Greek island & Venice

[b7440]

We have booked the NCL Jade-for June 21, I use a TravelScoot Scooter to get around we are going to the following PORTS OF CALL EMBARK Venice (Italy); Corfu (Greece); Santorini (Greece); Mykonos (Greece); Olympia (Katakolon) (Greece); DISEMBARK Venice (Italy).

 

I do have a handicapped balcony cabin, so no problem with the Ship. Looking for any info on the ports of call. I know two are tender ports, which I believe should not be a problem , since I can walk onto the tender, just can't walk long distance.

 

Also we plan on flying in to Venice a couple of days early to tour. Any thoughts on Hotels, and the best way to get to them from the airport, then from the Hotel to the Ship.

 

Thanks for your help

[katisdale]

I have been to Santorini and Venice with my travelscoot. I found Venice to be much easier than I thought it would be. First, google accessible Venice and you will find a site that offers information about accessible routes through the city. They even have a map you can print. Also google "John Sage". He is a mobility impaired traveler who has lots of information for travelers and he offers lots of suggestions about hotels. We haven't been there in 5 or so years so I would be hesitant to recommend a hotel.

In Santorini (we were on Princess so it may not be the same for you) we took an easy level ship's tour that offered a ride around the island. We did have to tender but went to a different dock from the regular tenders. There we were met by a large bus with plenty of room to store the scooter underneath.

[kitty9]

Santorini is a very difficult port for anyone with walking problems. Some ships do a tender to a different dock, but not all do. If your tender docks in the regular dock, you have three choices to get to the town: walk 600+ steps, ride a donkey or take the funicular. But, once you get to the town, it's nothing but rocky pavement and steps everywhere. You can walk a short distance and then bam, you have to walk up or down three or four uneven steps. Cannot use a scooter or wheelchair there.

 

As for Venice, take the vaporetto which are accessible. They're basically the bus system for Venice. I would not take a water taxi as they are extremely difficult for anyone with mobility issues to get into.

 

Unless things have change in Mykonos, you'll dock in an industrial area and will need to take either a tour or a shuttle, if your line offers it, to get into the town area. Once there, it's an easy walking town.

 

It's tough to recommend a hotel in Venice as there are a lot of variables. For me, I want to be in the center of the city, so I stayed in a hotel right next to the Doges Palace. The only problem you may encounter in Venice are the bridges. Most have steps up, then over, and then down. Not all have ramps to negotiate.