What to do in Belize with wheelchair pax?

[EileenN]

Hi, We will be in Belize for the day on the NCL Dawn and we are trying to figure what to do for the day or part of it with our daughter in a wheelchair.

Any suggestions would be appreciated greatly. She can walk short distances and has frequent need for bathrooms. Makes it a challenge but we do it all the time!!

[cruzdaddy]

Coolcruiser

 

We also will be visiting Belize for the day on the RCCL Enchantment in November with our daughter under similar circumstances. While bathroom trips are not our issue, our daughter also walks short distances with the aid of a walker but needs a wheelchair for most outings. I'd also like to know what our options are since I also have a 15-year old "non-handicapped" son. Are you bringing a manual or power chair? We sailed on the Voyager in August and simply brought the Convaid stroller. She's getting a power chair shortly and I just assumed we'd bring it. After reading many posts I'm having second thoughts. Any ideas...

 

Thanks

[EileenN]

We have cruised often with our daughter and prefer a manual chair when off the ship. Power chairs are awkward and heavy, especially if tendering into port. We are also considering a hotel day pass. See separate post!

[DEL67]

We have cruised many times and I agree with Eileen that a manual chair is a much better choice than a power one in most ports. It provides much more flexibility, particularly when there are no curb cuts or over rough spots. In addition, since wheelchair passengers are usually carried down the steps to the tenders unless there is a functional tender lift (a rarity), a a manual chair is a better choice so the crew does not have to lift as much weight. In fact, some ships will not carry wheelchair passengers down the tender steps in a power chair. However, power chairs are great aboard the ship. They give the user independence to go where they want, when they want.

 

My husband uses a wheelchair and we were able to go to Altun Ha. The paths around the ruins are made of packed earth so I only had difficulty pushing him in a few areas where there were large tree roots or stones. And then our driver assisted me. I also understand that the zoo is accessible, but have not been there.

 

However, Belize may be an issue if your daughters need to use the bathrrom frequently. Most sites of interest are a distance from the pier (45 minutes or more). Once there, many have bathrooms, but the time it takes to travel to or from them may be too long. If they swim, one of the snorkeling boats might have a bathroom, but I do not know if they can get back into the boat from the water.

 

One other choice would be to stay in the pier area. It is not large, but there is a variety of shopping from diamonds to native items.

[EileenN]

Thank you for taking time to answer. We are now considering a day pass to one of the hotels. Not sure if it is done, but looking into it.

[flyingpirate]

The Belize Zoo website states that there are loose rock and gravel paths and that it is not suitable for wheelchairs and walkers.

 

We really wanted to go but my DH.......

[cruzdaddy]

EileenN,

 

Please let me know what and where you ended up doing/going in Belize? Which hotel? How did you go about finding one that offers day passes? Are there any all inclusives? What about taxis - are there handicapped accessible ones?

 

I think we're all set in Cozumel (Paradise Beach) but as you can see from above we're still not sure of what to do/where to go in Belize with my daughter.

 

Thanks,

Carla

[MILY]

Here is a wheelchair van equipped with a lift in Belize, contact:

http://www.experiencebelizetours.com, good peaple.