DCL handicap accessibility

[rafiki77]

We are looking at doing the DCL, but due to my dad requiring a wheelchair for everything!!! He's paralyzed/can't walk, which Cruise (the eastern or westerc carribean) is more accessible. I called Disney and they were very unhelpful, besides being condescending. We are cruise veterans, so we know about the tenders and etc. It's the ports that we don't know about. Can someone help?

 

[MN Dis Fans]

I'm interested in this too! I would love to bring my mom, who uses a walker, on a 3 or 4 day cruise.

 

[videogal1]

We are looking at doing the DCL, but due to my dad requiring a wheelchair for everything!!! He's paralyzed/can't walk, which Cruise (the eastern or westerc carribean) is more accessible. I called Disney and they were very unhelpful, besides being condescending. We are cruise veterans, so we know about the tenders and etc. It's the ports that we don't know about. Can someone help?

You won't learn much about DCL ship access from those who work on shore...If you're taking the Magic, try to get in touch with Heath or Dave, who work at Guest Services and the Shore Excursion Desk, who can tell you about any accessible shore excursions available. I've done the Eastern a few times and found it better than the two Western ports I was able to visit because tenders were not required. Manual wheelchairs on the ships are a physical nightmare for the pushers and a really long haul for someone using a walker.

 

[dclfun]

I've been on each itinerary in my power chair and was just realizing my service dog has been on each itinerary too! For accessibility, the Eastern Caribbean ports are best. St. Thomas you will dock right by the Havensight Mall area which is accessible for the most part ( a few shops with a bit of a step up that a manual w/c user could enter, but not for me ) and in St. Maarten I was able to drive my chair into the city which isn't far away. They have a tender boat that takes you into the city and a young woman in a manual w/c was able to get assistance onto that boat with her mother on one of my past cruises. Castaway Cay has the sand w/c's which I've never used since I don't transfer so I do not get to enjoy the water on the private island but can get around everywhere else. For planned excursions on the Eastern there is w/c lift transportation on the Coral World Island tour only but they can arrange lift transportation to some of the other sites- it's just that once you're there some places do not have ramps. For the Western, Key West being a US port is accessible and I just found out the Truman house is fully accessible ( tour) and I've personally done the train/trolley tour- the train has a lift. I've never been to Grand Cayman due to the small tenders which will not allow a power chair, but someone who can take a few steps can get on the tender with a manual chair. Cozumel right now is using tenders supposedly until fall but when I visited there before there were shops and venues that were accessible and an elevator right by the pier. I could not get into the heart of the city but again, someone with a manual w/c who can transfer or go up a short curb could get around. For the shorter cruises there is now a building by the dock at Nassau that is fully accessible for shopping. I was able to browse at part of the straw market and some of the shops downtown are now ramped. I was able for instance to shop for liquor and for stuff at the Hard Rock store. Still many places do not have a ramp. The ship itself is fully accessible except if you are independent you will need assistance to get in from deck 4. There's a w/c pushplate to get out but coming back in you get trapped between two doors. I have always arranged before sailing to be placed in a table that's in an uncrowded area close to the dining room entrances for my dining rotation. Hope this helps and feel free to ask anything else.---Kathy