Handicap Friendly Excursion -- Errr, not

[Leia's Mom]

Well, I promised that I would report.

We tried a handicap "friendly" excursion at St. Thomas.

It was Accessible Adventures. It was booked on our own. The tour was supposed to be a wheelchair lift bus that takes you to Mountain Top. Of course, that had the fire, so it turned into an island tour.

It was not until the night before that they told us where to meet the bus. Had we not had internet, we would have probably missed it.

The driver was not "unfriendly", but he wasn't friendly. The bus seemed patched together. At the first stop, he had to add water to the radiator because it was smoking. We stopped at several scenic places; however, it is a lot of trouble to get the wheelchair on and off the bus for a quick view. The stops had some local shopping opportunities; however, we did not do any shopping. They were not what we would have looked at for shopping.

The bus did not feel safe. There were several places where we pumped a curb or something and left part of the bus there. Also, he made one corner that he couldn't make, and we literallly went on two wheels. It scary.

I hoped to have an option for you guys for a wheelchair excursion; however, this wasn't it. Sorry.

 

[misseulalie]

WOW!!!!

That's sounds like a nightmare! They should make a ride at WDW with a bus like that...

Sorry to hear your excursion was not so hot, it seems to be that way for a lot of excursions. They leave much to be desired...

 

[Alexander]

WOW!!!!

That's sounds like a nightmare! They should make a ride at WDW with a bus like that...

Sorry to hear your excursion was not so hot, it seems to be that way for a lot of excursions. They leave much to be desired...

Okay--off topic here, but what a great idea for a ride at Disney! The Disney Transportation Ride!!!

OP--Sorry you didn't have a great excursion! Thanks for reporting back so others know.

 

[maroo]

I am so sorry.

That is horrible!!!


I guess we should be thankful in the US for the ADA!

I am wondering, though, how do the rooms work in the cruise? I am new over to this board and was not sure about the handicapped accessibility on a Disney Cruise. Are all of the areas of the ship accessible?

My friends have had HORRIBLE experiences on other cruise lines.

 

[Leia's Mom]

We had a horrible experience on an older Royal Caribbean cruise; however, Disney is awesome. The rooms are very handicap accessible (the only struggle is the lip to the verandah). We have done Disney with my mom 7 times simply because of how well they handle all of her disabilities.

 

[LindaBabe]

Glad to read your experience - but sorry it wasn't such a good one.

 

[SueM in MN]

I am so sorry.

That is horrible!!!


I guess we should be thankful in the US for the ADA!

I am wondering, though, how do the rooms work in the cruise? I am new over to this board and was not sure about the handicapped accessibility on a Disney Cruise. Are all of the areas of the ship accessible?

My friends have had HORRIBLE experiences on other cruise lines.

Maroo, if you look at post #13 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread, you will find some information on cruise accessibility that Cheshire Figment put together.
There are 2 specific threads he linked to that have information that should answer your questions. If anyone has information to add to those threads, we appreciate any additions we can get.

For those who don't know how to get to the disABILITIES FAQs thread, you can follow the link in my signature.

 

[SigalTchelet]

Does anyone know how handicapped friendly, St. Thomas and St. Marin are? TIA!!!

 

[Leia's Mom]

It has been a few years since we did St. Thomas or St. Maarten. Our situation is somewhat unique. My mother is a stroke patient. She is completely dependent on her chair and has multiple other issues. So, easy is critical for us. St. Thomas and Castaway Cay are the only two stops that we ultimately would take her off the ship for. St. Maarten was not doable for us. Curbs were not easy to navigate. Doorways were problematic. It might be possible for folks with less issues, but it was just too hard for us.

St. Thomas was nice and easy. We could roll off the boat. Shop in the nearby shops. Walk to some of the closer stops. Definitely a stop for us.

And Castaway Cay was a dream. Beach wheelchairs. What a joy to be able to wheel her into the ocean and hear her squeal when the water hit her toes. Truly a great experience.

Hope this helps some.