The Accessibility of Cruises

Last week, my parents, aunt, and uncle and I were on a Royal Caribbean cruise that started in Port Canaveral. Oasis of the Seas, the ship on which we sailed, is mostly handicap accessible. (For those of you who like to gamble, I was disappointed to see there is only one handicap accessible blackjack table in the ship's casino with a pricey $10 minimum bet per hand. So, I played a couple of slot machines, which are barely accessible to wheelchair users after the slot machine chair is removed). I saw other people in power chairs and scooters, but I left my power chair at home and used my manual wheelchair instead because I was unsure about accessibility at the ports of call. My parents and I stayed in an accessible stateroom (a little bigger than a non-accessible stateroom) with sufficient space for me to maneuver my wheelchair.

Shortly after signing up for this cruise last summer, I stumbled upon a Lonely Planet article about accessibility in the Caribbean. The article, written by Ms. Wheelchair USA 2016 Sylvia Longmire, contains brief descriptions of two of the cruise's ports of call: Philipsburg, Sint Maarten (the Dutch western side of St. Martin) and San Juan, Puerto Rico. I was excited to go to these cities. Philipsburg is mainly flat with accessible sidewalks and entrances to restaurant and shops such as the Belgian Chocolate Box and Fudge House, where my dad and I picked up a few sweet treats before going back on our cruise ship. Cobblestones and steep streets make it challenging for wheelchair users to explore San Juan. However, wheelchair users can be transported in vans with lifts like Rico Sun Tours. If I had more than a few hours in San Juan, I would've utilized an accessible van service. My cruise's third port of call was Labadee, a private section of Haiti for Royal Caribbean cruisers. There is an accessible pathway to a pavilion by Dragon's Cafe where there is a beautiful view of the Caribbean Sea bordered by a beach with lightly colored sand.

My overall positive experience in Philipsburg, San Juan, and Labadee shows Caribbean cruises are possible for people with physical disabilities. For more information on accessibility in the Caribbean, go to https://www.lonelyplanet.com/caribbean/travel-tips-and-articles/surprise-everyone-can-explore-a-more-accessible-caribbean/40625c8c-8a11-5710-a052-1479d27691f8?utm_campaign=article&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_content=Surprise+Everyone+can+explore+a+more+accessible+Caribbean. Don't forget your passport!

Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas

(image from Wikimedia Commons)