ACCESSIBLE PORTS AND SHORE EXCURSIONS ON QE NORWAY NORTHERN LIGHTS CRUISE OCT 2019

[efcmark777]

Has anyone been on this cunard cruise itinerary who uses a powerchair or manual wheelchair and can help with some advice as we have been shocked to find that there is not a single accessible shore excursion on the entire cruise. Cunard tell us that they do, however, find “private” tours for those needing accessible transport. We have submitted the list of tours we’d like to do but frankly await the quotes with trepidation as we do not think the costs will be manageable or frankly have much trust in the private tour thing. We have always been warned off these, not just because the costs are horribly inflated over the “standard” tours, but because if there’s an issue with 50 passengers on a Cunard tour coach the ship usually waits, not so a private accessible mini bus or rear ramp taxi !!

 

Ironically this cruise has NO tender ports, so we are able to disembark at Alseund, Tromso, Narvik and Stavanger. Has anyone done this and used the accessible buses to get into the towns and how did you find wandering around them ? Also, has anyone tried these private tours Cunard say they can arrange in any of those ports ? 

 

The real issue for us has has been that there was a mix up with our standard access and med form as used on five QM2 trips and with P&O. So tho we have as you’d expect booked an accessible cabin Cunard hadn’t recognised that i’m a powerchair user. That’s sorted but hers the rub. This trip is all about the Northern Lights. We understand that nature dictates whether passengers on one of two “In search of the Northern Lights” tours actually see them, but as things stand there’s a chance we cannot get an accessible, safe, official, tour even too the Northern Lights element of the cruise which for us makes it a waste of a trip as that was the entire reason for booking this cruise, obvs!!

 

Can anyone wade in with any experience and advice ? You’ve already spent time reading all this which is appreciated !

 

Cheers, Mark

[LondonTowner]

I have taken a manual wheelchair on two Norway cruises. In Alesund we took the HOHO bus from the port. In Stavanger we took a boat rip to Pulpit Rock. It departed about 50m from where the ship docked and they gave us ‘carer goes free’ - rodne.com

 

The other day I was looking at the Port Authority website for the Lofoten Islands and they had a link to a leaflet which advertised accessible tours. You could also ask the tourist board VisitNorway.no

 

Also look at the Northern European forums, WhatsinPort and Tripadvisor. If you use Facebook there are two good pages you may wish to join Disabled Cruisers and Accessible Cruising.

[efcmark777]

Many thanks for this information, hugely appreciated.

[willandemdad]

Sage Travel also has a ton of good information

[efcmark777]

Many thanks but when I went to the Sage site and looked at the list under cruise tours there is nothing for any of the ports Alesund, Tromso, Narvik or Stavanger ? Am I looking in the wrong place ? We’d love to be able to consider a Sage port excursion but cannot find anything? 

 

 

[FOPMan]

If it were booked through the ship, regardless of the number of passengers, they should not leave you. If you were to book the same trip independent of the cruise line, then you would be responsible for getting back on time. 

 

I cannot manage the steps on tour buses, and, at least on NCL, none of the buses at Alesund had a lift. We wanted to go on the trollstigen (troll’s road) but a bus was not an answer. At the time, I could manage to get into a SUV, so we drove it ourselves and saw fellow passengers at a couple of stops. We did make it back with 45 minutes to spare before all-a lead, but had planned it carefully.if we didn’t make the ship, it was our responsibility to catch up.

 

I don’t know if an accessible van is rentable in Alesund, but there seemed to be quite a bit to see within the city itself.

[efcmark777]

Thank you FOPMan we much appreciate your advice, sadly things have not worked out for us, more in a post soon.

cheers, Mark