Just Back From My First Cruise! Important Things to Know

[HisChildBeth]

I will be making a trip report once I recover. There was so much to see and do that I came back home for some rest after vacation on the Magic:D

 

I will say it was an adventure to set sail directly into the teeth of a northeaster and to survive 20-25 swells that were washing the windows of the bridge on our first night out. I had to ask if my problems standing up were typical because I wasn't sure if it was the boat rocking or just my poor neurological balance problem. I'm glad everyone assured me that it wasn't just me, but it was unusual too be that rough. We found out later that the ship has stabiizers (like sticking out your arms) to keep her steady in rough seas and that at no point did she list more than 1 degree. If it had been really bad they would have had everyone go to their cabins. I did see a lot of white uniforms quietly walking around the main areas checking on how people were doing. I'm proud to say that I didn't get sea sick the entire trip including when one of my dinner partners ate snails right next too me! Mercy. Yuck. I kill their cousins in my garden. I am a plain peasant girl when it comes to food.

 

Sadly we were late in returning on Saturday because a man had a heart attack at Castaway Cay and we waited until he was air lifted off the island by the Coast Guard before we set sail because he was in sick bay aboard ship. I found out from a Cast Member that the ship is fully equipped to handle severe emergencies, like heart attacks, as well as any emergency room, but for very serious cases they do have the person removed to a land facility as soon as they are stabilized. This is why you want to have traveler's insurance. Some people were talking, not a Cast Member, and they said a medical evacuation like this could cost $20-30,000!!!!!!! Next time I am looking for traveler's insurance just in case, but I think it will be expensive for me since I have pre-existing health problems.:mad: I still refuse to give up the fun of traveling as long as I can.

 

All that said, other than exhaustion from too much to do and a bit of sunburn on missed skin (be sure you get sun screen slathered around your suit straps and the edges in front and back!), my daughter and I had a great time. We did have 2 important Disney shore excursions cancelled at the last minute which was a bummer, but we still did other fun things. Next time we are going to make our own shore excursion plans privately.

 

As I said, I have health problems but I don't consider myself disabled just because I walk with a cane so I didn't see any necessity in filling out a medical form. Next time I will though. There were very long lines to wait in when the ship docks and first disembarks so wait awhile if you can or you will have stand a long time. I found it very, very difficult to walk the long distances down the piers where the ship docked to where tour buses were parked and too where our snorkeling boat was. It wasn't until we were coming back to the ship from St. Martin that I found a golf cart taking people to the ship for a $1 a person. In St. Thomas there is a shopping mall right next to the pier and there were some tours leaving from there so it was much easier. Next time I am going to make arrangements for assistance with getting to tour buses and into ports of call by notifying the medical department in advance.

 

It was one of my disappointments not to know the following information about deck parties before taking this cruise so read the next paragraph carefully. I tried to participate but found it too difficult and usually just went back to my room so my daughter could have some enjoyment from the deck parties though she tried so hard to help me find a place to see.

 

Another warning for those unable to stand. Try to get to your activity at least 15 minutes ahead to get a seat so you don't have to stand in line, or ask a cast member to find you a chair if you can't. That is if you can find one. Always get to deck parties and get a seat where you can see the ariel screen, or preferably the stage though this may be hard because people stake their spot at the pool on deck 9 by the stage and stay there all day, at least 30 minutes before the deck party because you won't find a place to sit or be able to even find a place to lean against the rail if you wait to just before the party. There are no areas reserved on deck for the handicapped at deck parties, or for that matter anywhere else on the ship. Some cast members were helpful if asked, but they were not forthcoming in offering assistance even if they saw a cane or a wheel chair. I am referring to higher ranking cast members not your service cast members such as bar tenders, waiters, cleaning people, etc. These cast members are not allowed to do anything but their job so they can't run off to find you help.

 

I am going to be mnaking a recommedation to Disney that they make more accommodation for the disabled and handicapped that makes it easier for us to enjoy all that is available on the cruise without having to find a cast member who can help us such as designated areas marked for the handicapped to sit or pull up their wheelchairs, a few chairs next to areas where ques form, cast members that simply ask if you need assistance without being asked, etc.

 

Most cast members work on contract. They are not guaranteed a job once their current contract is up. It is your complimentary comment forms that you are asked to fill out before leaving the ship that will determine if many of the cast members are offered another contract. Therefore, if you find a cast member who provides excellent or exceptional performance, then put it on your comments form or even go to guest services and ask to speak or send a note to their supervisor about how good they were at their job, their friendliness, courtesy, etc. Another good compliment is a larger than normal tip.

 

I am sorry to say I did not see one Cruise Critic door marker on deck 8, or any indication of a person knowing about Cruise Critic. Is there some kind of lanyard or other easy identifier that I missed?

 

Beth

[PantherFan]

Glad to hear you had a good time. :)

 

You bring up a good point about people needing assistance.

 

I think there should be a couple areas that you can go to to see the deck parties, I know it is hard for anyone to see but especially if you are in a wheelchair or unable to stand.

 

When we were on the Magic they airlifted a 9 month old girl. Absoultely, get travel insurance......you just never know and it really is only a fraction of the cruise cost but gives you so much piece of mind.

 

Our regular health insurance will cover medical emergencies but we always get travel insurance "incase" for other types of issues as well, like having to cancel a trip at the last minute.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

I am so happy you had a good trip. I will be anxious to read your report after you recover.

 

I would like to ask you a question if you dont mind.

 

What was the name of the band and the duo in the Promenade lounge ??

 

Thanks,

mom x4,grandma x4

[Amlee]

I'm glad you had a good time.

 

Disney does not in force thier handicap rules at all. I went a few rounds concerning this last year on my 10 day cruise. I was in a body cast due to spinal fusion. I was sitting in the movie theater and watched as a couple asked a CM to remove someone from the handicap area who wasn't. It had already been said earlier that he like to sit in that area so he could have more room. When the guy informed the CM that he was there first, the CM looked at the older couple and shurbed his shoulders and walked off. That hit me WRONG and all over. I got up and shamed the man on his actions and gave my seat to the couple. I then went down and did a tap dance at Guest Relations about what had happened.

 

Let me also recommend Medjet. You can google them under that name. It isn't a travel insurance per say, but an evac coverage. For a single person it runs around $250 a year and covers the world. Worth checking into.

[macbasset]

Just a note about pre-existing conditions. We got insurance through AAA for our disney cruise over thanksgiving and if you purchase the insurance within 10 days of booking the cruise, it covers pre-existing conditions which I wanted since my husband has a heart condition. You have to check from one insurance carrier to the next or have a good travel agent to be sure you are covered. The AAA insurance was quite a bit less than disney, and covered pre-existing conditions.

[wernew2cruising]

I am so happy you had a good trip. I will be anxious to read your report after you recover.

 

I would like to ask you a question if you dont mind.

 

What was the name of the band and the duo in the Promenade lounge ??

 

Thanks,

mom x4,grandma x4

Hey MOMx4,

 

Do they list the names of the band and duo in the Navigators? I could find where I stashed mine and see who they are. We sailed in Sept.

[ILUVSCOOPS]

There are wheel chair spaces available for viewing the deck parties and the Jumbo screen gives everyone a good view no matter where they are standing. Getting to the party at least 15minutes in advance is a good idea for anyone who wants to be in the middle of the action.

 

 

 

 

Another warning for those unable to stand. Try to get to your activity at least 15 minutes ahead to get a seat so you don't have to stand in line, or ask a cast member to find you a chair if you can't. That is if you can find one. Always get to deck parties and get a seat where you can see the ariel screen, or preferably the stage though this may be hard because people stake their spot at the pool on deck 9 by the stage and stay there all day, at least 30 minutes before the deck party because you won't find a place to sit or be able to even find a place to lean against the rail if you wait to just before the party. There are no areas reserved on deck for the handicapped at deck parties, or for that matter anywhere else on the ship. Some cast members were helpful if asked, but they were not forthcoming in offering assistance even if they saw a cane or a wheel chair. I am referring to higher ranking cast members not your service cast members such as bar tenders, waiters, cleaning people, etc. These cast members are not allowed to do anything but their job so they can't run off to find you help.

 

I am going to be mnaking a recommedation to Disney that they make more accommodation for the disabled and handicapped that makes it easier for us to enjoy all that is available on the cruise without having to find a cast member who can help us such as designated areas marked for the handicapped to sit or pull up their wheelchairs, a few chairs next to areas where ques form, cast members that simply ask if you need assistance without being asked, etc.

[HisChildBeth]

In Rockin' Bar D - my daughter's favorite haunt after Mom went to bed :D - was the Elite Show Band and in the Promenade it was the duo The Wave. Now I'm not sure if these are contract palyers like the other named performers or not, but I have to say that the Disney entertainers who you found every where doing all kinds of jobs were INCREDIBLE! They were headed up by Kyle and those poor people dance their tushes off! If you are single and think you will have nothing to do that is adult fun when go on a Disney cruise think again! There is so much to do you will have to pencil "sleep" into your schedule. Most of the time my daughter didn't show up until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning whenever they closed down the Rockin' Bar D. Of course there is also Diversions which is a sports bar, and Sessions which is piano bar for smokers at night, but during the day there is no smoking and they deodorize the place so have no frear of going in there to do something during the day.

 

Thanks for the heads up on Traveler's Insurance and the Med Evac service. I will look into those. I have a lot of problems but like I said, I refuse to give in. I'm not going down without a fight!

 

If the person who wrote about the handicapped reserved area for the deck parties could respond and tell me where those are located I sure would appreciate it. Are they on Deck 9 or 10? I couldn't get anywhere near the stage on Deck 9 and always ended up on Deck 10 trying to see, but if you are two or three rows back from the railing you can't see anything but the top portion of the ariel screen. Try it. Then try standing with a cane, with the boat - sorry ship -- moving (it was a pretty choppy cruise even on good days) and people shoving you around to get by. I can't tell you the number of times I nearly fell because my balance is already bad. Why else would I be using a cane?

 

I am writing to Disney about handicapped accessibility and proper training of employees to handicapped accessibility and SENSITIVITY! Most of the time we don't need a lot of accommodation, only a chair or a place where we can see.

 

As far as the few spots in the theatre are concerned, there are not enough and they are always filled. They also need running lights along the floor so you can see the steps, railings on the outside walls so you have something to hold on to, and the assistance of a cast member to help you down all those stairs if somebody isn't with you. Is this not something that even an able-bodied person would like to have? What if you are trying to get yourself, 3 kids, pop, and popcorn down to your seat? Wouldn't lighting along the floor be helpful? What about a handrail for the little ones to hold on to instead of your hand which is full? What about a few cast members to help the partially-abled or the over-burdened to their seats?

 

One other complaint to Disney. Why is not OK for me to save a seat next to myself for my daughter after she has helped me down and gone back for a drink? I was told that I had to move to the seat I had saved for her to allow a man by himself to sit in the seat next to the aisle. Luckily my daughter came back right then and sat down so that ended that discussion. The dude was just standing there and was going to take the seat. RUDE! I can see why they don't want you saving 10 rows for an entire family reunion, but one or two seats is another thing.

 

I am working on a trip report and will try to find the correct place to post it on here hopefully by the end of the week. I'm still sleeping half the day away trying to catch up.

 

What was this about Quick Reply! The only thing I do quick is talk!;)

 

Beth

[PantherFan]

Most people with assistance do have a helper such as your daughter and you should be able to save a seat for her.

 

It would be difficult to balance drinks or food while trying to put a wheel chair in place etc....I can't believe someone actually was trying to make you move etc for one seat...

 

I have seen people reserve 8-10 seats which is completely rude, 1 seat isn't since the likelihood is someone is probably going to the restroom etc..

 

It sounds like you always hit the parties and shows only a few minutes before they were supposed to start. I am not sure 15 minutes is enough time, we always try to go at least 30 minutes before hand.

 

Being settled in and ready is worth going early for.:)

 

If someone attempted to try to make me move when I was with someone else I would say NO! I am waiting for my hubby who is getting a drink or in the restroom. I would never give up a seat just because someone said so especially if they are arriving really late into the theatre.

[UMTerp]

I agree with the above poster. It seems like a few of your problems could have been avoided by arriving at the venue earlier. Disney is like that with the parades, etc. and the cruise is not really any different. I have also seen people saving up to a whole row of seats and that is where the problem is. I would not move if I was saving one seat for a family member to get drinks, restroom, etc. I would have told the man to find a CM if he wanted to complain. No CM is going to enforce the seat saving "rule" for one seat. I'm sorry these things negatively impacted your cruise!

 

UMTerp

[michmike]

Just wanted to share our experience from last week on Wonder re accommodations for those w/ mobility issues. Both wife and I use canes. During the lifeboat drill staff made sure that we had one of the deck boxes to sit on and they also released us early so that we could catch an elevator back to our room before the rest of the folks were released and things became crowded and hectic.

 

On Castaway Cay they met us w/ a golf cart and took us wherever we wanted to go and told us to simply have someone call and have them come get us when we were ready to go elsewhere on the island.

 

In both cases these things were done w/o any request on our part, just someone noticing that we had the canes and taking the initiative to help out.

 

Overall we did not enjoy the cruise as much as we do when we cruise on HAL, but we knew that would be the case going in. We were part of a group of 35 onboard for a wedding.

 

I'd recommend Disney for those w/ kids or grand kids, but after 7 cruises w/ HAL we're just set in our ways and find them a better fit. (59 and 57 here).

 

I recognize HAL can't accommodate those w/ mobility issues in the same way as there are so many of them, but I was impressed with how Disney treated us in that respect.

[HisChildBeth]

I am so glad that you got the assistance that you needed without even asking! When we were on Castaway Cay it sure would have been great for me if they had offered to help me because we wanted to go down to Serentiy Bay, but it was such a hassel getting up off the snorkeling beach with all our snorkeling gear, walking to the tram stop, waiting, etc. and then later on in the afternoon we wanted to come back for one more run at snorkeling so we decided it was just easier to stay at the snorkeling beach. I didn't mind the kids, but they do scare away the fish and you have to swim way out to see any. I would like to see an adult area for snorkeling developed. There were hardly any boats in the boating area right next to the snorkeling area so why not designate part of that for adult snorkeling?

 

Another important point. I don't mind kids, love to watch them, that's why I don't want go on an adult cruise, but there are hazards like holes dug in the sand that aren't filled in. If people are made aware to have there kids fill holes they dig it would help. I found one of those and lightly sprained my ankle and sanded my shins. Another reason for not wanting to walk.

 

I did put my request for more help on my comment form, and I know Disney does read this Board, so perhaps my comments have made a difference for everyone who needs accessibility help without having to ask.

 

I found it interesting that you said HAL would not provide assistance because there were too many on board that would need help. I sure hope that isn't true for every cruise line beside Disney! I don't want to go on a boat with a bunch of invalids out to catch the breeze. There are places Disney doesn't go that I would like to go so I might have to take another cruise line.

 

I like to be as active as possible and to do that I need a few accommodations like a place to sit instead of stand for a long time, a ride the long distances up and down the piers to the actual point where we can pick up transportation on the islands, and generally just having the cast members/crew being aware that if you are using a cane or other walking assistance device that you probably have some balance problems.

 

The first night when we were out in the gale the crew members were very nice and helped my daughter hang on to me until I could cross an open area and get to a wall. A small list of 1% woiuldn't be much for most folks, but if you can't balance to begin with it makes it more difficult. I also liked seeing white uniformed officers watching the passengers moving around the ship during the storm to be sure that most people were OK and they didn't need to ask everyone to go to the their cabins.

 

Thanks for letting me know that you received assistance without even being asked!

 

Beth

[michmike]

I don't want to give you the wrong impression re HAL. While there are significantly more folks with mobility issues on HAL than there were on Disney, it doesn't amount to more than about 5% of the total passengers. Quite a few walkers, canes, wheelchairs and power scooters. In large part because HAL attracts an older demographic.

 

But it is a wonderful, more traditional experience, w/ an Indonesian crew that can't be beat for service.

 

An as for that 5% I say more power to them that they aren't sitting home vegetating but rather are out sailing and seeing the workld, even if they do so at a bit slower pace than the others on board.

 

So don't rule HAL out for future trips. We've been on 7 cruises now w/ them and as i said in my original post here, we are much more comfortable there than on Disney.

 

But I do agree that in all the ports, either the port authority or the cruise lines ought to look at the issue of trams to transport diabled guests longer distances from the ship to the terminals or at the very least supply some benches so that folks could stop and rest along the way.

[Stlkeeler]

This thread is very interesting to me as we're going on a double dip in June and I have been worried about the long walk down the pier on Castaway Cay. I have arthritis that affects most of my body. I have had one knee replaced already. I don't walk with a cane yet but do limp pretty badly most of the time. Should I mention this to my TA? Anything I can proactively to make my time easier?

 

Beth, what activities did you do that was fun? Shore excursions? Any more advice?

 

TIA

Linda

[HisChildBeth]

First, I would suggest that if you have insurance, have your doctor order a PT/OT evaluation if you haven't had one yet . You might be quite surprised at some of the suggestions they make besides exercises that make an a huge difference.

 

Especially consider using a cane. I have a real hard time with my ego on this one, but I have found that most people look right past the cane. The P/T people have a scale that they test you on that tells them if you need a cane or not. I know that if I use my cane I walk more correctly and don't hurt my back as much, and I also walk faster. I don't know why, but it certainly helps! I also use grocery carts as "walkers" as long as they do't get heavy. I go shopping with my daughter so she pushes the heavy carts.

 

I also have a walker that has a seat and I cannot tell you how wonderful these are if you are going to be doing something like a museum with few if any seats. I can scoot along without standing up to get the low stuff and then stand to read the up high plaques. I'm taking mine on the cruise next time we go.

 

I heard from somebody else that went after us that Disney was waiting at Castway Cay with a golf cart for those who couldn't walk so hopefully my comments I turned in and comments on this Board helped. I would be sure to ask a cast memeber for assistance if it isn't offered. Some of these cast members are new to the service industry and are still learning how to be alert to passenger needs.

 

I don't think it would hurt for you to call ahead to Guest Services and tell them you would like assistance on the pier or at Castaway Cay. That is what I am going to do next time.

 

Finally, as I said before, get to deck parties and events with big crowds 15-30 minutes early to get a seat with a view. This would also be another good use for the seated walker. I'm not sure how you would get one there on the plane. Maybe gate check like strollers?

 

Hope this helpful,

 

Beth