Transatlantic/Europe as a disable ????

[jaylsparks]

We are looking at a transatlantic/ europe cruise. I'm confined to wheelchair (an amputee not able to walk). I need any info, bad or good, as to what to expect when I get to Europe. I'm ok on ship, having done cruises many times. In the Carribean, Mexico, etc, I have found that some ports just do not accomodate the wheelchair. I cannot get into a bus nor van, so a car or cab is usually our means of travel. I would hate to be in Rome or Barcalona and have to see it from the streets around the docks. In some of my research, I have not found any tours that would allow me to travel with them. Any imput that you can share will be greatly appreciated.

[skinndog]

We found that England and the Scandinavian countries were very easy to get around in. The organized tours were not always wheelchair accessable but there were plenty of cabs that had very accomodating drivers. We managed to get a private tour of Plymouth that lasted most of the day at a price that was much lower than the ship tour.

 

The only place we had problems was in France. The gangway had a series of steps and we had a hard time getting my wife and wheelchair to the dock. None of the tours offered wheelchair accessability and the cab drivers were not at all helpful. Several of them were excessively rude and said that they didn't want to bother with us.

 

We have not been to Italy but a friend of ours said that most of the buildings in Rome were not accessable by wheelchair when he was there 3 years ago. He had to be carried up the stairs to get into his hotel since they didn't have any ramps. The people there were very helpful and friendly but he still had a lot of problems getting around.

 

Good luck and I hope it all works out for you.

[kitty9]

I walk with a cane and can't climb stairs, and I have traveled to most of the countries in Europe, and I can honestly say that Italy, Turkey, Spain and most other southern Europe countries are terrible for accessible accommodations. Most streets are cobblestone, no ramps into anything, no cut out curbs and everything else we're used to. It can be difficult to find accessible rooms in hotels, and there doesn't seem to be much in the way of accessibility in their most famous attractions. Even at St. Peters, they have a ramp into the cathedral, but finding someone to unlock the gate that leads to the ramp is impossible. Once you're in some of the buildings, like the famous museums, finding a working elevator to get you from floor to floor is not easy. The other problem is their cars are very small and fitting a wheelchair into them is tough.

 

But, should that stop you from going on the trip? I would say, most certainly not. Something can always be done, and the ship's purser can be of great assistance in finding you a private guide with an accessible vehicle. The cruise lines take great pains to make most tours available to everyone regardless of ability. While some things might not be available to you, there are still tons of things to see and enjoy. BTW, on many European ports, the ship docks very far away from the main city, such as for Rome, it's about a 2 hour drive from the dock into the city.

[DEL67]

We have been to Europe 4 times for Baltic, Mediterranean, "English Channel" and Transatlantic cruises. My husband can not walk, but he can transfer into a car or minivan. Yes, accessibility was difficult and required planning, but we still saw a great deal and had a good time.

 

I did a lot of research regarding accessibility before we left each time so I had an idea wherre we should go. We toured each city by taxi or car, did a lot of walking in the center cities (cobble stones are an issue) and visited some sites. Generally we used taxis, but I did hire private cars with drivers for the day in Florence, Rome and Naples.

 

Sites with some level of accessibility included:

 

Baltic: the Vasa Museum and castle in Stockholm, some museums in Helsinki and the fort in St Petersburg. The Hermitage is accessible once you get in, but the entry/exit we were taken to had steps. At the time mu husband could walk with help so my daughter and I supported him up the steps while another passenger brought up his wheelchair. Leaving, some Russians helped me bump the wheelchair down the steps.

 

Mediterranean: The main church and some of the museums in Florence and the Colliseum, Vatican Museum, St Pauls and the Trevi Fountain in Rome. We also viewed the Tower of Pisa and toured the Almalfi coast. My husband did not go ashore in Malta because of the heat, but Messina was fairly accessible. In addition, we spent 2 days in Barcelona prior to the cruise. . Barcelona is one of the more accessible cities in Europe. There are curb cuts in the center city. Many of the off/on tour buses have ramps. The Picasso and Miro museums are accessible as are parts of the cathedral and Gaudi apartments.

 

English Channel: This was more difficult because the gangway often had small steps. The main museum (I do not remember its name), Van Gogh museum and Folk museum in Amsterdam were very accessible. Ann Frank's house was not, but they have a presentation which you can watch. Also accessible were the museums in Oslo, The City Hall in Hamburg, the Louvre and Notre Dame in Paris and the Salisbury Cathedral and the Queen Mom's castle near Dover. In addition, the city of Antwerp and town of Bruge were particularly interesting to walk around.

 

We also visited London prior to the Transatlantic cruises. Some of the partialaaly to fully accessible sites there included Westminster Cathedral, the Victoris and Albert Museum, Kensington Palace and the Wax Museum, Stonehenge, We also went to Theatre and visited Stonehenge and one of the main castles, but I do not remember the name.

 

Please contact me if you would like more detail.

[NorthernLite]

We have been to Europe 4 times

 

English Channel: This was more difficult because the gangway often had small steps. The main museum (I do not remember its name), Van Gogh museum and Folk museum in Amsterdam were very accessible. Ann Frank's house was not, but they have a presentation which you can watch. Also accessible were the museums in Oslo, The City Hall in Hamburg, the Louvre and Notre Dame in Paris and the Salisbury Cathedral and the Queen Mom's castle near Dover. In addition, the city of Antwerp and town of Bruge were particularly interesting to walk around.

 

We also visited London prior to the Transatlantic cruises. Some of the partialaaly to fully accessible sites there included Westminster Cathedral, the Victoris and Albert Museum, Kensington Palace and the Wax Museum, Stonehenge, We also went to Theatre and visited Stonehenge and one of the main castles, but I do not remember the name.

 

Please contact me if you would like more detail.

Help DEL!

 

We are booked on the September 10, 2005 Dover to Cape Liberty on the Constellation. I've been to the E. Caribbean, Bermuda twice (and actually got as far as Platts where the BAMZ is located), a long Canadian and even managed part of Newfoudland. Our last was an eastbound transatlantic to Rome from Baltimore. I had an easier time with the Azores (bumpy sidewalks but Ponte Del Garda does have curb cuts) and getting to do a sledge ride in Funchal than I am at finding info for this cruise.

 

I am a non walking low level quadriplegic. I can do standing transfers with help. I do not walk! So, been emailing the ever helpful folks at Royal Cribbean/Celebrity and getting quotes for minivans for Amsterdam and Zeebrugge only. And out of site quotes at that. Since between my husband and I lived in Germany and Italy a total of maybe 15 or 20 years between us and we traveled extensively pre-quadhood I cannot believe this. We're thinking of his renewing his International Drivers License and just renting large sedans. I only take my manual chair on cruises since I can get around just rather slowly.

 

How did you get from the port to the center of Amsterdam? I think the museum you are trying to remember is the Rembrandt, maybe? Same with how did you manage to get to Bruge from Zeebrugge? Or is Zeebrugge a nice enough place to hang out for a day and enjoy people watching from cafes if the day is nice? I received no information on LeHarve or Cork. I am working on getting from LeHarve to Roeun by train but have you or anyone here been to Cork? I notice even for the able bodied the shore excursions are vans only and $$$$$$$$! Thankfully Halifax is an easy stop. Why can't the rest of the world get the easily adjustable to tide heights ramped, portable gangways they use there? That was wonderful.

 

I think time to head back to the bookstore here that carries strange books.

 

Thanks for any and all help offered.

 

Sue

 

PS...One of our group also has a disability that has put her into the slow walker/no high heat days category. London she has covered, she thinks with half day bus tours. Is there something she should not miss? And she and 2 friends will be going into Paris because she has never been. I have and I remember walking so much that at 24 and in army shape my feet swelled so bad on the bus back to base I hit a rest stop barefoot. Had too. My shoes wouldn't go back on. So ideas for her to see the best of Paris would be very welcome also.

[DEL67]

NorthernLite:

 

Your cruise sounds exciting. We also are doing a transatlantic this fall on the Brillance of the Seas from Barcelona to Miami.

 

Rijksmuseum is the name of the museum in Amsterdam which I could not remember. It was very accessible with wheelchair lifts in the few places there were stairs.

 

I have not found RCCL or any cruise line to be very helpful about accessible excursions. Any prices for private transportation they have given me have been astronomical. As a result, I usually search the internet looking for private transportation and almost always find it. You could also ask on the Europe Board for suggestions. Private transportation is expensive, but usually not as bad as what the cruise lines offer. And sometimes we have been able to find other passengers to share the cost with us making it quite reasonable.

 

Its been 4 years since we were in the ports you are going to and I am sure that prices have risen especially with the advent of the Euro.

 

I can not tell you about transportation from the ship into Amsterdam because we were on a small ship that actually docked downtown overnight. The first day we walked to the main station, took a trolley to the Rijkmuseum and then walked back stoping to visit Anne Frank's house. It was a long walk, especially because we were having trouble with my husband's wheelchair, but we enjoyed looking at the buildings and canals. And the Dutch were unbelievably helpful. The 2nd day we hired a cab for the morning. First the driver took us to get my husband's chair fixed (the tires would not stay on brand new front wheels) and then we went to an outdoors a craft (?) museum outside of Amsterdam. The museum had windmills, cheese making demonstrations, etc. and was about 80% accessible. In the afternoon we visited the Van Gogh museum.

 

We had been told that there might not be any taxis in Zeebruge and my husband could still get on a bus with two of us helping him so we took the Brugge on you own excursion. Actually, there were plenty of taxis when we got to port and I believe they charged about $40 roundtrip. Once we got to Brugge we walked around the town a little and then hired a taxi for a tour of the city. It was a great place to walk around. And don't miss the waffles they make them fresh and some restaurants soldl them from counters open to the sidewalks.

 

We also did Paris on your own from Le Havre. I believe that there were taxis waiting there too. Truthfully, Paris was one of the low points of our cruise. It was a long ride from the port and it was embarrassing to stand there and listen to cab drivers argue who about who would have to take us from the Eiffle Tower to Notre Dame. Finally they made a pregnant woman take us. The best part of the day was the walk from Notre Dame to the Louvre. But then we almost missed the bus because no one could give us directions as to the accessible way out of the Louvre!

 

We have not been to Cork.

 

As for London. Almost everything requires a good bit of walking. Has she thought about using a wheelchair? She definitely should take a city tour. Things not to miss in my mind:

 

- Westminster Abbey

- Tower of London - Most of it is not accessible, but the crown jewels are.

The only problem is that you have to walk the equivalent of 3-4 blocks

to get to where they were housed.

- Victoria and Albert Museum

 

If your frind can climb a flight of stairs, I would also suggest Kensington Palace which is not as large as most of the others. The ground floor which is accessible has costume exhibits including a history of royal dress. The 2nd floor has the official rooms including ones occupied by Queen Victoria before she became queen.

 

One more thing. Have you considered taking a scooter along with your manual chair or having one delivered to the ship? As you know ships are large and you have quite a few days at sea so having a scooter or power chair would most likely make things easier and more enjoyable for you.

[DEL67]

Northernlite

 

I was looking for transportation in Zeebrugge for you on the web. I was not able to find any, but I did find 2 websites about Brugge, both of which listed an email address. Perhaps you could contact them and see if they can help you reserve a taxi. The sites are visit-bruges.com and http://www.brugge.be. Good luck!

[DEL67]

Northernlite:

 

I did some more searching and did find one possibility for Amsterdam: http://www.bouwensbv.com/ Their rates are steep and I do not know if they service the port, but I suspect they are cheaper than the cruiselines.

[linbhortense]

We wre in Rome last year. I am in a wheelchair and my husband arranged for a private guide in Rome, who knew all the ins and outs of disable travel Same In Athens and Crete. Most places have accesible entrances, you just have to ask or look. I enjoyed our cruise from Venice to Barcalona very much and plan on going back in2007. Enjoy and have fun. Keep an open mind.

[willieg]

We are considering the Millennium transatlantic in the spring. Hubby is a "slow walker" and needs a handicapped room. We are several questions that I hope someone can answer:

 

How rough were the seas?

What about shore excursions?

What about a centrally located hotel in Barcelona that is good for the disabled?

How is the airport in Barcelona for the disabled?

 

We have always gotten excellent advice from the good people on this board.

Thanks in advance

[DEL67]

My husband uses a wheelchair so my answers may be different from those you need for a "slow walker."

 

How rough were the seas? We have not done a Southern route transatlantic so I can not tell you about the roughness of the seas.

 

What about shore excursions? In Barcelona we took the off-on tourist bus, abiout half of which were wheelchair accessible. Their routes leave you off close to many of the major sites. We hired private transportation at most of the ports. You may want to consider doing it also since the tour buses often have to park a distance from the actual tour destination where a private car can usually leave you off right in front.

 

 

What about a centrally located hotel in Barcelona that is good for the disabled? We liked the Apsis Atrium Palace which is 2 or 3 short blocks from the Placa Catalunya where the tour buses stop.

 

How is the airport in Barcelona for the disabled? Like all large airports, there is a long walk from the gate to baggage claim and the exit. The only problem we had was that they would not bring my husband's power chair to the gate and he is too tall for most airport wheelchairs.

[willieg]

Thank you. You know what an ordeal an airport can be with a person in a wheelchair and all that luggage.

Celebrity can provide a van from the ship to the hotel, and then again to the airport. That hotel sounds good. He wants to be able to stroll the Ramblas and try some tapas.

We are hoping to get a wheelchair to use on the ship if the waves are too high.

[DEL67]

Willieg:

 

Do not rely on the cruise line for a wheelchair. Have you considered renting either a scooter or manual chair either before you leave or for just the cruise? There is a lot of walking at the airport, on the ship and on tours. If he can choose not to use it if he does not want to, but you would have it if he needs it.

 

If you decide to book the Apsis Atrium hotel, I would email them about availability of their handicap rooms. If they have one for the dates you want, check the prices on the Utell website as well as the hotel one. If the prices on the Utell website are better, you can make the reservation and then email the hotel to associate the handicap room with your reservation number. I did so for the Apsis Splendid Hotel which we are trying in November and they responded quickly indicating that they had reserved a handcap room for us.

[Hebe]

We also found Barcelona and TA good cruises for wheelchair users. We stayed at the Avendia Palace and found it a great location and easy access to Las Rambles and to the on/off bus. The only challenge is the breakfast is down 6 steps but I think you said you were a slow walker.

 

Seas are also hard to predict as you cross the ocean but we have not had any problems on any of our 4 TAs.

http://www.avenidapalace.com/index.shtml

[willieg]

Thanks Hebe for the recommendation for the Avendia Palace. It seems to be in an ideal location. We would arrive on a Sunday so it should be easy to manage.

I need some advice on shore excursions for Lisbon, Gibraltar, Malaga, and Valencia. My husband is not able to go on the long whole day trips so I need some good ideas for half day journeys. He can't walk too far at once so museums are not a good idea.

I feel that on a TA trip so roll the dice as far as the weather is concerned. We have cruised during two hurricanes and survived OK. We have also been in floods and fires so a little rough weather can't get us down.

I have always gotten such good ideas from the folks on CC. Thanks in advance.

[linbhortense]

We were in Italy 2 years ago on a cruise. I am in a w/c. Vatican very accessible. The elevators are hidden in corner. Just ask. Everywhere we went they were very helpful. I cannot walk either, but can transfer to an auto. We booked a private tour in Rome (Angelino) and Greece (Christos) and shared with another couple. I had a blast! You just have to research very carefully and keep your eyes open. The cities are very old and do have lots of steps, but there are ways to getting into places. Be inventive and daring.....go for the challenge. We went to Alaska this past May and are going back next year and to Italy again in 2007. Enjoy.

[NorthernLite]

Del, MANY Thanks! Sorry I haven't replied earlier but the MIL has had ustraveling and then one of those quad problems had me down for awhile.

 

Great ideas for my friend. She is looking into a scooter rental for London because of age and a bum arm to boot. I actually use the exercise on board to stay in my cruise clothes. LOL My TA is working on something prehistoric in the Cork area. I have also seen a train site for Roeun. I think we may actually pull this off even after a slow start.

 

Southern route should be fine. Worse is going to Canada where a lot of the hurricanes go to blow out. Our first cruise we hit a gale 4 and then a full storm leaving the St Lawrence. The beds on the Norwegian Sun are great and I just rolled right off to sleep. I awoke several times the night of the full storm because I also almost rolled right off the bed. LOL Had to grab for the DH.

 

For Gilbrator---we found a fleet of vans that I found easy to do a pivot into for our group just past the main square on the left near the cemetary. We were then off to the Pillars of Hercules, the Barbary Apes and several other necessary sites. Very helpful driver and very inexpensive with 6 of us and my chair. An ape came to visit me in the van while the DH took some pics of the Pillar monument. Back inthe central square area is a long building with several stores and at least one very good pub.

 

If the international tiff between the Brits and Spanish is still on shis calling at Gilbrator will not be allowed to stop at Malaga. They substituted Livorno for us and you will have to raise a stink to get off the ship. It is a commercial dock and rolling around or walking off the docks is not allowed. There are lift buses in Livorno so don't let anyone tell you they do not exist. I was on one!

 

Jay, of you do not go into Rome because of time or travel mode do take a short taxi to Civitavecchia proper. It is a pretty seaside town with small fishing boats and some rather quaint but deleicious restaurants (tratoria). We lived in Rome for 3 years and used to drive out that way occasionally as a break from the city. I haven't been back into Rome since I acquired the lead sled (WC) so can't comment too much on access. We did spend one overnight at the airport Hilton before flying back from our transatlantic last year. With real Italian food and very accessible, beautiful rooms it is a wheelers dream. It is also about $350 USD a night not including meals. If you do get into the city I would suggest heading for the Spanish Steps area. It is pedestrian and you will see some of what Rome is about. If you go to the Vatican do that first. The museum stops admitting around 1pm and closes at 2. You can then head to Piazza de Spana and eat and wonder around before going back to the ship.

 

And the only way I am going back to Paris is by plane and staying for at least a week.

[willieg]

We booked the Eastbound TA on Millennium. Thanks for the encouragement from folks on this board. Hubby is up for the challenge. He has never been to Europe and is so excited to get there in such "style."

I am sure that we will have more questions before April.

[SeaDeacon]

Hi, great to see this wonderful post. I will be sailing on the Golden Princess Aug 20 from Southampton to NY via Brugges, Rotterdam, LeHavre, Dublin, Belfast and Glasglow. This is my first time using a chair - I was managing somewhat with a cane up until last summer but now I cannot walk be bringing both my manual and power chair along. :o

 

Princess has assured me that I will be able to "drive" off at each port, but if anyone has any info about any of these ports, I would sure appreciate hearing from you. I will be meeting a friend from out of state at the ship and sharing a accessible cabin with her but will basically be on my own. I am unable to propel myself very far in manual chair, so would like to be able to use power chair as much as possible.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions you might have.

 

Peace, Judi

[DEL67]

SeaDeacon

 

As I mentioned in my previous post you would be much better off taking a manual wheelchair too - especially if you can transfer to a car or van. Even if Princess says you can drive off at each port (which is surprising since the incline of the gangway and even the the gangway itself can vary based on the port and the tide), you will be limited to accessible transportation and what you can do ashore.

 

We have not been to most of the ports you are going to, but we have been to Brugges and Lehavre. There is nothing of interest right at either port. From the port, its about a half an hour ride into Brugges and over an hour into Paris.

 

When we went to both ports, my husband was still barely able to get onto a bus with my daughter and my assistance so we took the cruise line's "on you own" tours at both ports because we had been warned that there might not be taxis available (there were in Brugge) Once in Brugge we hired a taxi for a hour's tour of the town and then wandered around the lovely old town. stopping to buy some Belgium chocolate for gifts and some waffles for us. In Paris we took a taxi to the Eifflel tower (note: my husband could only go part way up) and then one to Note Dame. We then walked from Notre Dame to the Louvre and then through the gardens back to the bus. We had a lovely day in both places. Our only problems were in Paris. Some taxi drivers did not want to take us because of the wheelchair and since we had gone in a back entrance, it was very difficult to find an accessible exit near the main entrance. We finally found it cordoned off and took it anyway since we were in danger of missing the bus back to the ship.

[NorthernLite]

Thanks Del for the help. Turns out we now have friends living in Brussels so should have accessibility information soon on how to get from Zeebrugge to Brugge and what is truly seeable and doable. The two sites you posted are great! Fast answers from my emails and finalizing ideas for Amsterdam now. Only thing I am having problems finding is whether any of the canal boats are accessible. I'm curious and my slow walking friend really wants to go on one but her disability is flaring up so she cancelled her London stay and is trying to stay on level surfaces.

 

I think Roeun should work out ok. Not sure if it will be by train or car yet. And Cork is still up in the air.

 

I did get the shore excursion book from Celebrity. If you read it from front to back word for word you will find that ALL bus excursions have at least two 10 inch steps and no, the driver, guide, ship personnel will not help you on to the bus but they will stow your chair down in the luggage bin. LOL Oh well, as long as I can get off the dock I'll have a good time. Managed so far.

[DEL67]

When we were in Amsterdam, we were told that there were some accessible canal boats, but we did not have time to wait so I can not say for sure.

[Queenie2]

Lovers canal boat in Amsterdam can accommodate wheelchairs.

http://www.lovers.nl/ (sorry, not in English).

 

Brugge has an on-line access guide

http://www.accessiblebruges.be/en/informatie.htm

 

Candy

[NorthernLite]

Thanks Candy. It's close enough to German that I got most of it and someone is switching into Engglish in places. But where did you see wheelchair access?

 

I sure wish we were staying overnight and had more friends going this time. Renting a canalboat witth dinner sounds very cool!

[Queenie2]

Sue:

 

There is no wc-access info there (on the website) but I happen to know about the wc-access because several readers have reported it to me.

Lot's of places do not even mention their wc-access so many times you have to learn about it by word of mouth, from those that have been there.

 

Candy