River cruising and mobility issues

[halfvass]

I just read the Scenic is set up for handicaps.  Does anyone else have comments or knowledge about this?  I can walk some but not long distances.  My disability is my lungs not my legs.  I have a 3-wheel scooter and it worked fine in Egypt in the Valley of the Kings!  People were staring but the Pharaohs  didn't seem to mind!😂

 

Thanks for any input.

 

 

[raindropsalways]

It has been a number of years since we did a partial river cruise in Europe. However, our problems were not with the boat, they were with the ports of call. Even though the boat was accessible, many of the ports were not. To my knowledge, that may still be true.

 

We have the same issues, thus I'm fully aware of your needs. I was still playing able bodied in Egypt, thus did not get very far in The Valley of The Kings.

 

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

[kitty9]

River cruises are extremely difficult for persons with disabilities. In most cities the dock area isn’t not level with the town and you have to climb steps, walk up dirt paths or steep walkways.  But the biggest problem is when three or four boats are tethered together alongside a dock and you have to climb up and over each boat to get to dry land.  

[mlbcruiser]

Be sure to check with the river cruise line you are traveling with as some do not allow scooters at all. 

Although my dh can walk,  one of his legs can tire when walking long distances.  I got him a folding travel scooter (folds right up and it then the size of a medium wheeled suitcase) that remains in one piece. It does not need to be taken apart like many scooters. It's considered a lightweight scooter (50 lbs.) and I am able to load and unload it, move it along when it's folded, etc.   Although we've only been on one river cruise so far (Rhine with Emerald), it was a few years ago. We didn't have the scooter at that time so didn't bring it. However, we did have to walk through a couple of other ships a couple of times to get to shore.  I am sure I could manage to get the scooter to shore while it was folded up. Just like anyone would do if they were disembarking with a suitcase weighing 50 lbs. However, you would have to judge your own capabilites to know if you would be able to handle that. Everyone warned us about having to go through other ships if docked together but it was no big deal as far as we were concerned. (Maybe we just got lucky and the ships were easy to cross through???)   Additionally, there might be times when a tour does not lend itself to scooter use. Depends a lot on the ports you visit and whether or not the person using it can get off and walk around or use steps sometimes, etc.

 

So I would just make sure to check with your cruise line on whether a scooter is allowed on board and think about the type of scooter you would be bringing along, if it would fit into your cabin, and if you think you can handle getting it on shore. I've been told by the Viking rep that the tour buses usually used by most river cruises do have storage for a scooter and people bring them and wheelchairs all the time. However, I can't speak with any authority on that. Hope you get to cruise and it works out for you!

 

I am going to make another post about something having to do with this issue in case you are interested.

[bitob]

It is difficult but doable provided the disabled person can walk a little.

 

The biggest problem in the port are cobblestone streets in some places.  Small travel scooters (we use a Smartscoot and we love it) do not do well on highly uneven cobblestones.

[capriccio]

Make sure you look at deck plans to determine if 1) the ship has an elevator, 2) the elevator is large enough to hold a scooter (you may need to call the cruise line for that info) and 3) the elevator goes all the way to the sun deck.  Don't make the assumption that all ships do! 

 

Another poster mentioned ships rafting together at the dock and passengers having to walk thru one or more to get to their ship.  That can be challenging too since the entry decks may not all be exactly the same height.