Wheelchairs on DCL/Excursions

[bankgirl05]

I am recovering from Hip Revision surgery, and have been told by my Dr. that it may be 6 months or more before I am "fully functional at a level which is going to be my new normal." Yes, he actually told me I will never be "completely 100% back to where I was before"...

I know that I am not going to be up for our long awaited trip to WDW, so I am considering a Cruise, figuring that it will be less walking, more relaxing. I realize that I will probably still need to have a wheelchair handy for airports, and possibly any excursions. So I have a few questions in regards to that:

1)Does/will DCL have a "rental chair" available?
2)Has anyone done any excursions (on any Cruise since I haven't decided which yet) with a wheelchair and toddlers in tow?
3)Do I need to book a wheelchair accessible room if I will probably only be folding the chair for most of the cruise and using it only for long distances?

Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful in deciding what I am going to do and how I am going to plan.

Thanks

 

[Piper]

It is my understanding that you will need to either bring from home or rent from one of the companies listed in the FAQs at the top of the board. DCL doesn't have rental chairs.

The ships are larger than you think they will be. You may need to use the chair on the ship.

I don't believe that many (if any) of the excursions are HC friendly. The ports are not covered by ADA and many are very difficult for people in WCs or ECVs. Castaway Cay has some beach WCs that you can use while you are there, but that may be the only excursion you can take. The ship does have a lot of things to do while in port. Many people say that is the best time to use the pools.

 

[bankgirl05]

Thank you!!! I have been on 1 DCL trip before, so I do realize the size of the ship, but I am hoping I will be recovered enough by then (when ever I decide on, trying for my birthday in Feb. but may do over sring break week instead) that I will not need it while on board, just a cane. I am not even really walking yet, still using critches, going through rehab 3 days a week , blah blah blah, but I am trying to have something to look forward to. 3 1/2 months stuck at home so far and I'm going a bit crazy...

I was really hoping that someone would be able to tell me, "sure they went here or there with thier wheelchair..." I wouldn't wan my DH, who has never been any where but NJ/FL to miss out on the islands or other ports of call.

 

[POOHsie]

I use an ECV full time. Most every cruise excursion has no provision for wheelchairs/ECVs. If you were going to a specific destination, like Atlantis in the Bahamas (wheelchair friendly), you could take a taxi. In Cozumel, we took a taxi to town, ate lunch, "walked" around, then "walked" back to the dock (2 miles), but lots of sidewalks didn't have curb cuts and we ended up in the street alot. There were no excursions there for handicapped. I know this isn't specific to DCL. If you are looking at tours of historic places off the beaten path, or snorkeling, or anything like that, there won't be paved paths to accommodate wheelchairs or maybe even crutches. Lots of docks and boat tenders will not accommodate wheelchairs, making you stuck onboard. Disappointing, yes. That's the state of being handicapped in the big world. I think that's why so many handicapped, like me, visit WDW, because there is so much there that a handicapped person can actually participate in.

I hope you do recover enough to fully enjoy your cruise!

 

[schepp]

We were on the Dream in May with our 10 year old DD who is in a wheelchair and we had very few issues. We had room 11000 which is a HA concierge room which was very large. If you don't need your chair all the time then you should be able to get by with a non HA room.

Our DD can only take a few steps without assistance but had no problem enjoying CC including snorkeling. They have WC with ballon tires for the sand that are available to anyone that needs them. Getting on and off the ship via the gangways was no proplem and the pathways are all fully accessible.

If you will be able to use a cane then most of the vehicle excursions/boats should be available for you. If you really need the WC then you will be limited somewhat depending on the ports you choose.

Our next cruise is MR on the Wonder next month so I will be able to provide additional info in December when we get back.

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Most cruise ports are inaccessible because most of them are in places not covered by the ADA.

I suspect more ports will be accessible for the Alaska & Pacific Coast cruises, but I'm not sure if anyone has reported back here that can confirm that for the DCL cruises.

 

[HowdyHeidi]

If you read the excursion descriptions carefully (which you can do before you book) you can see that some are wheelchair accessible, but say you must fold it up during parts of the trip. There are many that aren't accessible also. I am going on my cruise in a few weeks with DS in a wheelchair, and we are doing one excursion.

 

[cquick]

1)Does/will DCL have a "rental chair" available?
RENT YOUR OWN FROM WALKERS OR ONE OF THE OTHER COMPANIES THAT WILL DELIVER TO THE PORT FOR YOU.
2)Has anyone done any excursions (on any Cruise since I haven't decided which yet) with a wheelchair and toddlers in tow?
YOU CAN'T GO ON ANY EXCURSIONS IN A WHEELCHAIR, UNLESS YOU ARE ABLE TO GET ON THE BUS ON YOUR OWN, AND I WOULD SUGGEST A COMPANION TO DEAL WITH THE WHEELCHAIR, BECAUSE YOU MIGHT HAVE TO FOLD IT UP AND PUT IT ON THE BUS
3)Do I need to book a wheelchair accessible room if I will probably only be folding the chair for most of the cruise and using it only for long distances?
YES. I WOULD STRONGLY SUGGEST THIS. THE DOORWAYS ARE NARROW AND ESP. WITH A HIP, THE BIGGER BATHROOM AND NO-THRESHHOLD SHOWER WILL BE A BIG HELP! LESS DANGER OF INJURY,TOO.

Any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful in deciding what I am going to do and how I am going to plan.


Thanks

One good thing about the Dream is the pool lift to get into the very tall hot tubs.....the pools should be ok for you.

 

[cquick]

but I am hoping I will be recovered enough by then (when ever I decide on, trying for my birthday in Feb. but may do over sring break week instead) that I will not need it while on board, just a cane.

I WOULD RENT A WALKER WITH WHEELS ON THE FRONT AND A FOLD DOWN SEAT IF YOU WILL BE ABLE TO USE A CANE. THE ROADS AND SIDEWALKS CAN BE ROUGH AND THE DISTANCES DIFFICULT FOR YOU. A WALKER WOULD BE A BIG HELP

I was really hoping that someone would be able to tell me, "sure they went here or there with thier wheelchair..." I wouldn't wan my DH, who has never been any where but NJ/FL to miss out on the islands or other ports of call.
OUR SON IS IN A WHEELCHAIR. MY HUSBAND AND I HAVE CRUISED DCL A LOT, AND WE USUALLY TAKE A TAXI IF IT'S POSSIBLE FOR ALL 3 OF US TO ENJOY AN AREA. IF NOT, MY DH AND I TAKE TURNS DOING EXCURSIONS....WE GO THROUGH THE BOOK AND DECIDE WHICH ONES ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO EACH OF US

good luck in yuour planning

 

[dclfun]

I wanted to mention that if you don't want to reserve an accessible stateroom ( or if there are none available), you can request a shower bench- the kind where you slide over into the tub/shower combination. Just make sure with the Dream of the type of tub/shower you have and if it will accommodate the bench. Otherwise, I'm afraid stepping over into the tub might not be a good idea.---Kathy

 

[acourtwdw]

I had back surgery 2 weeks ago today and we are on the 10/29 Western sailing. I was pretty bummed about the excursion offerings from DCL for someone with mobility issues, so I contacted vendors in Key West, Grand Cayman and Cozumel that had good ratings on several websites. Here is what I found:

Key West- A&M Electric Car Rental: They will pick us up at the port and the 4 passenger car has enough room in the trunk for the wheelchair. Full day is $139. We will be able to take the electric car all over KW.

Grand Cayman- Captain Marvin has a ticket booth/pick up spot across from the port. It is $30 for the Turtle Farm/Hell Tour. If you can walk up/down 3 steps to get off the tour bus, you're ok.

Cozumel- Mr Sanchos is a $16 cab ride from the port and for $30 per person we are doing "Cooking School" on the beach. Then after lunch we will have use of the beach facilities there. I am sad that I cannot get to the ruins but that only spurs me on to take another DCL western cruise

All of the above vendors take your credit card for the reservation but do not charge your card until the actual tour happens. I wanted to make sure of this in case there were issues getting to these ports or if I couldn't get off the ship in Grand Cayman since that is a tender situation.