Wheelchair Reassurance!

[TimB21]

My DW has muscular dystrophy and uses an ECV (never use that acronym in the outside world! )

A few years ago we went on a RCCL cruise that we were assured was very accessible. Long story short, it wasn't. Barriers on the ship (she never did get on the outside deck) and barriers on the island stop (tender was very dangerous, beach impossible to navigate.)

We love WDW and I've persuaded her to try cruising again, we're doing a 3 day cruise to try it out. We've got an accessible room, is there anything else I should think about? Ways to make things easy on the island stopover, etc?

Thanks!

-=Tim=-

 

[Andrew Bichard]

My wife & I took a seven night Magic (or Wonder?) cruise two years ago, using a power wheelchair.

The ship was fully accessible. Most doors to the outside decks were power opening. A couple of the doors though had big ramped threasholds (I assume to stop the sea getting in, in bad weather). I had to take these slowly, but they were OK.

I cannot use a tender because I cannot get out of the chair, but was lucky in that at all three Islands (St Thomas, St Maarten & Castaway Cay) we docked rather than tendered in. (I understand that that is not always the case) I understand Disney Docks at Nassau too.

Problems were mostly caused by other passengers:

Loungers on the sun deck with no space to get a wheelchair through, lifts too full to get in, & peopl;e using walky talky radios at the back of the theatres right next to the whelchair spaces.

One more thing - I don't know where your cabin is, but most of the accessible cabins are right up towards the bows or at the stern - the two worse places for sea-sickness. I never suffer - but my wife does.

Andrew

 

[SueM in MN]

There are several other wheelchair users who have posted in the past about taking cruises with wheelcahirs or scooters, so hopefully you will get other replies. We have not been so lucky as to go on a cruise, but Andrew's reply summarized very well what I have read.