at a ton of pictures of the Sky Princess with the exact same layout and it doesn't look like an area of the ship where children would be running about. It strikes me as a spot where people stand and look at the passing scenery, thank God we're not going to Glacier Bay. I might post this picture in the Princess forum and see what others have experienced. I think we'll be fine at night which is the biggest concern obviously, and if we're not, well it'd only be a week of lost sleep.

We're on Marina deck mainly for the same reason, we're going to be eating up there a lot more than with cruises past, we're just not in the mood for a lot of fuss, all the testing and forms and medallion woes are enough as it is; plus dining casually allows us to pack less and who can beat the location, it'll be a short flight of stairs away. Our only concern is noise but I can't see that many people using the wakeview pool area up in Alaska. Edit: when we sailed HAL last September, there were multiple reports from people that the buffet left the MDR in the dust in terms of food quality and choices; maybe it'll be the same on Princess.