DCL with terminal cancer?

[The Wise One]

Hi! I'm not sure whether I should put this here or on the DCL board so sorry if its in the wrong place!

We will be cruising on the Fantasy on May 25th. This will be our "last hurrah" with DMIL as she is dying of cancer and has been given an estimate if less than 6 months to live.

I really want to make this trip as special and smooth as possible. What are some helpful tips for our cruise?

We will be bringing a wheelchair. She can walk short distances but has to sit after a bit. The wheelchair is for trips around the ship (I know it's huge!) and for getting around at the ports. But I noticed many excursions do not allow wheelchairs to be brought. Can anyone recommend some WC friendly excursions? She can get out of it to do some things (she even talked about wanting to zip line!)

We will be staying on deck 10 aft. Is this a good area to be in? Convenient to food/amenities?

Also her hospice caretaker said they will send some paperwork to Disney as the cruise draws nearer. I'm guessing we should bring her advanced directive and DNR with us right? What else should we bring if, God forbid, something were to happen?

Any tips and insight will be appreciated!

 

[lanejudy]

So sorry to hear you MIL's prognosis, but what a great attitude she has to do a DCL cruise with the family!

Do you need an accessible stateroom? The doors are quite heavy and there is a rather large step-up into the bathrooms in the standard staterooms. But if there will be someone to assist her if needed she'll probably be ok though the w/c may need to be folded to enter the stateroom. She may not have too much trouble moving about the ship as there are lots of areas to stop and sit for a breather if necessary, but good to bring the wheelchair just in case. If not needed it can be folded and stashed in the corner by the window/verandah door, or even under the bed.

The accessibility of many excursions can be limited due to the local laws at each port - many of these countries do not have the ADA-equivalent for those with disabilities. Therefore, the shuttles may not be accessible, walkways/sidewalks, etc. If she can walk a bit, you may be able to fold the wheelchair to carry-on like a stroller - may not be entirely comfortable but might make the excursion possible. I'd try researching the various excursions that interest you to see *what* might make it not accessible (beaches are not very friendly to w/c, hikes, areas with lots of stairs, etc.). I can't give personal experience for most of the excursions as we don't do many - we love to stay on the ship with just a little walk around the pier area if we get off. Some ports only offer "tenders" which means you actually transfer from the cruise ship to a smaller "shuttle" boat which will take you to land - those can be difficult if she has balance issues, though I have heard they will lower w/c into a tender at some ports. It just may not be comfortable. You might actually want to cross-post on the DCL forum to ask about excursions.

Personally, I don't think there's a "bad" location onboard as far as stateroom location. There are forward, mid-ship and aft elevators - midship gets the most crowded so using aft might avoid some wait. The MDRs are on decks 2 and 3, the pools and Cabanas (buffet) and fast food are on deck 11, the main stage theater is on deck 3 with balcony access on deck 4; the movie theater is on deck 4 with balcony access on deck 5.

Definitely I would take whatever paperwork her hospice recommends. Also make sure everyone in your party has passports if emergency transport home becomes necessary that will avoid an obstacle. I also recommend trip insurance that includes medical coverage, as most US medical insurances will not cover expenses out of the country or on a cruise ship.

I would also complete the Special Services form to make DCL aware of MIL's condition and any needs you may have. You can also call if you have questions, there is a specific phone number for Special Services rather than the main reservations line.
http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/m...al Services Information Form - 12-20-2-12.pdf

Enjoy your cruise and may your family make some wonderful memories!