Traveling with Elderly

[EarlyRiser]

Cruising on Nautica (Oceania) May 17 from Istanbul to Athens with my two sisters and our 85 year old mother. Does anyone have information/suggestions on wheelchair assistance, or should we just count on bringing our own?

[SailAways]

Cruising on Nautica (Oceania) May 17 from Istanbul to Athens with my two sisters and our 85 year old mother. Does anyone have information/suggestions on wheelchair assistance, or should we just count on bringing our own?

 

I believe the Cruise Line or your TA should be able to better answer this question.

Have you considered a Handicapped Cabin? This could be very helpful with a wheelchair as the normal cabin doors could be too small to accomodate.

 

Good luck.

[Nitemare]

Check the disable traveler forum here as well, but your TA or the cruiseline should have the info you need immediately available.

[DEL67]

I would contact the cruise line, but gnerally tcruiselines only provide wheelchairs for embarkation and disembarkation.

 

Regardless, I would take your own, not only to be sure you have one, but also because cruiseline wheelchairs are not always in good condition.

 

Sailaways is correct. Most wheelchairs will not fit through regular cabin doors. However, my memory is that Oceania's ships onlly have 4 inside handicap cabins which greatly limits your choices. In addition, on the deck plans they appear to be the same size as other cabins which may not provide sufficient space for truly wheelchair bound passengers.

[Arwenmark]

Almost all cruise lines now require you to bring your own WC or rent one privately. On board chairs are for initial transport and emergencies only and are likely to be crap anyway.

 

Check out the disability board for more info, though I recommend scootaround as the best to rent from for cruises. They are who I use when I don't bring my own scooter and manual Chair.

[lv2crooz2]

Plan on bringing your own. You'll be doing a tremendous amount of traveling going to Istanbul and will be assured of a WC for airports, hotels, etc. I agree about trying to book a handicapped cabin but if your mom is at all mobile, the chairs fold up nicely to fit inside the doors. I travel with my 84 yr old mother and we also bring her cane as she hates to push a wheelchair in the casino! We have been allowed the use of chairs from both RCL and Carnival (for the entire cruise) but don't count on that with an itinerary like yours. Have a great time!!!!!

[holomuku]

Perhaps a little off topic-

 

when traveling with my then 80 year old MIL (yes, just the two of us- we were blessed and loved each other and took several trips as she was widowed and DH couldn't get off work) at a hotel we twice had fire alarms go off.

 

The first time was in Boston and we were on the 14th floor. She was very spry for 80 (but still she was 80) and getting her down 13 flights of stairs was a real challenge. Unfortunately I discovered that people are NOT nice if they think their personal safety is at stake. We were pushed aside several times however I somehow managed to get us down to the ground floor. We are (were) both 5'2", small women-- sad to say but several "gentlemen" pushed their way ahead of us. (and I use the term "gentlemen" very....loosely?)

 

The second time I had learned my lesson and we were at a hotel in Washington DC on the third floor per my request for a lower floor. Fire alarm went off, no problem to go down three floors.

 

Both were false alarms however-- how do you know? You've got to do the best you can to exit as quickly as possible.

 

So- if you're staying at hotels on this trip I would suggest requesting lower floors. And enjoy your time-- my MIL has since passed away and those memories of our travel times as "just as girls" are very precious to me.

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time and create wonderful memories- take lots of pictures!

[kitty9]

I'm disabled, so it's a little like being someone elderly. First of all, you must, absolutely, bring your own wheelchair. The ones on the ships are for emergency purposes only, and a lot of them aren't in very good condition.

 

Second, realize that many of the places you'll be visiting are terrible for those who are elderly or infirm. They don't have manditory laws protecting the disabled, and therefore not much is accessible for wheelchairs. It will be physically taxing for the person pushing the chair because there aren't cut outs at the curbs and most of the tourist places have lots of stairs and no elevators.

[DEL67]

One more thing. Do not take a "travel chair." They are convenient because the are narrow and light, but they are much more difficult to push than one with the big rear wheels, especially over carpets and rough pavement and up curbs.

[ILoveScotland]

My 83 year old husband who had major back surgery in late August and I were on the Norwegian Majesty in November. We debated whether or not to take a wheelchair, because NCL does not provide one on the ship. In the end hubby was able to manage with his walker, but NCL provided a wheel chair from the terminal to our cabin and again from the ship to the terminal when we disembarked. Although I'm fairly new at cruising my research has told me that this is a standard policy.

[ILoveScotland]

Oops...my attempt at a clock obviously failed. My message got through nonetheless.