Splinter

We had an experience in RCL with very low beds a number of years ago, and our room steward obtained a second mattress and put it on top of the one already on the bed. Problem solved!

Just to thank you all for your helpful comments and information about spending the day in San Diego and areas. We will take on board all your suggestions.

Kind regards from London, UK

Lynda & Marty

Consider substituting Coronado for La Jolla. You can take the passenger ferry there from right next to the cruise ship pier, then catch the city bus that runs along Orange Avenue. Visit the historic Hotel del Coronado and lots of nice shops and restaurants along Orange Ave. Great beach for walking (and watching joggers from the nearby Navy SEAL base) just north of the hotel. This is also included in the San Diego Old Town Trolley Tours hop-on-hop off bus route.

Also, I would endorse the San Diego Zoo; one of the great zoos in the world, along with the museums and gardens in Balboa Park (where the Zoo is located). Short cab or Uber ride from the cruise ship pier.

If you want to visit Old Town State Park you can easily take the San Diego Trolley (light rail) from close to the cruise ship pier. Shops, museums, good restaurants. The original settlement of San Diego.

IF they get everything done but that rarely happens!!

You got that! When it was first proposed, it was supposed to be FINISHED by 2013. They didn't even break ground until 2015. Amusing to think someone here thought it might be finished by May 2019!!!

Did you check out SuperShuttle for a private (non-shared) van?

According to their website, they have a private van for 6 passengers (not 8) that would run $49, or a shared one for 4 people (you could book two) for $29. I use SuperShuttle all the time in San Diego when I am flying out of there.

It would be helpful to put here which ports you have on this trip. Are you also looking for things to do in San Diego?

We're currently expanding our San Diego Trolley system (light rail) northward to UCSD and UTC (very close to village of La Jolla) though I'm not sure if the extension will be completed by next May.

Srpilo

That branch of the San Diego Trolley won't be open for service until 2021!!!

Most of the off-site airport parking lots provide a shuttle to both the airport and the cruise ship terminal (and Amtrak station). I use this lot all the time when flying out of San Diego, and frequently share their shuttle with those going to the cruise ship pier or train station.

Be sure to make a reservation, and check for discount coupons on their website: http://www.sdap.net/

I bought a waterproof fanny pack from REI many years ago and use that for swimming or snorkeling for my camera, keys, and money when traveling. It has taken me around the world. The only thing I leave on shore is my towel.

Just to expand upon the information above. There are 3 meals included. Breakfast and lunch are buffet and open seating. Dinner is assigned table, with a set 3 course meal (no ordering from a menu such as on a regular cruise ship). I found the food excellent for the entire cruise. Much of the dinner menu is farm-to-table (or boat-to-table) with locally purchased seafood and produce. No dress up or formal nights. Even at dinner, dress is casual or smart casual.

Water is now included with your meals. Breakfast coffee/tea and juices are included. There is no Lido type cafeteria or free coffee tea between meals, but there is a snack bar where you can purchase additional fast-food between meals. Never ate there myself because I was never hungry between meals.

No refrigerator in your cabin, but you can buy and bring aboard from shore sodas, etc. to drink in your cabin. I never had a problem getting a free glass of ice at any of the on-board bars.

Occasional included food events on deck...taste the cod tongue sashimi (also fried at lunch) which was yummy, as well as fresh caught shrimp.

No shows, bingo, feature films, climbing wall, etc. Most ships have a hot tub and sauna which is available with no extra charge. Entertainment is watching the beautiful scenery and the skills of the pier-side crewman who handles lines, loads/unloads freight, directs car ferry load/unloads, and gets a round of applause from the passengers at the frequent 15 minute port stops.

Hi,

 

The main point is it has NEVER been stolen.

You have been lucky. What ports? It would be easy for thieves to pick up your locked scooter and toss it in the back of a van to steal it if they wanted to.

We have had manual wheelchairs taken by other passengers when getting off the plane. One we had to chase down all the way to their car at the curb. Airline personnel do nothing to guard your chair. We finally set up a system where my dad would get off the plane as soon as we landed, and guard the manual (and later power) wheelchair until my mother was transported off the plane on the aisle chair.

I hope you got trip insurance when you signed up for the cruise. If you did not, you cannot now get it that covers pre-existing conditions. If you cancel without the insurance, you will loose your paid cruise money.

Aside from that, I agree with above. If your doctor clears you for travel, go for it. You're not getting younger, or less disabled, and should take the opportunities while you can. Yes, there is some risk, but that is life. Take a little risk in order to have fun!

Best to plan for what you need for your lowest level of functioning...if you are doing better on your cruise, that is gravy. Don't plan on "assistance" from the cruise line. They won't provide it, and if you can't provide your own care needs, or have someone with you who can assist you, you could find yourself put off ship at the next port. So if you might need a wheelchair/scooter/rollator, take one with you. If it sits in your cabin the whole trip, fine, but if you need it, you have it.

We did Pompei with my mother in a manual wheelchair. Not easy, but with 3 AB people to assist, we made it happen. Most of Pompei my mother was tilted back in her chair in a wheelie, and towed by us (so she saw it backwards!!!). The entrance is up a long ramp with several individual steps we had to bump up. Be sure to leave through the entrance, NOT the marked exit, which had 3 flights of stairs!!!

The Old Town Trolley (hop on, hop off) tours have some buses with wheelchair lifts. They discourage you from getting off though, instead just riding the 2 1/2 hour route. I would suggest calling them as they don't have a lift on all buses; just select ones.

As long as you pack ONLY medical equipment or supplies in a bag, and label it as such, the airlines will not charge you extra for this stuff, for either carry-on or checking. We never checked medical supplies though, but took them in a duffel bag that we filled with Chux, gloves, catheters, lubricant, hand wipes, and meds, and took as an additional carry-on. Never wanted to risk a checked bag getting lost and not making it to the cruise. Going home, if we had left over supplies, we often donated them to the ship's hospital, which was always very happy to get them. We folded that additional duffel and took it inside our regular luggage on the trip home, except for the meds, which we kept with us.

My mother used a power chair (Permobil) but we made sure when ordering it that we got one that had a low floor-to-seat height so she could sit at regular tables at restaurants. You will not find higher tables on any cruise ship (such as may exist in some restaurants ashore for wheelchair users). I would imaging with his level of injury he could not feed himself sitting sideways.

You may want to invest in a table for the chair such as this, which you can carry with you and use when needed:

or a lap tray such as this one:

https://www.amazon.com/Lap-Desk-45348-LapGear-MyDesk/dp/B005DIQDI2/ref=lp_490924011_1_6?s=office-products&ie=UTF8&qid=1462132340&sr=1-6

My only real dilemma is internet: I want to disconnect (& don’t want to pay the crazy internet fees!) but also want to be able to check in briefly with friends/family every day by text for safety and in case of any landside emergencies. Is there a good way to split the difference?

I have found free WiFi available in virtually every port...often in the terminal building, or a nearby internet cafe or bar. I never pay for Wifi on cruises...it is a rip-off. Sure, you will be out of touch on sea days, but that is usually not an issue for me.

No spouse. No problem!

I just happened to run across today (thanks to an email from an online travel agency pointing me in that direction) that Uniworld river cruises has a number of cruises this year with no (and a few with reduced) solo supplement. I have a week-long cruise on hold at the moment for about $2500--and these cruises are all-inclusive of drinks, transfers, tips, shore excursions, etc.

 

I've been thinking of taking a river cruise for a while and this looks like a great option. The reviews I read on Cruise Critic of this cruise and line are great.

Yes, I discovered this a couple of years ago. Among river cruise companies that offer no or low single supplement cabins (usually limited in number) there is AMA Waterways, Vantage, UniWorld, and Gate 1. I took my first river cruise solo with no single supplement with AMA in 2017, and had a great time. I am booked for my next on Vantage, which also included free airfare along with paid shore excursions and wine/beer, plus free WiFi. I have never found this on Viking, which is expensive in addition to not offering no or low single supplement. Many people I met on my AMA Waterways trip had previously gone on Viking, and thought that AMA was just a nice.

Yes

Depends on the shower chair and the specific shower stall.

Before we needed only a roll-in shower and bought our own travel rolling shower/commode chair, I sometimes put a ship's pool-side deck chair inside the shower for my mother to use; better than a back-less, arm-less shower stool, especially in rough seas.

I flew Norwegian Air from LAX to Oslo, took the train to Bergen the next morning, and spent 1.5 days in Bergen before boarding the MS Trollfjord. Upon returning to Bergen, I stayed overnight there, then took the train to Myrdal, then transferred to the Flam train (roundtrip), returned to Myrdal, then went on to Oslo where I spent 2.5 more days before flying home again on Norweigan Air.

Pleasantly surprised at the quality of the Norwegian Air flight and planes. Did not do any of this through Hurtigruten except the cruise. Booked my own airfare and train trips well ahead of time from home; did not take a formal "Norway in a Nutshell" trip either, but had a great time.

Princess requires that you be able to walk on-board the tender under your own power. If you can do that, you can carry on a folding manual wheelchair (crew will not carry it on for you). Otherwise, they no longer will lift you in your manual wheelchair on/off the tender.

Good idea to contact the Special Needs dept., but our experience with Princess was of very poor communication between that dept. and the actual ship. Worst case was going on the maiden voyage of a new ship, reserving a raised toilet seat, and then when arriving on the ship, the steward not only had no record of this, but didn't even know what a raised toilet seat was!! When we finally got one, it did not fit the toilet, although we made it work using a couple of trusty gait belts we always took on our travels (to strap it to the toilet). After that, we started taking our own travel shower/commode seat which fit over the toilet and in the shower. Never had to worry again.

You might also want to consider Hurtigruten instead of a traditional cruise ship. No tender ports at all, and the newer ships have wheelchair accessible cabins, and a porch lift at the gangway. They go from Bergen all the way up the coast to Kirkenes (and back) but do not go to Stavanger, Flam, or Olden, but there are many other ports they do go to that the traditional cruise ships don't do, including going in/out of the narrow Trollfjord.

I enjoyed just walking around Alesund and looking at the beautiful architecture. In Trondheim you can get to the cathedral by walking, and also to the Arctic Cathedral by walking in Tromso.

Give it a rest. You already beat this dead horse on your previous thread, which is nearly duplicate.