11 replies to this topic

[Kaylee]

Hunter and I are wanting to take a cruise this June for our 2nd Anniversary. I have looked a little at different lines, it's been hard to pick one.

I'm looking for any advice on past experiences others have had. We are going to bring Eden so it needs to be toddler friendly, she will be 15 months when we are wanting to go.

In the past which line have you used?

What size stateroom worked for you?

Was the restroom to small for your chair?

Thank you, Kaylee

Edited by Kaylee, 16 January 2012 - 08:50 PM.

[Ches]

I've only been on one cruise since I found my ass parked in a wheelchair. It was Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Sea.. an older ship but still accessible. Handicap rooms are Staterooms, the bathrooms have roll in showers and are plenty big. My only complaints are the LONGGGGGGG carpeted halls to get to your room. And second to that, the balconys in the staterooms have a 5inch threshold and unless you can hop a curb from a standstill, then there is absolutely no way to get over it solo. Not enough space to get the momentum..
I smoke, so I spend time on the balcony... but it may not a big deal to you...

If I were you, I'd stick with a big chain (company).. and my concern would be the ports of call. Some of those arent going to be accessible, not every country is hip on the ADA.

What destinations do you have in mind?

[Kaylee]

I've only been on one cruise since I found my ass parked in a wheelchair. It was Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Sea.. an older ship but still accessible. Handicap rooms are Staterooms, the bathrooms have roll in showers and are plenty big. My only complaints are the LONGGGGGGG carpeted halls to get to your room. And second to that, the balconys in the staterooms have a 5inch threshold and unless you can hop a curb from a standstill, then there is absolutely no way to get over it solo. Not enough space to get the momentum..
I smoke, so I spend time on the balcony... but it may not a big deal to you...

If I were you, I'd stick with a big chain (company).. and my concern would be the ports of call. Some of those arent going to be accessible, not every country is hip on the ADA.

What destinations do you have in mind?

Neither Hunter or I smoke, wouldn't be a issue. We're thinking the Carribean would be nice, but anywhere warm is great. With places not being ADA might not be much of a issue, I don't see us leaving the ship when it stops. Thank you

Edited by Kaylee, 16 January 2012 - 09:14 PM.

[Ches]

If that's the case, I'd recommend you guys take a few minutes to decide what kind of crowd you want to surround yourselves with on the boat. If you go around a holiday you're more likely to be on a ship with other young families, and vise versa. Also, the obvious kid friendly lines like Disney. Carnival Cruise lines are notorious for being party boats, where as Royal Caribbean is generally a bit more mature crowd. I dont know much about the other cruise lines. The stature of the people on the ship can pretty much be determined by the pricing, from what I've seen.

Once you figure that out, maybe consider the size of the ship.. and how many people are actually staying on it. The bigger the ship, the bigger the crowds out in the public spaces and events.

[alundvall]

Kaylee,

My injury is at T-12. I have been on four cruises- 1 with Carnival and 3 with Royal Caribbean. 2 were weekend cruises to the Bahamas and the other 2 were week-long cruises to East and South Caribbean. I def. recommend Royal Caribbean over Carnival. Better rooms, service, and atmosphere. The accessible rooms are much larger than other staterooms. You don't spend tons of time in your room, but it's nice to know you have somewhere to relax if needed. I got off the boat at all of the ports. Some were ramped off to the pier. The ones where you take a smaller boat to shore, I was carried in my chair onto the tender and then went on to shore. Most ports aren't super accessible, but with good tires and some good muscle, creativity, and humor, you can really enjoy yourself. Traveling with a toddler could pose some additional challenges, but the good news is, you could never leave the ship and still have a great vacation.

If you have any specific question, please feel free to contact me. My email is ashgrl852@aol.com.

~Ashlee

[MrBump]

Well I know of this one in Italy............

[Ches]

Well I know of this one in Italy............

Hahahah!

[airart1]

i hear they have a slight lean to the right and the captains are easily frightened!!!!!!

[Kaylee]

We have finally booked a cruise, we are going on the Disney cruise line. It's a 7 night Caribbean cruise on their Fantasy ship. We are going with 2 other couples from Church who also have daughters Eden's age, it should be a lot of fun. Thank you everyone for all the help.

I think that Italian cruise line is just a bit to adventurous for our liking lol

[Makedo]

Hi, I'm a C5 quad and my wife & I have been on Royal Caribbean/Legend of the Seas (2,074 passengers), Princess/Sapphire Princess (2,670) & Holland America/Rotterdam (1,404). All 3 were good, although the 1st 2 were the best. We've been on a Carnival ship too and would not go back; bad washroom access, even though they say it is, and a loud crowd (younger - we're early 60's). Holland America advertised elevators to their tender boats but they didn't work during our cruise. Great way to holiday for a wheelchair though. I wish they had personal care services that could be hired and better commode chairs.

[SpencerNY1]

Several medical equipment companies will set up medical equipment in cruise cabins.

[belle2683]

I went once and used the Carnival cruise and probably will never use them again. We requested an accessible room and even gave measurements of my chair. As we passed the doors, I thought I hope our room's door is bigger. Sure enough it wasn't!!! I couldn't even get into the room. So, we made the long walk to discuss this issue and were informed we made a "request" but a "request" is not a guarante. I was told to "just" leave my chair in the hall and there was nothing they could do. Oh, no no!! After arguing for over a hour, they started knocking on the accessible rooms, asking if someone would be willing to trade. A woman with a small child traded and told us she didn't even realize she was in an accessible room nor did she need one. The room was just big enough for me to get to the bed. The bathroom had a step up. I wouldn't recommend them.