CARRIED onto ship???????

Hi, I just exchanged email with someone who had sailed on the Azamara Journey with a HC friend. She was giving me feedback on the accessibility issues with that ship, since we will be sailing on the Journey's sister ship, Quest.

She said that wheelchairs and their occupants had to be carried onto the ship, as the gangway is actually steps.

Is this true?! Is this how wheelchair-bound people get on and off all ships at every port, or is this just an anachronism because of the age of the ship?

To be honest, this may be enough to make my DH pass on the whole idea of cruising. He turned white when I mentioned it. He's not a huge man (6' tall, about 190), but he's also not a child!

Any info from those who have been there?

Gangways with steps are not unique to Journey or Quest - many ships use the gangways from shore rather than one they carry on board. Much depends on the amount of drop from the ships entry down to the pier; if it is considerable, they may well use the gangway that is kept on the pier. As the tide comes in the rise from one step to another will lessen and the slope of the gangway will become less.

We have traveled on HAL, Princess, NCL, RCCL and others and on some occasions at some ports, they have carried us in our wheelchairs up or down the gangway. On the other hand, you may be fortunate to have a sloped gangway without steps at every port. But I think you would be mislead if you believe that you will not, at some ports, have to use a stepped gangway and they will have to carry the wheelchair. We had a recent experience in Funchal, Madeira where the slope of the stepped ganway was so steep we would not take the chance. Even when the gangway has no steps itself, it is not unusual to have the gangway end shoreside on a platform with two or three steps down - and then the wheelchair must be carried. I tell you this on the assumption that even though your husband uses a wheelchair, he is unable to walk down the gangway on his own. In that case, they would carry the wheelchair down separately.:)

we have been on Carnival Destiny, Royal Caribbean- Enchantment of the Seas & Mariner of the Seas. About to go on the Majesty.

Never had to be carried on or off the ship. I did see however a man being transferred into the gangway on Carnival's oldest ship the Holiday but I believe there was a ramp there also. There have been some pretty steep ramps at some of the ports but the ships staff has always helped by pushing up those or holding on as hubby has wheeled down.

looks like leo&hugh have much more experience than we do though.

Hi, I just exchanged email with someone who had sailed on the Azamara Journey with a HC friend. She was giving me feedback on the accessibility issues with that ship, since we will be sailing on the Journey's sister ship, Quest.

 

She said that wheelchairs and their occupants had to be carried onto the ship, as the gangway is actually steps.

 

Is this true?! Is this how wheelchair-bound people get on and off all ships at every port, or is this just an anachronism because of the age of the ship?

 

To be honest, this may be enough to make my DH pass on the whole idea of cruising. He turned white when I mentioned it. He's not a huge man (6' tall, about 190), but he's also not a child!

 

Any info from those who have been there?

If she's talking about the ship docking at Hamilton, Bermuda then this is very possible as it's an older port. And since we're on the Journey as it repositions from Bayonne to Miami by way of Bermuda, Panama, Haiti and 3 stops in Columbia my DH would have a stroke if he thought I'd be carried up all those steps at every single port. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh! :-)

While not our preference, we have had this experience on a number of ships, as well as ashore at tender ports, and also ashore for different sight seeing needs. If your only option is to get lifted, or not go at all, we opt for getting lifted.

My mother cannot stand or walk at all, so the only option is to pick her and her (manual) wheelchair up if there is no ramp or it is too steep. It is important that someone direct the crew on how to lift the chair (they invaribly try to lift by the removable footpedals and armrests, which could be disasterous), and I always have a seatbelt (made from a gait belt) on my mother as the chair can get tipped to and fro quite a bit this way. Be prepared to pantomime as often the crew that does this does not speak English.

Our most fun event was on HAL when, upon returning to the ship at a tender port it was too rough to use their wheelchair tender lift. After fussing around in the tender (by herself and crew only) they finally settled on lifting the entire tender up on the davots, then lifting my mother over the rail at the Promonade deck in her chair. A bit of a heart stopper, but we do have some great photos!

Sometimes as a w/c user I just close my eyes and trust people!! I always tell my family we are "making memories".

I have to trust people or stay home, traveling is one of my favorite things, a wheelchair just makes it more interesting!

Sherry

Splinter's tale above reminds me of one more incident of tendering ashore with a wheelchair. The port was Newport, RI and there were several wheelchair passengers to tender ashore. They chose to load all of them in to the tender as it was lowered to the Promenade deck - where they would normally be loaded in the case of a real emergency. Then, when they had all the wheelchairs loaded in, they lowered the tender in to the water and loaded the ablebodied passengers. Quite an experience going down the side of the ship in the tender!:)

My disabled sister is out on a cruise right now. She is a wheel chair user and unfortuantely for all conerned she is a very heavy woman, over 350 pounds. Among other problems, she booked a regular stateroom and can't get her wheelchair through the door, can't roll into the bathroom and can't get around the bed to go out on to the balcony.

She was told when she checked into the ship (being screened by the ship's doctor) that she would not receive assistance when the ship tendered nor would she be carried down the gangway due to her large size and weight.

She is not pleased, but she was not realistic when she booked this room on this cruise. Her husband is wearing himself out on this cruise doing all the lifting she needs now. The ship is the Oosterdam.

Hopefully your sister has learned the hard way that she should not cruise unless she has a handicapped cabin. We have been on both Oosterdam and Westerdam in HC cabins and even then there are some tight squeezes to be overcome - for instance, the door from the cabin into the bathroom opens outward which is difficult for someone in a wheelchair. I really feel for your brother-in-law.:)

On a transatlantic last spring my DH had to be carried down a very long and steep staircase. I was very nervous.......When we returned the tide had changed and we could board on a lower deck. Many sighs of relief!!!!

At another port we had the same thing only less steep and when we returned we had to stand (sit in Wheelchair) in the rain until someone found four guys to carry the wheelchairs up - by that time there were three waiting....Ugh

Hopefully your sister has learned the hard way that she should not cruise unless she has a handicapped cabin. We have been on both Oosterdam and Westerdam in HC cabins and even then there are some tight squeezes to be overcome - for instance, the door from the cabin into the bathroom opens outward which is difficult for someone in a wheelchair. I really feel for your brother-in-law.:)

but she couldn't get an HC room at all on this cruise and didn't want to wait for a cruise where she could get one.

Her weight is always against her. Her husband has already had back surgery. She uses an oversized power wheel chair at home, but rented a non-power chair for the trip.

I was really concerned that they would refuse to allow her to board at all under her circumstances as to add insult to injury she has a very bad cold.

I have only been lifted once, Grand Cayman. The tide was on the high side so they used steps. I can walk with canes so I started to sit on the step but the crew insisted that they carry me. So I got in my wheelchair and they carried me down the steps. On the way back it was a ramp as the tide had dropped.

Thanks to all of you. I think I now understand that being carried is not the "rule", but more the "exception". If it happens to DH, hopefully he will take it in good humor as y'all have done.

My husband has been carried off in several ports. I guess I never though much about it since they is usually several people there to assist. Even if the gangway looks flat -- we were still escorted off by the crew. Some of the gangways have bumps so that people can get a foot hold. Sometimes we did have to wait to get on or off because they will not allow anyone else on the gangway when they are moving a wheelchair.

We have also done many tender port. Some with steep steps. I agree that you sometimes have to make sure that the crew knows were to grab the chair but we have not had any problems.

I sure after you husband experiences it once he will feel more comfortable. He will understand what to expect.

Just an FYI for those who want to know, Carnival ships are accessible without carrying at the U.S. ports but not always at the foreign ports of call. Last week on our western Caribbean cruise I was required to get out of my wheelchair at every port of call, go down a flight of stairs to get to the ship's exit and then either wheel onto a gangway, if it was directly to a pier, or step onto several more steps if it was to a tender boat. In any case, we were told that Carnival personnel are not allowed to carry passengers, only family members of the passenger may do so. I guess I'm fortunate that it's not my husband in the wheelchair instead of me!

One of the many reasons that we do not cruise on Carnival. We have never had a refusal to lift the chair on Princess, HAL, Celebrity, RCCL or Crystal.

And we agree with Splinter !00% - will not cruise Carnival period so long as there are plenty of other cruise lines that do so much better handling HC pax. There are just too many other ships doing the same itineraries that Carnival has never been an option for us. And why HC pax insist on going in those "modified" cabins on their older ships is beyond my comprehension:(

Splinter you have all the fun! My DH hates putting the crew out. Actually he's happy to stay aboard normally. I want off at every port immediately. LOL Yea, when I had swing away armrests on my first manual a crew member for NCL almost wound up in the drink in the Cornerbrook, Newfoundland port. And he spoke British English..

Is that a new Carnival policy? We've been to Bermuda twice on the Carnival Legend back in 2004, 2005 and had help at the Dockyard. It's just we may do a cruise next summer with a friend and her 2 teens and Celebrity and Azamara seem a bit stuffy for teens and RC is unreasonably expensive compared to similar cruises.

She is back from her cruise to Alaska on the Oosterdam. She uses a wheel chair and is a very large and heavy woman. Due to the weather going bad and the seas getting rough she was not able to tender into any port stop. She requires the wheel chair for all mobility and cannot walk on her own.

Also due to wet decks she had a very bad fall when she attempted to transfer to a regular chair.

However, she loved the trip! She is willing to do it again but next time will book far in advance to get a large HC stateroom

Glad to read that despite the problems, your sister loved the trip. And hopefully learned from the experience what most of us HC pax already knew - book far enough in advance to get a properly equipped HC cabin.:)

Thanks, yes, perhaps she has done so. She wasn't given the option of tendering which answers the original question in this thread. She doesn't know if a smaller and lighter person may have been assisted in doing so.

Well, my fears were unfounded, at least on this cruise. To get on the ship, we just wheeled on an airbridge like the airplanes use and straight onto the ship. Tendering was an easy slight ramp onto a barge.

No need for being carried so far. Thanks to all of you for your reassurance.

this whole thread takes me back. Me and my wheelchair bound brother took our first cruise in 1982 on the brand new Tropicale. The doors were 22" wide, necessitating a new move I had to invent, of standing him in the hallway, and transfering to a desk chair in the stateroom, then dragging the desk chair in, collapsing the wheelchair, carrying it in, and doing another standing transfer to the wheelchair. Ditto for the bathroom. except there was barely enough room for the small chair, so it was really just two standing transfers and BOOM.

And, the best part: The dining room was down three steps. The first nite, after some confusion, four busboys ran over and lifted him right down the steps, and we went to our table. From then on, they were waiting for us, and we didn't miss a beat getting to the table.

Every time I get on a ship these days, I remember that, and when I do hit a snag, just thank God for how much better it has gotten. :)

Dave, that reminds me of the time on the Zenith when we were invited to do the Panama Canal transit in the Captain's private lounge. A number of other PWD were also invited, but none who were full-time wheelchair users. When we got there, we found the doorway was 22" which does not work well with a 30" chair!

We have previously worked out a procedure much like yours, but with mine I had to do a "quad pivot" stand-up of my mother, and my dad would quickly fold and move the chair through the door, then I would pivot and sit her into the opened wheelchair. With practice, it worked. This time my dad was not with us. Instead we had the Captain's private steward to help us. The problem was that he spoke ONLY Greek....which frankly is Greek to me! We had no one to translate, so I did a funny little pantomine and tried to show him what I would need to have him do with the wheelchair while I had my hands full with my mother. After 3 tries (my aching back!) we finally got through the door and had a wonderful transit through the Canal watching through the big picture window (right below the bridge) with the steward serving us lunch and drinks.

Fortunately when it was time to leave i was able to find my dad and get him to help us with the exit through the narrow doorway. Not something I want to do often, but it was worth it for that nice day!!