Infinity to Alaska in Handicapped Room

[judyfssw]

We are back from an incredible trip to Alaska on the Infinity. We were in stateroom 8176 which is in the back of the ship. It is a handicapped room that has a overly large room and a huge balcony. My sister and I took our mother, age almost 87, who is diabetic, on oxygen (100%), and had fractured a vertebrae, 3 weeks before we left. We stayed one night before and one night after in Vancouver at a Harborside hotel. We made all of the arrangements for a wheelchair, scooter and oxygen through Care Vacations and they were absolutley wonderful!!!! Everything was handled professionally and they made sure that, in the event of a crisis (which did happen), we had everything we needed. In case you can't tell, we're sold on Care Vacations. They provided O2 tanks and concentrators for the hotel and for the ship. Before the ship left, the concentrator stopped working. I called the Care Vacations number and within 30 minutes another one was delivered to our room. We were told that there was a spare one with housekeeping in case anything happened to the one in the room. I just cannot say enough good things about them.

The personnel on the ship were just wonderful to mom. The ship tendered in Sitka and 4 people carried her, in the wheelchair, down and up the stairs to the tender. We went on the evening whale quest through Celebrity's excursions and the captain of the St. Gregory brought mom onto the ship in their wheelchair. They have several benches reserved for people with disabilities. They also provide binoculars and a wonderful meal.

This was a great trip for our mom. Everyone treated us wonderfully from the people at the hotel, cab and limo drivers, all of the people on the ship and, of course, the people at and connected with Care Vacations. Do not hesitate to use them. If you have any questions, please ask away.

[CaptData]

Hi Judy. I'm glad to hear that you, your Mom and sister enjoyed the vacation of a life time. Nice report. Thank you.

[Wolfpup]

Hi Judy

We were in Cabin 6103 on the 8/01 Infinity sailing, with a pre-cruise stay in Vancouver and added the Canadian Rockies rail tour at the end of our trip. As always, the crew was wonderful to Mom, age 83, helping her in a most respectful and dignified manner. Whenever we went to the buffet, she was assisted with her tray going through the line. We tendered in Sitka and Ketchikan; the steep grade of the ramp in Ketchikan had us concerned, but the crew happily took care of getting Mom up and down the ramp. The same two crew members assisted in both ports and when I attempted to tip each of them, they refused the money saying, "I have a Mom, too." We are repeat Celebrity cruisers, and Mom is hooked on the line, too.

Hotels are another issue. The major problem we have is with the bathrooms. Many do not have grab bars in the bath/shower. Toilets are the other problem, with bathrooms that are smaller than my linen closet. Nevertheless, we manage. The train portion was a bit of a challenge. However, since Mom can walk a short distance when supported, she was able to do this trip. In reflecting about the two and half weeks we were on vacation, Mom agreed the best part was the cruise. She found the early rising and transfering to train and motorcoach stressful. The tours we arranged through Land Sea Tours in Vancouver were wonderful. We went to Victoria and Whistler. A highlight was a float plane in Whistler.

Mom has complex medical issues and I find it easy to manage medications by prefilling weekly medication trays. She too, is diabetic, and orders from the regular menu. Our table steward was aware of Mom's needs and would suggest particular foods or arrange for "off menu" items.

Next year we are doing the 14-day Baltic & Scandinavia cruise on the Constellation with Mom.

Darcy