Shore Excursions for Disabled Child?

[lovewdwfun]

We are doing a Western Caribbean cruise with our 4 kids, including a 5 YO with Down syndrome and a 2 YO. I was looking for shore excursions in Cozumel and am very nervous. My son uses a stroller but can’t walk long distances. He needs to be on it to stay calm at times. All the excursions say wheelchairs are not allowed. Does that mean we can’t bring a stroller? If so, we can’t take him on any excursions.

How much is there to do on the ship during port days? We would probably have one person stay back with him and the 2 YO. That means they could not go swimming. It doesn’t look like there are a lot of other activities schedules - no characters, etc. Will they be bored?

Any other tips?

 

[dcassetta]

We are doing a Western Caribbean cruise with our 4 kids, including a 5 YO with Down syndrome and a 2 YO. I was looking for shore excursions in Cozumel and am very nervous. My son uses a stroller but can’t walk long distances. He needs to be on it to stay calm at times. All the excursions say wheelchairs are not allowed. Does that mean we can’t bring a stroller? If so, we can’t take him on any excursions.

How much is there to do on the ship during port days? We would probably have one person stay back with him and the 2 YO. That means they could not go swimming. It doesn’t look like there are a lot of other activities schedules - no characters, etc. Will they be bored?

Any other tips?

What kind of excursions is your family looking into? If you're just looking for something like a beach day, I would recommend a place like Nachi Cocum or Playa Mia. You can take a taxi there, and there wouldn't be an issue with your child's stroller while at the beach areas.

If you do decide to stay on the ship that day, there's actually quite a few activities will be going on. In addition one of the kids clubs will be an open house mode, and so you can go and play and explore there all you like.

 

[lklgoodman]

We went on the Western Caribbean cruise last year. We stayed on the ship when it went to Falmouth. We saw a movie, did the aquaduck, mid-ship detective agency, and mini-golf. Although your 2 yr old won't be able to be in the pools, you can take both your 2 yr old and 5 yr old to the Nemo's reef splash pad. The kids clubs are opened, you could let your 2 yr old spend an hour or so in the nursery while you took the 5 yr old to the pool. They also have a lot of on demand movies that you could watch in your cabin, we did that one night. You can order snacks from room service to eat while watching a movie, they have huge, yummy cookies.

 

[gotomu212]

There’s also a big difference between wheelchair and stroller. Several Cozumel excursions require transfers on ferries/boats/buses that are not mobility enabled. So a wheelchair user could not safely transferor remain in their seat throughout the excursion. If your son can exit the stroller for getting on and off transportation, go up and down stairs at some locations, and sit in a seat for ferries you would be fine and could use your stroller. This would be true of all stroller uses regardless of disability.

If you do decide to remain onboard there are still a lot of things going on, and it can be a little less crowded which makes it nice for watching movies or playing at the kids clubs in open house.

 

[Shanti]

We are doing a Western Caribbean cruise with our 4 kids, including a 5 YO with Down syndrome and a 2 YO. I was looking for shore excursions in Cozumel and am very nervous. My son uses a stroller but can’t walk long distances. He needs to be on it to stay calm at times. All the excursions say wheelchairs are not allowed. Does that mean we can’t bring a stroller? If so, we can’t take him on any excursions.

How much is there to do on the ship during port days? We would probably have one person stay back with him and the 2 YO. That means they could not go swimming. It doesn’t look like there are a lot of other activities schedules - no characters, etc. Will they be bored?

Any other tips?

Which ship will you sail on? Only the Fantasy has the Midship Detective Agency, Disney on-demand programming in the stateroom, Aqua Duck, mini-golf, etc, for Caribbean itineraries. The Magic & Wonder don't have them. So the Fantasy is the best choice for families who will spend a lot of time on the ship.

 

[lklgoodman]

I just wanted to add, when using the stroller on the ship, you might find it easier to use the aft and forward elevators. We use them even when we have a mid-ship cabin. They aren't as busy and sadly some people forget to use their manners or never learned them and don't let those in wheelchairs/strollers get in/out first.

 

[lklgoodman]

Which ship will you sail on? Only the Fantasy has the Midship Detective Agency, Disney on-demand programming in the stateroom, Aqua Duck, mini-golf, etc, for Caribbean itineraries. The Magic & Wonder don't have them. So the Fantasy is the best choice for families who will spend a lot of time on the ship.

Good point, I forgot the Wonder is doing WC and EC cruises right now, and I'll be on the Wonder in March doing a WC.

 

[lovewdwfun]

Thank you for the suggestions! We will be on the Fantasy. I am now thinking we might do a taxi to a beach in Cozumel and have some people stay back in the Grand Cayman Islands.

 

[lklgoodman]

Thank you for the suggestions! We will be on the Fantasy. I am now thinking we might do a taxi to a beach in Cozumel and have some people stay back in the Grand Cayman Islands.

That might actually work better for you all, since you have to tender at Grand Cayman. On our cruise last year we had rough seas when we were in GC and they cancelled a lot of the port excursions, including ours. We weren't even sure if they would be able to do the tendering. The Carnival ship before us, gave up trying to tender and went back out to sea. Whatever you decide to do, you'll have a great vacation.