Not quite disabled....but

[april47]

I'm not disabled...yet. I'm 65 and have osteoarthritis with problems in my hip and knees. I don't need assistance as far ad walkers, canes and scooters. I can walk but am very slow. I don't bend and climb very well. I also get a little breathless with exertion. I'm thinking that while cruising is a great vacation for those not in great shape, the excursions are a problem. Any advise for those who have been-there-done-that ? I hate to slow the others in the excursions down.:confused:

[cantw8togo]

One option is to book private excursions or hire a taxi. That way you can travel at your own pace and spend your time seeing what you want, or are up to seeing. Also, many cruiselines offer "mild" excursions with minimal to no walking if that is what you are up to these days.

 

I recently traveled with my elderly mother who has arthritis issues and we took taxis at several of the Caribbean islands that we stopped at; however I forgot that they all tend to drive very fast, which worried my mother to no end. (We almost got into a head on collision in Dominica which didn't help the anxiety.) It got so bad that by the time we reached St. Thomas, she didn't want to go anywhere that involved taking a taxi. In hindsight I wished that I had booked excursions through the ship or with reputable tour operators, as they would go at a more leisurely pace. We would have just seen what we could see and spent the rest of the time waiting for the others in an area where we could soak up the atmosphere.

 

We traveled with a folding, lighter weight rollator and her cane, but she rarely used the rollator due to narrow sidewalks. You may want to look into renting a motorized scooter that can be taken apart to make it easier to travel in taxis, etc.

 

Hope this helps. Where are you considering traveling to?

[raindropsalways]

The easier tours offered by the cruise ships would be my suggestion. I use to talk to the tour guide before we started walking about taking the shortest direct route. Seemed like many of the guides would take the group on detours or little side trips so I made arrangements to bypass the mundane sites and meet the group straight ahead. Very seldom was I ever out of sight of the group, and at times others in the group joined me. It saved a lot of walking and did not hold up the rest of the group.

 

 

There is one positive fact in your favor. Now, when a hill or a stairway is involved, the buses drop the tour groups off at the top and everybody walks down. Way back when... the walking tour in St. Thomas started at the bottom of the 99 steps.

 

 

Depending on where you go, another option may be the hop on / hop off buses. They are excellent in that you get to the sites and then you can see sites at your own pace.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise. Hope this helps you see all those wonderful places and things.

 

 

Betty

[bjboothman]

Not sure about the other cruiselines, but Princess rates their excursions according to physical agility (for lack of a better term). They do spell out for you whether it's light, moderate, heavy activity and normally tell you if there are steps or not.

 

On another issue, I would NOT hesitate to tell a taxi driver to slow down. I'm paying the bill and if we have agreed to 1-2 hours for a certain prices, he/she isn't getting any more for driving dangerously fast. And won't get a tip if he/she does. Never be afraid to speak up, you are the customer.

[xxoocruiser]

All cruiselines tend to rate their excursions. With that said the ratings are sometimes misleading. You also have to remember that there will be steps on/off the bus and only you can determine if that's a concern. I never pre-book any excurisions. Rather I wait to book on board so I can speak directly to the Shore Excursion Director.

 

• When taking tours before my MS worsened, I would talk to the tour guide upon boarding the bus to find a pre-determined location I could meet the tour/bus so I didn't slow everyone down. Sometimes I would just make my way back to the bus halfway through the tour. But I always let the tour/guide know ahead of time.
  
• Always tried to just select the scenic city tours . Those are generally the easiest for me to do.
  
• Depending on the port I would get a taxi and tour around.
  
• Many times I would enjoy just staying on the ship and having it all to myself.
  

[cb at sea]

Going on a tour bus sort of excursion seems to be what would work for you best. You won't be able to do anything strenuous, so you really won't be "holding anyone back" while riding on a bus!

 

There are many things in ports to do without an excursion at all...a guidebook will help you with that. That way, you're on your own terms and timetable.

 

And yes...staying on the ship on port days is a great time....the ship is virtually yours alone!

[Chunky2219]

Most lines offer low activity tours for the majority of destintions, although you will find the occasional port where all they have on the list includes walking to the top of a mountain or kyaking a fjord. Register as having a problem and they will sort you a seat near the front of the bus. As xxoocruiser says, there is seldom any need to book before you get on board.

 

Even though your mobility is reasonable, my advice would be to take one of the smaller, easily disassembled scooters with you. The bits will store in your cabin. Walking from one end of the ship to the other can be quite a marathon - I usually come off a ship having lost weight due to all the extra exercise . :rolleyes: If you are on one of the megaships you could get worn out ever so quickly and you don't want to be stuck in the cabin with a painful knee two days into a two week voyage.

 

Check with your cruise line about their scooter policy. P&O and Cunard have just shot themselves in the foot by insisting that next that you must have an accessible cabin or a suite. Thomson apparently don't allow them at all on some ships. I don't doubt that the policy will be relaxed once bookings from the significant proportion of time rich but physically impaired cruises start to drop off.

 

Also, I would recommend asking for a shower stool in your cabin. The shower stall may not be as manageable as you are used to at home and unless you are going up market you won't have the luxury of hopping into a bath to soak away the aches and pains.

.

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[Dayenu]

Been there, done that. Fist of all, get a cane. You said, you don't need it - but this will be a signal to help with your plate in the buffet, not to push you in the elevator, vacate a seat waiting for boarding, etc...

 

Are all excursions a problem? Usually every cruise line has a list of ship tours on the website with the degree of difficulty. Check to see if you can do the easiest. Some of them are: get on the bus, stop, get out to take photos, get back in.

 

Check out "seat canes" - those are canes with 3 legs and a small folding seat.

 

The rest depends on the port, for example, in Belize we took a horse carriage ride after we left the port building, and walked around by ourselves a little. Panama canal transit took the whole day on the ship. In most of the ports in Europe we just took off on our own.

[BlueRiband]

...I'm thinking that while cruising is a great vacation for those not in great shape, the excursions are a problem. Any advise for those who have been-there-done-that ? I hate to slow the others in the excursions down

 

Excursions may be rated for levels of physical activity. You should read the tour descriptions carefully for mention of distances, uneven terrain, steps, hills, etc. Does the tour bus drop you at the front door of a museum or at the base of a stairway to a lookout tower? Given your description of your physical condition, a tour rated anything above low activity may present an effort for you.

 

I was on a tour of the American Landing Beaches in Normandie, France which was rated as moderate activity for the reasons stated above. Yet two walker-using passengers signed up for the tour! After the first stop they chose to stay on the bus because the effort was too much for them. They spent time and money on something that was too physically demanding for their condition.

[Going Coastal]

April47,

I have benn through all stages of mobility since a dislocated stress fracture a while ago and my advice is also to take the 'easy' or 'panoramic' tours. You see a lot that way and if you stay on the bus at some stops, I can almost guarantee that you won't be the only one.

How about a folding cane? You could keep it in your bag and bring it out if needed.

As you think of more questions, feel free to ask, as we all pool our knowlege and experience here.

GC

[Retired Educator]

I'm not disabled...yet. I'm 65 and have osteoarthritis with problems in my hip and knees. I don't need assistance as far ad walkers, canes and scooters. I can walk but am very slow. I don't bend and climb very well. I also get a little breathless with exertion. I'm thinking that while cruising is a great vacation for those not in great shape, the excursions are a problem. Any advise for those who have been-there-done-that ? I hate to slow the others in the excursions down.:confused:

Just had a total knee replacement in October, have COPD so travel with portable O2, polio as a child left me with limited use of my left arm and a total spinal fusion but I love to cruise. We limit the shore excursions to what I can comfortably do, usually the bus tours or unguided walking that allow me to set my own pace. When we travel with friends/family they understand and on EVERY CRUISE I have had nothing but POSITIVE, FRIENDLY, SUPPORTIVE assistance from anyone associated with the cruise which is another reason to book through the cruise excursion desk. We pick one activity that might be too much for me (zip lining) and WH does that one on his own while I enjoy having a day to myself aboard the ship. Please don't allow yourself to feel as if you are preventing others from something... life is too short to not savor and enjoy

[bluehenfan]

APRIL 47, When you first listed your mobility issues you could have been talking about me. Even same age, but I also now have MS which added balance problems to my list of walking problems. On my last cruise I rented a scooter and had it delivered to the ship. Wasn't able to get a handicap room so I contacted Special Needs dept at Carnival to get measurements for scooter that would fit through regular cabin door. Getting a handicap cabin would have been very helpful but we managed. I was able to just drive it off the ship at ports and for 1st time in a long time I was able to shop and explore area a little with no pain or problems. At the end of our cruise I just left the scooter in cabin and company took care of picking it up. I have already put in order for another one for my next cruise. This time I got a handicap room so we'll have plenty of room. Using a scooter has made such a difference - wish I'd rented one sooner.

[JackWP]

Please do not overlook the length of the piers to get to the tours. Some must be at least 1/2 mile long.

[CaptData]

The suggestions of getting a scooter for on board is a good one. I have another suggestion, rent one now a small one and take it to a locale mall and run around the mall in it for an hour (some malls have big ones for free but it would still give you an idea of how to handle it with people around and some tight spaces. Go on an elevator to for practice). This will give you an idea about driving a scooter.

 

Then rent a mid size one from scootaround or Carevactions use .com after to see their web sites. In most Caribbean ports you can leave your scooter near the security fence then walk to your bus. Some if pre-booked when you board will even allow you to take your scooter on city tours. RCCL has also started using the wheelchair sybol for h/c tours.

[momof3cruisers]

Please do not overlook the length of the piers to get to the tours. Some must be at least 1/2 mile long.

Yes, yes yes. This is what prevented me from going into Nassau. A hot day combined with my MS and I looked at that pier and told my husband to go and have fun. I chose the air conditioned state room and my book! LOL.

Been there, done that. Fist of all, get a cane. You said, you don't need it - but this will be a signal to help with your plate in the buffet, not to push you in the elevator, vacate a seat waiting for boarding, etc... .

I so agree wtih this! I am in my early 40s with MS. Sometimes I am okay most of the time I am slow and a little "off." The cane is a visual clue to other people that I might be in need of some assitance or in the least a bit of extra consideration for my slowness. I don't bring it with me around the ship unless I am having a really hard time because it can be a pain and I won't be getting in anyone's way anyhow, but when I get off the ship, I sure do. I think you would also be surprised at how much it helps. Without my cane it takes a lot more energy to navigate uneven sidewalks, bus steps etc. The cane gives me an added boost of confidence in my balance and leg strength. I CAN do without it, but I do a lot better with it.

[TheCouple]

I am travelling in June with RCL and have just booked on some of their

"easy tours" there was a questionaire which had to be completed first and hinted that certain criteria needed to be met before they would confirm your place. eg: whether client could walk at all,use other vehiles, manual or powered chair, size, height, etc.. I believe the idea is to prioritise thos who really needed the limited number of allocations on these tours.

Ofcourse that number may vary pending the amount of interest they received but this is just to raise awareness that getting these places on the easy tours with RCL are far from guaranteed.

 

Also DW has MS and has been through the limited walking and balance diffficulties stage and Iknow it can be very challenging when you fall into the mid-way category with any mobility restricting condition.

 

I hope you find a solution to meet your requirements, there are some amazing helpful people in these forums.Good luck.

 

Keith.

[jackretired]

I have tried several canes. Now my go to cane is custom sized Carbon fiber and is so light & strong.

[Bobed1927]

I could never get the hang of using a cane. I use a rollator (four wheel walker).

[Dayenu]

I have tried several canes. Now my go to cane is custom sized Carbon fiber and is so light & strong.

 

Jack, thank you for the link! I am a long time cane user, still found some useful advices on this website!