First time cruising in an electric wheelchair.

[northernlights3]

Afternoon all,

 

I am not new to cruising, however I have not cruised in an electric wheelchair before, only a manual. I am looking to go on a Fred Olsen cruise in 2025/2026 (Doing my research early to avoid any problems). The one we are looking at specifically departs from and ends in Newcastle, UK.

 

However we seem to have come across an issue that says if your wheelchair is over 25kg, which mine is, and it can't be dismantled, then you can't get on and off the ship. We are waiting to hear back from Fred Olsen, but they've said it could be months before we get an answer and now they aren't even sure if we can get on and off at Newcastle because it's a tidal port and doesn't have an air terminal.

 

Has anyone else cruised from the UK (preferably with specific knowledge of Newcastle itself) who is a full time electric wheelchair user (I have no mobility at all outside of my wheelchair). Could anyone give me any clarity on this situation? Or even from Southampton on another cruiseline so we could look at other options if Newcastle doesn't work out.

 

I don't want to book a cruise and then have to cancel it, but also don't want to miss out on an opportunity to go if I can. This is a bit of a bucket list item for me, so any info would be greatly appreciated.

[Essiesmom]

There is a forum here for UK cruisers, and you might get some insight there.  EM

[northernlights3]

Thank you. I am new to this forum so still finding my legs as it were. I will have a look over at the UK one as well.

[katisdale]

I have sailed out of Southampton several times (4 or 5 times) on Princess  using my electric wheelchair. I have no experience with Fred Olsen nor Newcastle. However, I have been pleased with how Princess handles access when we are at a docked port, regardless of the tidal surges. There are always attendants to assist and assure my safety as I use the joystick on my chair. Since I walk so poorly I no longer attempt tender ports as you must stand and manage steps.

[Bob++]

I suspect the 25kg limit applies to tender ports. We have sailed with P&O, Princess and Celebrity with heavier chairs and had no problems. We do book an accessible cabin as they have wider doors, but boarding and disembarking on the quayside has not been a problem.

 

Of course Fred may have a more stringent policy.

[Bloodgem]

Hi and welcome to CC (Cruise Critics). 

 

We always sail Royal Caribbean out of Southampton and never had a problem.

We do spend a night in a hotel before we board the ship to avoid the stress of driving down the same day.

If you want to book an accessible cabin you need to book early as they sell out quickly. 

 

You could try asking about the weight limit on the Fred Olsen Forum:

 https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/355-fred-olsen-cruise-line/

 

Hope you get an answer soon.

 

 

[northernlights3]

Thank you so much for all the replies, that is really helpful. We do book an accesible cabin, we have actually got a room preliminarily booked, but then this suddenly came out and we panicked a bit. So don't want to put down payment, until we know for sure what's going on. Good to know others haven't had an issue, I may post this over on the Fred Olsen forum as well as you suggested, but thank you for all the help.

Edited September 2, 2023 by northernlights3

[northernlights3]

15 hours ago, katisdale said:

I have sailed out of Southampton several times (4 or 5 times) on Princess  using my electric wheelchair. I have no experience with Fred Olsen nor Newcastle. However, I have been pleased with how Princess handles access when we are at a docked port, regardless of the tidal surges. There are always attendants to assist and assure my safety as I use the joystick on my chair. Since I walk so poorly I no longer attempt tender ports as you must stand and manage steps.

 

Thanks for the reply, that's especially useful to know tidal surges also haven't been an issue, may I ask if you don't mind sharing roughly how much your electric wheelchair weighs? According to the manual mine is 140 kg so quite a way over the 25 kg limit. Is yours quite heavy as well, or is it a lighter weight one?

[katisdale]

Mine weighs about 65 lbs with the battery in place, and 55 or so without it. I add some equipment to those totals (umbrella, jacket, collapsible step, etc.) which raises the total somewhat.