good destinations for senior

[susiep]

My 82 year old dad wants to cruise to a destination that he can enjoy either from the ship's view or with very little walking. Maybe a dock with a busy port area he can watch from a balcony. Also which cruise line has the best accomodations for him? :confused: Thank you.

[Splinter]

Does he have a mobility disability? Is that why he does not plan to get off the ship? Will you be going with him? How does he plan to get around the ship? If he is limited at all in walking, a ship is a BIG place to get around. He might do better with an accessible cabin and a scooter, plus a manual wheelchair to go ashore with you. I would not recommend someone with mobility limitations like this traveling on a cruise by himself...in fact the cruise line will probably not allow it for safety reasons.

 

If he can walk short distances, or take a couple steps, there are many tours he could take (or take cabs) in just about every port in the world.

 

As far as good views from the ship, many Caribbean ports have good views, as does Hawaii. I am partial to Alaska for views from the ship, but it would be a shame for him to feel that he must be confined to the ship unless he has no desire to see anything other than what he can see from the ship.

 

I can recommend Holland America ships for having a great place to sit and see the sights. Their Crow's Nest bar (on nearly all the ships) is a popular location with good lines of sight, and is indoors and protected from the elements. Crystal has a similar bar on their ships.

[Queenie2]

Well, I'm thinking of a US river cruise -- the Mississippi River on the American Queen would be perfect. (they have a variety of accessible cabins) Very accessible ship and great views from deck. Fun itineraries. And it's a great crusie to sit on the veranda and watch the rest of the world go by!

 

Candy

[katisdale]

I found the panama canal interesting and possible to enjoy without taking an optional excursion if he is interested in a warm (hot) climate.

[susiep]

Thanks to all who replied. I will be traveling with my father. He can walk for 10 or 15 minutes and would probably like a motorized scooter. We checked on the river cruises, ( we live in Memphis and could board here) but were discouraged bc of the $. I may re check that...it does sound like the most logical choice (no air fare, etc.). He would like to take the Panama Canal trip also. Which shore excursion is the easiest and best? We took the HAL to Alaska last year and booked it ourselves, but felt like we did not get the best deal. I wish the boards allowed travel agent recs....I'm so afraid of getting bad advice from a random agent. Thanks again. Susan

[susiep]

Okay Candy.....I did not realize that the authority on "slow walkers" had replied to my dilemma. We will check the river cruise possibilities...and that was his original choice. Your blog is A+. Thanks again and please keep those suggestions coming. Susan:)

[Queenie2]

The Columbia River Cruises on Queen of the West or Empress of the North are also very scenic, but they are more of a cruise tour (all shore excursions included). It's also interesting - you go through something like 14 locks.

 

The American Queen allows more time for veranda-sitting though.

 

Candy

[Splinter]

The Panama Canal is a good idea. You could take a one-way cruise out of San Juan or Florida and fly back from California (or the reverse). Most ships don't stop or have port excursions in the Canal. The Canal IS the excursion! My father has done it 4X and enjoyed it every time. It takes all day to go through, and have can see all the lock operations, etc. It can be quite hot, even in winter, so it is good to get out on the deck only for short periods. Other ports where he could see a lot close to shore would include Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, Aruba and Curasao as well as Grand Cayman and San Juan. If you can take him with you in a cab, he could go further afield and see things from the cab without having to do much or any walking. A manual wheelchair would make him even more mobile ashore if you don't mind pushing it.