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ACCESSABILITY AT COCOCAY QUESTION

charmy98

By charmy98,
in Royal Caribbean International

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fishernrex

fishernrex

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Posted (edited)

We were just there and I would say it's pretty easily accessible for either a wheelchair or electric scooter.    Lots of paths are as sand free as they can be. 

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/are-there-services-for-special-needs-guests-at-perfect-day-at-cococay

 

A 

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charmy98

charmy98

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14 minutes ago, fishernrex said:

We were just there and I would say it's pretty easily accessible for either a wheelchair or electric scooter.    Lots of paths are as sand free as they can be. 

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/are-there-services-for-special-needs-guests-at-perfect-day-at-cococay

 

A 

Thanks so much for the reply 🙂

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cropping cruiser

cropping cruiser

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I use a mobility scooter and went to Coco Cay in May 2019. I am also a member of an accessible Royal group on another platform. This is the info that I have gathered up to this point. There are trams that come right to the gangway on the pier. They run a continuous loop. There is an accessible one that you can bring your chair or scooter onto it via the ramp. The day I was there the driver was very helpful and made sure people who needed it got on first. There was one accessible out of maybe 4 or 5 that came about the same time. There are some hardscape paths that you can easily drive on. However, the shopping is not accessible and some full time wheelchairs had problems. If you can transfer to the beach wheelchair and have someone able to push you, you can get anywhere. Also, if you can do some walking you can park and walk on the sand to the shopping and picnic tables. The pool (Oasis Lagoon) and the waterpark are accessible as they all have hardscape pathways. You will not be able to access the beach unless you can use the beach wheelchairs or can walk some. We had rented a beach bungalow and I left the scooter onboard. I used the accessible tram as it was easier to board and was able to walk the short distance. Going again in November 2019. This time I’m taking the scooter off and going to Oasis Lagoon. I hope this helps. If you have any questions just ask and I will see if I can get the answer. Royal has been very responsive to our feedback and they have added more pathways etc. Make sure you complete your survey and let them know how the accessibility worked for you. 

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snowglobe

snowglobe

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5 hours ago, cropping cruiser said:

I am also a member of an accessible Royal group on another platform.

 

Can you please provide the exact name of this group, so that I can Google it? Which platform, please?

(NB: this is not against CC guidelines - as you are not promoting a Roll Call specifically.)

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spadercruise

spadercruise

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As I was at Coco Cay last week, the last ship there before the storm shutdown the port. My problem was I had a scooter, I went straight to Harbor Beach from the ship through all paved access until I reached the beach, no problem, got off scooter and into a lounger. My problem began when I tried to access Oasis Lagoon Pool. I was not able to find a paved entrance into the pool area. I asked a crew member and he said there was no access without confronting sand. I went directly from Harbor Beach straightforward and could not find an paved entrance. Can you direct me to the paved entrance to the pool. I will be back at Coco Cay in November. Any information will be appreciated.

 

 

 

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This was meant for Cropping Cruiser
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spadercruise

spadercruise

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On 9/4/2019 at 8:38 PM, cropping cruiser said:

I use a mobility scooter and went to Coco Cay in May 2019. I am also a member of an accessible Royal group on another platform. This is the info that I have gathered up to this point. There are trams that come right to the gangway on the pier. They run a continuous loop. There is an accessible one that you can bring your chair or scooter onto it via the ramp. The day I was there the driver was very helpful and made sure people who needed it got on first. There was one accessible out of maybe 4 or 5 that came about the same time. There are some hardscape paths that you can easily drive on. However, the shopping is not accessible and some full time wheelchairs had problems. If you can transfer to the beach wheelchair and have someone able to push you, you can get anywhere. Also, if you can do some walking you can park and walk on the sand to the shopping and picnic tables. The pool (Oasis Lagoon) and the waterpark are accessible as they all have hardscape pathways. You will not be able to access the beach unless you can use the beach wheelchairs or can walk some. We had rented a beach bungalow and I left the scooter onboard. I used the accessible tram as it was easier to board and was able to walk the short distance. Going again in November 2019. This time I’m taking the scooter off and going to Oasis Lagoon. I hope this helps. If you have any questions just ask and I will see if I can get the answer. Royal has been very responsive to our feedback and they have added more pathways etc. Make sure you complete your survey and let them know how the accessibility worked for you. 

 

On 9/4/2019 at 8:38 PM, cropping cruiser said:

I use a mobility scooter and went to Coco Cay in May 2019. I am also a member of an accessible Royal group on another platform. This is the info that I have gathered up to this point. There are trams that come right to the gangway on the pier. They run a continuous loop. There is an accessible one that you can bring your chair or scooter onto it via the ramp. The day I was there the driver was very helpful and made sure people who needed it got on first. There was one accessible out of maybe 4 or 5 that came about the same time. There are some hardscape paths that you can easily drive on. However, the shopping is not accessible and some full time wheelchairs had problems. If you can transfer to the beach wheelchair and have someone able to push you, you can get anywhere. Also, if you can do some walking you can park and walk on the sand to the shopping and picnic tables. The pool (Oasis Lagoon) and the waterpark are accessible as they all have hardscape pathways. You will not be able to access the beach unless you can use the beach wheelchairs or can walk some. We had rented a beach bungalow and I left the scooter onboard. I used the accessible tram as it was easier to board and was able to walk the short distance. Going again in November 2019. This time I’m taking the scooter off and going to Oasis Lagoon. I hope this helps. If you have any questions just ask and I will see if I can get the answer. Royal has been very responsive to our feedback and they have added more pathways etc. Make sure you complete your survey and let them know how the accessibility worked for you. 

 

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spookwife

spookwife

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On 9/4/2019 at 3:25 PM, charmy98 said:

Can any of my fellow cruisers tell me if Perfect Day Cococay is either wheelchair or electric mobility scooter friendly? Looking on their maps it looks like it is all sand.

Thanks for any help.

 there will be the  sand friendly  chairs with the giant  wheels available at the pier.  plus  paved(ish) paths throughout.  

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Clarea

Clarea

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2 hours ago, Grandma Petania said:

Can the big wheel wheelchairs be borrowed for a couple of hours so my daughter could push me on the nearest beach?  

 

Yes, I do see them being used by guests, but I think it's a first come, first served thing.

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orkaren1

orkaren1

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We will be there in October and my husband is a full time wheelchair user.  We have a Chill Island cabana scheduled and once he is in the cabana I am sure my husband will spend most of the day there while other family members and partaking of the amenities.  

Does anyone know how close the trams go to the Chill Island cabanas or if there is a paved path nearby?  As long as we can get somewhat close our son and or son in law will be able to carry my husband into the cabana.  He has tried a beach wheelchair at other places and found them to be uncomfortable because they are too large for him to sit in a good position.  

We are not counting on much for accessiblity but will hopefully be able to make it work.  One of our main concerns is restroom accesibility.  My husband needs assistance in the restroom and I doubt there are family/companion restrooms on the island.  

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MaskedTurtle

MaskedTurtle

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Does anyone know how close a paved walkway is to the first set of loungers at Chill Island?   We're curious to know how far we will be pushing my mom on the sand.

 

How easy/hard is it to transfer to a beach wheelchair?  Does the footrest fold away or something so a person can get close to the seat before sitting?  Pics or vids of someone getting in one would be awesome...it would help put my mom's mind at ease since she is afraid she won't be able to get in one.

 

Also, is there an official, or even unofficial, area to leave the regular wheelchairs?  Can we bring a bicycle lock and secure them somewhere?

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cropping cruiser

cropping cruiser

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5 hours ago, orkaren1 said:

We will be there in October and my husband is a full time wheelchair user.  We have a Chill Island cabana scheduled and once he is in the cabana I am sure my husband will spend most of the day there while other family members and partaking of the amenities.  

Does anyone know how close the trams go to the Chill Island cabanas or if there is a paved path nearby?  As long as we can get somewhat close our son and or son in law will be able to carry my husband into the cabana.  He has tried a beach wheelchair at other places and found them to be uncomfortable because they are too large for him to sit in a good position.  

We are not counting on much for accessiblity but will hopefully be able to make it work.  One of our main concerns is restroom accesibility.  My husband needs assistance in the restroom and I doubt there are family/companion restrooms on the island.  

 When I was there Chill Island was not open. However, we did have a beach bungalow in South Beach. Where we were was fairly close to where the team dropped you off. So I’m not really sure how different it will be. That being said, there was no paved place to park a wheelchair or scooter. You can take it on the tram and leave it at the check in. That was fairly packed down. I wouldn’t drive the chair except to take off tram. They had the beach wheelchairs right there at the check in. They best way would be to plan on transferring for the short walk to cabana and then transfer to a more seat. Since you have help and it sounds like he can transfer. There was a restroom nearby and it did have a handicap stall. Obviously, this isn’t the best way to do it but it may work for you. I would reach out to Special Needs and see if you can get more info. It’s difficult b/c they are not on site but worth the call. Also, our friends went directly to Guest Services as soon as we boarded to try to get the bungalow that would work best for me. I am still able to walk short distances so it helped to pick the bungalow. If your in a suite with the concierge you can also email them directly to make the reservation for you. We selected our lunches and they delivered them to the bungalow so once I was there I was fine. Hope this helps. 

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cropping cruiser

cropping cruiser

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3 hours ago, MaskedTurtle said:

Does anyone know how close a paved walkway is to the first set of loungers at Chill Island?   We're curious to know how far we will be pushing my mom on the sand.

 

How easy/hard is it to transfer to a beach wheelchair?  Does the footrest fold away or something so a person can get close to the seat before sitting?  Pics or vids of someone getting in one would be awesome...it would help put my mom's mind at ease since she is afraid she won't be able to get in one.

 

Also, is there an official, or even unofficial, area to leave the regular wheelchairs?  Can we bring a bicycle lock and secure them somewhere?

 

See my reply to orkaren1 above. As far as I could tell the footrest is permanent. You could try sitting on side above the tire and slide back. I would put a towel over the tire and then try to use it as a transfer sheet. Sorry I didn’t try one out. If your mom can walk a short distance I would do what I did. I asked security to let me park my scooter on Deck 1 (which they did), walked off got on tram (they come up to gangway), took tram to bungalows and then you can transfer to the beach wheelchairs or walk if close enough. Hardest part was walking on the sand to bungalow. All of my other post applies for your question too. 

If leaving a wheelchair or scooter on Deck 1, best procedure is to try not to leave immediately upon docking as it gets crazy down there so less likely they can accommodate you immediately and to ask Security don’t just leave it.

A place to park wheelchairs and scooters near the gangway is on our wish list at the Royal Caribbean Accessible Cruises group.

ANYONE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS AND/OR TRAVELS WITH SOMEONE WITH WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IS WELCOME. THERE IS POWER IN NUMBERS AND THIS IS THE FIRST GROUP I HAVE FOUND THAT FULFILL THIS NEED. 

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cropping cruiser

cropping cruiser

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6 hours ago, fishernrex said:

@orkaren1 -  Found this article for you: 

 

https://spintheglobe.net/dir/2019/07/29/wheelchair-accessibility-cococay/

 

The person who wrote the review is a member of the same RC Accessible Cruise Group that I am. So I have seen this before. Her assessment is fair review. However, I had a different experience with the driver I had on the accessible tram. He was very helpful and made sure all those with need got on before others jumped on and left no room for those who needed it. It’s not going to be a smooth ride b/c they are driving on sandy paths so if you have any concerns speak up to the driver. Royal has been responsive to the reviews this group has been giving them. I disagree with her about the beach mats, I would prefer to see some hardscape or boardwalk type walkways in the beach. The mats that are not that stable. In a perfect world Royal would have considered some if these issues ahead of time but it’s not perfect so they are doing the next best thing. Listening to our group, they have added more hardscape walkways and the more we request it by reviews, letters etc the better it will be. The reality is the beach us the hardest place to make accessible. I live in NJ and I cannot access any beach unless I make plans ahead of time to hopefully get one if the few beach wheelchairs that may be available depending upon which beach town you go to. And then it’s only available during the busy season. At this point in my life I only get to actually go on the beach and in the water in the Caribbean.  

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cropping cruiser

cropping cruiser

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On 9/5/2019 at 2:19 AM, snowglobe said:

 

Can you please provide the exact name of this group, so that I can Google it? Which platform, please?

(NB: this is not against CC guidelines - as you are not promoting a Roll Call specifically.)

I answered but it looks like they removed my post with the info. Did you get it ? 

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cropping cruiser

cropping cruiser

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Posted
19 hours ago, Grandma Petania said:

Can the big wheel wheelchairs be borrowed for a couple of hours so my daughter could push me on the nearest beach?  

 

Yes I saw quite a few in different locations. They had a lot lined up at the end of the pier and I saw a few by South Beach check in. I didn’t see all of the island so I’m not sure where else they had them.

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snowglobe

snowglobe

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1 hour ago, cropping cruiser said:

I answered but it looks like they removed my post with the info. Did you get it ? 

 

Yes I did, thank you. In post #13, I tried to let you know that I did.

I honestly don’t know why it was removed - it clearly was NOT in violation of CC’s rules to identify that group.

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