1st Cruise: San Juan, Bermuda, St. Martin, Labadee

[redsoxfan56]

I am sure some of this is covered elsewhere, but have found the board freezes up a lot so thought maybe I might get response if I posted a thread.

My husband and I are taking our 1st cruise in a few weeks. He uses a power chair, can do some transferring however his right leg has a knee fusion which makes getting into a cab and such impossible. We think we have arrangements with vans that have ramps for tours in Bermuda and San Juan...I guess I am skeptical enough to not beliee anything till it happens.

Any advice/input/suggestions appreciated.

Thanks!

[katgar]

Patti,

What ship are you on? Have you contacted the cruise lines special services desk? I found Carnival's helpful on the accessibility of the ship, and which ports were tender ports, etc. My sweetie uses a w/c for distances, and a new friend we met on this year's cruise is in a power chair. Are you getting an accessible cabin? the doorways are wider!

We've only been to one of the ports you mentioned, St. Martin. We were docked, at a long pier, at the end was a very large, newly refurbished area with many little stands for food and drink, and several stores. The paving was bumpy in spots, as part of it was like large bricks, but very pretty. We walked out of the port area, around to Bobby's Marina to access the new boardwalk along the beaches. It was maybe a 15 minute walk? Not sure, I didn't mind it as it was our first port! There was a sidewalk, but no wider than in the States, occasionally in narrow spots, walkers from the other direction would just hop the guardrail until they passed us. There is a water taxi, but I don't know if it is accessible for your hubby. Shortly before the boardwalk, was a little stream with a small wooden bridge, very bumpy and uneven! Then it was like gravel, but didn't have trouble with the w/c. Lots of the usual shops and stands for souveniers. Along the boardwalk many of the hotels had chair, table or umbrella rentals. We stopped in front of the Holland House where 2 lounge chairs with thick cushions, a little table and an umbrella was $15.00 and included a pass to use the hotels restrooms. However I didn't see a ramp, and we didn't need it. Two guys literally lifted Gary and his chair to our seats. (didn't see them when we left, so our mom's took care of the w/c while I helped him walk off the sand) From the boardwalk, you can take any side street away from the beach and you are at Old Phillipsburg where a large variety of stores from food to groceries, jewelry, etc. are. I only saw a few that had a ramp, so Gary just parked himself on the sidewalk while I looked around. As there were quite a few ships, it was a bit crowded. Just be careful if you venture into the street, the drivers zip around like crazy! We took a van back to the port, had to show ID's as we entered. As Gary can transfer, I don't know if they have any lift vans. We could have walked back, but we knew that wouldn't thrill his mom!

Don't be afraid to ask the locals. To be sure where we were walking, I asked security, or maybe port authority, they were in uniforms. He was quite friendly and pointed the way, etc.

Take everything with a grain of salt, everyone has different opinions, likes and dislikes, that is the best advice I can really give. My first cruise was back in '97, on a very small ship, compared to my next 2. I only knew from my sister and brother-in-law what I might expect, but was still in awe!

Just enjoy yourselves!

Kathy

[katgar]

darn boards!

[katgar]

Patti,

What ship are you on? Have you contacted the cruise lines special services desk? I found Carnival's helpful on the accessibility of the ship, and which ports were tender ports, etc. My sweetie uses a w/c for distances, and a new friend we met on this year's cruise is in a power chair. Are you getting an accessible cabin? the doorways are wider!

We've only been to one of the ports you mentioned, St. Martin. We were docked, at a long pier, at the end was a very large, newly refurbished area with many little stands for food and drink, and several stores. The paving was bumpy in spots, as part of it was like large bricks, but very pretty. We walked out of the port area, around to Bobby's Marina to access the new boardwalk along the beaches. It was maybe a 15 minute walk? Not sure, I didn't mind it as it was our first port! There was a sidewalk, but no wider than in the States, occasionally in narrow spots, walkers from the other direction would just hop the guardrail until they passed us. There is a water taxi, but I don't know if it is accessible for your hubby. Shortly before the boardwalk, was a little stream with a small wooden bridge, very bumpy and uneven! Then it was like gravel, but didn't have trouble with the w/c. Lots of the usual shops and stands for souveniers. Along the boardwalk many of the hotels had chair, table or umbrella rentals. We stopped in front of the Holland House where 2 lounge chairs with thick cushions, a little table and an umbrella was $15.00 and included a pass to use the hotels restrooms. However I didn't see a ramp, and we didn't need it. Two guys literally lifted Gary and his chair to our seats. (didn't see them when we left, so our mom's took care of the w/c while I helped him walk off the sand) From the boardwalk, you can take any side street away from the beach and you are at Old Phillipsburg where a large variety of stores from food to groceries, jewelry, etc. are. I only saw a few that had a ramp, so Gary just parked himself on the sidewalk while I looked around. As there were quite a few ships, it was a bit crowded. Just be careful if you venture into the street, the drivers zip around like crazy! We took a van back to the port, had to show ID's as we entered. As Gary can transfer, I don't know if they have any lift vans. We could have walked back, but we knew that wouldn't thrill his mom!

Don't be afraid to ask the locals. To be sure where we were walking, I asked security, or maybe port authority, they were in uniforms. He was quite friendly and pointed the way, etc.

Take everything with a grain of salt, everyone has different opinions, likes and dislikes, that is the best advice I can really give. My first cruise was back in '97, on a very small ship, compared to my next 2. I only knew from my sister and brother-in-law what I might expect, but was still in awe!

Just enjoy yourselves!

Kathy

[DEL67]

Patti:

 

We have been to all 4 ports. My husband uses a power chair aboard ship, but a manual one ashore because it provides more flexibility if the port is not fully accessible. However, he can transfer into a taxi so we do not have to rely on lifts as you do. Here are my thoughts on the ports:

 

Bermuda: Where are you going to be docked? The last time we were there we docked in St George which has very limited accessibility. I suspect the

area around Kings Wharf may be more accssible since it is newer. Last time we were there, we hired a cab and toured for a few hours.

 

San Juan: We took an island tour that included the Bicardi Rum factory tour. The tour was accessible (they have ramps on the tram and an elevator in the building. The only issue was the steep ramp to the bottling viewing area. is accessible. One of the forts is also partially accessible. However, if you are hiring a van with a lift, I would talk to the driver. I would guess that he would have more ideas.

 

Labadee: Many people love Labadee, but it was a bust for us. It started out great. The tender was even with the ship so there was no problem getting on it and the pier is well ramped. Unlike HAL's half Moon cay, all the paths at labadee are sand so my husband transferred to a beach chair which I thought would allow him to see a little of the area. Not so. One of the Haitian staff pushed him about 200 feet and then expected him to transfer to a lounge. If he had, it would have taken 4 men to get him up again. I went and got his chair and transferred him to that. I then offered the man who pushed him a $2 tip and was sneered at. Needless to say, when my hsuband decided to go a half hour later, I dragged his chair backwards over the sand to avoid asking for a beach chair again. I did notice that one woman in a scooter was able to traverse the sand, but I doubt if his power chair could have.

 

St Martin: To my knowledge there is no accessible transportation there which will limit your ability to see the island since your husband can not transfer to a taxi. When we were there 2 years ago, the water taxi was not accessible so we walked downtown, Its an easy 10 minute walk to the start of the shopping area. Most sidewalks downtown were in reasonable shape; however they were crowded sometin=mes making it difficult to get the wheelchair through. Some shops were accessible, but many were up one or two steps with no ramps.

 

The bottom line is that ports can be difficult, but usually you can work something out if you are flexible. However, recently my husband often has preferred to stay aboard the ship, either playing bridge or reading. As a result, I have come to realize that for him its the journey, not the destination. He enjoys getting away, the freedom he has aboard ship and meeting new people. And the crew always takes good care of him so I do not worry if I leave him aboard ship while I go ashore.

[redsoxfan56]

Thank you for the input! I am thinking my husband may feel the journey is the best part!

It does seem our travel agent, who specializes in disabled travel, has done a good job. I feel we have done all we can in preparation...will hope for the best now!

We had pretty much planned to just do the downtown area of St. Martin so it sounds like that is the best plan.

 

We are on Jewel of the Seas, Royal Caribbean

Our Bermuda port is King's Wharf...

Last time I was in Bermuda (approx 1980) the ship was tendered off St. George's so I think this will be much better.

 

Again, thank you both for the sharing!

[Luv4dacruise]

We will be on your cruise on the Jewel as well. My mother, father and myself will be in cabin 3078. Mom has MS and is in a scooter. Maybe we will see each other on board!

[redsoxfan56]

We will be on your cruise on the Jewel as well. My mother, father and myself will be in cabin 3078. Mom has MS and is in a scooter. Maybe we will see each other on board!

 

That will be great! Have you cruised before? What are your plans for the ports? I am waiting for final info from our travel agent but there may be additional room in the van we have arranged in Bermuda if you are interested.

[Luv4dacruise]

Thx, such a cool thing to offer :) . Mom normally stays on the ship, the ship is the destination for her, Dad and myslef normally go off on an adventure somewhere. if i know him, he will drag me to some fort that nobody has ever heard of, LOL. What do you have planned for Bermuda though, you said you had rented a van?......Am intersted to know. Kings Wharf is not the greatest of ports, hehe, kinda boring, but this is kind of a relaxation vacation for me anyways, work has been crazy lately :p. Been to Bermuda about 7 times, but never to St. Maarten or Puerto Rico, have any ideas for those ports?......Thank you again for your generous offer and will try to persuade mom to get off the ship, hehe!