Ports wheelchair accessible
Oct 6th, 2019 | 09:13 AM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Ports wheelchair accessible
I love to travel but now cannot walk and must use a wheelchair. Last month my son and I decided to try cruising by taking a Royal Caribbean Lines Mediterranean cruise on the Vision of the Seas. While delighted with my wheelchair stateroom and the crew, visits to ports requiring tenders were not permitted. This is despite the Royal’s sales representative’s telephone assurances while booking my wheelchair cabin, that, “There are many wheelchair accessible shore excursions” he didn’t tell me wheelchairs cannot be tendered. On board I found there was only one wheelchair accessible excursion on the ship’s list of the eighty nine shore activities! Fair warning, the ports at Cannes, Mykonos, and Santroini are tendered. Although Barcelona has wheelchair accessible buses, in the Athen’s port of Piraeus, and the Crete port of Souda we needed taxi cabs to carry my folded wheelchair.
Oct 7th, 2019 | 05:36 AM
#3
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 27,709
Likes: 1
@Jessica - that advice is of no help if the OP can't get off the boat!
@daymel - that's infuriating! You might find this site helpful - https://emerginghorizons.com/
Also there are options for researching the ports ahead of time. Try Rick Steves' books on cruising for Europe, or ask on https://www.cruisecritic.com/
@daymel - that's infuriating! You might find this site helpful - https://emerginghorizons.com/
Also there are options for researching the ports ahead of time. Try Rick Steves' books on cruising for Europe, or ask on https://www.cruisecritic.com/
Oct 7th, 2019 | 06:23 AM
#4
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 10,744
Likes: 0
Sorry to hear this.
Frankly as the RCI rep did not inform you about the tendering issue and he of course knew you were wheel chair bound then I think you are due some compensation for a future cruise. I would pursue this with upper level management. You did specify your condition and the rep should have known to check for port access. My own experience dealing with RCI personnel for post cruise issues was a duality. Terrible from lower level personnel meaning an attitude of shut up and go away but excellent when pushing it up. However that is up to you.
As for private excursions which are usually cheaper (a tour offered by RCI for our upcoming Doha stop is more than double vs. the same tour booked privately) just be sure they have wc access of course.
Normally the cruise itinerary will note what ports are tendered. However sometimes due to port congestion you may have to tender when you were supposed to dock but not often.
Good luck
Larry
Frankly as the RCI rep did not inform you about the tendering issue and he of course knew you were wheel chair bound then I think you are due some compensation for a future cruise. I would pursue this with upper level management. You did specify your condition and the rep should have known to check for port access. My own experience dealing with RCI personnel for post cruise issues was a duality. Terrible from lower level personnel meaning an attitude of shut up and go away but excellent when pushing it up. However that is up to you.
As for private excursions which are usually cheaper (a tour offered by RCI for our upcoming Doha stop is more than double vs. the same tour booked privately) just be sure they have wc access of course.
Normally the cruise itinerary will note what ports are tendered. However sometimes due to port congestion you may have to tender when you were supposed to dock but not often.
Good luck
Larry
Last edited by jacketwatch; Oct 7th, 2019 at 06:52 AM.
Oct 8th, 2019 | 01:05 PM
#5
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 25,597
Likes: 0
We also found that even if the ports are not tendered RCI does not always do a very good job of getting a wheelchair back to the room. They just left my roommate inside the boat, near the entrance to the ramp.
There can be some ports where tides make the ramp too steep for access, also.
There can be some ports where tides make the ramp too steep for access, also.
Oct 8th, 2019 | 11:24 PM
#6
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 126
Likes: 0
@Jessica - that advice is of no help if the OP can't get off the boat!
@daymel - that's infuriating! You might find this site helpful - https://emerginghorizons.com/
Also there are options for researching the ports ahead of time. Try Rick Steves' books on cruising for Europe, or ask on https://www.cruisecritic.com/
@daymel - that's infuriating! You might find this site helpful - https://emerginghorizons.com/
Also there are options for researching the ports ahead of time. Try Rick Steves' books on cruising for Europe, or ask on https://www.cruisecritic.com/
