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What is the Most Accessible Cruise Line in Europe?

John Sage on a Celebrity CruiseFor many people, cruise travel is more accessible than land travel in several ways. In the Mediterranean, there are significant differences in ship accessibility.  Some of the ships sailing in the Mediterranean were built 20 years ago and have very poor accessibility features. Other ships are brand new in 2014! 

There are more than 40 cruise ships sailing in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas in Europe, but which cruise line is the most accessible? To answer this question, I took into account my #1 Rule of Accessible Cruising: 

“All other things being equal,
newer ships are more accessible ships” 

Accessibility is continually improving in the cruise industry. As newer cruise ships are built, new accessibility features are incorporated:

  • Ramps where stairs existed on previous ships
  • Flat paths where ramps existed on previous ships
  • Accessible seating in the front instead of the back of the theatre
  • Motion-activated instead of manual cabin doors
  • Motion-activated instead of manual doors to outdoor areas
  • Disabled lifts into pools and hot tubs where only stairs used to exist

When looking at the various cruise lines in the Mediterranean, one cruise line has the newest, most accessible ships…Celebrity Cruises. (It’s why I picked Celebrity for my 2014 escorted accessible cruise.) Other cruise lines have some older ships in Europe…Princess’ oldest ship in the Mediterranean is the Ocean Princess (2002), Royal Caribbean’s oldest ship is the Serenade of the Seas (2003), Norwegian’s oldest ship is the Norwegian Spirit (2004), and Holland America’s oldest ship is the ms Ryndam (1994). 

Celebrity has the newest, most accessible fleet in the Mediterranean:

  1. Celebrity Equinox – This Solstice Class ship was built in 2009 and has a passenger capacity of 2850. It has 29 accessible cabins, and sails 7 to 13 night cruises from Barcelona, Istanbul, and Venice.
  2. Celebrity Silhouette – This Solstice Class ship was built in 2011. It sails 7 night cruises from Venice, 11 to 13 night cruises from Venice, and 10 & 11 night Eastern Med cruises from Rome. It has 30 accessible cabins and can sail with 2886 passengers.
  3. Celebrity Reflection – This Solstice Class ship was built in 2012 and has 32 accessible cabins. It sails 10 & 11 night Eastern Mediterranean cruises from Rome and has a passenger capacity of 3046.

If you have any interest in an accessible cruise vacation this year, NOW is the time to book! You can book an accessible Celebrity cruise with us and choose 2 of these 3 FREE options:

  1. Free Beverage Package – Receive Classic Beverage Packages for two, including spirits, valued at $88 per day
  2. Free Gratuities – Receive pre-paid gratuities for two, value of up to $30 per day.
  3. Onboard Credit – Receive $100 for 3- to 5-night sailings. Receive $200 for 6- to 9-night sailings. Receive $300 for 10-night or more sailings.

This offer expires in 9 days on February 21, 2014.  Contact me or contact Helen at helen@sagetraveling.com for a free consultation about your accessible cruise options. 

Meet the Team

Each of the next few months I’ll be featuring one of our team members. This month it’s Donna Janczak, our most experienced employees! She was instrumental in getting Sage Traveling up and rolling. In our first year of existence, I handled all accessible trip planning. In our second year of existence (while I was still working full-time as an engineer), she handled almost all of our trips!  Since then, she has planned hundreds of accessible vacations & done a great job sharing the accessible trip planning tricks and tips with our new employees.

DonnaMy favorite accessible destination is Florence & Tuscany, because of the beautiful sculptures and art collection along with the most amazing countryside in Italy. I’d be happy to discuss your options so give me a call!” – Donna

 

 

Travel Wisely,

John Sage, Founder and President of Sage Traveling

Email: john@sagetraveling.com
Phone: US: 1-888-645-7920, UK: +44 20 3540 6155
Web: https://www.sagetraveling.com

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