Friday, September 23, 2011

Cruise Vacations Are Better Than Ever For The Physically Challenged

By Fiona Clarkson


Most of the newer ships offer wheelchair assessable state rooms and can offer dining room seating arrangements to steer clear of stairs and raised locations. Just make sure your travel agent notifies the cruise line of your wheelchair usage and any other unique requirements prior to sailing when making your cruise vacation reservations. Cruise travelers with physical challenges ought to check with the onboard tour office to ensure that all pre-reserve tours can accommodate their needs.

Cruise travel might be the ideal vacation for an individual utilizing a wheelchair, because it provides the chance to go to numerous destinations in a fairly brief time. A cruise vacation offers effortless travel in between places without the inconvenience of packing and unpacking. You'll appreciate the choice of experiencing the ship's destinations or relaxing and enjoying the comfort of being pampered at a "resort at sea."

Is important that if 1 of your party uses a wheelchair you need to ask the following questions: * How many wheelchair accessible cabins on the cruise ship? * Are the doors towards the rooms and elevators wide sufficient to allow for a regular wheelchair? * Can I get my wheelchair out on deck and into the public rooms throughout my cruise vacation? * Will I be able to access the dining locations? In some ports of call, exactly where the ship must anchor, access through wheelchair might not be feasible.

Ships usually stock a restricted number of wheelchairs but please be aware they must be pre-reserved at the time of your booking.

Due to S.O.L.A.S. (Safety of Live At Sea) Regulations, physically challenged passengers should have partial mobility, along with a traveling companion who can help them, ought to an emergency arise.

You'll discover that the newer, bigger cruise ships have been built with the objective of full-accessibility. A new ship will have wider corridors, much more spacious cabins, more, and larger, elevators and ramps where needed. In addition, the designated "accessible" cabins on newer ships are outfitted with numerous of the following functions which will make your cruise vacation a more comfy expertise:

* Stateroom and cabin doorways wide enough for wheelchairs (at least 30") * Stateroom dimensions and floor space for maneuverability and bathroom dimensions adequate for maneuvering * No "lips" or sills into bathrooms * Sink positioned so wheelchair can roll below it * Roll-in shower wit a fold-down stool in shower with detachable showerhead * Bathroom walls with handrails * Raised toilet seat, a minimum of 17" inches high * Pull-down clothing racks * Light switches at wheelchair level * Adjustable mirror above sink * Portable telephone * Blinking lights in staterooms for the hearing challenged

In some ports, ships should anchor offshore due to size of the port or simply because of extreme weather (if the weather is too extreme they won't stop at that port at all). They "tender" guests to shore with little boats that might not be accessible to guests in wheelchairs. You will wish to check using the shore excursions department to figure out which shore excursions are most suitable for you. In some destinations, especially those outside of the United States, you will not usually discover accessible transportation and facilities.

A few of the Princess cruise line ships have hoists by the pool so a physically challenged passengers can appreciate the pool. Some of Holland American ships have the capability to tender wheelchairs into ports where they do not dock. Ask your travel agent to inquire with those lines to find the ship that's appropriate for you.

There isn't any reason that anyone who's physically challenged ought to avoid a cruise vacation. Just keep in mind whenever you are looking into cruise travel that you have your travel agent find the cruise ship that caters to your requirements.

Now that you know that a cruise vacation may be ideal for you, call your travel agent and start packing.

Pleased Cruising!

Copyright 2006 Mary Hanna All Rights Reserved.

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