Shore excursions OK with walker?

[WouldBeCruiser]

We are cruising in the Southern Caribbean in Feb 2012.

My husband is mildly disabled, walks with a walker at a pretty good pace, and can take a few steps on his own, and is able to climb a few steps with a handrail, or some assistance from me.

We are looking at shore excursions and I'm trying to select those that I think will be suitable for us - for the most part, bus tours etc.

My question is whether there will be problems taking his walker with us.

It does fold but obviously needs a little extra space.

Will there be provision for carrying this kind of equipment on the bus.

Also I noticed that Half Moon Cay is available only by tender. Will we be able to go ashore, or are we going to be left on the ship?

Thanks in advance for any useful info you mght have.

[Starr Mtn]

Bringing the folding walker shouldn't be a problem. It could

probably be stored either in an overhead bin or sometimes

in luggage storage area below the bus.

 

My experience , when using crutches, was that the

steps up onto the bus were extremely high and

difficult for me. And often, depending on where

the bus was parked, getting down from the bus

was even worse.

 

I haven't used tenders in several years - so don't

have current info on them. I do enjoy being

on the ship when at a tender port ...

[PennyAgain]

The bus stairs are a huge deal for many people. The driver may choose to help but may not. You can't count on it.

[Essiesmom]

Half Moon Cay will not be a problem with a walker. You walk directly off the ship platform onto the upper level of the tender. A ramp gets you to the lower level of the tender so that you can walk off. There are paved walkways to the pavilions and the beach. EM

[Umbarger]

My mom traveled with her walker a lot. It really depended on the excursion. Some had small vans and squeezing the walker in was hard. Others had lots of room in the back for it.

 

Getting in the vans/buses were hard as my mom had trouble with steps. Don't count on any help from the driver!!!! They just want to drive. With only a few exceptions I had to stow and get the walker for my mom.

 

I did my homework. I didn't book any ship excursions as they could never tell me what kind of equipment their operator used and if there would be room or not. I booked independently. Before I even booked my excursions I was in contact with the operator and made sure the walker wasn't going to be a problem. Some told me 'no', that they didn't want anyone with a walker on the tour. You just can't assume. Also remember that you can't slow down the excursion, you have to keep up with everyone.

 

Have a great cruise. Mom and I have great memories.

[kyriecat]

For Half Moon Cay, they will usually let you on the tender if seas are calm. Both times that I was there, it was April and calm. They allowed walkers, wheelchairs, and scooters on the tender. There are ramps to get onto the tender, but the ramps do move up/down with swells. If seas are rough, HAL may limit the tenders to fully-mobile people only.

 

I'm not sure what you are looking at for excursions choices. As many have said, the excursion operator may limit whether walkers are allowed. Since you mention Half Moon Cay, I assume that you are cruising with either Holland America or Carnival. Have you contacted their special needs departments for information on the tours? The Caribbean islands vary - some are much better than others for disabilities. If you know which islands besides HMC that you are stopping at, people may offer suggestions on tours that are easy.

 

My mom uses a wheelchair not a walker so I usually book private tours when we travel. I've had several bad experiences with cruiseline tours. I've researched and spoke to people in special needs and the onboard excursions desk to verify that a tour was suitable for a wheelchair user. When the bus showed up, there wasn't the promised lift or we found out that most of the tour required climbing several steps so my mom couldn't see the insides of any of the buildings.

[WouldBeCruiser]

Thank you all for your advice. We will certainly be contacting the Special Needs folk at HAL before we sail.

My husband had spinal surgery and is improving daily. Two months ago he was confined to a wheelchair, now he is using a walker and can take a few steps alone. A month ago he was not able to shower and dress without help, and now he is independent in those areas. There are almost 5 months before we cruise and it's possible that he will continue to gain strength and stamina. His needs now might be quite different to his needs at cruise time - which does make planning a little difficult, but I am planning for the worst case, and if he is much more mobile then everything will be so much better.

[Going Coastal]

I have had very good luck with any of Royal's 'panorama' tours. Never had a problem with the walker being stowed under the bus or put in the back of the van. The drivers and tour guides have always been extremely helpful and would always take out the walker if I wanted to get off at a particular stop.

If the steps are difficult, I often wait for everyone else and then back down, which is easier for me. The driver or guide will be there with the walker.

The panoramic tours cover a lot of territory and have not too many stops. On these there are often a handful of people who stay on the bus at various stops.

I also find it helpful to be very appreciative and tip generously.

Good luck and happy travels,

GC

[LondonTowner]

My partner and I did a southern Caribbean cruise about two and a half years ago. I walk slowly due to arthritis and did find some of the places where we docked to be a long walk from places.

 

However, we did not book the ship excursions as it was so easy to do things ourselves. In every port we found plenty of excursions on offer and touts trying to steer you towards their minibus or coach. They cost about half the price of those organised by the cruise line. Sometimes the steps were a bit high, but I managed with the help of partner/driver/other passengers.

 

I suppose you could take one of those plastic foldaway stools with you.

 

In June we went on a cruise to Norway and I borrowed a wheelchair from the Red Cross which I found very useful. We did the HOHO buses in three of the ports of call and private tours in other ports.