Ventura wheelchair experiences please!!

[pkfamily]

Hi,

 

Any help would be really appreciated - we are travelling as a group of 4 on P+O's Ventura in mid August. My daughter (23) has recently been ill and now is a full-time wheelchair user. She has nerve damage so being jolted hurts her. Any experience of Ventura with a wheelchair would be great!

 

Thanks

[annieuk]

I'm assuming you have notified P&O that you will require assisted boarding - they are extremely helpful. I also assume it's a wheelchair that can be folded when in the cabin. Assisted boarding also means that at the end of the cruise you will be told where to go for disembarkation - you will get off early. I have had experience of using an electric scooter on board Ventura. I didn't have to use it all the time as at the time I was able to walk short distances using a stick - I was waiting for a knee replacement at the time. On one occasion I did have to use the scooter to go to breakfast in the restaurant and the waiters and restaurant manager couldn't have been more helpful.

I also found the majority of the passengers only too ready to help if needed, even getting into the lift with a scooter - being a beginner at steering a scooter I was worried other people's feet might be in danger! If you haven't informed P&O about the wheelchair I would certainly do so. Then when you arrive at the terminal you will see, probably just inside the entrance a desk with some of the Assistance people waiting to tick names off on their list of people needing help. They will then direct you where to go next. Hope this helps.

[hollyjess]

Hi.

My husband has taken a wheelchair on Ventura and had no problems at all. As the previous message said register yourself as needing assistance both for boarding and disembarking and you will have all of the help you need. Have you got a disabled cabin, if not your wheelchair will have to be foldable.

When you go to the theatre in the evening you will find spaces for wheelchair users as you go in at the entrance. Everything about the ship we found to be disabled friendly so much so we have booked a 5 week cruise in february 2018!

Enjoy.

[pkfamily]

Thanks for your help! We've notified P&O about the wheelchair, it's manual and foldable. We couldn't get an accessible room so have gone for a normal one as it should be doable - my daughter can walk a couple of metres a few times a day.

 

Did they automatically allocate you a wheelchair friendly table at the restaurant for evenings or did you have to go and change this? I just remember on previous cruises (we've never been on Ventura before) there were steps to certain areas of the restaurant.

 

Was there anything you couldn't do/ struggled to do with the wheelchair?

 

Thanks! :)

[stocktonmackem]

We have just come off Ventura, hubby is full-time wheelchair user. We didn't meet any problems whatsoever in all areas of the ship. As someone said earlier, in the theatre at each side of the front section there are seats which are meant to be for carers but be aware that people plead ignorance and put the arm rest down and pretend they don't know, ask them to move if you want that seat as they shouldn't be there. If you are on fixed dining be aware that the dining room is on deck 6 which is only accessible by a lift. It will be very busy just before dining starts so give yourself plenty of time to get there. The two freedom dining restaurants are easy to get to. We always find our fellow passenger to be very polite and courteous regarding getting in the lifts first etc but you always get one. Just remember you are on holiday so nothing should stop you having a fantastic time. xx

[Selbourne]

Thanks for your help! We've notified P&O about the wheelchair, it's manual and foldable. We couldn't get an accessible room so have gone for a normal one as it should be doable - my daughter can walk a couple of metres a few times a day.

 

Did they automatically allocate you a wheelchair friendly table at the restaurant for evenings or did you have to go and change this? I just remember on previous cruises (we've never been on Ventura before) there were steps to certain areas of the restaurant.

 

Was there anything you couldn't do/ struggled to do with the wheelchair?

 

Thanks! :)

 

My wife uses a wheelchair and cruising is now the only overseas holiday that she will entertain. P&O ships (and staff) are very disability friendly. Most passengers are quite considerate also. The newer ships are easier to navigate around than the older ones, but everything is possible. It is possible to remain in the wheelchair at all tables in the restaurants. Getting out of doors onto the promenade deck is quite an effort (and bumpy) but all other traffic areas are fine.

[terrierjohn]

Agree with Selbourne's comments but would add that there is one automatic door each side out onto the promenade deck,, and also automatic doors out onto the pool and sun decks, and crew are always available to wheel you up and down the gangway at each port. There are a lot of metal strips used to join carpet lengths in the corridors, and as edging around the pool deck matting, which might be a little problematic for your daughters condition.

My wife is the wheelchair user and I don't normally use the assisted embarkation or disembarkation, we find its quicker and easier for me to do the pushing, but we do ensure that we carry minimal hand luggage.

[pkfamily]

Really helpful comments all of you! This definitely reassures me as I wouldn't want it to be hard for my daughter or the others caring for her :D Thanks again!

[annieuk]

Just one other thing - if your daughter is able/would prefer to sit on one of the dining room chairs at the table the waiter will gladly take the wheelchair away from the table and bring it back when she is ready to leave. I did this with an electric scooter - I think the waiter quite enjoyed driving it away, even though we told him he didn't have to do that, it could be easily pushed!