Trip Report, Mexican Riviera-Princess

[msmountnr]

Hello,

 

My mom and I took the 7-day cruise from LA on the Sapphire in May. The advice on this board was invaluable and I am just now finding the time to give feedback on the trip. We were celebrating her 85th birthday. She is not able to walk far (into and out of the bathroom is about it) and uses a wheelchair for anything longer.

 

We took her collapsible chair but only used it getting on and off the ship, and in port. We rented a scooter from Carevacations, which worked out really well. It was outside our room when we arrived, and that is where we parked it at night, plugged into the hall outlet. It did not fit through our doorway, but just as well because then we weren't so crowded in the stateroom! We just left it there at the end of the cruise and that's it. It was nice for her to have some autonomy on board - though I didn't ever go far away from her, if she wanted to stop and look at something she could, or maneuver herself more closely to where she wanted to be. I think if I was pushing her around in her chair, she would have been much more reluctant to ask to go places. The only time it was difficult on board in the chair was going over a couple thresholds on the Lido deck. Those doors had really high thresholds but everything else was nearly flat. Folks were very good about holding doors open and such, though. And the dining room personnel had lots of fun teasing her about her driving skills.

 

We took private van tours in Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan and that was great. We felt very comfortable hiring one of the vans at the pier, with some other folks from the ship who were looking for tours. The handicap-accessible van tours were VERY expensive - and we didn't need the lift so we opted for non-h/c. Ours were $35 pp, one in a big van and one in a Suburban. Mom's own chair fit in the back and so we could get out and look around. But most of the time the driver just got us close enough for everyone else to get out and mom stayed in the front seat and could see fine. It was easy for me to push her in PV - though some of the curbs were too high, we could just go a half block and find a good ramp. Mazatlan was more difficult. Cabo was really difficult in terms of curbs. Also, the sidewalks in Cabo were frequently cobblestones so it was jarring!

 

We tendered in Cabo. The ship's officer said they do it all the time, no worries. Going off the ship we had a local tender and coming back we had a ship's tender. In both cases the tender personnel took responsibility for getting her on and off; they had me get on first and wait for her. They stood next to her during the passage, which gave her a feeling of security. I was so happy that she could go - they won't give you any kind of assurance ahead of time so we really didn't know what would be happening that day.

 

The funny thing about the trip is that when we checked in at the LA terminal, there was a mixup. The agent didn't know why, but we had been moved to a different room. So I pitched a fit, because we had chosen the room location very carefully for mom's convenience. Long story very short, they had upgraded us from an inside room to a larger outside room with a pretty darned big window. It was great - better location and a real surprise treat. I'm not sure why that happened but suspect it was triggered when I reserved the scooter. Anyway, now we're spoiled and won't ever think of the inside cabins again! It was very nice to have the window, especially since mom napped every day and so we were probably in the room more than most folks are.

 

She didn't have any problem in the non-h/c bathroom. There are bars in the shower and for the toilet. And the steward brought us a toilet riser right away on the first day, when I requested it.

 

The only other thing I can think of is that folks with mobility issues have to think ahead and get places before the crowd. The theater shows filled up a couple times and if we had not been there early I would not have had a seat next to her. As it was, there were reserved seats with a handicap symbol on them and when the theater got full, able-bodied folks just sat down there. Also, for things like the Captain's speech in the atrium, the spots in front along the balcony filled up quickly. I'm over six feet tall so I could stand in the back and see, but mom in the wheelchair needed that front-row seat!

 

The staff on board was really wonderful. I know they do this week in and week out but they truly seemed interested in our small talk and requests. They did everything they could to make sure we were having a good time.

 

Hope some of that helps someone else. I really appreciate everyone's postings here - it was a great resource in planning the trip.

 

Jan

[CaptData]

Thank you for the review. It was well done.a couple of questions? Did you and your mother eat at the dinner club (Sabertine's?). How was the Lido Buffet for her?

[DesrtDrmr]

Thanks so much for your review, Jan. It sounds like you had a great time!

I was glad to hear about the ease of getting around in the ports. Our next cruise is the Mexican Riviera, and the last time we were there, I was able to walk much further than I can now. It's nice to hear how it works with a chair.

May you share many more cruises!

[Finnjet]

We rented a scooter from Carevacations, which worked out really well. It was outside our room when we arrived, and that is where we parked it at night, plugged into the hall outlet. It did not fit through our doorway, but just as well because then we weren't so crowded in the stateroom! We just left it there at the end of the cruise and that's it.

 

Leaving scooters in hallways presents a huge problem for those of us who cannot walk and use wheelchairs full-time. In most instances, unattended scooters block passageways and force us to find another route (if one is even available). I'm very happy that you and your mom had a great cruise, but please keep my comments in mind in the future.

[msmountnr]

Thank you for the review. It was well done.a couple of questions? Did you and your mother eat at the dinner club (Sabertine's?). How was the Lido Buffet for her?

We did not eat at Sabatini's. It looked full every night, but we were having excellent meals (anytime dining) and decided it wasn't worth it. There is an Italian restaurant, one of the four anytime dining choices, that was not open until 8 pm because they were using it for early seating for the regular dinner plan. So we ate at the Asian, Steakhouse, and Southwest themed restaurants. But the menu is identical except for one or two choices in the 'theme' of the particular restaurant. We made reservations each night and never had to wait at all. Sometimes we ate by ourselves and other times with whoever they put at the table together.

[msmountnr]

Leaving scooters in hallways presents a huge problem for those of us who cannot walk and use wheelchairs full-time. In most instances, unattended scooters block passageways and force us to find another route (if one is even available). I'm very happy that you and your mom had a great cruise, but please keep my comments in mind in the future.

I'm glad you mentioned this because it never would have occurred to me. I don't think it was a problem because our room opened out onto the art gallery area and it was a huge, wide walkway in a "T" with another huge, wide walkway. So the scooter wouldn't have blocked anything the size of a wheelchair or walker. Also, it wouldn't have bothered me at all if someone knocked on the door and asked me to move it. But I will be more aware of this in the future.

 

The folks next to us appeared to be honeymooners. My worst fear was that the back-up beeper on the scooter was waking them up when we went to breakfast ;)

[msmountnr]

T. How was the Lido Buffet for her?

 

The buffet was difficult - I usually walked through the buffet next to her (on her scooter) then got her situated at a window table and I went back and got our food, according to what she had shown me she wanted. We ate in the restaurants whenever possible because the food was so much better, and it was just a nicer atmosphere.

 

There was usually a line to get into the buffet - maybe only five or six people, but each individual had to be SEEN putting antibacterial soap on their hand before they were admitted, and the attendant had to hand out the flatware and plates. I appreciated the cleanliness, but it did make it hard to run in and out getting little tastes of things.