Maui tender

[toddw]

Hello, I am an experienced cruiser in the Caribbean and thought I would ask you guys about Hawaii cruises. Especially Maui. The cruise we were considering stayed in Maui 2 days-- my concern is that it appears to be a tendered port. Is this true, and are any other ports this way? Being in a power chair I hate tendering and didn't want to bring my manual chair from Texas. Please advise.

 

See ya on the seas, TW

 

Galveston cruise questions?

cruiseescapes@earthlink.net

[leoandhugh]

you don't say what ship or cruise line you are on; while most ships do tender at lahaina, there are a few that actually dock on the other side of the island - forgot the name of the port. we were in lahaina in January and had to tender with a power scooter. again, not all ships have the equipment necessary to get a power scooter or chair into a tender and it can be tricky because there are often swells there, and it complicates getting the chair off at the dockside. tendering is always at the discretion of the ship's captain as far as handicapped are involved. you would certainly have less trouble with a manual chair - we always take both so there are no surprises. I suggest you call the special needs department of whatever cruise line is involved and pose the questions to them.:)

[CaptData]

Kona and Maui are both tender ports. Folding wheelchair is best for these ports. I would bring both the power chair and the folding wheelchair. If you do not wish to take yours then rent one to be delivered to the ship. Either Care-Vacations or Scoot-around will deliver and pick up right from your cabin. It will be there when you arrive and you leave it in the cabin when you go, no fuss on muss.

 

If you are on the Summit see my attached pics in my signature. these were taken in Jan on my cruise. I have others but need to figure out how to do it again.

[Queenie2]

yes, lahina is a tender port, but kahuli (on NCL ships) is not and it is an overnight stay (which I think is a big plus for NCL). So it depends on which ship/line you are sailing on. Personally I recommend Pride of America as an accessible ship, because it has the most shore time and it docks instead of tenders in Maui (which is a port you do not want to miss).

 

Candy

[Splinter]

My mother uses a power chair full time too, and we have been to Hawaii many times on cruises. We always take the manual chair for tender ports (Kona and Lahaina) as the ships we have been on will not lift you in a power chair, and some will not accomodate a power chair on their tender lift (for example, HAL will take only a manual chair of no wider than 18" on their tender lift).

 

We also like take the manual chair as you need a back-up. If your power chair breaks down on a cruise, you are stuck in bed without a back-up. The ship's wheelchairs would not work...most have non-removable arms, and you cannot take them ashore. We also use the manual chair to pile all our hand luggage on when in the airport, and for embarkation and disembarkation. My dad's job is to push that chair while I take care of our travel lift.

 

What are you planning to do in port? In Lahaina you can easily see the town from your chair, but there are a few places where you may have to get up over a curb or one step into a shop. You need a manual chair for this. In Kahului (north shore) there is nothing to see around the ship, so you will need to either transfer to a cab or rental car (and use a manual chair), rent a wheelchair accessible van ($$$$) or try to find one of the few accessible tours. Accessible tours (with a lift van or bus) are hard to get in Hawaii. Only Honolulu has good accessible local bus service that you can use for visting tourists spots.

 

I strongly recommend taking both a power chair and a manual chair (either your own or a rental).