Valiant Lady - Irresistible Mediterranean with Mobility difficulties - Port and Ship advice

[Polydonald]

Next summer, My wife and I (62 and 53) will be cruising on Valiant Lady for the Irresistible Mediterranean cruise with my wife's 82 year old aunt who uses a walker.

 

She's generally an independent woman, former RN who is also an attorney and lives alone in rural West Virginia. Her mobility issues involve stability and balance. I would love to hear people's thoughts on managing the ship with a walker. Are there better and worse restaurants and bars to frequent, pieces of advice you'd pass along to others and things that will make her experience better. She's been trapped in a small rural town for over 3 years and is just dying to go out and do something while she still has the time to do it.

 

I would also be particularly interested in hearing about shore excursions (Toulon, Carrara, Ajaccio, Olbia, and Ibiza) that might be manageable. Obviously, she probably will not sign up to do a walking tour, bike ride, or hike but if there was something that you are aware of that was particularly good with limited mobility I would love to know about it. We have been told that the excursions staff is pretty good at answering these questions once on board.

 

She has said that she'll be content just sitting on the deck with a glass of prosecco, reading a book or watching people enjoying themselves. We hope to be able to have her do more than that.

 

I have already alerted Virgin Voyages of her issues and she's gotten an ambulatory cabin. Beyond that, any hints will be helpful.

 

Thank you for any thoughts you have on the subject.

[cantgetin]

We are currently on Valiant Lady with a family member who has mobility issues.  The ship is very accessible.  Each restaurant has chairs that allow wheelchair transfer and appropriate seating, even when the restaurant's "standard" seating may be more designer oriented.  There are either chairs with arms or very sturdy tables for those who need to use those to stand up after meals.  Servers will seat her and then take the walker to a holding area near the entrance of the restaurant, then return it to her at the end of the mean.  The bar stools are often less accessible, but again, there is other seating in the bar areas.  Our ports do not overlap with yours, so I'm not going to be helpful with excursions.

 

Bottom line, my family member is having no problem anywhere on the ship.  If the walker is equipped with a drink holder and she has a covered glass (like a stainless insulated one), this would be helpful as one typically needs both hands for the walker, meaning that carrying liquids can be difficult.  Consider bringing a lanyard or using pockets for the sea bands that you use for charges, room entrance, etc.  We found them less than comfortable to wear continuously.

 

The ship is a lot bigger than a typical living space at home.  Do consider whether she can walk the distances involved on board or whether renting a scooter for the cruise might be the way to go.  Your travel agent can help with the rental if that's what she decides is best.

 

Edited October 21, 2022 by cantgetin