Crown Princess Dec 22, 2017 Accessible Shore Excursions

This will be our first Princess Cruise after many on Norwegian plus Royal Caribbean and Carnival. I have to say I am disappointed in the lack of accessible shore excursions on our upcoming cruise--only one offered with a total of four ports. I have found others online--including one in Grand Turk, one in St. Kitts, and one in Antigua (I've already booked the one Princess offers in St. Thomas.) I called Princess today and was surprised to learn the company has no shore excursions department and the accessibility department does not speak to the public on the phone. I am an outside travel agent and did get to speak with someone who told me to fill out the mobility access form and fax it with excursions I am interested in, and they will see what they can do. All I really need to know is if I can take my scooter on the bus/van if there is room. I can climb a few steps but can only walk a short distance. We would take the scooter apart and re-assemble it as needed (my other half has it down to a science and is fast since I have my own scooter at home). Any ideas or suggestions for companies to contact?

This will be our first Princess Cruise after many on Norwegian plus Royal Caribbean and Carnival. I have to say I am disappointed in the lack of accessible shore excursions on our upcoming cruise--only one offered with a total of four ports. I have found others online--including one in Grand Turk, one in St. Kitts, and one in Antigua (I've already booked the one Princess offers in St. Thomas.) I called Princess today and was surprised to learn the company has no shore excursions department and the accessibility department does not speak to the public on the phone. I am an outside travel agent and did get to speak with someone who told me to fill out the mobility access form and fax it with excursions I am interested in, and they will see what they can do. All I really need to know is if I can take my scooter on the bus/van if there is room. I can climb a few steps but can only walk a short distance. We would take the scooter apart and re-assemble it as needed (my other half has it down to a science and is fast since I have my own scooter at home). Any ideas or suggestions for companies to contact?

In general the tour buses do not have a cargo hold in which to store and secure the scooter. Even if it did it's up to the driver as to whether or not it will be allowed.

You might consider touring on your own. Though accessible taxis are difficult to find in the Caribbean most standard taxi's will often take a scooter particularly if it's a travel model.

You can also speak to the on-board excursions manager after arriving on the ship as he/she will have better information as to the type of tour vehicle being used in each port.

Please double check the tour you have found in Grand Turk. The Cruise Center belongs to Carnival, thus you are expected to book your tours through the ship (Princess is also owned by Carnival). I do not know how far the Cruise Center extends. If the tour company does not have permission to enter the port, you might be able to meet the tour guide outside the perimeter. Or you could write to the Port Authority: tcimaritime@tciway.tc I'm not sure that email address is valid. If not, there is a contact form on this site: https://www.gov.tc/contact

We had a similar situation in Roatan where Carnival owns Mahogany Bay cruise port. In order to get permission for the tour company to pick us up in Mahogany Bay, I wrote to Roatan Port Authority. In turn, the Port Authority granted our tour company permission to enter the port to pick us up and return us to the port. Regardless, upon returning, Carnival's rep was there immediately telling the tour company to hurry up and get out.

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

The Grand Turk tour is from Accessible Caribbean Vacations. They were highly recommended on Trip Advisor.

Steve

I'm sorry, I would not know if Accessible Caribbean Vacations has permission to enter the port or not. However, I did notice on their website that they would arrange transportation to the meeting point for one tour. I also found the following note on their website regarding their tram tour. Meeting Point: There is about half a mile distance between the cruise dock and the tram meeting point. We will provide you with directions and a map upon booking. I do know that it is easy for scooters to get in and out of the port.

Have a wonderful cruise.

I saw that comment on the site, and it shouldn't be a problem. I will give them a call and report back.

Steve

I had to leave a message, but I did talk to a tour company in Antigua and we are all set there, so now we have 2 out of 4 ports covered and, hopefully a third when I hear back about Grand Turk.

Steve

St. Kitts is an interesting little town to just wander around in. It is doable, but not the best sidewalks. Enlarge Google map of Basseterre and you can get an idea of what is in the immediate area.

We have also wandered around in St. John's (Antigua), however it is spread out a bit more and less sights.

When ever the website does not provide precise details or things I have to question, I always use email, thus get my replies via email. That confirmation stating what we can do or expect goes with me. Many times that confirmation has saved us. You would be surprised as to what becomes accessible when you have it in writing.

Have a wonderful cruise.

I found accessible shore excursions for Antigua and St. Kitts, both of which are tour/beach combinations, which is what we wanted. The former is a private tour, and the latter is a group tour as far as I know. I rented a cabana in Grand Turk, so we have it covered as well, so we are set. Now I can start to think about next December's NCL Cruise that was switched from the Gem to the Breakaway.

Sounds like you have a plan. Enjoy your cruise.

When we were on the Breakaway, NCL offered an accessible shuttle bus from Port Canaveral to Cocoa Beach. There we caught the city bus to Cocoa, quaint little town with some history plus a couple buildings with attractive murals. I think the drop off point in Cocoa Beach was just a couple blocks from the pier and the beach.

The Breakaway is moving to New Orleans. The ports will be Cozumel, Harvest Cay, Belize City, and Costa Maya. It was originally Roatan, and NCL switched it when it changed the Gem to the Breakaway. I would prefer ROATAN since it is a docking port unlike Belize City, which is a tender port.

If you are lucky enough to get Belize's tenders, Belize will allow you on board. However, if the ship's captain “no”, you still cannot go. Between ports, either they are going to sail around in circles or dock in the middle of the night.

Cozumel has really cleaned up. I was pleasantly surprised when we sailed in there early this year. Major improvements down town.

Enjoy your cruises.

Betty