Newbie Qs - Limited mobility? Laundry? How to Pack?

[Amy5000]

Hi all. I'm a newbie to cruising, and I'm planning a family trip to Alaska. I booked a cruisetour with Holland America (the D5C 13 day Classic Denali on the Statendam). I'm traveling with my parents (Dad will be 87 and Mom 77). Also on the trip will be my husband (we are in our mid 40s), our two children ages 8 and 10, and hopefully my brother (also in his 40s).

 

I'm looking for any advice on traveling with people with limited mobility and/or stamina issues. I've advised HAL that my mom will need wheelchair assistance for embarking and dis-embarking. They did not provide a lot of helpful advice but told me that thier office dealing with these issues would contact me befor we go. I would be interested in renting her an ECV (which I did when we were in Disney) either for the ship or individually when we are at ports where she might like to scoot around town. Does anyone have any advice, experience on dealing with accessibility issues? My mom will cheerfully volunteer not to go on more active excursions but I'd like her to be able to get about and I know a crusie ship is more walking than she's used to.

 

(I was going to ask for advice about doing the landtour ourselves, but I've decided with my parents mobility / stamina issues it will be helpful to have a tour company get them and luggage from place to place).

 

While I'm on to things I'm concerned about, I've traveled a bit with my children. We usually pack light and do laundry. Am I really going to need to pack 14 days worth of clothing for a family of 4? Do people do laundry on the ship? Should I bring quarters and detergent?

 

Finally, I saw someone ask a question about "formal" night. Sorry to sound uncultured, but is this something I'm going to have to expect and pack for?

 

I'm so looking forward to this vacation but it's probably more planning than I'm used to.

 

Thanks in advance. Amy

[CowPrincess]

Welcome to CC.

 

There is a forum on "disabled cruising" here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=190

which may be able to offer some help regarding your mom.

 

Get hold of Hol Am's "Special Needs" department. They should be able to help you arrange wheelchair embark/disembark. They can probably give you the name of the company that rents mobility aids (scooters, w/c, and such). There are only two, I think, that rent to the cruise ship pax.

 

You can do laundry on the Statendam, it is one of the ships that does have coin op laundry. Last time I did laundry it was (IIRC) $2 wash, $1 dry. Alternatively you can send out bags of laundry for the ships laundry to do. I have no idea of the current cost for that. The other option is signing up for the "unlimited laundry" package onboard the ship. You get charged a per day rate (used to be $7/cabin per day BUT that has probably changed :) ) and can send out as much laundry as you want (not the first day onboard, I think, and not the last full day on board either).

 

I travelled with a friend with mobility issues a couple of years ago, on a ship about the size of the Statendam. I really wish I'd brougth a cane along for her, so that she APPEARED to have a disability. (That's my biggest tip re disabled travel, make your mom visibly in need of assistance ;) )

 

Formal night. That's the dress code for the main dining room on 2 nights out of 7. You have choices, you don't have to go to the main dining room on those nights. You can eat in the Lido (the buffet restaurant), or you can have room service. If you go to the dining room, there is an expectation that you'll be wearing something that can "pass" as formal wear. There's a section on the HAL website about what is expected.

[CruiserBruce]

CowPrincess has given you excellent advice. You will also find lots of good info on the Holland America board, here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=171

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I wish I had ask lots of questions even before I booked my AK cruise last year. I think a cruise to AK takes way more planning than anywhere else. It is all about the excursions.

 

I created a 3-ring binder with divideres for each locale/port we visited [2 days Vancouver, 7 day cruise and 5+ days land tour]. You would be amazed at the number of confirmations, etc I felt I needed to take a copy of.

[Amy5000]

Thank you all for your advice. I've since spent time on both the HAL board and the Disabled Cruising board and seen lots of helpful info. I'm sure I'll be back with more Alaska questions as I'm hoping to start booking our excursions soon. (I thought I was so ahead of the game but I'm seeing that people book Alaska things really early).

 

Dragon: Can I ask what cruise you booked and what you would have done differently?

 

Hope you are all having a fab Holiday.

 

Amy

[LaurieCM]

As far as doing laundry: We always do some (we like to go on longer or back-to-back cruises) and I take a small ziplock bag with quarters (you can always ask for change) and although detergent, etc is available in coin-operated dispensers in the laundry room, I like to take Purex sheets- detergent/softener/dryer sheet all in one. They are easy to use and don't take up much space. Have a good time. I went on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise with my 88 year-old mother last April- she walks with a cane and takes a while to get from one place to the next- she didn't want a scooter, so we just chose carefully what we wanted to do. We had a wonderful time. so will you.

[Amy5000]

As far as doing laundry: We always do some (we like to go on longer or back-to-back cruises) and I take a small ziplock bag with quarters (you can always ask for change) and although detergent, etc is available in coin-operated dispensers in the laundry room, I like to take Purex sheets- detergent/softener/dryer sheet all in one. They are easy to use and don't take up much space. Have a good time. I went on a 15 day Panama Canal cruise with my 88 year-old mother last April- she walks with a cane and takes a while to get from one place to the next- she didn't want a scooter, so we just chose carefully what we wanted to do. We had a wonderful time. so will you.

 

 

I've never heard of these Purex sheets but I'm going to check them out for traveling. I saw on the HAL board that HAL offers an unlimited laundry package so I might do that for the cruise portion if it's reasonable, but I would bring the Purex sheets for the land portion (and it might make sense to have them for when I travel otherwise! Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip with your mom. I'm really looking forward to doing this with my family. :-)

[DragonOfTheSeas]

Thank you all for your advice. I've since spent time on both the HAL board and the Disabled Cruising board and seen lots of helpful info. I'm sure I'll be back with more Alaska questions as I'm hoping to start booking our excursions soon. (I thought I was so ahead of the game but I'm seeing that people book Alaska things really early).

 

Dragon: Can I ask what cruise you booked and what you would have done differently?

 

Hope you are all having a fab Holiday.

 

Amy

 

We were on the Radiance of teh Seas August 31. It was the last NB from Vancouver to Seward and I liked that.

 

I would have done a DIY itinerary for the land portion of the tour. I knew the cruise tours were too limiting for me. But, I selected an online TA that put a package together. [not escorted--simply put together hotels, tours, and luggage transfers] Our traveling companions loved it because they did not want to deal with luggage. I still found to too regimented. But, having said that, we LOVED our time in Alaska.

[Assateague Island Princes]

Amy, with respect to HAL's Unlimited Laundry package - do it!! Best bargain on the ship! We've used it on three Alaska sailings - one 7 day and two 14 day itineraries. The last time it was $49.00 per cabin per week, though I've since heard that the price has increased by just a few dollars. Still well worth it! Send your clothes out in the morning, and most times, it is returned that evening (or if not, by the next morning) - beautifully hung (even tee-shirts and jeans!), or folded between sheets of tissue paper in a wicker basket. For our 14 day Alaska sailings, we each packed only 1 week's worth of clothes and then took advantage of the UL package - it was a lifesaver! Left a ton of room in our luggage to bring home things we had purchased during our travels. We always sign up for it at the front desk upon embarkation and you're good to go - you can even send out a bag of laundry that first day. Just remember that you won't be able to send out laundry on the last sea day, for obvious reasons.

[lar]

My one biggest piece of advice when traveling with someone with disabilities is - if you use any of the shore excursion programs at all - go to the Shore Excursion desk yourself and let the shore excursion manager know your mom needs a little assistance. My personal experience is that the "special needs" office get overwhelmed with all the special requests on each cruise and does not always communicate well with all the other departments on the ship.

 

I have known a few different cruises where people have been traveling with someone who needed help - and they told the ''special needs" department but that department never told shore excursions or security so there was no help available to help get their family member off the ship during a steep gangway - and there are sometimes STEEP gangways in Alaska. And on another occasion the shore excursion staff did not know our friend was in a wheel chair and the Skagway train had sold all their wheelchair spots, so sadly he was turned away from the train ride. And in each case these folks told "special needs" but the information just never made it to the other departments.

 

Even if your mom just needs a little help, you will want that extra person to help her down the gangway and onto the tour bus. And on some tours they are sure to seat those people at the front of the buses, and bring them special easy access doors at venues. Take the few extra minutes at the beginning of the cruise to go to the shore excursion manager and explain her limitations so they can get you onto the tours you want with the special help. And that manager can also help you notify all the other departments that need to know.

[pagonick]

I can't help you on the assistance part - but would like to advise you to pack light. Alaska is so casual and layers are great. Some ports you may only need a long sleeve shirt and jeans while others a sweater. You really don't need much...and who cares if you wear the same thing over and over. I really am packing enough for 5 days and we will be gone for 14 days too. Hope that helps some.