Wheelchair Access on Princess Cay

[Wheeling TravelingMom]

From a search it doesn't look as though this has been discussed in a few years so I was hoping for some updated information.

 

After booking on Princess I was disappointed to find out that their private island is a tender port. I didn't expect that. My son (15 yrs old) is a full time wheelchair user. I would love to hear experiences of other full time chair users on this island. Were you able to tender? How was access on the island? Were the beach chairs available? Or is the sand hard packed enough for an independent chair user to maneuver? What was there to do other than watch everyone else? Are there enough accessible paths to just wander about and explore?

 

My only experience with a private island has been Disney's where access was pretty good. The older threads here have me a bit scared. Hoping someone can tell me it is much improved.

[montgomeryfamily]

I hate to disappoint you, but Princess will not access anyone in a wheelchair to tender. If the person cannot walk onto the tender or the person's party can't lift them into the tender, the person will not be able to tender. It does not matter what the weather/sea conditions are.

 

This change Princess made a couple of years ago in regard to wheelchair tendering means that we can't go ashore at Princess Cays and we have indeed gone down and tried to tender to Princess Cays a couple of times since the change and been turned away. The first time it happened, we even had the "accessible" beach cabana booked through the shore excursions dept onboard, who did not tell us about this change. After being turned away from tendering, we had to go back to shore excursions and get a refund.

 

This policy is rather ironic since much of Princess Cays is wheelchair accessible, with accessible bathrooms, paved walkways, and even beach wheelchairs to use.

 

This change of policy is one of the reasons we have since cruised so many more times with Royal Caribbean. We had cruised both lines in the past, but now cruise much more with Royal Caribbean than Princess, especially for itineraries with tender ports.

 

And note, even though you won't be allowed to tender, the port fees are not refunded.

[Wheeling TravelingMom]

Thanks Kathy! That is so disappointing.

 

I called Princess today to look at some other itineraries. There was one I was looking at with Belize. The booking agent assured me it wouldn't be an issue. That there would be 4-5 strong men there that would lift him onto tender.

 

Because of this forum, I know better than to go by that.

 

Well, boo. I called RC to see what they had but their accessible rooms are all gone.

[montgomeryfamily]

I understand. When we first began cruising with Princess, they always used a team of "lifters" and the 4-5 strong men sounds just like the way they used to do it. After they first made the change, they made it sound like it was a Captain's decision, based upon sea conditons/weather, which when the sea was as calm as glass and the weather perfect, you knew wasn't true, especially when it happened at every tender port and cruise after cruise. Now they put it in the Princess Patter well before the ship even arrives at the port about no tendering in a wheelchair (the night before or even a couple of days ahead of time). So I think the person you talked with just doesn't know the true situation.

 

Royal Caribbean still does it this way using tender teams and at some of the ports Royal Caribbean even has special tenders which accommodate wheelchairs rolling onto the tender.

 

Disney, the new ships of Holland America (not the old ones) and Celebrity still allows the tendering. I don't know about NCL because we have never cruised on those ships.

 

Disney has a cruise that goes to Belize, although I don't know if it sails at the time period in which you must cruise. Although I strongly urge you not to sail on the older ships as their accessibility is terrible, the new Holland America ships are fairly accessible and if you pick one that goes to Half Moon Cay, their private island, you would find it fairly accessible, with even an accessible cabana available, hard surface paths, and beach wheelchair.

 

I don't know what you were thinking of doing at Belize, but we have been several times and didn't find it particularly accessible. The port/shopping area is, but it also is paved with cobblestone type brick, which makes a bumpy ride for someone in a manual wheelchair. Perhaps another itinerary or even a back to back on two short cruises?

[Wheeling TravelingMom]

Thank you so much for the heads up on Belize. I hadn't even begun to do my research on it. Just had it as a port we have not yet been to so it sounded interesting. Will cross off for now.

 

I am going to take a look at Holland America and I have never thought of going the back to back route. Thank you so much for that idea!

[cb at sea]

On RCI, if you go a western route, your private beach day is on Labadee...where you actually DOCK...no tenders there! Makes for easy off and on! Just a "heads up"!