jpcello

Our room attendant kindly provided ice and a small shower seat (from a handicap accessible cabin?) so that he could extend his legs to ice his knees while sitting on the balcony.

Don't worry - the shower seats in the handicapped accessible cabins are built into the shower (they're attached to the wall and fold down). Shower seats are usually provided for non- HA cabins when one is needed :)

I'll be on the NB Millennium from Vancouver to Anchorage leaving Vancouver on August 18. Monday August 21st is supposed to be a total eclipse of the sun. We'll be at Icy Strait Point. Any idea if we'll be able to see it that far north?

Thank you for your kind words.Not everyone shares your sentient as there is an individual on this forum that believes I'm a troll that gives out inaccurate information. Oh well everyone's entitled to their own opinion after all that's what makes life interesting.

 

Know that I always look forward to reading your contribution on this forum !

xxoocruiser - I value your opinion and knowledge of the ins and outs of cruising.

Hi all! This will be my first cruise and I am excited! Going on Oasis of the Seas for the Eclipse Cruise in August 2017.

 

I have relapsing remitting MS; i am finally out of my wheelchair (and hospital! woohooo!) but still tire easily. At home and locally, I use a cane and take many breaks, as needed.

 

This was not originally a themed cruise -booked in February- but have been planning and hope it will be ok, regardless of crowds.

 

I own the following equipment:

Power chair

manual transport chair - not comfy and handle broken

rollator

 

 

Thinking of renting scooter but not sure it's a smart investment. The ship will probably be packed so elevators and corridors harder to manage with it. We are doing a glass bottom boat tour in Nassua and just want to go to public beaches in St. Marteen and St. Johns.

 

Also, my hubby is against bringing equipment as friends will be taxiing us around in Florida and to the port; their vehicle cannot fit my powered chair.

 

I know the Oasis is huge! We're in an accessible balcony on deck 6; in the forums, someone mentioned muster s one deck below so maybe I could try the stairs with my cane.

 

I don't know how the heat/humidity will affect me. I would greatly appreciate all insight!

 

Thanks,

Janet

:D

Hi Janet - I'm Janet as well. I cruise with my sister, who also has R/R MS. We did both Oasis and Allure and had a ball on both. She travels with a small mobility scooter (Luggie) and we couldn't have done the cruise without it. Oasis is a huge ship, and has others have said, it never really felt crowded. You just have to accept the fact that the elevators will be busy. Also keep in mind the heat. Be prepared for it. We brought cooling towels. We loved the Viking Crown Lounge for someplace cool to sit but still have great views. Unfortunately the heat affects my sister that we can no longer cruise in the south during the summer (we're heading to Alaska in August).

There is special seating for muster drills. Since you're in an accessible cabin, the instructions on the back of the door will tell you exactly where to do.

The MDR was very accommodating. My sister would park the scooter at the entrance and just walk in (she uses a cane). There was also adequate spots for the theatres (wheelchair seating is in the back).

We were even able to get up to the flowriders to watch the riders. Also plenty of seating at the Aqua Theatre.

Have a great cruise - you'll love Oasis.

Maybe the solution to this problem, is that these cabins are not discounted. If they were more expensive, people wouldn't book them as regular staterooms. While I appreciate the needs of disabled passengers- these cabins are twice the size of a regular cabin- and should be priced accordingly.

You're kidding, right? Obviously you don't "appreciate" the needs of a disabled person or you never would have made that statement. They are bigger because a person who requires a handicapped accessible cabin requires the additional space (like being able to turn around in your own cabin while in your wheelchair or scooter). The bathroom is bigger and has no barriers for the same reason. So you're saying that because I use a wheelchair or scooter I should pay more? Trust me I would much rather be in a regular cabin. Do you realize that on a ship the size of Millie say there are approximately 24 handicapped accessible cabins on the ENTIRE ship - all categories. So you're OK with taking one of those 24 cabins because you want a little more room.

This entire thread kind of turns my stomach. I must travel in a handicapped accessible cabin and now I know why they're so hard to find. We're on Millie in August and got the last accessible cabin - full price.

I hope you never NEED a handicapped-accessible cabin.

My TA told us the train transfer was $125 and the motor coach transfer was $85. We're on Millie August 18th and the train transfer leaves the ship at 6:45 and arrives in Anchorage at noon. The motor coach schedule wasn't out yet (we're opting for the train).

We're getting married in October 2018 and we've decided we want to cruise for our honeymoon. My fiancé is a quad and completely wheelchair bound. How early do we need to book to ensure a wheelchair accessible room? I think we are hoping to cruise with Royal Caribbean.

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials. You should be OK with timing, but I would start checking now. If nothing else, find a cruise with the dates and itineraries you like that has a cabin you want, and put a deposit. Double check to make sure the deposit is fully refundable (which it should be). Then you're not fully committed and at least have something on hold.

Not Celebrity, but last summer my sister and I cruised Regal Princess to NE/Canada. First night after dinner I headed to the casino. Found the machines I like -- penny machines and the max bet is $1.25. There were three machines in a row. I sat down at the middle machine and played about $40 with nothing to show. Decided to move one machine to my right. Put $20 in and on next to the last spin hit the bonus spins. When all was said and done, I had hit not quite the jackpot but after counting the bonuses (11 of 12) I had won $7500. I've never won that much money in my life so it was a great way to start the cruise.

I never expect to win. I hope to break even. Winning $7500 was insane!

Unfortunately, there are no accessible balcony cabins available for this cruise. Only Oceanview.

Our first Alaska cruise was in an oceanview accessible cabin (Celebrity). I was disappointed but the cruise was great. We spent alot of time up on the open decks seeing the sites. We're going to Alaska again this summer (also on Celebrity) and managed to get the last balcony accessible cabin.

Enjoy Alaska - anyway you see it, it's totally worth it.

As for your sister's chair, you could check with the cabin steward to see if there's somewhere they can store her chair when you're visiting your parent's cabin, so this way you wouldn't have to take it back to her cabin. Just a thought.

Found this online

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/absorbent_glass_mat_agm

I cruise with my sister. She has MS and another physical disability -- she walks with a cane full time, and uses a Luggie when traveling. We have gone on a number of "non accessible" excursions over the years. She can walk up and down steps, and if needed I can fold and carry the scooter. There have been a few times where we were able to leave the scooter with the shore excursion people. If it gets to be too much, she'll simply stay on the bus or find a place to sit and relax. I'm very careful about excursions - I always book the "mild" or "easy" excursions. I would say 99% of the time we have been successful.

We are going on a Disney cruise this week, and I need to find a transfer from the San Juan airport to our hotel for a pre cruise stay, then on Sunday we need to go from hotel to cruise pier.

Any recommendations?

I have called a couple of transfer companies in SJU but having no luck with call backs

Thanks

Have you contacted the hotel directly? Talk to their concierge? Did you book the pre-cruise stay through Disney? Can the cruise line help with accessible transfers? I have no experience with Disney.

Double check Princess's website, but almost all cruise lines use one of two vendors - Care Vacations vs Special Needs at Sea. I've never used them (but I'm very active on the Disability Cruise Board because my sister uses a mobility scooter and we only cruise in HA cabins). Both come highly recommended and offer similar equipment/pricing, etc. Once you book, the chair will be waiting in the cabin.

I'm good with everything that's been recommended EXCEPT Metro to Dulles. This is not a simple task, and with Metro's current reliability, is not something I can recommend.

 

Although I love Charm City, I'd head for DC as soon as possible. There are plenty of hotel options depending on your interests and budget. Let us know what you're looking for.

Actually Metro to Dulles is not terrible (I live at the last Metro stop in Northern VA). If you to go to Metro Center, take the Silver Line toward Wiehle-Reston East station (last stop on the Silver Line). Get off the train and go down to where the buses/taxis are (on the north side of the terminal). There is a Washington Flyer shuttle that runs every 30 minutes and costs $7. Takes you straight to Dulles from Metro. I've traveled numerous times from Union Station out to Wiehle-Reston (Red to Metro Center then change to Silver). I also take Metro on a fairly regular basis (but mostly evenings and weekends).

Definitely suggest spending your time in DC. So much to do - the majority of the museums are free (except for a few private museums). All the Smithsonian museums and National Gallery of Art are free of charge. Hop On/Hop Off is great to see the monuments, etc. Also a great ride just to see the sites - go out to the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery. If DC hotels are out of your price range, you could always stay in Arlington or Rosslyn, which have more reasonably priced hotels and are accessible via Metro.

Are they using local tenders or using lifeboats? Our last cruise used lifeboats (US ports) and we were able to get on the tender with the scooter, but my sister had to walk on the tender and the scooter was carried on by crew (small collapsible Luggie). Very calm seas.

We've cruised RCL, Princess, Celebrity and NCL all with a mobility scooter (and always in a HA cabin). Never had any issues and were always treated very well by staff.

Add me to the list of "you absolutely need a HA cabin". Even if you could get in the door (which I don't think it wide enough) there wouldn't be enough room to turn around, especially with the added equipment. None HA cabins are just not big enough, unless you're in one of the larger suites. Honestly our last Princess cruise, we were in a HA veranda cabin, and it was pretty darned small.

Hi everyone. We're going to be in Baltimore for a family wedding the weekend before our cruise. Our plan right now is to leave our car at my aunt's house and take an Uber to the boat. Does this make sense? We could also just drive there and park our car for the week. I'm not sure how much savings we'd have if we parked at her house? She lives in Laurel, MD. WWYD?

Where are you coming from? Laurel is about 30 minutes (on a good day) south of Baltimore so if you're coming from the North (anywhere north of Baltimore) I would just park at the port.

I received an email yesterday saying that I can use my OBC (combo of TA and perk) for pre-cruise purchases (like excursions, etc.). I'm on the Millennium in August for a northbound Alaska cruise from Vancouver. When I went to my reservation I also got the pop-up. I don't have alot of OBC, but I'll take it!

One more question for the experts. Which train would be better to take to Newark, the Vermonter or the Northeast Regional? Is one more comfortable than the other? I see the Northeast Regional has a "Quiet" car and the Vermonter does not. Are there other differences as well?

 

Thanks for your help.

The NE Regionals simply goes between either DC (sometimes originates in Richmond) & NY or DC & Boston (while also stopping in NY). The NY Regionals were designed for business travelers (hence the reason for the quiet car). The Vermonter does the same southern stops but after NY also goes through CT, MA and onto Vermont. I've taken both - no other differences. The big Amtrak difference would be the Acela. Acela are newer trains, cleaner, quieter, faster, and a little more comfortable. But IMHO not worth the added expense.

Thank you! I had looked on Celebrity's site but not been able to find that. Thanks for the information.

 

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If you go to Celebrity's home page, under "Plan a Cruise" (right under their phone number on the top left) select Special Needs. Once on that page, there's a tab for Mobility Disabilities. They list two companies (CareVacation and Special Needs at Sea) that you can work with to rent the scooter.

Enjoy!

Courtesy of the Royal Caribbean website, these are the non-accessible features on Allure.

 

Non-accessible Features Rock Climbing Wall Flowrider Golf simulator Zip line Steam Room

I'm pretty sure all the ports you mentioned are docked, as opposed to tendered, so you should be able to go ashore. Sometimes the gangway can be a little steep, but there are crew available to help maneuver the wheelchair.

That's interesting because we were able to get to the Flowrider. Of course not to ride it, but we were able to watch. There was a ramp to get us to the area where the flowrider was. Several of our MDR table mates were avid flowrider participants so we went to watch them one evening.

When travelling with a wheelchair, we are used to embark first/disembark last, in order not to interfere with the rest of the passengers

 

However, I wonder how this works in a cruise. Though I don't mind whether we embark first or not, I really expect not have to wait to disembark till all the cruisers are ashore

 

 

What have been your experiences?

If you're asking about simply getting on and off the ship at a particular port stop, unless you are participating in an organized cruise-sponsored excursion, you can get off the ship any time you want. You don't have to wait. My sister uses a mobility scooter and no one has ever stopped us from getting off the ship whenever we wanted to.

Amtrak does not have baggage check in on their Northeast corridor trains

 

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Tony - I never said checked baggage. At Union Station, the RedCaps will assist getting you on board with your luggage. I do this all the time. The red cap will "carry" your suitcase and place it on the train for you. It gets you on the train before the general population and you get your pick of seats. There's no charge - just a tip for the red cap. In my opinion well worth a few $$.