Wheelchair access to Great Stirrup Cay

[42CruiseCrazy]

We will be cruising on the Norwegian Breakaway and visiting their private island, Great Stirrup Cay. I learned that NCL policy is to deny access to passengers in wheelchairs if the passenger and chair combined weighs more than 100 lbs. That seems ridiculous because that would exclude practically any disabled adult or teen confined to a wheelchair. Do they not have any roll on tenders like Carnival does at Half Moon Cay? Could someone who has been to GSC answer this question based on their experience?

[ncc1701]

My husband and I were on the Gem last year. My husband has mobility issues - he can't walk long distances and can't stand for long periods of time. We typically rent a scooter from Special Needs at Sea. We were strongly discouraged from going to GSC. In addition to the cabin steward discussing it with us, we received a letter and two phone calls from the access desk telling us that you have to be able to walk down 15 steps into the tender. There are beach wheelchairs available but they can't be reserved. I can understand why they don't want someone who has mobility issues to try tendering. You have to move quickly and if the seas are a little choppy, it would be dangerous for the person and the crew. We enjoyed the nice, empty ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[roger001]

GSC tendering is usually a bit tricky because of sea and wind issues. I've seen a wheel chair loaded on the tender by crew but the person has to be able to walk down the stairs to the tender and step aboard, frequently tricky even for persons without mobility issues. A normal wheel chair would be hard to use on GSC because of the sand covered walking areas. A walking ramp lets down from the tender once you are docked at GSC.

[mking8288]

First, not here to defend NCL's policy in general. But, having been to GSC over the past 15 years, it is a CHALLENGE even for ordinary person unless the sea/ocean is perfectly calm and wind-less. Safety comes first and among the reasons why ships cannot safely tender there, we've sat there & waited while crews attempted to launch, gave up & pull up the ramps, and turn to a fun day at sea. As said, I don't feel it is a matter of NCL purposely denying anyone access to GSC ...

 

For the BA, one has to walk out to the narrow ramp on deck 4, down onto another platform briefly and then another ramp to the top deck of the double decker tender boat with a capacity for 400 passengers. Once the boat is at the GSC pier, disembarkation is on the lower deck - down more steps.

 

I've seen one guest on crutches done it on his own, assisted by several other members of his family/circle of friends - with great difficulties & challenges on the steps. It only take very moderate waves for the tender boats to pitch up and down (vertically) and crews are standing on both sides of those ramps doing their best to assist ALL passengers to safely get on and off.

 

Even if this is planned out with extra logistical help in sailing with a stop at GSC, not ALL stops are successful due to tendering safety issues ... our batting average is .600 out of 5 runs over the years.

 

As you said, the design for GSC is different than CCL. There're plenty of pax on the BA in motorized scooters getting around and it seemed that they're happy staying onboard to enjoy a less crowded ship to relax. Also, seen pax turning around when seas were a bit rough & they didn't feel comfortable with the ride & motion sickness going ashore.

 

Just pennies for your thoughts.

[khaide612]

They do have the sand wheelchairs at GSC. But I agree. It isn't an issue of keeping disabled people from enjoying a day at GSC - it's about the tendering safety.

[roger001]

My wife has twice said she would not get on the GSC tenders even when they were running.

[xxoocruiser]

We will be cruising on the Norwegian Breakaway and visiting their private island, Great Stirrup Cay. I learned that NCL policy is to deny access to passengers in wheelchairs if the passenger and chair combined weighs more than 100 lbs. That seems ridiculous because that would exclude practically any disabled adult or teen confined to a wheelchair. Do they not have any roll on tenders like Carnival does at Half Moon Cay? Could someone who has been to GSC answer this question based on their experience?

 

The information contained on the NCL website can be misleading as it's really not written with full clarity. The 100 lb. limited applies to the weight that NCL it's crew members are permitted to lift. It does not mean that you will be denied boarding a tender if it has roll-on capabilities and your combined body weight of that of the wheelchair weight exceeds 100 lbs. What it means is if the tender does not have roll-on capacities and you are able to take a few steps up/down to enter/exit the tender but your scooter/wheelchair weighs more than 100 lbs. you will not be allowed to board. Additionally it's important to note that regardless of the tender having roll-on capabilities it's always at the discretion as to whether or not people with any type of mobility equipment will be permitted to board due to safety concerns.

 

Refer to my post #2 in this link for specific information regarding accessible access to Great Stirrup Key. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2206147

[42CruiseCrazy]

They do have the sand wheelchairs at GSC. But I agree. It isn't an issue of keeping disabled people from enjoying a day at GSC - it's about the tendering safety.

 

 

I have been informed that there are steps on the tender that must be taken because you board the tender on one deck and disembark on the other deck. This means that someone who cannot walk or do steps has to be carried and to be carried you need to be 100 lbs or less. My wife uses a wheelchair and cannot walk but enjoys the beach and is a good swimmer. We are both very disappointed that we are forced to miss GSC. Even if my wife lost a few pounds and could be carried she would refuse. She is an adult, not a child, and finds it degrading to be carried. NCL should be making it's private island accessible to all it's passengers and there really is no excuse for there not being a wheelchair accessible tender servicing the island. Carnival has roll on - roll off tenders at Half Moon Cay and there are hundreds (perhaps thousands) of wheelchair accessible boats and ferries around the world. At least one of the tenders at GSC should be modified or replaced so that all fare paying passengers can visit NCL's private island if they wish to do so. If (as some have said) the tendering process is challenging or unsafe then maybe steps need to be taken to make it safer for everyone. New larger tenders that are more stable and wheelchair accessible should be considered.

[Spyke65]

We were on the Sky last August and stopped at GSC. When boarding the tender, you are on the top level and when disembarking, you leave from the bottom level. This requires one to climb down a flight of stairs upon arrive to GSC and climb up a set when arriving back at the ship. We did use a beach wheelchair for my MIL who has mobility issues but she did have to get on and off the tender without a wheelchair.