Wheelchair accessibilty

[Bamagranna]

Oceania Sirena Island Tapestry March 17, 2024

Has anyone found tours on this itinerary that allow wheelchairs?

Prefer tours through Oceania but if not we would be interested in other tour companies

[AMHuntFerry]

I am sorry to say that O is deficient when it comes to wheelchair friendly shorex. I took a look at your itinerary and it does not have any of the Accessible tours, plus when I spot checked the less active tours, they tended to have a not-wheelchair-accesible (bus or stairs or ...)...ugh! Depending on how active you are, something like kayaking may work if you can transfer to the dock then into a kayak, but I'd get it approved via O and the tour company in advance since they usually have participants sign waivers (maybe snorkeling too). The only other things I saw to spend SimplyMore shorex OBC on were cabanas at Grand Cayman but that's not really a tour. You may find others interested in non-O tours at your roll call if you haven't been there yet:

There might be some info at the link below but it will take a bit of sifting/searching:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

Sorry the choices aren't better, but I hope you enjoy the cruise!

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by AMHuntFerry

[Psoque]

7 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

I am sorry to say that O is deficient when it comes to wheelchair friendly shorex. I took a look at your itinerary and it does not have any of the Accessible tours, plus when I spot checked the less active tours, they tended to have a not-wheelchair-accesible (bus or stairs or ...)...ugh! Depending on how active you are, something like kayaking may work if you can transfer to the dock then into a kayak, but I'd get it approved via O and the tour company in advance since they usually have participants sign waivers (maybe snorkeling too). The only other things I saw to spend SimplyMore shorex OBC on were cabanas at Grand Cayman but that's not really a tour. You may find others interested in non-O tours at your roll call if you haven't been there yet:

There might be some info at the link below but it will take a bit of sifting/searching:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

Sorry the choices aren't better, but I hope you enjoy the cruise!

 

When we took our Mediterranean cruise on Riviera recently, there were quite a few mobility-challenged onboard, and some of them were on the excursions we took, all of them requiring a lot of walking, often uphill, some with stairs and no other option.  My husband and I typically end up caring for such people on excursions we take (now becoming more of a 20+ year tradition with us), since there's nobody else (definitely not the guide) who can.  It is unclear exactly how some of them decided to take these tours, but Oceania (and other cruise lines, in my opinion) should clearly mark those excursions whether they are wheelchair-accessible or not. 

[pinotlover]

Oceania only packages and resells tour, that are already available , at the destinations visited. Except for the private islands, they aren’t actually in the shore excursion business. If , in the case, the visited islands don’t have handicap accessible buses, then Oceania can’t offer them. Visiting hillside villages on volcano islands will produce steep terrain, multiple stairways, and difficult trekking. 
 

I have no solution to the situation except perhaps cruisers should consider local conditions of ports visited before signing up for a cruise instead of afterwards .

[babysteps]

Our recent eastern Caribbean cruise on Insignia had limited excursions marked as wheelchair accessible. I don't remember more than 1 or 2 max at a given port, some stops had zero. The excursions that were marked ok for wheelchairs tended to be "OS" versions of non-wheelchair excursions - basically more $ for a small-group version of a standard excursion.

 

Reaching out to local private tour guides may in some cases get more options for wheelchair-friendly or at least wheelchair-possible excursions?

[Vallesan]

“Valencia & Delightful Tapas (VLC-023)

May 19, 2024Available Times: --Select Time--10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Tour Pricing
£167.00

Simply More Shore Excursion Package
£125.25

Port: Valencia

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 1/2 hours)

Tour Description 

Savor a variety of tapas with locally sourced ingredients at two restaurants in Valencia.

Enjoy a selection of red and white wine that perfectly pairs with the tapas.

Drive through Valencia and see landmarks that reflect the city’s culture and history.

…….

PLEASE NOTE

PLEASE NOTE Any allergies must be noted when booking the tour. This tour includes approximately 30 minutes of walking and standing, plus any additional walking at the guests' discretion. The restaurant as well as the walk to the bus passing through the town hall square is paved. The tour is available to wheelchair guests who have a collapsible wheelchair, can make their way on and off the bus, and have a companion to assist them. Those with mobility concerns are cautioned to evaluate their stamina and ability carefully. Casual, weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable, flat walking shoes are suggested.”

 

 

I think this just about says it all! The tour is available to wheelchair guests !

Not so sure.

Spain in general is a very ‘wheelchair’ friendly country. Airport assistance is the best I’ve ever encountered and I’ve travelled on most continents.

As you can see from the above tour description, in an accessible friendly country, you still need to be able to make your own way on and off a bus!!!

 

I don’t use a wheelchair but can’t get on and off a bus. So … our only option is a private car tour which are available, at a high cost, in some ports, but they are few and far between. 
 

Whilst I understand that Oceania can’t cater for every eventuality on tours I do think they should at least give the option of private 1/2 or full days tours so that the included ‘trip allowance’, under SimplyMore can in fact be used.

[Psoque]

34 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

“Valencia & Delightful Tapas (VLC-023)

May 19, 2024Available Times: --Select Time--10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Tour Pricing
£167.00

Simply More Shore Excursion Package
£125.25

Port: Valencia

Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 1/2 hours)

Tour Description 

Savor a variety of tapas with locally sourced ingredients at two restaurants in Valencia.

Enjoy a selection of red and white wine that perfectly pairs with the tapas.

Drive through Valencia and see landmarks that reflect the city’s culture and history.

…….

PLEASE NOTE

PLEASE NOTE Any allergies must be noted when booking the tour. This tour includes approximately 30 minutes of walking and standing, plus any additional walking at the guests' discretion. The restaurant as well as the walk to the bus passing through the town hall square is paved. The tour is available to wheelchair guests who have a collapsible wheelchair, can make their way on and off the bus, and have a companion to assist them. Those with mobility concerns are cautioned to evaluate their stamina and ability carefully. Casual, weather-appropriate clothing and comfortable, flat walking shoes are suggested.”

 

 

I think this just about says it all! The tour is available to wheelchair guests !

Not so sure.

Spain in general is a very ‘wheelchair’ friendly country. Airport assistance is the best I’ve ever encountered and I’ve travelled on most continents.

As you can see from the above tour description, in an accessible friendly country, you still need to be able to make your own way on and off a bus!!!

 

I don’t use a wheelchair but can’t get on and off a bus. So … our only option is a private car tour which are available, at a high cost, in some ports, but they are few and far between. 
 

Whilst I understand that Oceania can’t cater for every eventuality on tours I do think they should at least give the option of private 1/2 or full days tours so that the included ‘trip allowance’, under SimplyMore can in fact be used.

I also agree that the whole description is very misleading to those who who are wheelchair dependent.

 

What they should do is, in addition to the “strenuousness level” icon with the number of walking figures (on, two, and three), tag those which are completely wheelchair compliant with an icon of a wheelchair, and tag those which are definitely wheelchair non-compliant with something also descriptive (maybe a wheelchair with an X over it.

[Vallesan]

2 minutes ago, Psoque said:

I also agree that the whole description is very misleading to those who who are wheelchair dependent.

 

What they should do is, in addition to the “strenuousness level” icon with the number of walking figures (on, two, and three), tag those which are completely wheelchair compliant with an icon of a wheelchair, and tag those which are definitely wheelchair non-compliant with something also descriptive (maybe a wheelchair with an X over it.

It’s such a difficult issue I think. Notnsure it will ever be solved. Hue  do you reconcile  the balance on a ship between the ‘well dressed 60 somethings with grown up children’ in their brochures, who they want to attract,  with the reality! (Maybe, older, less moblie people with money!)

 

Not sure that many, if any, cruise lines will ever have truly wheelchair friendly shorex.  Guess it will probably always be better to book your own.

 

This thread had made me realise I definitely need to speak to Oceania about the availability of private cars in all ports!

 

[pinotlover]

35 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

 

 

This thread had made me realise I definitely need to speak to Oceania about the availability of private cars in all ports!

 

Highly doubt that Oceania would know that. They’d probably have you utilize your favorite search engine yourself to locate such information.

 

Oceania has worldwide regional  managers that put together and coordinate the tours for their areas. Highly doubtful you’ll get much assistance or knowledge dialing 1-800 and talking to anyone there. That’s beyond the clerks pay grade. 

[knitter]

12 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

I am sorry to say that O is deficient when it comes to wheelchair friendly shorex. I took a look at your itinerary and it does not have any of the Accessible tours, plus when I spot checked the less active tours, they tended to have a not-wheelchair-accesible (bus or stairs or ...)...ugh! Depending on how active you are, something like kayaking may work if you can transfer to the dock then into a kayak, but I'd get it approved via O and the tour company in advance since they usually have participants sign waivers (maybe snorkeling too). The only other things I saw to spend SimplyMore shorex OBC on were cabanas at Grand Cayman but that's not really a tour. You may find others interested in non-O tours at your roll call if you haven't been there yet:

There might be some info at the link below but it will take a bit of sifting/searching:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

Sorry the choices aren't better, but I hope you enjoy the cruise!

 

I believe that there is at least one other person on this cruise who uses a wheel chair. Please come over to our roll call as posted above. Sandy

[Psoque]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

It’s such a difficult issue I think. Notnsure it will ever be solved. Hue  do you reconcile  the balance on a ship between the ‘well dressed 60 somethings with grown up children’ in their brochures, who they want to attract,  with the reality! (Maybe, older, less moblie people with money!)

 

Not sure that many, if any, cruise lines will ever have truly wheelchair friendly shorex.  Guess it will probably always be better to book your own.

 

This thread had made me realise I definitely need to speak to Oceania about the availability of private cars in all ports!

 

One solution is to make the facts regarding the wheelchair-accessibility of each excursion be clearly marked.  This sort of thing should not cost them much to do, and based on the my observation of the demographics on our previous Riviera cruise, having that kind of information would have prevented a lot of issues.

[babysteps]

8 hours ago, Vallesan said:

...

 

Whilst I understand that Oceania can’t cater for every eventuality on tours I do think they should at least give the option of private 1/2 or full days tours so that the included ‘trip allowance’, under SimplyMore can in fact be used.

For our June 2024 Vista itinerary most ports offer half and full day private car and private mini-bus options (4 total choices). May vary a lot by region... 

[Redtravel]

My spouse uses cane or walker.  Walker on the ship helps with sudden movement.  Off the ship, using a cane works in most places.  When selecting excursions, read the description carefully.  If it’s not suggested for people with mobility issues, we don’t choose it.  Skip any strenuous tours. While I did enjoy hiking up mountains when I was young, I know that my hiking days are past.  Same goes for kayaking, sailing, and scuba diving.  Dirty Harry said , “ a man has to know his limitations”.  If at some point we encounter uneven surfaces, my spouse waits for me.  Just inform the tour guide that you have some concerns.  Most guides are helpful.  In some ports, we hire private guides.  

[EJL2023]

32 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

My spouse uses cane or walker.  Walker on the ship helps with sudden movement.  Off the ship, using a cane works in most places.  When selecting excursions, read the description carefully.  If it’s not suggested for people with mobility issues, we don’t choose it.  Skip any strenuous tours. While I did enjoy hiking up mountains when I was young, I know that my hiking days are past.  Same goes for kayaking, sailing, and scuba diving.  Dirty Harry said , “ a man has to know his limitations”.  If at some point we encounter uneven surfaces, my spouse waits for me.  Just inform the tour guide that you have some concerns.  Most guides are helpful.  In some ports, we hire private guides.  

Agree.  They really do in most excursions give pretty detailed information in the Please Note section regarding mobility, etc. challenges with the specific excursion.  

[Vallesan]

40 minutes ago, Redtravel said:

My spouse uses cane or walker.  Walker on the ship helps with sudden movement.  Off the ship, using a cane works in most places.  When selecting excursions, read the description carefully.  If it’s not suggested for people with mobility issues, we don’t choose it.  Skip any strenuous tours. While I did enjoy hiking up mountains when I was young, I know that my hiking days are past.  Same goes for kayaking, sailing, and scuba diving.  Dirty Harry said , “ a man has to know his limitations”.  If at some point we encounter uneven surfaces, my spouse waits for me.  Just inform the tour guide that you have some concerns.  Most guides are helpful.  In some ports, we hire private guides.  

 
Good advice.

Like your spouse I use a walker if the seas are less than ‘millpond’, otherwise I use crutches.

 

I’ve read descriptions of ‘wheelchair’ friendly tours which leave you for 30+ minutes to ‘walk around’! I suppose this is fine if you use a wheelchair, and you aren’t in an area with ‘cobbled’ streets. I don't and a walker just doesn’t fit the bill.

 

One other thing to be aware of is the other people on the trip. Whilst I’m sure most guides are helpful as are the majority of people on the trips, there are  also ‘entitled’ people who complain on these boards about being ‘held up’ etc by people with mobility issues.

 

My only hope is that these ignorant people never end up as ‘less able bodied’ , especialty on a cruise!

 

 

Edited December 23, 2023 by Vallesan

[Psoque]

There are many things Oceania and other cruise lines can do to improve the situation.

 

1.  Clearly indicate tours that are NOT wheelchair compliant.

2.  Clearly indicate tour that are ACTUALLY wheelchair compliant, and ask those who take that tour to make sure the tour operators are honest on this issue.

 

If these things are in place on all ports of call (and that’s not all that hard to do…it may take some time, but not really hard or expensive…for that matter, the cruise line can put the onus of this task to the tour operators, and drop them if they can’t do it or if they lie.), it would be a great improvement and would at least prevent some of the drama during shore excursions.

 

I don’t think there’s anything a cruise line can do to enforce polite behavior on anybody off the ship, or to somehow “de-entitle” either the able- or not able-bodied passengers.  Anybody with money required can get on a cruise ship (and that’s a good thing), but we also have to live with the fact that we will encounter people different from us, or those who we don’t find convenient/acceptable to us on shore excursions.

 

 

 

[Psoque]

And the sense of entitlement that we see rampantly, especially on higher-end cruises goes both ways.  I’m not taking sides here, but there are two kinds of drama associated with people with a misdirected sense of entitlement:

 

1.  There are always people who look down on those who are less able-bodied, thinking that their lack of optimal mobility is somehow taking away from their enjoyment of the cruise/tour.

 

2.  We have also encountered a few, not many, but enough, mobility-challenged passengers who think is is the duty of other passengers around them to help them move around.  My husband and I started cruising when we were much younger and we often cruised with a lot of passengers profoundly older than us, especially on higher-end cruise lines.  We often helped those who were not entirely able-bodied, and that’s fine, except some of them basically looked at us and ordered us (really) to help him/her, saying that he/she “paid for the cruise, so he/she will get the help” from strangers.  No “thank you!”.  Nothing.

 

I’m not demonizing anybody in particular, but as long as we are on a cruise with other strangers, drama will ensue.  I truly believe that we can only control our behavior and how we react (or not react) to others.  We cannot control other’s behavior or their reaction to others.

[Vallesan]

7 minutes ago, Psoque said:

And the sense of entitlement that we see rampantly, especially on higher-end cruises goes both ways.  I’m not taking sides here, but there are two kinds of drama associated with people with a misdirected sense of entitlement:

 

1.  There are always people who look down on those who are less able-bodied, thinking that their lack of optimal mobility is somehow taking away from their enjoyment of the cruise/tour.

 

2.  We have also encountered a few, not many, but enough, mobility-challenged passengers who think is is the duty of other passengers around them to help them move around.  My husband and I started cruising when we were much younger and we often cruised with a lot of passengers profoundly older than us, especially on higher-end cruise lines.  We often helped those who were not entirely able-bodied, and that’s fine, except some of them basically looked at us and ordered us (really) to help him/her, saying that he/she “paid for the cruise, so he/she will get the help” from strangers.  No “thank you!”.  Nothing.

 

I’m not demonizing anybody in particular, but as long as we are on a cruise with other strangers, drama will ensue.  I truly believe that we can only control our behavior and how we react (or not react) to others.  We cannot control other’s behavior or their reaction to others.

WOW!

 

Your post was really interesting. You sound really balanced. Thank you and yes there are many ‘mobility challenged” people who expect too much!
 

[pinotlover]

2 hours ago, Vallesan said:

 
Good advice.

Like your spouse I use a walker if the seas are less than ‘millpond’, otherwise I use crutches.

 

I’ve read descriptions of ‘wheelchair’ friendly tours which leave you for 30+ minutes to ‘walk around’! I suppose this is fine if you use a wheelchair, and you aren’t in an area with ‘cobbled’ streets. I don't and a walker just doesn’t fit the bill.

 

One other thing to be aware of is the other people on the trip. Whilst I’m sure most guides are helpful as are the majority of people on the trips, there are  also ‘entitled’ people who complain on these boards about being ‘held up’ etc by people with mobility issues.

 

My only hope is that these ignorant people never end up as ‘less able bodied’ , especialty on a cruise!

 

 

Ignorant people, huh!

 

if I specifically pay for a tour that says we are doing items 1-8,aren’t I entitled to that? Why, if we only do items 1-3 because someone obviously didn’t read the part on walking two miles on unlevel paths and cobblestone streets when they can’t walk a quarter mile, shouldn’t I feel upset? If the tour description says the tour is not for those with mobility issues, why do some show up in wheelchairs and walkers? 
 

Personally, we now try to avoid this entire issue by avoiding Oceania shore excursions whenever possible. 

[AMHuntFerry]

For those interested in wheelchair accessible shorex on O, there is a simple way to see where the ports are that offer accessible shorex, then you can pick a cruise that goes to at least some of these ports. Go to https://www.oceaniacruises.com/shore-excursions and click on the wheelchair icon.You will see the name of the tour, the port name, and descriptions. Over on the right upper corner, click on "Cruises Visiting (port name)" to see those cruises. You can also filter by Region, Country, and Port.

 

If you already have a cruise planned you can look through the descriptions or shorex without the wheelchair icon to see if wheelchairs are not allowed or if there are other mobility restrictions listed (such as cobbled streets or stairs). Some are very specific while others are general. Here are a couple of examples (see the Please Note section at the bottom):

 

 

[Vallesan]

11 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Ignorant people, huh!

 

if I specifically pay for a tour that says we are doing items 1-8,aren’t I entitled to that? Why, if we only do items 1-3 because someone obviously didn’t read the part on walking two miles on unlevel paths and cobblestone streets when they can’t walk a quarter mile, shouldn’t I feel upset? If the tour description says the tour is not for those with mobility issues, why do some show up in wheelchairs and walkers? 
 

Personally, we now try to avoid this entire issue by avoiding Oceania shore excursions whenever possible. 

Sorry I don’t think I was clear in my post.

There are two points.

Firstly, I think I should have said that the description of some tours isn’t always as clear cut as it could be.

I have looked at some tours that are described as ‘wheelchair friendly’ or are classed as ‘easy’, when actually they aren’t if you look at the fine print. I always do assess my own ability to take a trip and tend to take very, very few.

 

Secondly, yes, you are absolutely entitled to get 1-8 rather than 1-3 and feel upset if you don’t because of other people not, either reading the description properly or not assessing their own ability correctly, or indeed both.

But….. there are nice and nasty ways to show displeasure, just as you might if somebody was late back for the coach!

 

You are probably right to avoid cruise lines, and others,  tours entirely then should there be any mishap or missed venue it  would not be down to others.

 

 

[Psoque]

13 hours ago, AMHuntFerry said:

For those interested in wheelchair accessible shorex on O, there is a simple way to see where the ports are that offer accessible shorex, then you can pick a cruise that goes to at least some of these ports. Go to https://www.oceaniacruises.com/shore-excursions and click on the wheelchair icon.You will see the name of the tour, the port name, and descriptions. Over on the right upper corner, click on "Cruises Visiting (port name)" to see those cruises. You can also filter by Region, Country, and Port.

 

If you already have a cruise planned you can look through the descriptions or shorex without the wheelchair icon to see if wheelchairs are not allowed or if there are other mobility restrictions listed (such as cobbled streets or stairs). Some are very specific while others are general. Here are a couple of examples (see the Please Note section at the bottom):

 

 

I say that if this is done consistently and correctly on each port, things would be much better.  I also suggest that the cruise lines mark wheelchair-compliant, and especially non-compliant excursions with a clear marking.

[AMHuntFerry]

1 hour ago, Psoque said:

I say that if this is done consistently and correctly on each port, things would be much better.  I also suggest that the cruise lines mark wheelchair-compliant, and especially non-compliant excursions with a clear marking.

Clear communication, including your suggestions, would be a welcome change.

[LHT28]

They have the tours marked   but like other thing  people do not read  the fine print

How many pax  will still book this  excursions  that  have limited mobility 🙄

EG:

PLEASE NOTE

This tour involves approximately 100 yards of walking to the Kemp House and Stone Store and another 700 yards of mostly downhill walking at the Waitangi Treaty House and grounds. There are 12 steps in the Stone Store to access the 1st floor, which may be skipped. Visit to the Waitangi Treaty House is self-guided. The tour is available to wheelchair guests who have a collapsible chair, are able to make their own way on and off the transportation and have an able-bodied companion to assist them. Those with mobility concerns are cautioned to carefully evaluate their personal level of stamina before participating.

[mac_tlc]

My wife cannot walk long distances so she has a wheelchair on the ships and in port. We are taking our first O cruise in November on Vista. 
 

I just booked three shore excursions last night for our TA. She can get on and off a bus, so I booked a tour that said it accepts collapsible wheelchairs and has minimal walking. I am there to push anywhere I can! I told her a few years ago I would gladly push her to the end of the earth, so when I was pushing in Honninsvag this summer, I thought I was done !😂😂😂.  Thankfully I am not——-. 
 

We do what we can do, and accept that the strenuous ones are in the rear view mirror. If there is a lot of walking, she will stay on the bus and wait for me…

 

I almost booked the Valencia and Tapas tour but thought it may be a bit too much walking….

 

 

mac_tlc