Lots of questions...

[bling19572010]

My Mother and Daddy love cruising but they started this passion late in life. I also love cruising! My sister and I will accompany our Mother and Daddy on the cruise as our Mother is in a wheelchair and can only take a couple of steps with assistance and our Daddy is forgetful and has a hard time sorting things out. Our Mother cannot go up or down stairs. I would like them (and my sister and I too) to experience the Norwegian Fjords. They would prefer to cruise on RCCL but are open to other cruise lines if the itinerary and amenities are great. I would like a cruise for them to be:

 

1. Wheelchair accessible – airplane, cruise ship and port excursions

 

2. Cruise originating from and returning the USA – which I understand isn’t probably possible. My Mother can’t travel long distances on an airplane or any source of transportation for that matter.

 

3. We live in Kansas City, Missouri so possibly splitting the flight time might be the answer (i.e. Kansas City to New York – staying overnight in NYC and then a couple days later going from NYC to the Norwegian Fyords.

 

4. Which side of the cruise ship would be best to have an excellent viewing of the Fyords during the entire trip?

 

5. Which ports would be best for wheelchair accessibility, also for ease of getting off and back onto the ship and touring around the countryside?

 

6. Price is a consideration as both my sister and I are divorced and living on a single income.

 

7. We would prefer a 2 week cruise.

 

I apologize for my list of considerations and wants, but giving our parents this cruise really means a lot to me and my sister.

 

I’m sure that I’ve probably missed something but, again, your help is so appreciated!!

[I-Cruiser]

These are really good questions and I hope you get lots of answers.

:)

[sddsddean]

1. Wheelchair accessible – airplane, cruise ship and port excursions

Most European countries (especially Scandinavia) are very pro disabled access...shouldn't be a real problem.

 

2. Cruise originating from and returning the USA – which I understand isn’t probably possible. My Mother can’t travel long distances on an airplane or any source of transportation for that matter.

This is your main problem. As far as I know, all fjord cruises originate in Southampton, Harwich, Dover (all in UK), Amsterdam (Holland) or Copenhagen (Denmark), all of which would need a transatlantic flight there and back. As fjord cruises are usually in mid Euro cruising season, I don't think you will even have the option of doing one transatlantic as a ship re-positioning cruise.

 

3. We live in Kansas City, Missouri so possibly splitting the flight time might be the answer (i.e. Kansas City to New York – staying overnight in NYC and then a couple days later going from NYC to the Norwegian Fyords.

See 2

 

4. Which side of the cruise ship would be best to have an excellent viewing of the Fyords during the entire trip?

Irrelevant...you have to go up the fjord and back down it.

 

5. Which ports would be best for wheelchair accessibility, also for ease of getting off and back onto the ship and touring around the countryside?

Crew will obviously help 'on and off' the ship and most ports nowadays are wheelchair friendly...probably to a better standard than you are used to in the US. Nearly all buses and trains are wheelchair friendly.

 

6. Price is a consideration as both my sister and I are divorced and living on a single income.

Negotiating skills to the fore!

7. We would prefer a 2 week cruise.

Some cruises are 7 day, but obviously you will see more on 2 week. We did 2 weeks on the Celebrity Eclipse last July from Southampton to Iceland and Norway. Stunning scenery, but whilst the UK was in the middle of a heatwave, Iceland was cold (7C), wet and low cloud, so be aware weather might not be what you expect in summer! Last 2 ports (Stavanger and Kristiansand) were sunny though

Just a thought, but if you are after that sort of scenery, whilst it is not as 'stunning' as Norway (in my opinion), how about an Alaska cruise? That will visit much wider fjords and normally at least one glacier, and a lot less travelling for Mum.

Simon

[Eboracum_d]

I would confirm that Nirway as a whole is very wheelchair friendly.

 

Gerainger is a tender only port and Tenders may need to be used at Flam depending on which ships are in port.

 

The attraction of Gerainger is the journey up and down the Fjord. There is not much to see or do ashore so I would not be worried if the wheelchair prevents you getting off the ship.m

 

The main at Flam is the railway which it would be a pity to miss if you were there.mi am nit sure whether the railway is wheelchair friendly.

 

If budget is a pine consideration you might consider Thomson, FredOlsen and Cruise and Maritime, all of which lines tend tomb cheaper than the Carnival Companies or Royal Caribbean /Celebrity. there are often discounted deals on P and O, Cunard, Celebrity and Holland America. They will also have fly/cruises from the States.

[hallasm]

Questions well answerd ny sddsddean - just some comments.

 

Even Geiranger tendering and the Flåm train are both wheelchair friendly outside 'rush hours'.

 

A cruise from Copenhagen might be a good choice - short distances - and for a two week a B-to-B Baltic and Norwegian fjords cruise will be a good option.

 

I did bring my 93 year old Mother in Law last eyar - and several peopel in wheelchair as well.

[Ine]

Get in contact with Holland America. They have a ""viking"" cruise each year. Going to/from Boston.One way sailings are also possible. The only thing is this trip isnot cheap.

I think this is about the only transatlantictrip to Norway etc. Most other sailings go to Spain. Italy etc. and also often only one way.

Check this link:

http://nl.hollandamerica.com/ennl/find-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?webItineraryIdForAudit=ETS435&fromSearchVacation=true&destList=ET&dateCode=7_2014&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&portCode=&shipCodeSearch=&voyageCode=E457

 

Cruiseships are very suitable for wheelchairpassengers. However not all tenderports can be done by wheelchair.

[cruise_bunnies]

Actually, besides HAL, I saw a transatlantic Norwegian Trip from Cunard, it's called the Grand Norwegian Explorer and start in New York and returns there, with several Norwegian Stops on the itinerary in a 28 day cruise. 16th of May till June.

 

I'll keep an eye out if I see any others, because I'm researching the Norwegian Fjords for a trip this summer. We live in Europe, so a TA Fjord Cruise wouldn't work for us, but if I see any offerings I'll post in the thread.

Edited January 9, 2014 by cruise_bunnies

[Desdichado62]

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Edited January 9, 2014 by Desdichado62

[LondonTowner]

We did a Norway Cruise out of Southampton two years ago on Fred Olsen which have small ships. We didn't have any tender ports, so easy to get on/off ship.

 

I have reduced mobility so took a manual wheelchair. All the ports we visited were accessible and flat. We did the Flam railway ourselves and bought the ticket at the station. The station is about 200m flat walk from where the ship docks.

 

I could have easily have climbed aboard the train myself, but the guard insisted on getting a ramp and pushing me onto the train and seating me in a reserved disabled seat. A Norway cruise is ideal for most disabled people. I'm sure your parents would love it.

[bling19572010]

A BIG thanks to everyone for reponding to my post. A lot of great suggestions!!:)