River cruise holidays
Open question to everyone
Can you recommend
A specially travel company
That makes provisions for disabled travellers
In particular the embarking and disembarking process and any off ship tours?
Any guidance and advice is welcome.
Regards
Mark
Hi Mark, good questions. We have been considering a cruise for a while. I am looking forward to reading the replies and suggestions. We have mastered travelling by air and a cruise is our next adventure. Thank you for raising this.
Regards Sue
More than welcome Susan.
My wife believes that with the right support and assistance we and people worse than us can have a decent holiday.
It is all down to connections travel to and from the ship and around any tours as the cruise moves on from place to place.
My sister was recently on a cruise and said that a woman who was wheel-chair bound from a stroke was having a lovely time. I don’t know what cruiseliner it was.
So, I suppose, yes, you can go on a cruise holiday and have a fantastic time with a history of stroke.
Take good care.
Have you looked at Saga? I know they will pick up & drop you back home. They specialise in cruises for over 50s & I know people who regularly use them. As many of their clientele are of an older age they, I am sure, will be set up well for those with disabilities.
I love cruising. Hope you find something that suits.
Ann
I’m going on a Christmas Cruise. I cannot wait.
Ooo where you going? I’m not jealous at all 
xx
The Caribbean Islands (St.Thomas, Antigua, etc.).
I’ve never been on a cruise before. My sister has done 5 or 6.
I’m worried about getting seasick., though.
I see you fancy cruises. How many have you been on?
That sounds lovely. I’ve done 3 cruises…mediterranean, adriatic & baltic.
It might be worth you taking some sea sickness pills but I never found it much of an issue. Cruise ships are stabilised so counteracts some of it.
Have a fab time x
I hope to.
I will take some sea sickness pills.
Maybe you’ll be taking another cruise someday.
Yes SAGA has been mentioned but they are not clear about the participation of disabled people in off ship tours
Great let me know how you get on
If you get seasick you can always go on a river cruise.
That was the plan
I need to know what care and support is available to me going on the tours put on at scheduled stops
I have been on a few cruises. The first one was with Fred Olsen a couple of years after my stroke. My husband pushed my wheelchair and there were no problems. I managed to get on and off the excursion coaches, but I realise that could be a stumbling block. Olsen ships are smaller and easier to get around than a lot of companies.
The next cruise I was not in a wheelchair (I was travelling alone so there was no one to push me), but most of the same problems still apply. Sometimes the ship doesn’t dock and a tender takes you to shore. The tender won’t take disabled persons if they can’t easily get on board. If the ship can dock in port you can get onto the quay quite easily, but it can be a long way to the exit of the port. To my knowledge there are no cruise companies that will physically assist you on or off the ship. The same applies with getting on or off coaches for excursions. Whilst on board ship everything (almost) is accessible for the disabled passenger. I haven’t been on a river cruise since I had my stroke, but I remember reading somewhere, that problems can arise when the boats moor alongside each other you will need to cross 2 or more boats in order to get to the shore (I remember having to do this pre-stroke). There are probably some tour operators that do cater for the disabled on a "one-to-one"basis, but they are way out of my price range. I hope I haven’t put you off. I’m going on a Saga cruise next February and taking my new mobility scooter with me. I’m looking forward to not having to drag myself from one end of the ship to the other every 5 minutes!
I have been away with Saga several times. They will try to organise trips so that you are included as much as possible, but are not there to physically assist. There were 2 people on the last one, with mobility scooters and the bus driver did the heavy lifting when putting them on the bus, but that’s as far as it went.
Thanks MinnieB
Just the intelligence I needed
I am walking with a stick badly so that and fatigue will preclude the river cruises whichare beyond me at present.
Oh well maybe something for the future.
I advise everyone NOT to use Avanti for insurance as they really messed up my recent claim
This advice!! But not medical 
@Pinch had a better experience than me so maybe he can share is company(ies) with us all!?
K 
My travel insurance was with my RBS bank account. I had a stroke while on a cruise in the Canary Islands and to be fair they (along with P&O) kept in regular contact with my wife and son and offered support and advice. They arranged my flight home with a doctor, and paid directly for that. It did take them a little while to pay the claim, just over 2 months after we returned home, but apart from that we have no complaints. The medical treatment in hospital was covered by my EHIC card, the claim was mainly for reimbursement of hotel and food costs for my wife while I was in hospital and me when I came out, along with medical treatment on the ship.
I am considering blowing my retirement money on a European River Cruise. (Impulsivity at play, contained for now). Anyone familiar with Viking cruises?