planning a vacation

[frogvalleyve]

hello to all,
I am planning a cruise to the Bahama's from Baltimore. I have never gone on a cruise before, or to the Bahama's, or any sort of boating expedition. I need any sort of input that you might have, which cruise lines are the best for access, food, etc. I just want to go somewhere warm, and I want mark, my husband, to have a great time, too. I never thought he would be interested in a cruise, but he brought it up the other evening after speaking to a friend, who also has a wife with mobility issues..so,any suggestions? also, I am not a huge online person, so, is there a way for me to easily follow this particular thread?

[poohb3ar]

a cruise, what fun!

my dad has offered to give my DH and me a cruise as a present. i haven't planned or booked one.

we have done a lot of looking on line. ruling out the ones that have a lot of stops where you go hike to see some place, etc. i'm wc bound for long distances.

my first visit was to AAA travel services since we have a card with them. any travel agency would be more than helpful to give you LOTS of booklets, brochures and info.
the more you know what you want, destination, times, price, etc. the better they can help you.

i'd call or go by a reputable agency near you.

bon voyage!

oh! let us know what you find out, as i've still not decided myself!

[Just MS me]

Check cruises only, or mann travel, I have been through both and both offer great deals, I have only cruised on carnival, but I can say they do anything you need to make your trip wonderful

[RonPaulaD]

I've been on five cruises on Royal Caribbean, taking my sixth in April. From what I've seen and experienced, they go above and beyond to make a cruiser's experience pleasant. If you need a handicapped accessible cabin, you may need to plan early because they can be hard to snag. Moving about the ship and getting to the port is very manageable to very easy. Go ahead, book the cruise and have a great time.

[jenphilly]

I was on a cruise in September for my honeymoon. The cabins are a bit small, but there are multiple elevators and its really quite easy to get around. You really won't have any issues! We made friends with a group of ladies that cruise together and one used a wheelchair, my hubby was enlisted several times for helping on and off the ship, only because it's a long push up / down the ramp from ship to dock port.

Cruises are a wonderful truly relaxing vacation. I joke after being a single mom for 20 years and while we did plenty of travel with just the two of us, on a cruise, you literally do nothing but worry about what you want to eat and what entertainment to enjoy We were on the main Carnival line. Everyone on board was beyond wonderful, was amazed at how many Carnival employees remembered passengers names. I really had no complaints, the ship was beautiful, incredibly well kept, food was beyond amazing and you can find something to do every hour or any day!

Best part, if you're not feeling well one day when you're in port, there is still a bunch of stuff going on onboard, so even on a lazy day you will have fun. And the ships are large enough that you can always find a quiet corner, we were pretty surprised about that too.

Book the cruise and prepare to have fun!! I would highly recommend a cruise to anyone with any physical limits. If you use a walker or such, take it along, you do need to do some walking sometimes - dining room at one end, theater at the other type of walking. But, think we had 4 sets of elevators, so you can avoid steps!

Post and share when you book and details of where you are going!

Jen

[frogvalleyve]

Thanks for th info

Just dropping a line to thank everyone for their insight, I am booking tommorrow, I'll let you know how it goes.

A cruise sounds wonderful! I've never done one, but would love to.

[hallk33]

I would advise hat you check into which ports maybe tendered. I have never tendered but I hear that it can limit who gets off the ship. If the cruise line doesn't list how accessible excursions or ports are try cruise critic. Not sure if you have dietary concerns but I had a much easier time being accodomated on holland then carnival.

[livinms]

Love to Cruise

I began cruising back in the mid 90s, was dx 3 1/2 yrs ago and nothing much changed about cruising. As soon as you get on the ship let guest services know that you have a disability. The reason is for muster purposes. I am unable to climb stairs and for the muster drill you can't use the elevators. This way you are placed on a list for special assistance in case of emergencies.

Cruising is wonderful. Yes, I'm a Carnival cruiser and there is a forum on Carnival's website that provides ALL kinds of info for first time cruisers and cruisers with special needs. You can learn a lot and get questions answered. I always book through Carnival and use their personal vacation planner (PVP). They are very helpful and can provide all the assistance you might need. Have fun!!!

[ActiveMSers]

Hey frog, this is all great advice. I've spent a lot of time on cruise ships and I highly recommend it as a way to travel. It's just a matter of picking the right ship (size/company, etc.), the right cabin, the right itinerary, and the right time of year. For lots of general travel advice I suggest you check out the travel tips I've put together for ActiveMSers.org

activemsers.org/tipstricks/travelingwithms.html

Holler if you need anything specific. Cheers,

Dave Bexfield, ActiveMSers

[jmfmwc]

I was recently dx and I decided that I will now do what I want when I want to! I have booked my first-ever cruise for April and I'm super-excited. I have no idea what to expect but I don't plan on there being anything that I want to do that I won't be able to do! I hope that you have a great time on your cruise! I know that I plan on having a great time on mine!