Europe River Cruise ... anybody been?

[boomerSexyK]

I would love to try a European river cruise. The thoughts of slowly slipping thru the countryside, passing thru small villages and spotting riverside castles seems to be super appealing to me. Has anybody tried one of these or a place to start looking? I've done a fair amount of searching and most everything I find involves walking tours and bicyle riding thru the various towns. Not exactly what I'm up for. Although I can manage short distances and a few stairs on my canes with no problem, anything beyond 100 yards or so will do me in. That's why I travel with my ActiveLite folding scooter. It would appear that that these river cruises are just not set-up for mobility challenged people. Some even go so far as to say that they cannot handle any type of wheelchair. I realize that Europe falls behind North America in our ADA regs, but any info would be appreciated.

[JackWP]

We traveled with the Viking River Cruise Line on the Eastern Europe Odyssey cruise. The boat did not have elevators, but many of the cabins were only about 8 - 10 steps from the main decks. We traveled with a light weight chair that is needed for longer distances on land. Many of the steps/ramps where we docked were steep, slick, uneven and difficult. Other docks were O.K. The staff helped getting us and the chair on and off. We were assigned to the same bus number every day and a staff member was on all three buses and would tell us what to expect at each stop. We did not need the chair at every stop. Some cities had curb cuts, but most did not. Bad sidewalks and cobblestones were common. We cruised the lower Danube and conditions on the northern rivers may be different. I would call them and ask them it they can take your scooter on the bus. All this being said, this is a wonderful cruise line that provides a great product to many interesting places.

[kitty9]

You have to be very careful with most of the river cruise boats. They do not have elevators and the stairways on some of the ships are not easy to handle, and impossible for anyone in a wheelchair. Plus another disadvantage is you cannot get to all the decks if you're dependent on a wheelchair or scooter, so that severely limits your participation on the boats. The more physical cruises are in France in the wine country. Most of those require lots of walking and they are not wheelchair or scooter friendly at all. The "easiest" are the Danube cruises, but even there, you're going to run into the whole stairway thing.

[leoandhugh]

also,you have to consider that the river is constantly rising or falling; the riverboats often tie up at a floating platform in the river and from there up to the top of the levee there will be either steps or a ramp. Because these charming towns grew from the river, most of the streets close to the river are either cobblestone or brick and very uneven. We use a wheelchair and a scooter and asked a neighbor friend who took one last year to check it out closely for us because she knows the difficulties involved. She came back and said "no way" would she suggest that we take one; even the cabins are relatively small and the bathrooms are not equipped for accessibility

[boomerSexyK]

Thanks everybody. I appreciate the replies. Looks like the idea of a European river cruise will have to live in my dreams. Maybe we'll consider a driving trip instead. 1/2 a dozen days around Loire Valley and then a 6-day-er from London to NY on the QM2.

[leoandhugh]

Since you are considering the Loire Valley, let me tell you what we did a few years back with a rental car and a wheelchair. Drove from Paris to Rouen down the Seine valley, (there are some charming riverside roads). We spent a couple of days in Rouen and found most of the center city doable despite some old cobblestone streets. Then drove over to the Loire Valley and slowly worked our way back to Paris along the river roads, stopping at several chateaux which were accessible somewhat. We stayed at Novotel chain hotels because we found most had accessible rooms, but we made reservations for those before leaving home - they have just a couple of rooms per hotel so you need to reserve ahead.:)

[Kindlychap]

Thanks everybody. I appreciate the replies. Looks like the idea of a European river cruise will have to live in my dreams. Maybe we'll consider a driving trip instead. 1/2 a dozen days around Loire Valley and then a 6-day-er from London to NY on the QM2.

 

I took a Danube cruise earlier this year on Johann Strauss, sister ship to the Bolero.

 

No lift, and the dining room was one deck above the entrance lobby. Impossible for those who can't walk.

 

The points about gangways have been made already.

 

You'll be much better on the Queen Mary 2 which is well set up for the disabled.

 

Matthew