Balance concerns on a cruise

[momz]

i am newly diagnosed with MS. Prior to the diagnosis, we booked and paid for a cruise in late June. Thankfully we purchased trip insurance so can cancel if needed. But I would like to go.

I am planning to go with an open agenda. We have no excursions planned, no evens that are "not to be missed", we are gong to take it one moment at a time.

But, I have some concerns that I would like to prepare for.

Balance, fatigue and heat.

I do not use a mobility device and have fallen only once. But, should I worry about this on the ship? I think I am most concerned about transferring on and off the ship. Fatigue is going to happen which may be exacerbated by the heat. How can I mitigate the affects of the heat? How can I kee myself going and push through fatigue?

Now that MS is a part of my life, I intend to live with it, plan for it and own it.

So, what advice can you give in regards to taking a cruise.

 

[Mrsjvb]

deepening on the size of the ship in question, movement may be a non issue. the lower decks and midships are most stable.( you won't see/feel the movement as much)

cooling towels are a godsend and do not take up much space in the luggage. the interior off the ship is A/c, often to frigid temps.

the only time I personally have had balance issues is on the top decks( where the buffet usually is) in very rough seas.

on board you cant go 15 feet without finding a place to sit. there will be a plethora of loungers in and out of the sun.

if the ship is docked, you simply walk off a ramp. may or may not be steep, but there are railings. if is a tender port, you must transfer into as smaller boat. some are very easy to traverse, others less so, and sea conditions will play a part.

as for in port: depends on ports and what you want to do in each one.

 

[lanejudy]

I've never felt movement on the DCL ships, maybe if it's rough seas, but most of the time it was not noticeable that we were on a ship on the ocean. There are lots of places to sit throughout the ship, but if it would ease your mind maybe a cane to lean on? What itinerary are you sailing? Most ports do not "tender" (transfer from the ship to a smaller launch to get to shore), and you'll just walk a ramp to debark/embark in port. That ramp may be steep, but as PP mentions there are railings; maybe have a member of your party walk "downhill" from you to be steadying if you feel you may fall. The ship is A/C and can be cool indoors, I often bring a sweater to wear to the MDRs; parts of some decks are covered if you want fresh air but not in the direct sun.

I honestly wouldn't try to "push through the fatique" as that may backfire on you. Listen to your body and take breaks when you need it. Since you don't have any port excursions planned, I would just take it easy. Get off in port when you feel up to it, but we've stayed onboard in port and all services are still available with fewer people. Check your Navigator daily to see what activities you might want to get to, and plan for those.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Staren]

Here is the question I would ask regarding the balance issue. Can you stand / walk in a moving vehicle such as a bus, train, or subway car? If you can, then balance should be mostly a non issue. I myself have moderate Cerebral Palsy. I can walk without aid on solid ground, but on something moving, I have to use my crutches at all times, including on cruise ships I've found out in the last few years.

 

[SMD]

I would bring some kind of mobility device, at minimum a cane. Most people can get around in their own world because there are familiar paths and items to grab onto. On a ship with long corridors or even just walking out of a port you don't know what you'll encounter.

What cruise line and what ports are you going to? You may want to go to a cruise specific board where people will likely know how specific ships dock in ports, how steep gangways are, and other details. There may be some ports where you just want to stay on the ship. There are usually a few things still hapenning on the ship and discounts at the spas on many lines.

 

[DisneyOma]

i am newly diagnosed with MS. Prior to the diagnosis, we booked and paid for a cruise in late June. Thankfully we purchased trip insurance so can cancel if needed. But I would like to go.

I am planning to go with an open agenda. We have no excursions planned, no evens that are "not to be missed", we are gong to take it one moment at a time.

But, I have some concerns that I would like to prepare for.

Balance, fatigue and heat.

I do not use a mobility device and have fallen only once. But, should I worry about this on the ship? I think I am most concerned about transferring on and off the ship. Fatigue is going to happen which may be exacerbated by the heat. How can I mitigate the affects of the heat? How can I kee myself going and push through fatigue?

Now that MS is a part of my life, I intend to live with it, plan for it and own it.

So, what advice can you give in regards to taking a cruise.

I'd advise a good talk with your doctor - depending on what medications you are on now, he may add, change, increase dosage, to help you on the trip.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

i am newly diagnosed with MS. Prior to the diagnosis, we booked and paid for a cruise in late June. Thankfully we purchased trip insurance so can cancel if needed. But I would like to go.

I am planning to go with an open agenda. We have no excursions planned, no evens that are "not to be missed", we are gong to take it one moment at a time.

But, I have some concerns that I would like to prepare for.

Balance, fatigue and heat.

I do not use a mobility device and have fallen only once. But, should I worry about this on the ship? I think I am most concerned about transferring on and off the ship. Fatigue is going to happen which may be exacerbated by the heat. How can I mitigate the affects of the heat? How can I kee myself going and push through fatigue?

Now that MS is a part of my life, I intend to live with it, plan for it and own it.

So, what advice can you give in regards to taking a cruise.

something that you can not count on is the weather. on one cruise we had a storm on our last night walking was hard for everyone. at most stops you can leave ship on an excursion if you can walk on ship and go up the bus steps so I would not count them out.

 

[momz]

Would a set of hiking poles by aloud on the ship? I could use these when we go of the boat and the might be helpful when walking on the sand on the beach.

We are cruising on Carnival. Going to Nasau and Half Moon Cay. I am looking into renting a cabana at Half moon cay. I will need the shade. But, I would like to walk along the beach if possible. Also, I think ther is a tinder involved in getting off the ship there.

At Nasau, we plan to explore the straw market and just wander around. We might take an excursion, but only if it's easy and short. I don't want to get somewhere out somewhere and have a problem because of balance or fatigue. So we are not planning much.

 

[orca333]

Dh had a stroke a few years ago and it impacts his balance. We've cruised on other lines and have found renting a scooter helps tremendously. The companies reliever the scooter right to your storeroom. While it's hard to perceive, the ship does rock and can make a person feel some what dizzy. Plus, the ships are so large that it helps to conserve his energy.

He initially felt awkward getting one but now we rent one every vacation. His way of life may have changed but his sense of fun and adventure has not.

Good luck and bon voyage!

 

[DisneyOma]

Would a set of hiking poles by aloud on the ship? I could use these when we go of the boat and the might be helpful when walking on the sand on the beach.

We are cruising on Carnival. Going to Nasau and Half Moon Cay. I am looking into renting a cabana at Half moon cay. I will need the shade. But, I would like to walk along the beach if possible. Also, I think ther is a tinder involved in getting off the ship there.

At Nasau, we plan to explore the straw market and just wander around. We might take an excursion, but only if it's easy and short. I don't want to get somewhere out somewhere and have a problem because of balance or fatigue. So we are not planning much.

I don't think hiking poles (with points at the end) would be allowed, or much help on the ship. I'd look for a cane or crutches with a large, soft tip. But be careful on wet surfaces. Crutches can slip like crazy on the wet!

Getting off into a tender can be tricky with balance issues as well.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Would a set of hiking poles by aloud on the ship? I could use these when we go of the boat and the might be helpful when walking on the sand on the beach.

We are cruising on Carnival. Going to Nasau and Half Moon Cay. I am looking into renting a cabana at Half moon cay. I will need the shade. But, I would like to walk along the beach if possible. Also, I think ther is a tinder involved in getting off the ship there.

At Nasau, we plan to explore the straw market and just wander around. We might take an excursion, but only if it's easy and short. I don't want to get somewhere out somewhere and have a problem because of balance or fatigue. So we are not planning much.

I use a folding cane with a triangle base which I find helps me with balance I would try 2 of these. and as a pp said canes do slip on wet areas. hardest way to leave ship is the tinder if you can do the tinder you could do any stop you want to get off at. I would be most worried about Half Moon Cay than other stops about fatigue and getting back on boat.

 

[WldWcnWmn☆]

I was recently diagnosed with a chronic illness that affects my balance. I took a walker with me, on last month's cruise. Some days I used it, others, I didnt. I didn't have issues navigating the ship (Wonder), other than trying to get a mid ship elevator. Forgetaboutit.
I was only down for 2 days, out of 17 onboard, that's not too bad. Heat, was an unforseen issue; both on Castaway Cay and in Columbia. I saw another passenger with the walking poles, described earlier. He said Disney didn't bat an eye at them, upon boarding. They totally look like ski poles; he was a real trooper, about them. He said they weren't super handy on the stairs and he wished he had just brought a cane. The walker, afforded me some much needed personal space, and I always had a place to sit immediately. There was generally an available public place to sit, almost everywhere I went. Renting a scooter, wasn't an option for me, as the embark and disembark ports were not the same. I dont think I would have used it, anyway. The automatic doors did not work in one cabin, (we did a B2B and had 2 different HA rooms), it would have been a struggle to get in and out of the cabin with a walker or a wheelchair, for a solo traveler. Luckily, my husband didn't mind holding the door.

 

[DisneyOma]

I use a folding cane with a triangle base which I find helps me with balance I would try 2 of these. and as a pp said canes do slip on wet areas. hardest way to leave ship is the tinder if you can do the tinder you could do any stop you want to get off at. I would be most worried about Half Moon Cay than other stops about fatigue and getting back on boat.

When you say "tinder' do you mean a boat called a "tender"? Or the tinder app?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

When you say "tinder' do you mean a boat called a "tender"? Or the tinder app?

small boat leaving ship for island