Do Alaska excursions accommodate wheelchairs

[MouseOfCards]

Does anyone have experience on the Alaska excursions as to which ones can or cannot accommodate wheelchairs?

Also, has anyone rented a wheelchair in Vancouver for a cruise? If so, can you share your experience (e.g. which company you used, how they delivered, what was the cost, etc.) Thank you in advance!

 

[dcassetta]

Does anyone have experience on the Alaska excursions as to which ones can or cannot accommodate wheelchairs?

Also, has anyone rented a wheelchair in Vancouver for a cruise? If so, can you share your experience (e.g. which company you used, how they delivered, what was the cost, etc.) Thank you in advance!

If you look at the excursions on DCL page for Alaska, they indicate whether wheelchairs can be accommodated. https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/alaska/

 

[jtntx34]

Does anyone have experience on the Alaska excursions as to which ones can or cannot accommodate wheelchairs?

Also, has anyone rented a wheelchair in Vancouver for a cruise? If so, can you share your experience (e.g. which company you used, how they delivered, what was the cost, etc.) Thank you in advance!

I took my mom to Alaska last year. We rented a wheelchair from Scoot Around. Our rental was pretty much at the last minute, but they were able to accommodate us and even looked for discounts that would apply. The wheelchair was in the room when we got there, and we left it there when we left. It’s a great option if a person can walk on their own but needs wheelchair for distances or general comfort.

If booking through the cruise line, look for excursions marked wheelchair accessible. If booking independently, simply email or call the vendor. All of the vendors we dealt with were very accommodating and helpful. Just be honest about any limitations so that the vendor can answer your concerns accurately. We booked one excursion through the cruise line and the rest independently.

Mom was able to do everything she wanted to do and never felt like she was having a less than experience. (She even went fishing and caught a big king salmon).

 

[MouseOfCards]

Thanks for the helpful suggestions!

 

[SteveMouse]

While not perfectly implemented, the Americans with Disabilities Act is in effect for Alaskan ports, which can make things a bit easier.

Accessibility to certain small boats (rubber rafts) presents some challenges. There are also some trails and ZIP lines that may not be accessible.

 

[CM Dad]

If you look at the excursions on DCL page for Alaska, they indicate whether wheelchairs can be accommodated. https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/port-adventures/alaska/

These descriptions may not be accurate. I don't know about Alaska, but we did the Amazing Antigua excursions where the description says:

Wheelchairs need to be standard size and collapsible; no electric wheelchairs/scooters are permitted. Guests must be able to board and disembark the transportation on their own. Guests must also be able to negotiate steps at every destination and walk short distances. Wheelchairs will need to be stored away.

My wife was using a wheelchair, and they did not have any storage on the bus and made her leave it at the beginning and told us that she would be OK to just use her cane at the stops. There actually was a DCL Port Adventures crew member that was on this excursion with us and he was surprised. My wife ended up just staying on the bus for one of the stops and gave up on the last stop. I should have complained at the Port Adventures desk after we got back, but I just "Let it go"

 

[squinny]

Thank you all for the information! Husband had knee replacement with complications. We were looking for a great retirement with him more mobile than before surgery, but it wasn't to be. Two full knee replacements, same knee, no joy. He walks with a cane, and he's always wanted an Alaskan cruise, so I'm stalking threads for information on excursions he'd be able to enjoy. Any advice not only welcomed but eagerly devoured! Thanks!

 

[jdb in AZ]

These descriptions may not be accurate. I don't know about Alaska, but we did the Amazing Antigua excursions where the description says:

Wheelchairs need to be standard size and collapsible; no electric wheelchairs/scooters are permitted. Guests must be able to board and disembark the transportation on their own. Guests must also be able to negotiate steps at every destination and walk short distances. Wheelchairs will need to be stored away.

My wife was using a wheelchair, and they did not have any storage on the bus and made her leave it at the beginning and told us that she would be OK to just use her cane at the stops. There actually was a DCL Port Adventures crew member that was on this excursion with us and he was surprised. My wife ended up just staying on the bus for one of the stops and gave up on the last stop. I should have complained at the Port Adventures desk after we got back, but I just "Let it go"

I hope the port adventure crew member reported the problems. If you just "let it go" then the next disabled guest will have similar situations to deal with.

Antigua is (obviously) not in the U.S. so they don't have to comply with the ADA. Alaska makes an effort. DMIL was in a wheel chair on several of our cruises to Alaska and foreign countries, and when the gangway was really steep (and dangerous for wheelchairs) the crew escorted us through a separate exit on deck one that was level with the dock.

DMIL had problems with airport wheelchairs -- they were mostly standard size -- child size, really, and when she squeezed into one the frame wasn't sturdy enough to support her weight. The wheels tilted slightly inward so they rubbed the metal sides of the chair, causing friction burns on her hips. She was a lot more comfortable bringing her own wheel chair from home. Then she could sit in it at the cruise terminal before we boarded.

 

[NELDEE]

Unless you can climb the steps into the coach there probably wont be any excursions you can do. I am totally wheelchair dependent and on our Disney Mediterranean cruise there wasnt one excursion I could do I would think Alaska would be the same

 

[PrincessShmoo]

These descriptions may not be accurate. I don't know about Alaska, but we did the Amazing Antigua excursions where the description says:

Wheelchairs need to be standard size and collapsible; no electric wheelchairs/scooters are permitted. Guests must be able to board and disembark the transportation on their own. Guests must also be able to negotiate steps at every destination and walk short distances. Wheelchairs will need to be stored away.

My wife was using a wheelchair, and they did not have any storage on the bus and made her leave it at the beginning and told us that she would be OK to just use her cane at the stops. There actually was a DCL Port Adventures crew member that was on this excursion with us and he was surprised. My wife ended up just staying on the bus for one of the stops and gave up on the last stop. I should have complained at the Port Adventures desk after we got back, but I just "Let it go"

I'm sorry, but I don't understand. The description seems to say that the wheelchair will not be used during the excursion. The only difference I see is that it was stored during the excursion at the start point and not onboard the bus.

 

[CM Dad]

I hope the port adventure crew member reported the problems. If you just "let it go" then the next disabled guest will have similar situations to deal with.

Antigua is (obviously) not in the U.S. so they don't have to comply with the ADA. Alaska makes an effort. DMIL was in a wheel chair on several of our cruises to Alaska and foreign countries, and when the gangway was really steep (and dangerous for wheelchairs) the crew escorted us through a separate exit on deck one that was level with the dock.

Yes, the crew member did report it.

The first cruise we did with a wheelchair was Quebec to NYC last fall, followed by the first NYC to Bermuda cruise. We looked into renting a wheelchair, but had problems finding a company that would allow the one-way rental. I believe we did find one company, but the online reviews I saw about them were fairly negative.

The first time we boarded in Quebec, I hit a bump on the gangway and accidentally dump my wife out. She was laughing, but the crew seemed very concerned about her. At most of the rest of the ports on that cruise, there where either DCL crew members or employees (volunteers?) of the port that handled the wheelchair up and down the ramps. I might have been easier to exit on deck one.

 

[CM Dad]

I'm sorry, but I don't understand. The description seems to say that the wheelchair will not be used during the excursion. The only difference I see is that it was stored during the excursion at the start point and not onboard the bus.

I don't see where it says that the wheelchair will not be used during the excursion. We expected that the chair would be stowed on the bus and that my wife would have to be able to enter and exit the bus on her own using the stairs (which she can do). At stops, she would have to get off and wait for the driver to get the wheelchair from storage and then I would push her for whatever we were seeing there. That is how other excursions we went on worked.

I just looked online and see that there are now two different Amazing Antigua excursions. One that includes

• Guests must be ambulatory. Wheelchairs (collapsible or electric) will not be permitted. Tour operators will deny participation to Guests arriving in wheelchairs or electric scooters.

The other is
Amazing Antigua (For Guests With Limited Mobility)
The one for guests with limited mobility is about twice as expensive as the regular one.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I don't see where it says that the wheelchair will not be used during the excursion.

What I see is:

Guests must be able to board and disembark the transportation on their own (won't be using wheelchair for boarding and disembarking the bus). Guests must also be able to negotiate steps (wheelchairs typically don't negotiate steps) at every destination (at every stop) and walk short distances (must walk). Wheelchairs will need to be stored away(wheelchair not accessible during excursion).

 

[CM Dad]

and walk short distances (must walk)

The last stop included something that I wouldn't consider a short distance, especially for someone with mobility issues. Every other excursion we have taken where the wheelchair was stowed on the bus would unstow and let us use the chair at the various stops.

If it was the way you are reading it, the description should explicitly say that the wheelchair will be inaccessible for the duration of the cruise