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Shore excursions for limited mobility passengers


JIA2000
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Hello. We are going on a Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean in late November. Someone in our group is elderly. She can walk but she walks slowly and has difficulty. She usually uses a wheelchair. She is trying to decide whether or not she should go on shore excursions. Does anyone have any experience on this?

 

The shore excursion we are thinking about for San Juan is "Old and New San Juan." The activity level is "Mild." RC won't let me copy and paste what this means from the pop-up but it talks uneven surfaces and a limited number of steps. The tour itself is: " a guided tour on the historical landmarks in Old and New San Juan." Do you think she would be able to go on this tour?

We are thinking about doing one of Bernard's tours in St Maarten. I don't think she'll be able to go on this tour due to the beach visit.

http://www.bernardstours.com/tours/sxm-island-tour-1/

http://www.bernardstours.com/tours/sxm-island-tour-2/

 

 

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

 

Justin

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Anything walking in San Juan will be over uneven ground. There are hills, cobblestones, cracked sidewalks, and high curbs. Even a wheelchair would be tough. And as for the beach, someone with mobility issues will really struggle walking in the sand. If you go to Orient Beach they may drop you off near a restaurant. You could set her up there at one of their tables while the rest of you walk the beach. At Maho beach if they drop off near one of the bars she could sit there and watch the planes without getting into any sand. But there still is a walk from where the transportation drops off at Orient and Maho to a place where she could sit. If she struggles with walking, that walk might seem too far for her.

 

If she walks slowly and mostly uses a wheelchair I would highly recommend renting a travel scooter for the trip. They are smaller than regular sized scooters and can fold up and be put underneath coaches or in the back of taxis. Traveling with a scooter is a much easier (and faster, and less painful, and more independent, and less burdensome) way to get around on the ship and in port. The scooter would make the ports and excursions accessible to her.

 

Another thing to think about on excursions - how will she do in the heat?

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Have you contacted Royal Caribbean's Access Department about her limitations? You definitely need to do it, here is their contact info: special_needs@rccl.com or by calling 1 866 592 7225.

 

Here is info for the accessible shore excursion department: shorexAccess@rccl.com. There are often accessible shore excursions that are not offered on the regular shore excursion list.

From personal experience I know that for someone who is fragile, it is often easier to wait on the bus/van rather than getting off, even if a wheelchair is waiting. Also, some of the tours are just too long and tiring (for someone fragile).

 

Will she be bringing her own wheelchair or will renting one? If she's renting a wheelchair, it will either be waiting in her room upon boarding or waiting outside the terminal at a kiosk.

 

She might consider being pushed in a wheelchair (hers, a rental or Royal Caribbean's) upon embarkation and disembarking by one of Royal Caribbean's wheelchair pushers (they only do this 2x, when you first board the ship and when you leave on the final day). The wheelchair pusher will push her to where she wants to go on the ship and drop her off there (the room if it's ready or the buffet, for example). When leaving the ship on the last day there is a special meeting place for guests requiring assistance with wheelchair pushing to meet for disembarkation.

 

 

PS: I noticed one of your tours ideas in St Maarten goes to Orient Beach. You do know that Orient Beach is a nude beach, right?

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I am a frequent disabled cruise traveler. Two things Iwould like to pint out to the particular poster is

1) you will have to see how much of the tour involves walking And what sort of vehicle they use to transport you. You have to see if there is room for a wheelchair and more importantly, what kind of step must be taken to getunte the vehicle. It is not that easy for me. To step up into a van or even get my hip into the front seat of a van. Even if they have a step stool it might be difficult for someone frail or not very agile to turn that body on that stool.

2) I would stick to Befnard‘s tours in St Marten. The island was badly damaged in last years storms. There are either none or Only one concession(s) open at Orient Beach, There are no concrete paths, only one or two restrooms and very few places to rent chairs and umbrellas

 

Another note is that, despite offereing HC Tours Frommheit Ship, these tours are rarely confirmed until after you board the ship and usually not until the day before the. Tour takes place. If they can’t guarantee the tour operator a minimum number of HC guests the tour won’t go and you are left without much to do, particularly if you have a scooter. If you are in St Thomas or St Martin, both p,Aces have wonderful shopping/ snacking and sitting area right off the ship within pushing distance so all is not lost at these ports. Enjoyyour trip hope this Post makes it a Little easier.

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Thank you very much to the people who wrote back. This was very helpful. I spoke to the daughter of the elderly lady I was asking about. Based of the difficulties she will have, they have decided to either stay on the ship at these ports of call or else get off the ship and stay close by. My cabin mate and I will go on the shore excursions by ourselves. I really appreciate the time you took to give me this information.

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Thank you very much to the people who wrote back. This was very helpful. I spoke to the daughter of the elderly lady I was asking about. Based of the difficulties she will have, they have decided to either stay on the ship at these ports of call or else get off the ship and stay close by. My cabin mate and I will go on the shore excursions by ourselves. I really appreciate the time you took to give me this information.

 

I can no longer do many shore excursions because of a disability .I never stay on the ship in port . I get off and do as much as I can . In San Juan I can walk (with a cane ) up a few hills .

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Have you contacted Royal Caribbean's Access Department about her limitations? You definitely need to do it, here is their contact info: special_needs@rccl.com or by calling 1 866 592 7225.

 

 

 

Here is info for the accessible shore excursion department: shorexAccess@rccl.com. There are often accessible shore excursions that are not offered on the regular shore excursion list.

 

From personal experience I know that for someone who is fragile, it is often easier to wait on the bus/van rather than getting off, even if a wheelchair is waiting. Also, some of the tours are just too long and tiring (for someone fragile).

 

 

 

Will she be bringing her own wheelchair or will renting one? If she's renting a wheelchair, it will either be waiting in her room upon boarding or waiting outside the terminal at a kiosk.

 

 

 

She might consider being pushed in a wheelchair (hers, a rental or Royal Caribbean's) upon embarkation and disembarking by one of Royal Caribbean's wheelchair pushers (they only do this 2x, when you first board the ship and when you leave on the final day). The wheelchair pusher will push her to where she wants to go on the ship and drop her off there (the room if it's ready or the buffet, for example). When leaving the ship on the last day there is a special meeting place for guests requiring assistance with wheelchair pushing to meet for disembarkation.

 

 

 

 

 

PS: I noticed one of your tours ideas in St Maarten goes to Orient Beach. You do know that Orient Beach is a nude beach, right?

 

 

 

I don't remember Orient Beach being a nude beach, but even if it is, what's the problem?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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Most, if not all, of the free trolleys in Old San Juan are wheelchair accessible but they do not have tie-downs. You can board them near the piers. There are 3 different routes and one will get you to the forts. You don't have to get off and can just do the entire round trip route. Some information (and a map) can be found here: https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/trolley-old-san-juan/

 

 

The link below is for an accessibility guide to Old San Juan from the United Spinal Association and has some good information, including accessibility at the forts.

http://c100730.r30.cf1.rackcdn.com/travelaccess_oldsanjuan_puertorico_usa.pdf

 

If have a longer port time and want to explore other than the Old San Juan area, we did use Rico Sun Tours (info in above accessibility guide) in 2015 and were very pleased. They have an 8 passenger mini bus with wheelchair lift and (importantly) tie-downs. It is not inexpensive, but if sharing with a group it won't be much more than a ship excursion and you can customize your tour.

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Most, if not all, of the free trolleys in Old San Juan are wheelchair accessible but they do not have tie-downs. You can board them near the piers. There are 3 different routes and one will get you to the forts. You don't have to get off and can just do the entire round trip route. Some information (and a map) can be found here: https://sanjuanpuertorico.com/trolley-old-san-juan/

 

We did this instead of a tour. One warning: the combination of rough road surfaces and questionable suspension on the trolley meant it was a very, very bouncy ride. It wasn't the most comfortable experience, but the price was great :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Bernard tours usually saves the beach for the past stop. What I have done in the past is ask that if my wife and myself could be taken back to the ship instead. They have always done so with a smile or arranged to go back with another van.

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A transportable scooter is the best way to get around. She can use it on the boat and also off. We contracted thru local travel guide in San Juan for tour. She picked us up at pier and delivered us back to boat. She had 14passenger van and plenty of room for scooter. Found her on tripadvisor, search for De Tour Con Ali.

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We find we are better to go off on our own than use most ship excursions. I use a wheelchair. A cab will get you to the entrance of any place more cheaply than a ship's tour. When you are on your own, you can go at your own pace, too; rest when you want to; go to the bathroom when you want to; have a drink when you want to. If you are in a group, you could easily hire a private guide and van for more cheaply than all of you could take a ship's tour. Last year we were in 17 different countries with a wheelchair and saw everything we wanted to without problem using private guides or just going on our own. Two of those countries were Puerto Rico and Cuba, neither of which is wheelchair friendly but doable.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I also suggest renting a scooter unless you think your mom could not handle driving one. (They are easy!) The delivery and whole rental process was super simple.

 

My husband can walk and even go up a flight of steps without using a cane, but his mobility is impaired in both his right arm and leg. (Some days it is better than others.) I insisted we rent a scooter for him on a cruise late last February. He definitely did not want to do it at first, so it was a battle. However once he used it, he really liked it and it worked out extremely well. We were on Royal Caribbean‘s largest ship so using the scooter to get to barious venues was a big help. Even to the pools. My husband could take the scooter, park it near the venue he was visiting, get off the scooter and walk a short distance to our dining table or wherever.

 

Since we had visited San Juan on land trips and cruises a number of times, he decided not to get off the ship there. He actually never did take the scooter off of the ship, but in San Juan it would have been doable. Your mom could get a bit of an idea of old San Juan and even likely find an outdoor venue to relax at, have some food or drink, or in which to do a little shopping. There are some street stalls around where they sell various things or perhaps she could take a few steps into a a couple of shops? At least if someone is with her and especially if she is able to walk just a little bit. I particularly looked at the curbs when I got off the ship by myself to walk around. However, there are sidewalks that are uneven in some cases and narrow. Some of the hills are steep and would likely not be dosble. However there is still much one can access with a scooter that is just along the flat street that runs along the seaside and lower avenues, and wider plazas that are acessible in some cases.

 

In Saint Maarten she could take the scooter to roam around the special port shopping area that is right by the ship. Otherwise an excursion would be best there. I rented a car and drove us around the island.

 

Using a wheeled chair or a scooter, I would not recommend a beach outing. However, there is a strand of beach right in downtown Saint Maarten that is backed by a cement walkway along many restaurants and bars. One would have to take a cab or a ferry to get to it, however. The ferries run almost continually back-and-forth From where the ships dock. Otherwise, partially due to the heavy crowds that are all around the streets and shops in Phillipsburg, as well as accessability, I don’t think a scooter is a good idea in town.

 

I wish you good luck in getting things worked out, whatever you decide.

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Thank you very much to the people who wrote back. This was very helpful. I spoke to the daughter of the elderly lady I was asking about. Based of the difficulties she will have, they have decided to either stay on the ship at these ports of call or else get off the ship and stay close by. My cabin mate and I will go on the shore excursions by ourselves. I really appreciate the time you took to give me this information.

 

Here is info for the accessible shore excursion department: shorexAccess@rccl.com. There are often accessible shore excursions that are not offered on the regular shore excursion list.

My son is confined to a wheelchair and we always book excursions. We normally email shorexAccess@rccl.com about 3 months before we sail, as this gives us time to consider the tours they and research if we could do them independently.

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Hello. We are going on a Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean in late November. Someone in our group is elderly. She can walk but she walks slowly and has difficulty. She usually uses a wheelchair. She is trying to decide whether or not she should go on shore excursions. Does anyone have any experience on this?

 

The shore excursion we are thinking about for San Juan is "Old and New San Juan." The activity level is "Mild." RC won't let me copy and paste what this means from the pop-up but it talks uneven surfaces and a limited number of steps. The tour itself is: "a guided tour on the historical landmarks in Old and New San Juan." Do you think she would be able to go on this tour?

We are thinking about doing one of Bernard's tours in St Maarten. I don't think she'll be able to go on this tour due to the beach visit.

http://www.bernardstours.com/tours/sxm-island-tour-1/

 

http://www.bernardstours.com/tours/sxm-island-tour-2/

 

 

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

 

Justin

Check out Sage Travel. They specialize in disabled travel. We are using them for an upcoming Med Cruise and find them very helpful. They have specific info on many ports.

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Hello. We are going on a Caribbean cruise with Royal Caribbean in late November. Someone in our group is elderly. She can walk but she walks slowly and has difficulty. She usually uses a wheelchair. She is trying to decide whether or not she should go on shore excursions. Does anyone have any experience on this?

 

The shore excursion we are thinking about for San Juan is "Old and New San Juan." The activity level is "Mild." RC won't let me copy and paste what this means from the pop-up but it talks uneven surfaces and a limited number of steps. The tour itself is: "a guided tour on the historical landmarks in Old and New San Juan." Do you think she would be able to go on this tour?

We are thinking about doing one of Bernard's tours in St Maarten. I don't think she'll be able to go on this tour due to the beach visit.

http://www.bernardstours.com/tours/sxm-island-tour-1/

 

http://www.bernardstours.com/tours/sxm-island-tour-2/

 

 

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

 

Justin

 

I am pretty sure the tour you are talking about is just a bus tour with a few stops and the opportunity to get off the bus for a few minutes or stay on. They put my folded wheelchair up front by the driver after everyone was on the bus. It is a long walk from the ship to where the tour busses are located if you have any mobility issues.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Orient beach is really beautiful and the whole area is not a nude beach; only part of it. I use a travel scoot and find I do best by hiring private guides wherever we are going. Sometimes we just get off the ship and grab a taxi to where we want to go. Other times, we plan in advance and book a private tour. Where on Royal Caribbean can you keep a scooter since the cabins are so small? Some beaches even have beach wheelchairs now. I don't recall one in St. martin, but there is one in Bermuda.

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When the Caribbean has many ships that can accommodate a scooter even in there inside cabins. Certainly the larger ships like the Oasis, Harmony, Oasis and Voyager. About a week and a half ago I checked with the company that rents mobility scooters out and also called the accessibility department of several lines. I asked about a Princess ship, and a Carnival ship and a Norwegian ship. All of the cabins were either standard oceanview or in one case and inside.The only one that would not have worked for a standard 21 inch wide rental scooter in such a cabin was NCL. Their cabins have always been notoriously small. I’m not saying that on some ships you don’t have to maneuver carefully in your cabin to get around a scooter, but it is doable on most well known main stream lines. If in doubt, called the cruise lines accessibility department and also call the company you want to rent a scooter from. There are different sizes of scooters. My husband can use a standard sized scooter but there is another scooter smaller that he does not use. There is also one for large and heavy people and I’m not sure about those fitting into most cabins. You might need it handicapped accessible cabin or a suite. This past Feb. was the first time my husband ever used one. I will admit, I was concerned because there are way too many negative warnings about it on the boards but I found most of them not to be accurate. So always check yourself. One good tip I was given was there are cabins that have a bed by the window or farthrst wall & cabins that have a bed just beyond the bathroom closer to the door. Check with your cruise line and make sure you can get one where the bed or beds are placed at the far end of the cabin and not closer to the entrance. You will want to store your scooter closer to the entrance, just past the bathroom because you won’t be able to fit it between the foot of the bed and the wall to store over by the far wall or window in most cases. Maybe if you have a very large cabin but even then, not always.

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