ZellaLamb

Hello all,

We are going on a cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Santiago, Chile. Has anyone had experieince with private tours in Lima (2 days) Pisco, or Arica, Chile ?

We were very happy using Sage Travel. We used them in Tallin and SPB. They have a very extensive website that can be very helpful for European travel. We did not go to Berlin, feeling that the trip was much too long for the time we had. Instead, we happened to be in Warmarunde during a wonderful sea festival. There is a path that is accessible to get from the port to the seaside walk.

In many of the cities you listed, we just took the HOHO buses. They all have ramps and we enjoyed exploring on our own.

Ten years ago we sailed on a Holland America ship that had partially adapted rooms. However, I do agree with Betty.

Sage travel just wrote an article on Rome in a wheelchair with several hotel suggestions. Go to their website and take a look. I have been to Rome twice from a cruise but have never stayed there. Have fun. You should consider getting a special guide for the Vatican so that you don't have to wait in the long lines. They will take you in another door.

We were in Helsinki last year. We took the HOHO bus and had no problems. There are a few areas of cobblestones but they aren't bad.

I know exactly what you mean about not wanting the pants on the floor. On many trips I have found a midi length skirt to be my friend. You can just pull them up. Shorter skirts tend to ride up when I'm in my chair and longer skirts can get tripped on. Flowie skirts don't work at all.

My other big issue in the restrooms is that I can not "hover" over the seat. I've got to sit (as I suspect most of the woman on this forum do). I hope this topic doesn't offend anyone but I almost always have to clean up someone else's mess before I can pee. If you can't be neat, lift the seat! In any case, I carry a small bottle of purel with me and use that to wipe it down.

Clothing tips is a great topic.

Has anyone flown on LATAM airlines with a wheelchair? We are leaving in November on a cruise that will go from Ft. Lauderdale down through the Panama Canal and then down to Valpariso, Chile, with stops along the way. It seems that the best prices for airfare to return home are on LATAM. I'm looking for anyone who has used them.

Hi Allie,

I will be traveling with my husband and another couple. I will be using a folding portable electric wheelchair for this trip. We haven't made a lot of plans for this trip. We've seen most of the ports and are most interested in our 3 days in New Orleans. We decided not to buy a ticket to Jazz Fest ahead of time. If the weather is too wet or too hot, I won't want to go. We are going to play it by ear and just wander about.

Kate

Hey there! We will be going on the same cruise! I'm so excited to go to Jazz fest. I will follow this post for any suggestions.

Kate

Just wanted to do a follow-up in case anyone was interested. My Echo 3 was delivered yesterday as promised. I am amazed what this is for the price. When my hubby got home from work, he had it together in three minutes without even looking at the instructions. It comes apart in three pieces for easy loading into your car. (I can even do it). No tools needed. I had so much fun zipping around the house last night and I am overwhelmed with joy knowing I can get around a ship and tour the Islands. LOVE this scooter.

So glad this is working for you. It looks like we live in the same area. I have a Wheelchair88.com folding chair and if you are ever interested in taking it for a little test drive, let me know. It is the same as the EZlite.

I've never seen a lift that places a person in the airplane seat. What I've seen is the person being transferred into a small aisle transfer chair, strapped in and then taken to an aisle seat with a movable armrest, where they are then transferred over. The wheelchair is gate checked and (in theory) waiting for you at the other end.

I'm wondering if perhaps the lift is for airplanes that don't have a jetway? I've been taken up in a little fork lift contraption to the door of the plane and then I went to my seat. This was in Europe.

My husband put together a small tool kit for my scooter and put it in our checked luggage. When our bag never showed up in our cabin, we discovered that it had been put in the "naughty room". As we actually had some things in our bag that perhaps we shouldn't have, we got a bit concerned. My husband went down and security pointed at the bag and asked him what was in there. He reached in and took out our little tool kit and explained it was to repair my scooter. They examined it and decided that a few Allan wrenches and a pliers wouldn't hurt anyone and let him take the bag. We had a toast later in our cabin. :halo:

That being said, the tool kit that I have in my travel wheelchair pouch is almost always pulled aside for scrutiny when flying. They let us take it but I can see that it is with great hesitation.

I've traveled with meds that had to be kept cold and have never had issues on the ship keeping it in my fridge. The only time I can remember that we didn't have a fridge, I told the room steward that I had meds to keep cold. He took them to the medical center and brought them to me every day at the same time. He would even remind me when it was time to take them! I wish that I could remember what ship that was on but I think that it was a Holland America trans Atlantic.

Several people have posted about a special cooling bag that re-charges by soaking it in water. I've never tried it but they swear by it.

How very interesting. I wonder why the ramp wouldn't be put out for me? I'm going to send a note to the travel company to point this out.

It never ceases to amaze me how people are able to post a question on CC but don't check the website for the facility for the information they're seeking.

 

OP , with all due respect the website for the Hermitage Museum contains the answer to your question.

While you are correct that the websites for facilities often have the information someone is seeking, it is also true that they may not provide the full picture. One of the benefits of a forum like this is that it can provide personal insights. That being said, I'll provide mine.

I was at the Hermitage in July. We had a pre-arranged tour with the museum and guide who specializes in disabled travel. When we got to the door where the ramp was stored, our guide spoke to the security guide and asked him to put out the ramp. He looked at me, shrugged, and said that he would not do it. I could see the ramp folded up inside the door but he just didn't feel like doing it. Our guide advised us that it was best not to argue with him and that if I still wanted to go in, I would have to negotiate the five stone, uneven, wet steps with no handrail. My husband and friend carried me and the chair up the steps. Once we were in, there were no further problems. We were able to get everywhere.

So, technically the website is correct. But wasn't it better to hear the real story?

If you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer them.

Kate

I am trying to plan a cruise on RCI in March with other wheelchair users. Some folks would like to go to Disney while we are in Port Canaveral. Does anyone know of a transportation company that can take several wheelchair users? Some of the folks can not transfer, others can.

I have a small folding electric wheelchair with 2 lithium ion batteries. I've flown with it now 10 times and have never done any of those things. Lithium batteries are in the news a lot lately because of fire danger. As I understand it, the batteries made for my chair are designed with a charger that does not allow them to over charge. It is the over charging of batteries that makes them overheat. I usually leave my batteries in place and declare them as dry cell. However, if I need to do it, I can remove them and put them in my carry on. I always remove the controller on my chair and bring it on board as well. I drive the chair up to the plane and, after removing the controller and perhaps the batteries, the chair folds up and goes into a canvas carry bag. This is then loaded into the hold. In theory, the chair is brought up to the door of the plane at my destination. In practice, this only works at US destinations.

I have had great luck with Sage travel's web site. It has a wealth of information there for Europe. We also used their tour service in Estonia and could not have been happier. The price actually came out to less than other tour companies because we were charged by the vehicle, not per person.

I know that you prefer to explore on your own but I say this in case others are looking for advice.

Also, it is not only the door width that you should be concerned with. Can you handle a step up into the bathroom? Is there a seat in the shower?

Interesting question. My guess is that they have to provide access for everyone. Even the conch train has a ramp into it. You might want to call the cruise line and ask. I'd be curious to know the answer.

We missed a full day of tours because of the weather so we saw no palaces.

We used Alla Tours in July and they had a lift van for us. Unfortunately, the weather was so bad that we were not able to get into port on the first day so we only got one days tour in. It worked very well and there were ramps outside of most places. One really irritating issue was the Hermitage. Although they do indeed have a metal ramp that they can put out, the guard refused to do so. The tour company had requested it ahead of time. It was right there but the guard pointed at my crutches on the back of the wheelchair and said that I could walk up the five, uneven, stone steps with no railing in the pouring rain. My husband carried me up (no small feat) and then carried the chair up. As this was a place that was always on my bucket list, I was willing to endure this but it left a terrible taste in my mouth for the museum, and the country.

I hear you Vicki! I had a long chat with several officers about this issue. I even spoke to Captain Kate. I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll be on the Summit again in April and my expectation is that I just won't use the pool.

We took the HoHo busses at all of the ports except for Tallin and St. Pete, where we had guides.

All of the busses had a rear ramp that folded out. Some of them needed a bit of coaxing but my husband had them folded out before the driver even got back there. Not all of the busses had the same seating position and some of them were difficult to see the sights from where I was. Even so, it was a great way to see the cities.

We were just there a month ago. We discovered that if you look up at the directional signs, there is one with a wheelchair symbol. It directs you to the path that is accessible. You need to go all the way to the end of the pier and then around. Very easy and nice port.