Accessibility Lane Question

[daisydawg]

Hi! Does anyone have recent experience with the Accessibility Lane, in particular in Vancouver. I’m taking a Princess cruise out of Vancouver this summer with my husband, two teen children, and my husband’s parents. My mother-in-law has mobility issues. She does not use a wheelchair or walker on a regular basis, but she does have a handicap tag for her car and has used a wheelchair to navigate the airport. It is difficult for her to walk long distances or wait in line. 
 

I looked at the mobility questionnaire on the Princess website, and it’s focused on mobility devices. She will not be bringing a mobility device on the cruise, but we would like to try to get her a wheelchair to get through the port and the lines. The rest of us are fine going through the regular lane. Any advice? I know it’s months away, but if we need to request special access, I’ll need to talk my in-laws through it.

[wcflats]

I’m in the same situation…my DW contacted the personal at the cruise terminal and they took care of it all.  No cost.  When you drop off your bags tell the folks there that you need that and they take care of the rest.  Very easy and convenient.

[dog]

1 hour ago, daisydawg said:

Hi! Does anyone have recent experience with the Accessibility Lane, in particular in Vancouver. I’m taking a Princess cruise out of Vancouver this summer with my husband, two teen children, and my husband’s parents. My mother-in-law has mobility issues. She does not use a wheelchair or walker on a regular basis, but she does have a handicap tag for her car and has used a wheelchair to navigate the airport. It is difficult for her to walk long distances or wait in line. 
 

I looked at the mobility questionnaire on the Princess website, and it’s focused on mobility devices. She will not be bringing a mobility device on the cruise, but we would like to try to get her a wheelchair to get through the port and the lines. The rest of us are fine going through the regular lane. Any advice? I know it’s months away, but if we need to request special access, I’ll need to talk my in-laws through it.

in Vancouver there is a lot of walking to even get into the terminal to check in. If you can bring or rent your own wheelchair it would make it so much easier.  We went through there in Sept and the whole family were met inside the door, and staff took care of getting their medallions and they really didn’t have much of a line up- the entire family stayed with her and staff wheeled her on-board.

There would be a lot of walking & standing to get into the check in area.

[Senga]

3 hours ago, wcflats said:

I’m in the same situation…my DW contacted the personal at the cruise terminal and they took care of it all.  No cost.  When you drop off your bags tell the folks there that you need that and they take care of the rest.  Very easy and convenient.

I use a cane and standing is the worst thing for my knees.  I did the same thing; once we arrived at the cruise terminal I sat on the first bench I found and my husband found someone who arranged for a wheelchair to come get me.  There is a LOT of walking at the Vancouver cruise terminal so definitely ask for assistance.

[travelin.sisters]

you can have your TA or Princess add wheelchair for embarkation/disembarkation, but you will still have to ask at the terminal...for disembarkation there will be a designated spot on the ship to gather & they will take her off in a w/c & then transfer to a shore-side one (we usually tip a bit for the person who pushes the w/c)...we also travel with a walker with a seat for places where there are lines or on our last cruise my sissy had to use it one day because the ship was rocking unpredictably (not really rough seas but side to side rocking) & she needed it for balance

[cr8tiv1]

Every port will have wheel chair assistance.  It’s a matter of time and waiting for one to become available.   At least one person should keep her company. There will be crew waiting at ship or at curb side to help her. 
 

There is a lot of walking and level changes at Canada Place. 

[happy42cruise]

I would highly recommend a rollator walker with a seat for use on the ship if she is opposed to a wheelchair.  There are many times you will need to walk or stand for (sometimes) long periods & there are often no chairs (and people are not always polite enough to offer theirs).  Even for an elevator you may have a long wait.  You can find inexpensive ones on Amazon or second hand, rentals can be pricey but are convenient.  Hope you can convince her it is a handy tool to have!

[daisydawg]

Thanks to all of you for your helpful responses! I’ll look into the rollator walker. That might be a good compromise and useful for her in general. She is usually happy to move along at her own pace and just avoids situations with lots of walking, but this is a bucket list trip for her.

[wolfie11]

100% recommend taking a rollator on board with you.  You can check it for free with the airlines. There is a lot of walking on the ships and a lot of standing in line.  Having a place to sit while standing in line is great.  Also good for shore excursions.

[cruisequeen4ever]

You will definitely be provided assistance to get you through the check-in terminal and onto the ship. You just have to ask for it when you arrive. Sometimes there can be a wait for a wheelchair, but then the process is smooth.