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

[dvg1027]

I posted this on the 55+ board and received no response so will try here and at Celebrity.

 

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

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[GTO-Girl]

I would contact the Special Needs department of the cruiseline. I know they only have a "limited" number of wheelchairs and some of those are held back in case they are needed for anyone who has an accident, etc.

 

Your best bet would probably be to rent one and bring it with you. That way anytime you need it, it would be available.

 

Happy Sailing!!!!

[cb at sea]

The only wheelchairs are for boarding and disembarking....if he might need one on the cruise itself, he'll need to bring one of his own or rent one from a rental company...the ship does NOT provide them for use on the ship.

 

The menus are the same on EVERY RCI ship....no real variance because of destination. Of course, the chefs are different, so one dish might be better on one ship than the same dish would be on another.

 

No matter which cruiseline (mass-market) you use, you will find a wide range of ages....so your parents will be as comfortable on an RCI cruise as on a Celebrity cruise, age-wise!

[teajak]

Maybe I can help. We are 82 and 85 and still cruise 4 or 5 times a year on RCI and Celebrity. I would say they are equal for seniors. You will definately need to arrange for a wheel chair on the ship, they do not have a lot and if you want it to be convenient for the entire cruise check with them first and make sure you have one reserved or rent one just for your use.There is a company that you order from ahead of time and it is waiting in your cabin.I am the same way,need a walker for distance and balance. We do not get off the ship a lot and pick the best ones for mobility when we do.The Solarium pool has steps into it which are great.

We like a smaller ship than the Allure or Oasis,the Freedom or the Jewel on RCI and the Solstice type on Celebrity. The crew on either line is very helpful at all times,the people at the buffet are always asking to help me with the walker.

Any questions inparticular, just ask and I will try to help.

[OceanCruise]

I also recommend contacting the special needs dept. to rent a wheelchair (or electric scooter so your dad can get around by himself). If you get a wheelchair, the folding type takes up less room when not being used. There is no other way to guarantee a wheelchair will be available if needed other than renting so better safe than sorry. Is your dad on a special low fat or low salt diet? You may also want to consider a handicapped room so there is a seat in the shower for safety as he may tire easily with all the activities. The special needs dept can also help out with those things. Make sure you bring lists of their medications and extra medication and put meds in carryon. If he has a pacemaker he may need a doctor's note as I don't think he can go through the scanners. Consider private excursions (based on recommendations from ports of call board) so that the day can better cater to your parents' needs and energy levels. Having been on RCCL and Celebrity many times, I think the Oasis and Allure would be way too big and harder to navigate. Celebrity has more refined or intellectual activities/shows/lectures which will be better suited to their abilities rather than the RCCL sports focus like the flowrider and rockwall. Food is also much better on Celebrity.

[jmf123]

You'll definitely want to check into a wheelchair or scooter rental. See specialneedsatsea.com or call them at (800) 513-4515. You can have the chair or scooter waiting on board for your Dad, and just leave it when you disembark after the cruise. Of course, you'll want to consider the type of stateroom that your parents book, so there is room for the chair. Btw, there are beach wheelchairs too, depending on where you are going in the Caribbean.

 

I'm with teajak's preference for a smaller ship, such as the Radiance class on RCI or Celebrity's Solstice class or Century. And I think they would really enjoy Celebrity. You will find better meals on Celebrity, they are known for their 5 star exemplary service (not stuffy), and wonderful cuisine. Casual dining is available as well. Celebrity offers a more refined experience overall, and you are also likely to find less children on board than RCI. The average age is higher on Celebrity than RCI.

 

I'm sure you obtain insurance prior to your trips, I've had excellent experience with TravelGuard for over 15 years, and as a former TA I can vouch for excellent coverage and service, including claims service. Be sure that pre-existing medical coverage is covered, as well as good limits for emergency evacuation, etc.

 

I love that your parents are doing so great and can travel like they do (with you!). I met one of my favorite fellow cruise couples on our Canada/New England sailing. She was 92 at the time and seated next to me at the slot machine. And along came her husband, under his own steam from the roulette table, at age 98. We chatted for 1/2 hour, and his wife said "you're keeping her from her game". I replied that I was enjoying their company and he was saving me money! :D We got together with them a few more times during the cruise, they even played trivia with us. We've kept in touch and he will be 102 next month! Have a wonderful cruise!

[JackWP]

I have somewhat of a different opinion. We are younger, however for a number of years one or both of use have mobility problems for distance. We have more mobility problems at the airport terminals and the cruise terminals than on the ship. This has resulted in us purchasing two scooters to travel with. The thing that works best for us is to gate check the scooters at the airport departure gate and most of the time the scooters are returned to us at the arriving gate. Land transportation is usually a van pulling a trailer that the scooters and the luggage travel in. We also have used a wheelchair for the wife and this also worked best when we have an airport pusher to assist.

 

We purchased our scooters since at the time about 3 rentals equaled the purchase price and we then have use of the scooters for local fairs and festivals.

 

We were on the Allure a few months ago. This ship is huge. I had to use my scooter a lot and the wife only used hers to board, departure, and scoot at a couple of ports. The piers are very long before reaching shore, sometimes maybe a half a mile. Everyone needs are different. Good luck in finding a solution that matches your need. Also, scooters probably will require an accessible cabin.

[stewpapa]

I don't have the answers for you, BUT I just want to say, you are blessed to have your parents still able to enjoy life and cruising at that age AND they are blessed to have you able and willing to cruise with them. We, age 45 and 49, love cruising with our Mom's, age 76 and 83. Hope you all have a wonderful cruise.

[jkspringtexas]

We just got off the Voyager transatlantic and we can honestly say you should go ahead and either rent a scooter or buy one and take it with you. My husband just had foot surgery and once onboard felt that it was much too painful for him to walk from our cabin (on the bow) to the stern restaurants. The ship did not have any electric scooters to rent (they had to be prearranged thru the special needs dept.) but did provide us with a wheelchair free of charge. Pushing him was easy and we were very grateful to have it. Since he could walk short distances, we just left it at the entrance to restaurants and shows with no problem. We did see scooters plugged in to recharge near the elevators and in the hallways. To make a long story short - make it easy on everyone and go ahead and rent scooters. That way they can be independent and go when and wherever they want. Two scooters do fit in the elevators at one time. One last thought - if the ship is rocking at all, they will be sitting down and you won't have to worry about falls.

[jackretired]

Buy a used wheelchair that folds for storage and for going through the cabin door.

You can find used ones cheaper than renting one.

Plus if you rent one, it will be waiting for you in your cabin. Way later than when you will first need it.

[skandls]

I would reconsider the Oasis class ships if your parents have walking problems. Please check out the distance from the elevators to the staterooms and food and entertainment venues. I don't mind walking so that was not an issue for us. Grabbing a quick snack in the Promenade can mean a lot of walking.

 

But for food - we had the best food on the Celebrity Solstice. We did our own B2B Oasis/Solstice. We did many of the specialty restaurants on the Oasis. On the Solstice we did Aqua Class and we decided we did not want to do any specialty restaurants because the food was so good. The crew was given a special lunch because the ship had such good reviews for food. I understand that the MDR food on the Solstice was also very good.

[Familygoboston]

Nearly every local senior center has a loaner "closet" full of wheel chairs ( and other adaptive equipment) that you can likely borrow for free. The stuff will not be as snazzy as those rental scooters, but a couple of fold up chairs should be easy to secure for your week. Likely,either the center in your parents town or your own has a program like this!

Hope you have a wonderful cruise with your folks. I am taking my mom for her 70 th, and I am quite sure I will not be able to keep up wth HER!

[138east]

After my father died, my mother and I were cruise buddies until she passed away last year. As she lost her mobility, we went through several stages from using wheelchairs in airports and for boarding to a walker to a portable wheelchair. We sailed both RCL and Celebrity.

 

IMO one of the most important things is cabin location - on these ships a room near the aft elevators that service the food venues was really important to minimize the walking. My mother did just fine walking from the cabin to the elevator and from the elevator to the dining room until the very end. I always made sure we had a table relatively close to the dining room entrance - RCL Dining was very accommodating with this.

 

Your parents should both use wheelchairs in the airport and for boarding - I never found this to be a problem. On the ship you might consider getting both a wheelchair and a walker with a seat - this will give your father multiple options. When getting off in a port, you can always arrange wheelchair assistance with guest services - we did this several times and it was well worth a tip. We always budgeted extra tip money for the extra services we required.