13 Tips for Disabled Cruisers in Europe

Home »Cruises »Accessible Cruise Tips

13 Tips for Disabled Cruisers in Europe

Europe disabled cruises are much easier and much more enjoyable if you know what you’re doing.

These 13 Tips for Disabled Cruisers in Europe will help you navigate a few of the challenges that disabled cruise passengers encounter.

1) Research port accessibility before booking your cruise – Not doing this is a common mistake that disabled cruisers make. After they book their cruise, they start looking into accessibility of the ports only to find out that they are going to have to miss out on a few ports completely because they’re not accessible.

Sage Travel Tip: With so many accessible European ports
to choose from, there’s no need to choose a cruise itinerary
that includes ports that are not accessible.2) Explore the ship on your first day – You’re going to be living on the ocean for a while. Why not find out everything the floating city has to offer? Pools, casinos, restaurants, and shopping are just a few of the common features on modern ships.

While exploring, you should also look into the Europe cruise ship disabled access features. Cruise ships often have multiple pools, and some (like the pool shown below on the left) may be more difficult than others for wheelchair users to enter. Some parts of the sun deck may have lounge chairs too close together for a wheelchair to fit, and you may want to know about these areas while the chairs are still empty and can be moved out of your way.

If you’re down on the promenade deck (shown below on the right), you may want to know where the automated doors are located….when it gets windy, the manual doors can be tough to open!

3) Larger groups are cheaper per person – Most excursions provided by the cruise lines use motor coaches that don’t have wheelchair lifts. Consequently, at least some of your Europe disabled cruise days will be spent with private tour guides. If you can split the cost of the tour four or six ways, each person will pay less. After you book your accessible excursion, create a post on www.cruisecritic.com to see if there are any other disabled passengers who would like to split the cost with you.

4) Find out about tender vs. dock – In each port, cruise ships will either pull up to the dock, or they will shuttle passengers to shore using small boats called tenders. Tender wheelchair access is much poorer than using the docks. Check the cruise itinerary to see which ports on your Europe disabled accessible cruisewill be docked and which ones will use tenders.

In many ports, the first ships to arrive in the morning will get the dock and the later ones will use tenders….confirm with the cruise line whether docking is a possibility or a certainty.

5) Be skeptical of accessibility information you find on travel forums – Everyone who participates has the best of intentions. Unfortunately, there is a ton of incorrect Europe disabled cruise information passed along as fact and it’s difficult to tell who are the expert posters are and who are the posters who just sound like experts.

Confirm accessibility information that you get from travel forums with multiple sources. Also make sure that the information you are reading is not out of date.

6) All accessible cruise cabins (even interior ones) will be large enough for wheelchair users – Each cruise ship has a certain number of accessible cabins. These cabins have larger bathrooms (typically with roll-in showers) and can sometimes be 50% bigger than normal cabins.

Unfortunately, some passengers know this and take advantage of it. Accessible cabins should only be used by wheelchair users who can not fit through the standard bathroom door width.

7) Factor in accessible driving tours into your budget – Many ports aren’t actually that close to the attractions. If you arrive in Warnemünde, you’ll find that accessible Berlin is 3 hours away (each way). From the Livorno cruise port, you have many Tuscan options (Pisa, Lucca, Florence, etc…), but they are spread out.

Rome is an hour and a half away from Civitavecchia port. Expect to spend more money on tours that involve driving. Also expect that a good accessible driving tour (such as one that explores the Tuscan countryside) will be one of your favorite excursions.

8) Verify which of your ports require taking a shuttle bus to exit the port – Some ports combine commercial docks with passenger docks and don’t allow anyone to walk or roll out of the port due to safety reason. Before you put down a cruise deposit, confirm with the cruise line whether or not a shuttle is required to exit the port. Also verify whether or not these buses have wheelchair ramps (example of the accessible Athens port shuttle is shown on the right).

9) Maximize the limited amount of time you have to see a city – Cruise ships will arrive in port as early as 6 am. While you certainly don’t want to get an early start every day of your trip, you may want to prepare for a long day on occasion. This is especially true of large cities like Rome where you can’t even visit half of the city’s wonders in a day.

10) Spend some time sightseeing before and after your cruise – If you choose interesting embarkation and debarkation ports, it will be easy (and worthwhile) to spend a few days sightseeing at a slower pace before or after your cruise. It’s easy to spend 4 days in Rome, 3 days in Venice, or 5 days in London before or after your Europe accessible cruise!

Venice and London make great pre-/post-cruise destinations.

https://www.sagetraveling.com/clientfiles/image/Venice/OverviewPics/ST300_Disabled-Accessible-Travel-Venice-Italy.jpg

11) Visit multiple continents – Is there any easier way to visit multiple continents than a cruise? You could start your Europe disabled cruise in Venice, dock in Kusadasi to visit Asia, and spend a day in Africa in the port of Tunis….all without ever having to unpack your suitcase!

12) Choose a cruise with a day at sea (or two) – Spending a full day in a great port can make for a tiring day. Particularly when you’re visiting cities back to back to back (like the very popular Naples-Rome-Florence trifecta). You will enjoy your vacation more if you have some time to rest and relax. Pick a Europe disabled cruise with a day or two “at sea” to get a great mix of sightseeing and relaxation.

13) Get more off the beaten path on your second time in a city – Ports such as Rome, Naples, Livorno, Athens, and French Riviera, etc… have much more to see and do than is possible in a single one-day visit.

Sage Travel Tip: Be sure to explore the attractions that are
off-the-beaten path to feel like more of a local!
If you’ve already been to the Vatican and Colosseum,
check out the Capitoline Museums and the Borghese Gallery.

Already been to Pompeii? Drive to the top of Mt. Vesuvius or along the Amalfi Coast!

Florence is the main draw for Livorno,
but Lucca and San Gimignano are great small towns.

If you’ve already checked the Acropolis off your list,
take a scenic drive to see the Temple of Poseidon or go on Greek Cuisine tour.

If you’ve already visited Monaco or Nice,
a scenic drive of the coast is possible with an accessible French Riviera driving tour.

Take a visit to the island of Burano in Venice or the National Archeological Museum in Istanbul!

Get our 100% Free Accessible Travel Advice Newsletter

Learn the secrets of how to travel in Europe with a disability
Receive a €50 Accessible Travel Coupon for signing up!

"We could go on and on but this was the best trip that we could ask for. Our next trip will definitely be through you..."Read More...

"The Paris Accessibility Guide is the most valuable travel document I have ever encountered…"Read More...

"We had a splendid time in Europe, thanks to all your planning. We remarked again and again how difficult it would have been without your planning! Thanks again for the wonderful trip!"Read More...

"I wanted to let you and Mr. Sage know that we loved our accessible private tour of the Vatican…"Read More...

"Let me thank all you guys at Sage Traveling. I got my scooter in Berlin. It was a brand new Orion…"Read More...

"I am a wheelchair user and have just returned with my husband from a cruise which started in Istanbul and ended in Venice. The information you provided on both these cities was absolutely invaluable…"Read More...

"The hotel you recommended was very centrally located and within convenient walking distance to the Louvre and Notre Dame. We even walked to the Latin quarter and to the boat tour! Thank you again for making our trip a wonderful and manageable experience…"Read More...

"I just wanted to thank you for an excellent experience in Paris. The wheelchair was delivered exactly on time and we’ve been everywhere with it over the last two days…"Read More...

"We will certainly recommend your services to others and use you again in the future…"Read More...

Privacy | Security | Terms

Website design and development by Telezent