Any shore excursions suitable for people aged 80 with some difficulties in walking an

[jaitip]

Hi everyone

 

I will go for HAL Alaska cruising in early June. Ship will stop in Haines, Juneau and Ketchikan.

 

I want to go on White Pass summit but i am nervous that my mom would not be able to get in ferry from Haines. I have no idea how it would be. There is some stated that there would be steep ramp which might be hard for my mom to step in. But how hard?

 

She had Cement treatment on her back before. It is not comfortable to walk and move but she can walk with short distance. I want to bring a small wheelchair in case she needs. Can i bring wheelchair on ferry too? Also do i have to book via cruise? Or i can find any at the port? Booking in advance is risky for me in case my mom could not access it.

 

In Juneau and Ketchikan, are there any shore excursions suitable for my mom? As i know we can walk around in Ketchikan which she can just sit on wheelchair.

 

I just don’t want to leave her in the ship so I try to find tours that we both can go on.

 

Should we book shore excursions from the ship? Would it be more comfortable? Or the same with the others?

 

Thank you in advance.

 

P.s. I am not English speaker, so my language might be strange sometimes.

 

 

 

 

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[wolfie11]

The ramp in Haines is very steep at low tide, but you would be perfectly fine on the ferry with a wheelchair. I would be more worried if she will be able to climb onto the train. In Juneau the Allen Marine whale watches are handicapped accessible and some of the buses have wheelchair lifts if needed. The Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchikan is also accessible. I would book these through the cruise line.

[mdenis]

We are doing the same ports in July with HAL. I know some of the excursions thru HAL stated “handicapped accessible”. I would check for those. Good luck!

 

 

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[jaitip]

The ramp in Haines is very steep at low tide, but you would be perfectly fine on the ferry with a wheelchair. I would be more worried if she will be able to climb onto the train. In Juneau the Allen Marine whale watches are handicapped accessible and some of the buses have wheelchair lifts if needed. The Deadliest Catch tour in Ketchikan is also accessible. I would book these through the cruise line.

 

 

 

Thank you

I try to find the pictures how high to step in the train. I thought that there would be a small ladder to step in.

 

 

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[martincath]

WPYR railroad has disabled access carriages with wheelchair lifts - not on all of them, but multiple, so as long as you book in advance and inform them you need a wheelchair lift they should be able to confirm that there will be an available accessible carriage on the trip(s) you are interested in. Their website even states that ALL carriages for the Summit excursion (the short one that goes up & back down without entering Canada) have wheelchair lifts.

 

So provided you/someone else with you is up for pushing a chair, it should be feasible to make this trip with your mom. NB: when you say bring a small wheelchair, I cannot recommend enough that you choose one with 'normal' wheels (2 large) rather than 4 small ones ('transport' chair tends to be a common term). Alaska has lots of uneven terrain, gravel paths etc. and I learned by experience renting travel chairs when my granny came to visit that big wheels handle much, MUCH better than small ones! Even going up & down sidewalk kerbs was a hassle with the 4 small wheels version.

[jaitip]

WPYR railroad has disabled access carriages with wheelchair lifts - not on all of them, but multiple, so as long as you book in advance and inform them you need a wheelchair lift they should be able to confirm that there will be an available accessible carriage on the trip(s) you are interested in. Their website even states that ALL carriages for the Summit excursion (the short one that goes up & back down without entering Canada) have wheelchair lifts.

 

 

 

So provided you/someone else with you is up for pushing a chair, it should be feasible to make this trip with your mom. NB: when you say bring a small wheelchair, I cannot recommend enough that you choose one with 'normal' wheels (2 large) rather than 4 small ones ('transport' chair tends to be a common term). Alaska has lots of uneven terrain, gravel paths etc. and I learned by experience renting travel chairs when my granny came to visit that big wheels handle much, MUCH better than small ones! Even going up & down sidewalk kerbs was a hassle with the 4 small wheels version.

 

 

 

Thank you so much. Very useful.

Yes I think it is not good for a small wheelchair. I used it once and found some difficulties. My mom is heavy while i am small..let say i weigh 43 kgs, my mom weighs 68 kgs. I spent too much power on pushing. Otherwise i should buy a new one. I don’t know this before till i use it. Waste money!

 

 

 

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[Captain Canuck]

duck tour in Ketchican...picks up right on the dock...narrow stairs to get on board but if you board early you should have lots to time to get on

https://akduck.com/

[Crew News]

The Crab Fishing excursion on the Aleutian Ballad of "Deadliest Catch" fame has roll on and off capability for wheelchairs and scooters. It also has overhead cover, wheel chair parking spots, and over heaters to keep warm.

 

The Allen Marine Whale Watching excursion in Juneau has wheel chair roll on and off at the pier. The bus parks right on the pier. It is a large boat with inside seating, food, and restrooms.

[GloriaF]

Thank you so much. Very useful.

Yes I think it is not good for a small wheelchair. I used it once and found some difficulties. My mom is heavy while i am small..let say i weigh 43 kgs, my mom weighs 68 kgs. I spent too much power on pushing. Otherwise i should buy a new one. I don’t know this before till i use it. Waste money!

 

 

 

 

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Can you rent a wheelchair from the cruise line?

[Crew News]

Can you rent a wheelchair from the cruise line?

 

You can rent wheelchairs and scooters from two companies that service the cruise lines: Special Needs at Sea or Care Vacations.

[jaitip]

duck tour in Ketchican...picks up right on the dock...narrow stairs to get on board but if you board early you should have lots to time to get on

https://akduck.com/

 

 

 

Duck is funny?^^

 

 

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[SadieN]

When we were in Ketchikan last year the tides had a huge variance. When we got off the ship the tide was low. When we were returning the tide had risen and the gangway was extremely steep. Those in scooters and wheelchairs needed several crew to help them up onto the ship. A few actually got off their scooters or wheelchairs and walked up slowly themselves.

 

 

 

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[SadieN]

Duck is funny?^^

 

 

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The Duck has a steep set of stairs going up into it.

 

There is a Lumberjack show and a rainforest museum in Ketchikan.

[jaitip]

The Crab Fishing excursion on the Aleutian Ballad of "Deadliest Catch" fame has roll on and off capability for wheelchairs and scooters. It also has overhead cover, wheel chair parking spots, and over heaters to keep warm.

 

 

 

The Allen Marine Whale Watching excursion in Juneau has wheel chair roll on and off at the pier. The bus parks right on the pier. It is a large boat with inside seating, food, and restrooms.

 

 

 

Thank you

I will look through it.

 

 

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[jaitip]

Can you rent a wheelchair from the cruise line?

 

 

 

Oh I don’t know about this.

I went on Princess once last year and I brought on my own. I think they told that there are not enough wheelchairs. I then think itnwould be the same. I might need it for other places as well, not just on cruise.^^

 

 

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