[stevensgirl14]

Does anyone have any ideas as we plan a honeymoon destination? Where have y'all been? I would like to know the best places to go and the places to stay away from. Also, please flood me with tips of things I can do as a AB this will make it as easy on my man as possible. I know we have talked about good vacation spots before and things to watch out for and I've learned a lot. But I feel like I need to do as much research as possible so we both can have a great time. We will be traveling from the east coast of the US and I am concerned about a long flight. Should I be? I've looked on several accessible travel web sights, but I would like the oppinion of people here. Thanks to all!

[Hapahowlee]

Congratulations!!

Mr. Hapa and I have been to many places in the U.S. Our favorite is Hawaii, that's where we were married. We were married on the Island of Kauai'i and after that we hopped a plane to Maui. Everyone there were so helpful. There were some places we stayed where we couldn't access the beach from the hotel, but we just got in the car and drove up the road to find a beach that was flat. Hawaii is nice b/c the Islands are small and you can rent a car like we did and drive around any Island as a day out and it's so beautiful there. The only problem we had was with the first hotel. It was supposed to be handicap accesssible, but the bathroom door was just standard and Mr. Hapa couldn't get through. They had grab bars in the shower and that was all they did to make it handicap, but it was not accessible. I just called my travel agent and they found another hotel the Outrigger down the street and that was great. We brought the 2 brats with us who were 17 & 19 at the time as best man and maid of honor. At the Outrigger, we got first level rooms not far from the pool area and the kids stayed in a room next door and would pop over through the lanai doors.

The travel agent set us up as being on our honeymoon so we got many surprises. When we got on the plane to hop over to Maui, we were served free wine and when we checked into the hotel in Maui, which was a suite, a bottle of champagne was sent to our room, compliments of the hotel. Mostly free drink and food vouchers. It was a blast.

We had a nice reception a month later and hired a photographer so we could have good prints to be able to put in our wedding album. Although the candid shots in Hawaii are my favorite. Then a month after that we went back to Hawaii with a big group of friends and had a second honeymoon. This time we stayed right across the street from Waikiki beach at the Princess Kaiulani Sheraton. It was great b/c the handicap rooms were in the newly renovated portion of the hotel. So while our friends had views of the roof, Mr. Hapa and I could see the ocean. That time we found a special that was advertised in the paper.

As far as out of the U.S., we've been to Cancun. It was hard to find an accessible beach, but anywhere we went all you had to do was ask and 5 - 10 Mexican guys would pick up Mr. Hapa chair and all and take him down steps to the beach or other places. We were able to go deep sea fishing. We wanted to go parasailing b/c they have a bench that 2 people can sit on as opposed to just being in a sling, but the day we wanted to go was too windy and dangerous. We'll try it next time.

I found it much easier to use a travel agent. You can find good deals on your own, but it's nice to have someone else do all that for you. If you use a travel agent or not, I would suggest you call the hotels directly or have your travel agent confirm you truly are getting handicap rooms. I always feel better calling myself and I've hung on the phone, while the person at the hotel took measurements for me. All of the work you do ahead will make a smooth, easy, fun trip for you no matter where you decide to go.

All the best,

Hapa

P.S. I forgot about the long flight. When we traveled to Hawaii and Cancun, we flew out of St. Louis. Hawaii was an 8 hour flight, but Cancun only took about 2 1/2 hours. We always ask for the bulk head seats to give lots of room. Mr. Hapa is 6'2" and needs the leg room and needs to be able to stretch and relieve pressure. We usually get lucky and use our charm to get bumped up into first class. Sweet! If you are flying with an airline that has first class and they have seats available, you may get lucky and get bumped, especially if you talk about being on your honeymoon. It's actually easier for the airline crew to transfer someone in a wheelchair to the front seats anyway.

This post has been edited by Hapahowlee: 05 November 2008 - 09:20 PM

[REASON2BLIEVE]

my parents recently went to the Dominican Republic. everywhere they went it was wheelchair accessable...they checked it all out knowing we want to go someplace warm soon.

good luck!!

[BillS]

It's hard to beat Walt Disney World's accessibility. You never have to worry about the accessibility of shows and restaurants and most rides are a fairly easy transfer(or let you ride in your chair).

Here's a website with some info on WDW on wheels.

http://www.themouseonwheels.com/

[dancin' johnny]

I would've got married here if I could....paradise


Hey, you're getting married on my birthday, I will be thinking about you!

This post has been edited by dancin' johnny: 06 November 2008 - 12:23 AM

[stevensgirl14]

Thank you all so much for the tips already! This is why I love this site cause everyone is so helpfull!

[kdenon01]

My husband and I have been to Cancun and the Bahamas since his accident. Cancun was our favorite. We stayed at the Excellence Cancun Riviera. It was gorgeous! And they even had a handicap accessible pool. Very accessible. On our honeymoon in the Bahamas we stayed at Sandals. It was nice, but I didn't like the airport there, and Sandals had some restaurants that we couldn't get into...so they would bring a table out for us. lol At both places everyone was very helpful...it made things a lot easier on me.

congrats! have fun!

[REASON2BLIEVE]

Disney World was awesome...we went 3 years post my hubbies accident. It was wonderful. EVERYTHING was accessible. He wheel onto almost all of the rides and the one's he couldn't he was able to transfer onto. He rode rollar coasters and everything. Most of the attractions had seperate entrances for handicap/wheelchair accessiblity so we didn't feel like we were holding up lines or in the way. He did say MGM Studies and Epcot were the easiest to manual wheel through. Magic Kingdom had a few hills but not to bad. Disney's Animal Kingdom was the toughest...lots of different surfaces to wheel through and pretty hilly. We can't wait to go back!!

[Hapahowlee]

Are you looking for some place that is touristy or more remote? My sister-in-law (actually ex) goes to the Dominican a lot. She loves it b/c it's very private and relaxing. I'm sure there are always people to help if you need help getting around with your fiance/husband.

Cancun is very touristy and if you go there, I suggest you do all inclusive b/c even though most things in Mexico are inexpensive, it's not in the resort towns.

Hawaii is fantastic for both relaxing and excitement. Oahu where you will find Waikiki, is wild and has lots of action. But, hop on a plane and go to another Island and it's so nice and relaxing.

Disneyworld is always a blast, especially b/c you get right up in line and you get to see more than most people who have to wait for an hour sometimes to take a ride. When Mr. Hapa decided not to go on the Tower of Terror ride, I waited with the kids an hour and 45 minutes to get on, but it was a blast to drop down 13 flights in the dark.

Miami can be fun and Mr. Hapa and I might return there one day, but I couldn't see taking a Honeymoon there. Maybe fly down and drive to the Keys, but I don't know how accessible the Keys are.

I don't know if your fiance gets into the water or not, but Mr. Hapa does. We would just stick him in an innertube and take him out to sea, sometimes by himself. He can hold his breath a really long time. On the Gulf side we would stay on Clearwater Beach where the water is calm. Then we'd go to Orlando do most of the theme parks and head to Daytona Beach where we almost lost hubby's wheelchair. We were all in the water and didn't realize we had drifted quite far and the waves came up and took off with the wheelchair. Our daughter lost her 101 Dalmation boxers we bought for her at Disney World, but we saved the chair thank goodness. They do have great beach chairs you can borrow at the public access beaches in Daytona. It's great there b/c the sand is hard and you can drive on the beach and even my husband's Quickie GP wasn't too difficult to roll, but the beach chairs are much easier. Just some more info to think about.

This post has been edited by Hapahowlee: 07 November 2008 - 11:23 PM

[janine]

Hi there!

Have you thought about an honeymoon safari in Africa? I can assist as I arrange accessible safaris to South Africa, Kwazulu Natal and the Elephant Coast. We live in the largest eco tourism area in South Africa and are surrounded by game reserves. My husband is a c4/5 quadriplegic. Take a look at our website www.access2africasafaris.co.za and you can see what we are all about. There is a wildlife sanctuary close by us that is perfect for honeymoon couples and even has its own jacuzzi outside under the african stars!

You are welcome to email me at jennae@vodamail.co.za.
Regards
Janine

[bruceofmaui]

You could consider your honeymoon on Maui. Maui is absolutely wonderful. We own and rent out an accessible condo on Maui which is 100 feet from the beach. We have had lots of honeymooners stay at our place over the years and you can preview our unit at www.mauiaccessiblecondo.com On our website we list and show many activities you both can do including accessible helicopter rides, accessible sea kayaking, world class art galleries, scuba diving, exotic day roadtrips, romantic dinners and lively night life or just a BBQ oceanfront at our condo complex. It is your ultimate holiday so you can script anything you and I'd be more than happy to assist you anyway I can. Good luck with your planning and e-mail me at info@mauiaccessiblecondo.com or call me at 800 820-8220 if you have any questions.

Aloha



Bruce

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This post has been edited by bruceofmaui: 17 November 2008 - 05:05 AM