Taking parents with limited mobility on a cruise

My parents both use canes, but cannot walk long distances. I am thinking about booking a cruise with them, but am concerned about their mobility issues. I know they would not be able to walk the long gangplank onto the ship, can I arrange a wheel chair pick up when we arrive and that will take them onto the ship? Once on the ship, they should be fine (I would book one of the smaller ships). But would face the same issue at ports. Most shore excursions have a long walk on the pier to and from the excursion. Again is there an opportunity to get wheel chair assistance? And since there is two of them and one of me, any chance of help to get them where they need to pick up an excursion bus? I also know that I would need to book ports that do not use tenders.

Their will be wheel chairs and people at the port who will push them up the ramp ,when it is their time to board .. They now board handicapped in the zone they are assigned to .

Mobility scooters maybe needed. If mobility is a issue its well worth the extra cash so they are not stressing or hurting. Contact a good PVP and let them know you need a cabin that will accommodate 2 scooters. Do it as soon as you can some times it takes 550+ days to reserve one cabin. They will enjoy the cruise more.

FYI-mobility excursions are horrible to find. They are very few that offer WC or scooter excursions.

Astromaid

You don't say what your ports of call are. I also have mobility issues and have taken a manual wheelchair on cruises, but some places are more accessible than others.

For example, most European cities have HOHO buses at the port and easily accept wheelchairs. In the Caribbean there are mini buses or taxis readily available, but although one foldable wheelchair will fit, I'm not sure about two.

As there are two people involved and just one companion ( you) it would probably be more practical to hire two mobility scooters, but you would need to check with the cruise line that they will both fit in their cabin.

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My parents both use canes, but cannot walk long distances. I am thinking about booking a cruise with them, but am concerned about their mobility issues. I know they would not be able to walk the long gangplank onto the ship, can I arrange a wheel chair pick up when we arrive and that will take them onto the ship? Once on the ship, they should be fine (I would book one of the smaller ships). But would face the same issue at ports. Most shore excursions have a long walk on the pier to and from the excursion. Again is there an opportunity to get wheel chair assistance? And since there is two of them and one of me, any chance of help to get them where they need to pick up an excursion bus? I also know that I would need to book ports that do not use tenders.

There will be wheelchair assistance for embarkation and debarkation only. They do not provide routine wheelchair assistance at the ports. Given that they would have difficulty walking the long gangway to the ship, they will have difficulty (even on smaller ships) on a daily basis. The walks on board are much longer than they seem. You may wish to rent mobility scooters for them for the duration of the cruise.

You can find a lot of information on the disability cruisers forum. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

Have done this on Carnival and NCL. I would recommend you get them each a scooter. We've found the easiest thing to do is contact the special needs desk -- just call Carnival and ask for them. They will direct you to approved providers who can rent scooters. Usually, they will deliver the scooter(s) to your parents' stateroom. The cruise line will be more than happy to assist your parents at boarding, and they can retrieve the scooters from their room. They will also be able to make the most of each port (just be careful about what excursions you book).

Keep in mind, according to cruise line regulations, scooters must be stored IN the stateroom, not in the hallway.

Have a great trip!

My DH has mobility issues thus he uses Carnival's wheelchair assistance for embarkation and disembarkation days. Once aboard he uses a cane.

I normally book our cabin near the aft elevators since, on most ships, they're very close to the main dining room, the Lido buffet and an aft pool area. I also book balconies so it he doesn't feel up to walking around he can chill on the balcony with a good book.

Would do Caribbean cruise, probably a five day. I wanted to avoid scooters, as there will be three of us in the cabin and that is a tight fit without adding the scooters. I think they would be happy to go even if they cannot disembark. They are pretty good with their canes, and they could get on a bus with a few steps. It seems to me that Grand Turk does not have a long pier and there is shopping and beach right off the ship that I think they could do.

You can also fill up and send the Special Requirement Information form:

https://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/pdf/sri_form_081209.pdf

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Getting on and off the ship at the ports of call is easier than at the home port. You normally take an elevator down to a low floor and have a very short (and normally not very steep) ramp (like 15 feet or so long) to reach the pier unlike the long, steep ramps at the home port.

Some of the ports have pedi-cabs that will take a couple of people at a time from the ship down the pier to the shops for a tip. The Cruise Critic boards for your ports of call may be able to give you information about which have this.

You could also rent only one scooter and one manual folding wheelchair. That would make it doable for just you and save a bunch of space.

Contact special needs dept asap. They can arrange for a muster drill area where they can be comfortable. A PVP can find open adapted cabin that doesn't appear on line. You can rent a wheelchair or two before you board to use on board

My parents both use canes, but cannot walk long distances. I am thinking about booking a cruise with them, but am concerned about their mobility issues. I know they would not be able to walk the long gangplank onto the ship, can I arrange a wheel chair pick up when we arrive and that will take them onto the ship? Once on the ship, they should be fine (I would book one of the smaller ships). But would face the same issue at ports. Most shore excursions have a long walk on the pier to and from the excursion. Again is there an opportunity to get wheel chair assistance? And since there is two of them and one of me, any chance of help to get them where they need to pick up an excursion bus? I also know that I would need to book ports that do not use tenders.

Could your parents use walkers? I've seen some on land do quite well with ones that also have a seat for resting on. They would take up less space than scooters and wheelchairs. Best wishes for a solution for you and your parents.

My parents both use canes, but cannot walk long distances. I am thinking about booking a cruise with them, but am concerned about their mobility issues. I know they would not be able to walk the long gangplank onto the ship, can I arrange a wheel chair pick up when we arrive and that will take them onto the ship? Once on the ship, they should be fine (I would book one of the smaller ships). But would face the same issue at ports. Most shore excursions have a long walk on the pier to and from the excursion. Again is there an opportunity to get wheel chair assistance? And since there is two of them and one of me, any chance of help to get them where they need to pick up an excursion bus? I also know that I would need to book ports that do not use tenders.

Maybe this isn't so obvious, but sometimes, people "want" a person to experience everything without "asking" first the question to the disabled person. It is usually one of the biggest mistakes made. Living with a disabled person, and knowing the many challenges, and having much experience, we talk, and make plans based on what she can do. Sometimes, I do things on my own. You need to be realistic with the expectations. For example, with them both being elderly and both needing walking aids, they might be very happy and content with staying on the ship. Just getting out, eating well, seeing shows, and playing bingo would and can sometimes be the biggest thing. Don't try so hard to "fill the days" with excursions.

So we have a scooter for trips without planes. Heavy duty and powerful. We have a travel scooter that folds up, weighs 54lbs, and travel internationally with it. We have a transport WC which works great and folds up in a luggage bag for those trips, we fell a scooter is not necessary. Of course we travel with two arm canes, plus on planes, we have a fold up cane for the rest room.

So if you get the picture, being disabled with the right tools are great, and opens up the world, but if you don't have the tools, than look for what is easy, and enjoyable, and skip out on trying to figure out how to push two people in a WC.

Example. Cozumel, take a long walk to the shops, rest every so often, and take a taxi downtown, and visit a few stores, eat lunch, and enjoy being in Mexico. Take a taxi back. Skip the bus tours, and forget about most of the tours.

Maybe this isn't so obvious, but sometimes, people "want" a person to experience everything without "asking" first the question to the disabled person. It is usually one of the biggest mistakes made. Living with a disabled person, and knowing the many challenges, and having much experience, we talk, and make plans based on what she can do. Sometimes, I do things on my own. You need to be realistic with the expectations. For example, with them both being elderly and both needing walking aids, they might be very happy and content with staying on the ship. Just getting out, eating well, seeing shows, and playing bingo would and can sometimes be the biggest thing. Don't try so hard to "fill the days" with excursions.

 

So we have a scooter for trips without planes. Heavy duty and powerful. We have a travel scooter that folds up, weighs 54lbs, and travel internationally with it. We have a transport WC which works great and folds up in a luggage bag for those trips, we fell a scooter is not necessary. Of course we travel with two arm canes, plus on planes, we have a fold up cane for the rest room.

 

So if you get the picture, being disabled with the right tools are great, and opens up the world, but if you don't have the tools, than look for what is easy, and enjoyable, and skip out on trying to figure out how to push two people in a WC.

 

Example. Cozumel, take a long walk to the shops, rest every so often, and take a taxi downtown, and visit a few stores, eat lunch, and enjoy being in Mexico. Take a taxi back. Skip the bus tours, and forget about most of the tours.

Your discussion of how you handle the mobility challenges on your travels is wonderful. Lots of options depending on the type of trip and level of mobility needed.

My mom is 81 and now uses her cane all the time. We still cruise, but she's taken to staying on the ship in almost all ports now. Most of the time it's just too hard for her to get off and make the long walk out of the pier area.

Since you mentioned Cozumel, that's one of them. There is simply no way she'd be able to make it through all of the shops, around and through the buildings and out to the taxi stand. Even with stopping along the way. She did ask me about wheelchair options to get on the ship for our next trip (Anthem at Christmas) to make it a bit easier on her when we board.

But she's okay with this and I guess I need to be too. Since I usually have at least one of my sons with us, he and I take a short excursion (or just get out and walk around) so we don't leave her too long alone.

My parents both use canes, but cannot walk long distances. I am thinking about booking a cruise with them, but am concerned about their mobility issues. I know they would not be able to walk the long gangplank onto the ship, can I arrange a wheel chair pick up when we arrive and that will take them onto the ship? Once on the ship, they should be fine (I would book one of the smaller ships). But would face the same issue at ports. Most shore excursions have a long walk on the pier to and from the excursion. Again is there an opportunity to get wheel chair assistance? And since there is two of them and one of me, any chance of help to get them where they need to pick up an excursion bus? I also know that I would need to book ports that do not use tenders.

They will help you.

My parents both use canes, but cannot walk long distances. I am thinking about booking a cruise with them, but am concerned about their mobility issues. I know they would not be able to walk the long gangplank onto the ship, can I arrange a wheel chair pick up when we arrive and that will take them onto the ship? Once on the ship, they should be fine (I would book one of the smaller ships). But would face the same issue at ports. Most shore excursions have a long walk on the pier to and from the excursion. Again is there an opportunity to get wheel chair assistance? And since there is two of them and one of me, any chance of help to get them where they need to pick up an excursion bus? I also know that I would need to book ports that do not use tenders.

Since you will be with them, you will be able to deal with any problems.

Go and Enjoy! :):)

We brought my mother's wheelie walker. It has a seat so it's useful for waiting in lines. Getting on and off the ship they pushed her in a wheelchair, so I piled the hand luggage on the walker. Very useful!

We really liked Cozumel because they let pedal bike cabs come right up to the ship. The official directing you at the foot of the gangplank will call one for you if you need it. Mom could get up in it with help, and she got a ride all the way from the ship to the taxi stand. There's no official fare but we tipped $5-6 each time.

Also, when you're looking at excursions on the Carnival site, under each destination page look at the left column. You can choose just the wheelchair-accessible excursions. Since these are Carnival excursions you should be able to get assistance with meeting the vehicle. Be sure to ask ahead and find out who would be in charge of that.