Let’s Cruise!

By Daryl Rock

Cruising, once accessible only to the rich and famous, is now accessible to almost anyone -- including travellers with disabilities.

I am someone who really enjoys soaking up the sun in the south for a week or two during our long Canadian winters. This year, I decided to revisit cruising in the Caribbean. My last cruise, in 1988, resulted in mixed reviews from an accessibility perspective, both on board and ashore. It also cost over 50 per cent more than this year’s price of $1,850 (insurance and return airfare included!).

During a conversation with my travel agent, I was pleased to discover the range of cruise options available. As a result of double-digit passenger growth in the 1980s, cruise ship operators have built more, and larger, ships for the ’90s. This has resulted, for now at least, in an over-supply of cabins on almost every cruise line. Loosely translated, this means great bargains for travellers -- hence the price noted above.

In 1988 there were almost no accessible cruise ships in the world. By 1996, the cruise market had changed dramatically. Not only is there an abundance of ships but, as many of them have been built "post-ADA" (Americans with Disabilities Act), I was pleased to find a large number of accessible cruise ships offering travellers with disabilities passage to every corner of the Caribbean!

We booked a seven-day Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan, Puerto Rico, on the Regal Princess, one of the larger ships of the Princess Cruise Lines (that’s right, the Love Boat!). Built in the early 1990s, this ship offers amenities I can’t even get in hotels in Canada. My stateroom was outfitted with everything I could possibly need, including a wheel-in shower.

From the time of booking the cruise through to the return flight home, Princess Cruises had little difficulty accommodating my needs as a traveller who is quadriplegic.

When I booked, I indicated that I would need accessible transportation from the airport to the pier (tour operators always use large, inaccessible shuttle buses). To my surprise, I was told: "No problem, we will make sure that a wheelchair accessible van is waiting for you when you arrive." And it was -- a fully accessible van in San Juan (again, thank you, ADA!). During the past 10 years I have taken over two dozen trips south and this was, without question, the easiest transfer ever from the airport to my destination.

Once on board, I was pleased to find that my cabin (we had been upgraded to an outside cabin with a window) was huge. There would be no travelling like sardines this trip! After settling in, we headed off to the main dining room to what would be our first of many tempting culinary feasts. (Having experienced this side of cruise-ship life once before, I had spent most of the previous month "in training" -- dieting, actually. I had also brought a couple pairs of loose-fitting pants, just in case.)

Our travel itinerary was as exotic as our menu: Barbados; Marleau (the Grenadines); Martinique; St. Martin; St. Thomas; then back to Puerto Rico. After leaving San Juan harbour at about midnight, we spent the night and all of the following day sailing southeast toward our first destination, Barbados.

During our first, and only full, day at sea, the cruise director and his staff kept the 1,700 or so passengers busy on the pool deck and in the six on-board lounges. For those interested in testing their luck, the Regal Princess boasts a full-scale casino in the dome on the top deck, over 10 stories above sea level!

We arrived in Barbados the next morning at 8:00. As a popular cruise destination, the island has docking facilities capable of handling several cruise ships at a time. Because of this I had relatively easy access to shore with a couple of the crew assisting by guiding my chair down the gangway.

At two of the ports on our itinerary, St. Martin and Marleau, passengers are ferried from the ship to shore by "tender" (a small boat; in the case of Marleau, it was a lifeboat from the ship). This process was more complicated, as I had to be lifted, chair and all, from the ship to the (usually rocking) tender. On days when the water is a bit rough, passengers requiring this type of assistance are barred from the tender and forced to stay on board -- albeit on board a ’round-the-clock food and entertainment, five-star resort! I can think of worse places to be stranded. Fortunately for me, the waters were calm the entire week I was sailing and, with the friendly assistance of a few members of the crew, I was able to visit all of the islands.

Once ashore, there are usually two options: tour the island or shop. Given that most tours are not accessible, and given my fondness for the aggressive sport of finding the best deal possible, I habitually chose the latter! After a few hours ashore, I would head back to the ship and to my shipboard routine -- eating, reading and lying in the sun.

Although my cabin and the main areas of the ship were fully accessible, there were a few problems in some of the lounges. Being an avid dancer, I was looking forward to spending much of my evening indulging in this activity. However, I soon discovered that while I could access the lounge of the disco, the dance floor was down three steps -- totally inaccessible to me -- and I was unwilling to be lifted by the crew in front of a couple hundred other passengers.

The second disappointment was the karaoke lounge. Like the disco, the lounge itself was accessible but the stage, where dozens of passengers stood to make fools of themselves, was up two steps. Again, I didn’t want the hassle of being singled out for my disability (although I don’t really mind people hearing me "sing" -- a term I use loosely, given my voice!). I chose to watch rather than participate. The other lounges, the theatre and the main stage were all accessible.

As I wanted the opportunity to take part in all shipboard events, I decided to speak to the chief purser (equivalent to hotel manager). I thought this would be the most appropriate way to express my disappointment and to educate Princess Cruises about the fact that people who use wheelchairs, like everyone else, come on a holiday to relax and have fun.

I made the point that, while my cabin was fully accessible, no one, other than honeymooners, wants to spend their entire evening in their cabin. Cruise lines even emphasize to travellers that although cabins are smaller than hotel rooms, there’s so much to do on a cruise ship that you tend to spend very little time in your cabin.

I explained to the chief purser that by not taking into account the access needs of travellers with wheelchairs, a cruise holiday is less attractive to them.

The chief purser assured me that he would pass on my comments. I also plan to send the cruise line a copy of this issue of ABILITIES magazine.

Not being one to stew about what I can’t do, I spent the rest of my evenings enjoying the shows, the musicians, the casino and the sheer joy of sailing in the Caribbean on moonlit nights (while my friends were back home, enjoying...?).

The week passed all too quickly and, like every other winter holiday I’ve ever taken, by my second day back at work I was beginning to wonder if it hadn’t all just been a dream -- until someone would comment on my tan!

Without question, my trip was a huge success. Even with a few, very minor disappointments -- and what holiday is ever 100 per cent perfect? -- I had a great time. Would I do it again? You betcha! In fact, I’m already looking forward to this winter. (Did I really just write that?)


CRUISE TRAVEL TIPS

- Avoid having to "educate" an entire cruise line by being sure to choose one with a track record for serving persons with disabilities. With just a phone call from your travel agent, most major lines can tell you their policy regarding passengers with disabilities.

I have found Norwegian, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises to be the most accommodating. Princess even has a brochure describing the accessibility features of all its ships.

- If there is a particular feature that you want to ensure is accessible (such as the dance floor), ask the cruise line before booking. They may have to do a bit of digging, but remember, you’re paying for it, and there is a glut of ships to choose from.

- If you like to dress up, bring your finest -- you won’t be overdressed. I brought my black tux, and so did about half of the other men on the cruise. It’s fun because although everyone is dressed in formal wear, they’re also on the holiday to have a good time, so there’s absolutely no stuffiness.

- If you tend to get motion sickness, then come prepared. For me, the rocking was not a problem. The ship was so large that I rarely even noticed it.

- As on any other trip, bring all your prescription drugs and personal care supplies from home. Put the items in your carry-on luggage to prevent their getting lost.

(Daryl Rock is an avid traveller and lives in Ottawa, Ontario.)