HELP trying to plan a cruise ship`?

Question

people going..

handicapped women (45ish)

adult man (50ish)

2 teenage girls (14,16)

i need a handicapped accable cruise

i was thinking of going to alaska, carebian

i have no idea what cruise line

please make suggestions on where/ what cruise to go on and maybe tell me about ur past experiences on cruices

also have any of you gotton sick on a cruise i am very worried about that???????????????

Answer 1

All the major cruise line ships are about the same when it comes to being handicapped accessible.  Given that your group includes teenagers, I would recommend Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian, as these lines are the most family friendly with a good teen program.

Alaska is fine as long as your ship does not stop at Sitka.  Sitka does not have a deep water dock, so the cruise ships that go to Sitka have to tender the passengers to the shore.  Tendering means that passengers get on one of the lifeboats and take the lifeboat to the shore.  Getting in and out of a lifeboat can be very difficult for someone who is handicapped.

As for the Caribbean, I would recommend you go to the Eastern Caribbean.  The reason is one very popular Western Caribbean port is Grand Cayman.  Grand Cayman is also a tender port.  All the major Eastern Caribbean ports have deep water docks that can handle a large cruise ship.  

You should note that all of the cruise ship private islands, except Disney's, are tender ports.

I have been on seven cruises.  My first cruise, in 1999, was to Alaska.  My last three cruises have been on NCL to the Mexican Riviera in October 2005, on Carnival to the Eastern Caribbean in April 2006 and on Royal Caribbean to the Western Caribbean in June 2007.  I have future cruises book on all three lines.

The links below are to reviews I wrote on the last three cruises ...

NCL Star - October 2005:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreview...

Carnival Glory - April 2006:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreview...

Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas - June 2007:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreview...

Answer 2

with the 2 teenagers  you have to go royal caribbean

the brilliance of the seas was fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!

i loved that ship

Answer 3

You can call a cruise travel specialist (travel agent) or contact the major lines yourself  - Royal Carribean, Norwegian, Carnival, and ask about accessibility - or go to their websites.

Destination would depend, like any vacation, on YOUR preferences - tropical, winter wonderland (Alaska, Inside Passage).

I cruised the Bahamas in January - it was warm, and I really enjoyed it. The ships are so big and so well balanced you will not get sick or feel closed in. The only time you feel the motion is if there is horrendous weather and high seas.

Answer 4

I would blindly recommend the cruise line Royal Caribbean! It's luxury and style with tons to do aboard - and you could also schedule outside trips, once at port, that are all beautiful!

Depending on what you want to have in your vacation, you should select your destination. The Alaskan cruise is more relaxed and more about the unbelievable, breathtaking scenery. The Caribbean cruise, for example, is much more lively and there's all sorts of activities for teenagers. The classy and jazzy lounges provide a relaxing and enjoyable time for those who are seeking a more relaxing pace of cruise.

All cruises, by law, need to have special and priority accommodations for the handicapped - so you won't miss any of the action.

Between the Alaskan and the Caribbean cruise, I would personally recommend the Caribbean cruise aboard the Adventure of the Seas by Royal Caribbean. You can visit all sorts of beaches, swim with dolphins (I specially recommend you do this!) and visit the port shops for some really fun shopping. All activities within AND outside the ship have special accommodations for the handicapped. This cruise ship departs from sunny Puerto Rico, so make sure you get in a few days early (or stay a few days after) and experience it, too.

No matter where you choose to go, a cruise is a perfect choice for a vacation. 24-hour pampering (grrrreeeaaaat service!), round-the-clock food and all the rest you could ever want!

You can book your vacation, no matter where you want to go, online through

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/gohome.do

You can check out all the other cruises available, as well. Maybe some OTHER will peak your interest!

Other cruises I recommend: The Mediterranean Cruise and The Greek Isles Cruise

Hope I helped!

Answer 5

princess , norweigan, royal carribean will be perfect for you.  there are a few handicapped staterooms usually center of ship and near the elevators .   try to get one of these rooms and another stateroom across the hall .   usually less expensive to get two staterooms than one famiy suite.    the handicapped woman  ... should know that there are some scoooters than can be delivered to peer for her.   or i imagine she can bring her own.   if she needs a wheelchair / be sure to request this / not sure how many there are ?   maybe she has her own ?       if she doesn't need these things / then you might be able to squeeze in one cabin with uppers and lower bunk beds if finances are really a concern.   with it's a tiny , tiny stateroom.  if you can't get a handicapped room.  i have seen some cruise ships let people park them outside room and charge them with the electrical thingys in the hallway/cooridor.     getting on and off at ports might be a consideration.   any city that has to tender will be impossible for her to accesss.    she will have better luck with ports that have regular piers.      if it all possible bring a few extra dollars to tip some of the guys on the cruise out  pushing if wife is in a wheelchair.  my parents figured this  late in the cruise when they took my grandpa.   newer ships are a little better with accomodating handicapped than old ones.  i have never gotten sick.   the last cruise i was on norweigan was a beautiful ship . however a lot of the passengers had some virus . people were getting guaranteened to their rooom. could not leave their stateroom for 2 days .  they had to order room service until doctor released them.  they stopped letting people serve themself food in buffet used plastic gloves to serve us everything.   it was scary for a couple days.   this is the only time i have ever seen that happen and we have been on several cruises.  i am told it was an isolated incident ??   if you mean sea sickk ... most people do not get sick on the newer ships they have so many stabilizers you do not feel like you are on ship most of the time.   your doc can prescribe the patch thing wich is godsend for those with seasick probs.  in so far as where to go ?  depends on what your family likes .   both are beautiful places to go to.   obviously you must decide on the temperature you want and the time you can go.  alaska cruises in summer.   winter and spring  for carribean ones.  have a great trip.  i hope to get out on a cruise this jan to spring in the carib.   good luck to you and family!

Answer 6

All cruise lines have special cabins for the handicapped people. The buses have special lifts to assist them getting on the buses. When it comes to stopping in each port they have a lower ramp to help then on & off the ship.

I would suggest Alaska as once the ship departs until the end of your cruise there are things to see. Also Alaska you travel mostly between bodys of land so the ship movenment is not noticeable. Where as  others you have to travel mostly out on the ocean.

You can pick up sea sick pills at any drugstore or see the ships doctor.

Enjoy.

Answer 7

Call your travel agent or call the cruises direct. I have friends who have gone on a Princess Cruise to Alaska ( they have a 12 yr old in a wheel chair) and they had nothing but good things to say about the experience.

I have been on 7 cruises and only once have been sick. The seas were pretty bad, some boat were not able to even make port, but with the meds you can get from the purser's desk I was fine, if not a little wobbly.

Go and have fun,

Answer 8

Before you can decide what cruise you might want to go on, you need to do some basic research.  Go to the library and get some books on cruising.

You can also go to CruiseCritic.com, "Boards" and find all kinds of information about all aspects of cruising.  Also look at the "Reviews" section - for both professional and past-passenger reviews.

Since you haven't cruised before, I would recommend talking with a travel agent, especially one who specializes in cruises.  However, he/she will have a lot of questions for you, so that's why you need to do some research first.

Almost any cruise ship will have handicap-accessible facilities.

Alaska and Caribbean cruises are completely different, so that is something you'll have to clarify.  Personally, I would choose Caribbean over Alaska, but that's because I like to snorkel and travel to someplace warm.

With the passengers you will have, I would think Carnival, Royal or perhaps Princess would be good choices.  [Some people love Norwegian, but some people hate it!]

Before I went on my first cruise, I had to be convinced to go [it was an extended-family trip - family reunion].  I was sure I'd be bored, claustrophobic and seasick the entire time.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  Now I'm "hooked" and don't want to do any other type of vacation!

As far as the seasickness goes, you may experience that, but generally, the ships are big enough [and most of them have stabilizing systems] that you really don't feel that much motion.  You just need to take along some Benadryl or such to take if you do get queasy.  [Benadryl isn't marketed for seasickness, but it's the same ingredient as Dramamine but usually cheaper.]

One thing I would recommend:  Don't get your flights [if needed] through the cruiseline - they give you the worst flights and don't let you get there the day before [which I highly recommend doing, especially if you're flying from locations that have "winter" weather].  Only use the cruise flights if you can save big bucks [which is not usually the case].

The important thing is to do some research - it can be lots of fun to read/daydream about cruising.  It's like buying a car - you have to figure out what's right for you.

I hope you have fun with this [that CruiseCritic site is VERY helpful].