cruisn43

I was just watching some videos for Grand Princess accessible balcony cabins. They appear to be newly renovated with automatic doors (at least from inside the cabin). The door to the bathrooms has also been changed to a sliding door, which I think is another great addition. I looked at some other ships, but couldn't find any other cabins that appear to have be modified this way. Hopefully this will continue across other ships in the future.

@Cruz4SunWe had the accessible window suite on deck 6 in the fall of 2019 for a cruise from Quebec City to New York. At that point CC dining was just down the hall which was super convenient. Hopefully it is on Deck 6 when you cruise! We weren't able to get a window table for dinner as the table set up was not great for getting through with a scooter, but we did have a nice quiet table in a less busy location to the right of the entry. The theater is just down the hall, so no worries about elevators to and from shows. Also super close to the International Cafe and the piazza!

@Cruz4SunYou mentioned that your husband was concerned about the elevators. We found the best option was to drive straight on through the middle of the doors. Do not attempt to turn, and do not move to one side. Drive straight on, and back straight out. We also found it helpful to take the first elevator with available room, even if it was going in the wrong direction. We stayed back a bit from the elevators so I could move forward to see if there was enough room for us. I would hold the door while my husband made his way over. Most people were great, but once in a while I had to explain that I was holding the door so my husband could get his scooter on. The glass elevators overlooking the atrium were often less busy. You mentioned that you will be in a suite. I would suggest that on the first day you go to the dining room and have a look at the Club Class area. We found a table that suited our needs and they tried to keep it for us every night (we tend to eat early, so this was easier).

Thank you @PTMom1974and @kokopelli-az! I appreciate the information!

@kokopelli-azThank you! Did you just exit the ship and get in the taxi line up? I have heard that Yellow Cab works well from the airport to a hotel. Some people have had less than great results with getting from their hotel to the port on cruise day. We'll give it a try in January, it just worries me a bit as we'd be stuck if they did not show up. Is there room in the cab for the wheelchair user and 3 other passengers, or will we likely need a second cab?

@510pickerI'm sorry I don't have any information about accessible taxis in Boston, but I'm hoping you can help me. Who do you use for wheelchair accessible taxis/transfers in Fort Lauderdale?

@FOPManI hadn't looked at Lago Mar. It looks like they have an accessible one bedroom suite. Sofa is for seating during the day before the cruise starts. I'm going to give them a call. It looks like they also have a concierge who may have a contact for an accessible transfer. Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks again @FOPMan. More good information/suggestions. The cruise is Panama Canal with Princess in mid January. We'll stay 2 nights in Fort Lauderdale pre cruise as we are flying from Ontario. No guarantee of weather here at that time of year, so we want to be safe. With my luck, if we planned to roll over to the port it would end up raining! Both of those hotels do not have an accessible room that meets our needs. I've had a conversation with the concierge at Embassy Suites. He says he has someone who can do the wheelchair transfers for us. I know ES is not getting good reviews lately, and is dated. Apparently a big reno is scheduled. I will keep searching. Hard to believe that wheelchair accessible transportation is so hard to find.

Thank you @FOPMan. I appreciate you sharing your experiences. I had read about Yellow Cab, but was worried about them being there when we need them. Renting an accessible van is an option. Without a friend to help with the pick up it would be challenging, but it may be something we need to do. We are looking at doing transfers through Princess, but unfortunately, the hotel we have been quoted does not have a room to meet our needs (we need an accessible room with a couch as well as a bed). Do you mind sharing the name of the rental company (if that is allowed).

@HS2BS I just read your post about the accessible mini van taxi. Was your wife able to stay in her wheelchair? Did you book in advance with the company? Could you provide me the name of the company? My husband was previously able to transfer to a seat in the car, but this is no longer the case.

We will be cruising out of Fort Lauderdale next January and will require a wheelchair accessible transfers/taxi from the airport to our hotel, to the cruise port, and back to the airport. My husband will need to stay in his chair, rather than transfer into the vehicle. I've checked online and am having a hard time finding a company with wheelchair accessible vans. I would prefer to book in advance. Does anyone have experience with this?

@PescadoAmarilloYou mentioned that someone you know is blogging from the cruise. Can you provide a link?

There are references to the three Canadian ports in a cruise blog called Exploring the World from the Inside Cabin (https://www.theinsidecabin.com). They visited these locations during their 2022 Canada Greenland Iceland Cruise. Someone else posted from the same cruise with their information from the ports but I can't find the link right now. we find that sometimes cruise tours cram too much into one day. You might want to look at renting a car or booking a taxi (book ahead) so you can go at your own speed. From Halifax, Peggy's Cove is beautiful, as are some of the small towns nearby (Mahone Bay, Chester, Lunenburg). In Halifax, The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (with the Titanic Exhibit and information on the Halifax Explosion in 1917) is also interesting. Depending on your time in port you could probably to both on your own. From Sydney, the Alexander Graham Bell Museum is very interesting. You could easily spend a few hours there if you like that sort of thing. It is an hour drive (without stops from Sydney to Baddeck). There are also some other options close to your route to Baddeck, as well as some scenic areas both in Baddeck and on the route. The Fortress of Louisbourg is also interesting, but is in the other direction.

The section from post 7 says " in an abundance of caution masks are required at all indoor locations on northbound and southbound Alaska voyages between Whittier and Vancouver until further notice" I think this may have something to do with Anchorage perhaps not having the availability of hotels for people who test positive and need to quarantine. It looks like HAL just cancelled an upcoming cruise tour as well.