Hawaii in a wheelchair

[rickdeni]

A year ago I reserved 2 balcony cabins on NCL and six nights at Aulani. I fell and did big time damage to my ankle. I am having surgery tomorrow and will not be able to put weight on that foot. I feel that a wheelchair would be my best bet as my sense of balance is not great. We are leaving June 27th for the 28th cruise and then 6 nights in Aulani. Has anyone toured Hawaii in a wheelchair and if you did what problems did you encounter. Thanks for your help!!!

[Kartgv]

Sorry to hear about your injury, but you should still be able to enjoy your trip. Hawaii is subject to the same laws about accessibility as the rest of the US, so you will be able to get around most places just fine. They may be some outdoor activities that will be difficult (hard to roll a wheelchair onto the beach!), but check the websites of anyplace you're specifically interested in and see what they say. Also, I believe most ship's tour descriptions tell you about accessibility limitations and activity level required for each tour.

 

Just re-read the above paragraph and had a flashback to a scene on a beach in Kona years ago. We watched two young men lift and carry a wheelchair with an elderly woman in it (probably Grandmother) right down to the edge of the water. The woman was wearing a full wetsuit. One of the boys ran back and got a rubber raft, then they lovingly lifted her onto the raft. She put on a snorkel mask as they pushed her into the water. They swam out beside her as she snorkeled for about half an hour, then brought her back the same way. We've never forgotten the lovely display of "Aloha". Have a wonderful trip!

[rickdeni]

Thank you for your positive response.

[elhenry]

We sailed the POA in July 2013 with my elderly mother in a wheelchair. We also stayed at the Marriott Ko Olina which is part of the same "complex" (four manmade bays, each with a hotel) as Aulani before the cruise. You will definitely be able to enjoy your Hawaii vacation from the wheelchair. Some tips and notes:

 

1. I don't know the Aulani hotel, but the Ko Olina area has a paved walkway right above the bays/ocean from which you can easily push a wheelchair. The path is about a mile long. We took Mom out every morning and evening to enjoy the gorgeous views. She was not well enough to go to the ocean, so we did not try, and I did not see beach wheelchairs, but one of the several pools at the Marriott had a fully equipped wheelchair lift. I imagine Aulani must be the same.

 

2. If you are touring Pearl Harbor, you can get a temporary handicapped placard. We did not know this, and a park employee saw us unloading Mom's wheelchair and asked us if we needed a placard to park closer to the main site. We were quite thankful. But you may want to remember to bring your handicapped placard if anyone will be renting a car. (And you will need a car to go anywhere from Aulani).

 

 

3. Biggest tip for the POA (sounds really stupid unless you are pushing a wheelchair all week) : the handicapped access buttons for doors on deck 11 are *unmarked*. You know, those buttons with wheelchairs on them you push to open the doors? Well on the pool deck ( and most importantly the buffet deck. :) they are not marked. It took us three days of opening heavy doors with two people, waiting for help if only one person was pushing Mom, until we figured out those little unmarked buttons were the automatic door openers. Now *you* know.

 

4. Otherwise, the POA is a lovely ship, small and navigable, and the view from the balconies is wonderful if you are port side for the Napali drive-by. We had a large balcony where we could store the chair. Without that, space will be tight.

 

5. Ports in general: yes, Hawaii is part of the USA, but not everything is handicapped accessible. If you are on a tour, make sure the bus is handicapped accessible. They aren't required to have lifts, and we had one bus without a lift. Not good.

 

6. Ports specifically: biggest problem will be Kona. The tenders are small, rocking, and I don't see how a wheelchair bound person, or even a person on crutches, could safely navigate them. Mom stayed on the ship.

 

Maui: we took a bus with a lift to Haleakala during the day, some paths are paved, and views are impressive. Iao Valley is also impressive, as lush as Haleakala is dry, with tiny, with easily navigable paved paths.

 

Big Island: Kona, see above. For Hilo, we used Mary Lou's tours, because Mom had a folding wheelchair and could navigate one step into the van. Ken from Mary Lou's was absolutely wonderful with Mom. Again, VNP has some paved paths, particularly for the steam vents (although some, like the lava tubes, could not be done in a wheelchair; Ken stayed with Mom while we walked the lava tubes).

 

Kauai: Kalapaki beach, associated with the Marriott, is a five minute walk/push from the ship. Wheeled Mom over, up and down a very short path, and enjoyed lunch at Duke's. We did the Smith family luau, which has a tram ride if you can navigate a step and gave us great handicapped seating at the show and the buffet, but the bus/van, not so much.

 

Hope at least some of this helps! Happy cruising,

 

el henry

 

(I don't know if the attachment will show up, family pic at VNP with Mom in the chair)

[rickdeni]

Thank you for your helpful hints on the POA. I do not intend to get off at Kona. This will help me limit my shopping. I am not too concerned about Aulani as Disney resorts are very handicapped accessible. Aulani does have the pool aid that Marriott has. We are Marriott Vacation Club owners so I am sure we will spend some time at the Marriott. When the grandchildren are with us we do Disney.

When you flew did the airline allow you to bring a walker or other mobility device to use for visits to the washroom?

Thanks again for your help!

[elhenry]

rickdeni, I'm glad that our experience could help someone. I am certain that Aulani has all the necessary accommodations as well, all the resorts in that area seem quite upscale.

 

Frankly, navigating the plane was more difficult than the cruise. The wheelchair, although it does not count as luggage, is way too big for the plane aisles. I am not sure about a walker; I think a normal, hospital-issue walker would also be too big; maybe one of the triangle type walkers?

 

In any event, we flew from the East Coast and it was quite an adventure. Airlines have an "aisle chair" for wheelchair passengers. We took Mom in her own wheelchair to the door of the plane, then it was checked, then Mom was put in a narrow "aisle chair" that could be wheeled to her seat, where they assisted her into her seat. Exit, reverse the process. We connected in PHX, where we went through the same drill.

 

When she needed to use the bathroom, with my sister on one side and me on the other side, we essentially lifted her (she could take steps, just not many) to the bathroom. One of us went in with her. I believe the flight attendants would have assisted if necessary. But I won't pretend it was easy.

 

Then again, she did finally make it to Hawaii, and she was happy!

 

Any other questions, let me know.

 

el henry