A cruise is an excellent holiday option for a wheelchair user, letting you visit multiple places without the hassle. The Disabled Cruise Club is a great way to find out which ships can accommodate disabled people and the destinations that they travel too. The club can also help you with bookings and filling out the mobility questionnaire required by some wheelchair accessible cruise lines to ensure that they can adequately accommodate your needs.
Modern cruise ships are constructed with accessibility for all in mind. Wheelchair users will have no problem in accessing the lifts which will take them to all areas of the ship including the sundecks, restaurants, bars, shops, and entertainment options. Most wheelchair accessible cruise ship companies offer specially adapted cabins in each location, inside, outside, with a balcony, or a suite. These cabins are designed for full-time wheelchair users and feature wider doorways for easy access. They have about fifty-percent more space than a standard stateroom so you can move about comfortably. They have lowered vanity units and wardrobes, and the bathroom is a wet room with a roll-in shower, a pulldown shower chair and grab rails. Some lines offer the option of hiring a hospital type electric bed, winches and other equipment, and all cabins have charging facilities for your wheelchair or mobility scooter.
While many people are content to spend their holiday on board the ship, if you want to go exploring on shore, check out the wheelchair accessibility reports for each proposed port of call which contain lots of useful information. Most wheelchair accessible cruises lines also offer wheelchair accessible shore excursions. Although the access ramp is wide and there is always someone available to assist you, be aware that sometimes very high or low tides can make it impossible for wheelchair passengers to disembark at certain ports, for their own safety.
If you are new to cruising, you might want to try out on a mini-cruise before committing yourself to a longer voyage, but many disabled people find cruising a practical and enjoyable holiday choice.
