Cruising with parents age 89 and 90-Sorry this is long

[dvg1027]

My mom says she wanted to go on a cruise. At 90 she has more energy then people 20-30 years younger. My dad & her have been on many cruises before. The last was 3 years ago when we all went on Splendor of the Seas and did the Mediterranean Cruise.

 

Here is the thing. They both look great for their age. Mentally and physically they are doing great. Live on their own. BUT.....my Dad had major heart surgery a few years ago. He is doing well health wise except he does get tired easily. He doesn't need a wheelchair/cane/walker normally. If he has to walk long distances though he does get tired out. I finally convinced them to use the airport wheelchair when they travel because before this he would look beat when he would get off the plane. Plus he doesn't have to stand and wait during security and other areas as he would if he was standing.

 

Now here is my many questions. This is still in the talking stage so I want to get my questions answered before discussing this with them. (I handle their travel arrangements for them whether they are traveling by themselves or with us)

 

1. Do we need to rent a wheelchair for the cruise or does the cruise ships supply one? Again they don't need it all the time. Most times they can go under their own steam. But I would want one available at all times. Never know when we might have to leave our room and go to the far end of the ship.

 

2. My husband and I usually cruise on RC. My parents were very impressed with the customer service on Splendor. When we went on it at the time we didnt' need wheelchairs but they were still up their in age and the staff would see them waiting to disembark and have us move to the front of the line and do other things to help out. BUT the one thing my parents and DH complained about was the food. On the Caribbean cruises my DH and I went on the food was fine but it definitely wasn't as good on the Mediterranean Cruise. Is the food on the Caribbean cruise usually better?

 

3. I have heard that Celebrity Cruises are good for seniors. Your thoughts?

 

4. I am trying to satisfy everyone. My husband wants to go on n RC's Allure or Oasis. If we choose RC has any one reading this had experience with more senior, seniors going on either of these ships? What was the experience? Also, how was the food?

 

I think I will need a vacation when this is over. LOL All kidding aside, I enjoy every minute traveling with my parents and appreciate the fact that I am lucky at the age of 55 to have both my parents alive, healthy in mind and body and still able to live on their own. Thanks for all you help. If you know of any resources to find more info about senior cruising , please let me know

[Texaswinediva]

I think it is wonderful that you want to take your parents on a cruise.

You are to be commended for that.

I would think a smaller ship would be more ideal for them.

Less likely to get confused. But that is just my opinion.

The Celebrity ships are fantastic.

Have fun!

[DaNana]

Wheelchairs are a premium and not enough to have one at your disposal but you can order one so you have it for the cruise. Then you can use when you need it. There are also the walkers that have the seat where you can sit down. These fold up nicely.

I have not been disappointed in food offerings on RCI but we have not been on a Med Cruise yet. I do find the beef is usually not to my liking since I am not much of a beef eater usually. I have found that asking the waiter for his/her choice has not left me unhappy. If there is something you don't like they will tak it & give you something else. I would also recommend eating in the dining room for breakfast and lunch. There you are seated and served or they do have buffett items you can also get.

We love room service for breakfast on the days we must disembark for a tour, etc.

I hope my children will be so helpful and loving when I reach this great age!:)

[BigTexan]

Hey dvg1027,

You may find this link to another Cruisecritic article helpful:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=105

 

I'll be 55 this summer. I had two good parents who went on a long time ago. What a great thing to have your parents with you on a cruise!

Have a super time and give them a bon Voyage from someone in Texas :)

 

Mike

[lcand1923]

Look into purchasing a Rollator (walker with seat) or a Transport Chair (small wheelchair that folds up easily) before your cruise. Take your own because wheelchairs are not always readily available on a ship and/or they may be in poor condition. I travelled with my Dad who recently passed at the age of 87. He used a Rollator on our last two cruises. He fell quite ill on the final cruise that we took and that's when I found out about the problems with cruise ship wheelchairs. The Rollator is an easier sell to an elderly parent ("I am not disabled. I can walk."), but the Transport Chair will be much more useful both on and off the ship and when at home.

[KCcruisin07]

When we took a cruise on Celebrity a few years ago, there was someone in a wheelchair. We saw her going on some of the excursions and going places onboard.

 

On another cruise (RCI) one person traveled with her 80+ year old mother who was pretty active. One day she was tired and just skipped the port and rested. Of course if that happens, it may mean you want to stay with them too.

 

If I were doing this, I would just set the port expectations low. If you/they skip a port, it's ok.

 

I thought the food on Celebrity was very good, and they do cater to your dietary needs/wants. From just one experience with each I would favor Celebrity over RCI for individualized service.

 

If you have more questions, I would suggest calling Celebrity for more information. Also you probably already thought of this, but if possible look into travel insurance.

 

I hope you find all the answers you need to make your decision.

[Cruisebylandorsea]

Get your own equipment or get a rental to meet you at the ship. They usually put them in the cabin, but the ship should have a transfer to get your dad to the cabin. Wheelchairs on board are just for transfers and there may not be many of them available. You don't want to wait to get one to go to dinner......etc.

 

Have not sailed on Celebrity but have been on Holland America and Princess. Both had lots of wheelchair users. Please be sure that if you get a wheelchair it will fit in the door of the cabin. Also consider getting a Handicapped Acessible room for them. The doors are wider and you can wheel into the bathroom/shower. Get extra towels to block the water from coming out under the door into the cabin which I hear is an issue. If you get a cabin with a tub/shower he probably would have difficulty getting into the shower. I have knee issues and have trouble stepping over the tub side into the shower.

 

On Princess many wheelchairs were lined up in the hallway, making it difficult to pass through the hallway ----I was on crutches. The food and the bedding was better on HAL. I would not recommend Princess. I did not like the food & at the time most was brought on board without staff knowing what was in the food. DS had food allergies which made Princess very difficult.

 

HAL also had a culinary bent to their program, so you could attend chef presentations which was nice. Wheelchair seating was in the front.

 

I would choose a cruise that had ports of call they had been to before and would not care if they went on excursions or not. I did notice a beach wheelchair at Labadee, but don't know the arrangements needed to use one. A regular wheel chair does not work in sand.

 

Your booking agent (if you go on RCCL) will send you a 3 page Guest Special Needs Form to fill out and fax back once you have booked. I would request this form even if you bring your own equipment. Your parents' needs may change during the cruise. This form also has boxes to tick off to request raised toilet seat, shower stool, commode chair, etc. and a section to check off which equipment you will be bringing.

 

Good Luck. I would want to cruise as long as I could. I hope my son is as accomodating as you are if I get that far.

[hshowalter]

My wife is 73 & I am 80 & both in good health. we have been on 12 RCCL cruises & 25 Celebrity & I would suggest you take your parents on Celebrity because there will be an older group of people & the service & food is better.Our 84 th cruise will be an eastern Europe River cruise from Bucharest, Romania to Budapest,Hungary iOct 2011 & in Dec 11 we will be on the Enchantment of the Seas out of Baltimore,Md.

[KCcruisin07]

My wife is 73 & I am 80 & both in good health. we have been on 12 RCCL cruises & 25 Celebrity & I would suggest you take your parents on Celebrity because there will be an older group of people & the service & food is better.Our 84 th cruise will be an eastern Europe River cruise from Bucharest, Romania to Budapest,Hungary iOct 2011 & in Dec 11 we will be on the Enchantment of the Seas out of Baltimore,Md.

That's awesome! I believe dvg will be happy to hear about your cruising experience and recommendations.

[dreamer976]

Recently cruised with my parents, both in their mid 80's on RCI Radiance. While my Dad usually walks with a cane, he welcomed the help of a wheelchair for embarkation and debarkation. Mom usually walks with a rollater walker or two canes and she rented a battery operated scooter which was waiting for her in their accessible stateroom - don't care what line or ship you are on, there's plenty of walking to be done even if only moving around for meals and shows. Renting a power chair or scooter is definately the way to go (I sometimes wish I had one!).

[carol459]

My mom says she wanted to go on a cruise. At 90 she has more energy then people 20-30 years younger. My dad & her have been on many cruises before. The last was 3 years ago when we all went on Splendor of the Seas and did the Mediterranean Cruise.

 

 

4. I am trying to satisfy everyone. My husband wants to go on n RC's Allure or Oasis. If we choose RC has any one reading this had experience with more senior, seniors going on either of these ships? What was the experience? Also, how was the food?

 

 

We have cruised on the Oasis and were satisfied with the ship.It had a great variety of food and entertainment. The drawbacks are:

1.Usually over 5000 passengers. They tend to congregate in the pool area and the central promenade. These areas become so crowded that it is difficult to manuever.

2.The ship is huge and long treks are necesssary to get from one end to the other, however restaurants are spaced throughout and easily accessed. the buffet area suffers from the crowds also.

 

On the plus side is the entertainment:

1.We saw a stage production of HAIRSPRAY.

2.They have production dance shows that are very good.

3.There are ice show productions.

4.There are water/diving shows in the Aqua Theater.

We like Celebrity and feel the food is a notch up from RCL.

 

Rick

[Monopoly2]

 

3. I have heard that Celebrity Cruises are good for seniors. Your thoughts?

 

4. I am trying to satisfy everyone. My husband wants to go on n RC's Allure or Oasis. If we choose RC has any one reading this had experience with more senior, seniors going on either of these ships? What was the experience? Also, how was the food?

 

I think I will need a vacation when this is over. LOL All kidding aside, I enjoy every minute traveling with my parents and appreciate the fact that I am lucky at the age of 55 to have both my parents alive, healthy in mind and body and still able to live on their own. Thanks for all you help. If you know of any resources to find more info about senior cruising , please let me know

 

Last Sept, 2010.. I was on the Oasis Of The Seas and I do agreed

with (carol459) in their reply that its a huge ship with 5,000 plus

people. With the crowds and the flow of the ship it can be a little

tight in areas of the zip-line,pool area, and etc. In addition on the

Central Promenade is the area where they have colorful parade's,

live entertainment, eating area, shops and more crowds of people.

 

The entertainment on the Oasis for me was good.I too enjoyed

the production of Hairspray,Ice show and the Aqua Theater..

A must see on the Oasis is the Love & Marriage game on stage

with the couples. ( Very funny ) :D

 

As a seasoned traveler myself I say Celebrity is a good cruise line

for Seniors. It's much more relaxed, slower pace and the food

along with the service is great. You get that royal feeling

on Celebrity :)

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