Os Celebrity suited for a teen in wheelchair?

[ANNA40]

Hi all,

 

We're looking for a fjords cruise next year with our 2 daughters, then 11 and 15 yo. Nothing was appealing me till a saw the Silhouette sail the 25th August 2019.

I know Celebrity is not geared at kids, but is not adults only neither.

My now 10 yo is a well behaved little adult stuck in the body of a girl and my 15 has a moderate disability that doesn't allow her enjoy most of the facilities ships like Royal have.

We have only been last year in a MSC new ship. Easy because sailed from Barcelona, where we live, beautiful ship, but food regular, so I think Celebrity will suited us better.

She don't speak a word of English, but I don't think this can be an issue.

Thanks for your thoughts

 

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[Bo1953]

I must congratulate you on choosing to travel with your children and providing them with windows to the world many others would not think of....

 

On our recent sailing on The Summit, there were a few children in wheelchairs with various disabilities and I did see one adult who was in wheelchair type of bed all over the ship and even in port... the staff and crew were outstanding in their dealing with the situations, as far as I could see and tell.

 

Your children will be fine. You will need to let X know in advance through the Special Needs Department so they can plan as well for your arrival.

 

Have a great sailing and upon your return, let us know how it went for you and the family.

 

bon voyage

[ANNA40]

I must congratulate you on choosing to travel with your children and providing them with windows to the world many others would not think of....

 

On our recent sailing on The Summit, there were a few children in wheelchairs with various disabilities and I did see one adult who was in wheelchair type of bed all over the ship and even in port... the staff and crew were outstanding in their dealing with the situations, as far as I could see and tell.

 

Your children will be fine. You will need to let X know in advance through the Special Needs Department so they can plan as well for your arrival.

 

Have a great sailing and upon your return, let us know how it went for you and the family.

 

bon voyage

Thank you very much Bo1953 for your kind reply.

 

Though is harder for us than for a "average" family, we try to travel always with our daughters. We have been already in several countries, even went to Mexico. Pity our budget is not big enough [emoji28].

 

If we finally go to fjords, surely I will explain our experiences here.

 

Un saludo

 

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[Denny01]

We took our daughters on Celebrity when they were early teens and they loved it. Both were ‘adults’ in teen bodies also. They didn’t need the water slides, climbing walls and so on. They met good friends and had a great time, because they made their fun, not looked for the ship to entertain them. They now cruise as adults and pick Celebrity as their primary choice.

 

By the way, I’ve met many ‘adults’ who need constant outside stimulation much as we say kids do, and many ‘kids’ who do just fine without artificial stimulation of standing in a line for 1/2 hr to go on a quick wall climb or such.

 

I think Celebrity may meet your needs very well, and I’d Love to go on a Fjord cruise soon!

 

Den

[Algebralovr]

My daughter was 19 and in a wheelchair on a trip from Venice to Istanbul. She loved the quiet ship when everyone else was off the ship during port stops. She wheeled herself to the coffee shop, and the barista would start her favorite as soon as my DD got off the elevator. She enjoyed watching the people and the sights from the ship, but chose not to brave getting off in places that were not WC compatible. The staff took very good care of her.

 

No English should not be an issue. Many of the room attendants, waiters and drink servers have Spanish as their first language. You can request a menu in Spanish, and depending on the number of Spanish speaking guests, they may provide other written materials in your language

[jkgourmet]

I will add one thing to the fine advice you've already received. The fjords cruise is ALL ABOUT THE SCENERY. It's spectacular. If the kids enjoy that, it's a great cruise to choose for anyone in a wheelchair. IMO There's very little reason to even leave the ship. The ports are not at all exciting and there's little to do. With one exception - Geiranger. A trip to the top of a nearby mountain gives you an entirely different view of the fjords. It's breathtaking. Many buses are available. You can also rent a car or maybe a private taxi. (Warning - the drive up is not for timid drivers.)

[Beanb41]

Celebrity I am sure will endeavour to ensure your daughter has a great cruise. I don't recall having seen a youngster in a wheel chair but I have seen many adults in both wheel chairs and motorised scooters. The different decks on a cruise ship with perhaps the very top decks are more than suited to wheelchair /scooter access. There are accessible rooms with wet rooms making wheel chair access also convenient. You may have an issue on any tender ports as depending upon the wheel chair access on and off a tender may be an issue. On one port I saw staff getting a lady off a steep gangway onto the jetty and there were about 5 staff members some in some precarious positions should some go wrong getting this lady off. Was she grateful no she abused the staff because she was frightened. Please don't follow this lead. The staff will bend over backwards to assist especially where children are involved

[ANNA40]

Thank you very much!

 

Glad to know my DD would be well treated. Last year we were on an MSC. I found very little help from the crew, and no especial sympathy, she wasn't allowed in kid or teen's club alone, the wheelchair always a problem in restaurants, so we opted for reach the tables by foot. That said, they gave us priority boarding.

 

Thankfully my daughter can walk a little and do a few stairs with help (she has cerebral palsy), so she could get on a bus for a shore excursion.

 

 

 

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[ANNA40]

I will add one thing to the fine advice you've already received. The fjords cruise is ALL ABOUT THE SCENERY. It's spectacular. If the kids enjoy that, it's a great cruise to choose for anyone in a wheelchair. IMO There's very little reason to even leave the ship. The ports are not at all exciting and there's little to do. With one exception - Geiranger. A trip to the top of a nearby mountain gives you an entirely different view of the fjords. It's breathtaking. Many buses are available. You can also rent a car or maybe a private taxi. (Warning - the drive up is not for timid drivers.)

Mmmmm

 

The Silhouette doesn't stop in Geiranger. Should we look for other options?

 

 

 

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[nextcruiseis]

We have cruised several times with our mother in a special reclining chair (it's not a bed! :D), most recently on the Summit. On 3 cruise lines (Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian) we have found all the crew and staff to be extremely kind and helpful. We have never had any difficulties in any restaurant (whether fixed dining time or flexible) and my mother must remain in her chair at all times. There is a Special Needs form available on the Celebrity website that you should complete. I suggest that you also call or email the Celebrity Access Department (check your country's website for contact information) and discuss your needs. We made them aware that we had a very large chair, that she had to remain in it and we required a table with easy access and where we would not impede the waiters or other passengers. When we board the ship, we go to the dining room and confirm that our request has been received (it always has) and sometimes they even show us the table or general area so we can verify that it is suitable.

 

You can also ask the Access Dept about any restrictions, if any, to your daughter's participation in the teen club. I don't know if they can provide you with copies of the teen activities for prior sailings, but you might wish to consider starting a new thread and asking if anyone has copies to share. You could also ask on the Disabled Cruise Travel thread (https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190) to see if anyone can share their experiences with teens in wheelchairs on Celebrity.

 

Silhouette is a beautiful ship. Enjoy your cruise.

[KikisDad]

Find a TA with lots of experience with travelers with disabilities. They will be able to work in detail with your specific issues and options. You are awesome for showing your kids the world.

[ANNA40]

Thank you all for your suggestions and for share your experiences.

 

We always fill in the forms about the special needs of our daugther, and even provide plenty of documents. Simply, sometimes, someone does not take the care it should to. Surely I have to try harder!

 

Hopefully we finally book this cruise. I'm sure we won't have any issue with our daugther!!