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Accessible Cruises

For wheelchair accessible cruise travel and accessible shore excursions look no further than Accessible Journeys.

21 years Access Experience
21 years of Cruise Resources
the Most Accessible Excursions
the Most Accessible Groups
First-hand Access Details for
comfort of mind on land and at sea

Accessible Journeys is the largest group cruise operator in the world
for slow walkers, travelers with wheels©, their families and their friends.

Ship inspections by our staff
First hand information on access
Accessible Shore Excursion planning

Award winning Accessible Journeys is a member of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and Vacations.Com.

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Handicapped Friendly Cruises

So you want to take a cruise!

For what ever reason you decided on taking a cruise vacation, you are in for a totally exhilarating experience. Cruising is an excellent opportunity to see the world safely and comfortably in an up tempo environment with non challenged passengers. On board, you can enjoy most of the same freedom of movement and accessibility as the other passengers, if your vacation home afloat has been chosen correctly.

You've heard about many ships that can offer a marvelous cruise, but you have a few special needs that must be met to ensure a trouble free and easy going vacation. This guide had been written for you. The cruise lines are pleased to offer all the information that is necessary to make a proper choice of ship and cabin that will match you with your dream vacation. We have simply taken the information necessary to make that decision and put it all in one place to assist you in making your choice. While every ship listed in this guide is not perfect, the extra effort of the crew on the ship, will go a long way in making sure you are not excluded from the activities and sights that have made a cruise your choice of vacation.

Every question is not answered here, but this little guide will provide the mechanism to assist you in asking additional questions that may come to mind. We are happy to investigate and inquire on your behalf. Our goal is to help you choose the right cabin and the right ship, and the right itinerary for your needs and desires. Listed here are some of the things that should be coming to mind when you think about your choices.

Many passengers who are in wheelchairs are able to travel independently today. With motorized chairs and scooters, distances have been reduced to a button push. As long as barriers have not been placed to block the roll of wheels, many people are able to travel alone. For this reason, we are looking critically at your potential ship with an eye toward total independence. If you are not traveling alone, then the options may be expanded to marginal ships.

However, we believe that for your maximum enjoyment, you should be able to move about on your own, safely, conveniently and non-assisted.


Typical Obstacles

Ships have many common obstacles. Older ships feature "lips" at cabin, bathroom and some public room doors. New ships in most cases have been able to remove these "lips" though new design techniques. We believe it advisable to avoid these older ships, even though ramps may have been built to attempt to overcome these obstructions. These retrofitted ramps are often steep and too frequent for even the most physically adept passenger to wheel up and down without extra assistance. Ramps on newer ships have been constructed with reasonable grading that would be equivalent to most shore side facilities. New ship ramps were built with you in mind.


The Size Of Things

For your special needs, bigger is usually better. The bigger the ship, the more space you will have to maneuver. Larger elevators, wider hallways, and larger cabin facilities will be the norm. Naturally, ships without elevators will be out of the question.

A large modern ship is often the equivalent of a twelve to fourteen story building. There are usually two or three banks of elevators aboard. A large ship may approach a length of a thousand feet. For this reason, a powered scooter is a fabulous cruise accessory. These electrical motored marvels are narrow and agile enough to circumnavigate the entire ship. Please check with us as to the cruise lines policy toward these scooters.

Many ships are now equipped with wheelchair lifts at the embarkation/debarkation stations. These devices will provide a power lift up and down the boarding ramp making life for all very comfortable. In addition, special ramps are often placed at lower decks just for your convenience. Just ask, and you will find that things just seem to happen to make your life more pleasant on board. There are always able bodied seamen available to provide an extra lift when necessary. Some itineraries feature "out islands" or ports that require tender service to shore. Arrangements can be made to get you ashore, but rough sea conditions may preclude your ability to board the tenders. When possible, select an itinerary that uses a dock at every port call. Ask us!


Handicapped Cabins

Modern ships now feature cabins that have been constructed with you in mind. They feature doors that are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair (about 30 inches wide), and open all the way. The interior design of these special cabins have been altered to provide useful maneuvering room. In some cabins, roll in closets and clothes racks at chair height are available Bathrooms have been designed with features that offer wider doors, hand rails, wheel-in showers with fold down seats, water controls and telephone style shower heads at heights that you can reach. Sinks at wheelchair height, mirrors, raised lavatory seats, nonslip bath mats and other special features can now be found aboard a modern ship. Please don't take anything for granted. Give us your specifications and we will report back to you on what is available.


Places To Go

The more traveling required to get to the ship, the more physically challenging your vacation will be. Unfortunately, you cannot anticipate situations that might occur in transit. Airports, transfer busses and airplanes do not always provide a means for easy boarding and disembarkation. Even if you are traveling with an able spouse or other person to assist you, the trip to your ship can be filled with unwelcome adventure. We will do everything possible to provide the information needed to help you make an educated decision on the suitability of a destination as it pertains to your physical situation and desires. Many people in wheelchairs travel to Europe and other distant countries around the world.


Your Doctor

Your doctor may be required to sign a release form stating that you are eligible to travel. Just like everyone else, you will need to review Travel Insurance with us to for the coverage you should have for your shipboard vacation. We recommend Travel Insurance to all our passengers. It is reasonably priced and will protect your investment in vacation dollars from unforeseen situations. Please make sure you discuss insurance with us so we may help you choose the policy that is right for you.


The following listing features ships that meet a broad criterion of items that have been deemed necessary to the average person who requires the use of a wheelchair.

It is understood that everyone has there own specific needs. For this reason, we request that you consider your requirements and relate them to us. We will contact the line and get very specific information that you may require about the available facilities. Your comfort and safety are our greatest concern. We are convinced that with proper planning, a cruise vacation, can be the most exciting experience for all persons. The following items have been deemed as necessary for inclusion on the list. All the ships included on the "Recommended Ship List' will meet these minimum requirements:


• The Cruise Line accepts wheelchair passengers
• Has-specially equipped cabins
• Accepts regular wheelchairs or travel chairs (narrow chairs)
• Will provide a travel chair in some cases
• Has wide doors
• Has no/low sills
• Has bath with rails
• Ramps available though out the ship
• Access to public rooms and passenger areas are convenient
• Equipped with elevators of sufficient size for wheel chairs
• 
  
http://www.quinwell.com%2Fcruise%2Fhandi.html

Last edited on Sat Jun 24th, 2006 03:13 pm by OceanGirl

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