I can't be everywhere and visit every location, so I need your help. Have you traveled where you have needed assistance for some disability? If so, give me your good experiences (who, where), and your bad experiences. In this way, we can improve the travel experience for those who need some form of assistance.
Thanks in advance.
Roger
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Cruising with Mobility Issues
We decided to do a “three hour cruise”. OK, so it was an 8-day cruise through the Caribbean (Virgin Islands, Bahamas) to celebrate our anniversary. We had traveled on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship before, so we were comfortable with the company. However, this was the first cruise where my mobility issues were a concern.
When we looked at the new ships and the changes, we found that Carnival has suites set aside for the mobility impaired. This is the good news. The bad news is that they are limited, so it was necessary to reserve our room well in advance of our travel date.
The room was oversized, with sufficient space to move from the entry door to the balcony door, between the bed and the vanity area, in a power chair or wheel chair. The entry door was motorized, eliminating the problems that we have getting through a typical door. The bath was fully tiled, with a roll-in shower area.
The staff of the ship was very helpful, and were always willing to help with food trays, moving of housekeeping trolleys to clear the hallway for access, and other services. For example, when we arrived at the terminal, we were moved past the long lines, and quickly processed for boarding.
This is not to say, all was rosy. There were problems, some minor and some major. Here are some of the more significant issues.
Do not rely on the cruise line to provide your transfer to the ship. We utilized the provider suggested by Carnival as part of their travel package, Greyhound bus lines. We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale Airport at approximately 11:30. The time for the trip between the airport and the cruise terminal is 10 minutes. You can actually see the cruise terminal from the airport. We were after 2 PM arriving at the cruise line terminal as there was only one bus with a wheel chair lift to handle all wheel chair travelers from both Miami and Ft. Lauderdale airports. The same 2 hour delay occurred when we left to return to the airport.
Check out such providers as Super Shuttle, and other local shuttle bus providers. Also, the local public transportation system connected between the airport and the cruise terminal, running every 10-15 minutes. So, take the initiative and do not rely on a secondary provider. As a representative from Carnival told me, “We contract for them to provide transfer service. We do not have any control over how they do it.”
On the ship, the pools and hot tubs are not handicapped-accessible. Simple changes can make these facilities readily available. The gangways are narrow, and can create problems with some access to the ports. If you are traveling to ports without dock access (transfer by small boats), you may not be able to transfer to the boats unless you can exit the wheelchair. At the various ports, the vehicles with lifts were non-existent. You had to be able to exit a wheel chair and climb into an open vehicle. This can be very difficult, as the vehicle beds are often 2-3 feet high, eliminating almost all island tour and travel activities.
It was discouraging, as a disabled individual and an advocate for the disabled, to see that the disabled still has far less access to typical amenities than others. However, I truly expect this to change.
On our ship, there were over 50 individuals that were in wheel chairs and power chairs, not counting those that were significantly impaired to the point of using walkers and similar amenities. The sheer numbers of the disabled using the ships will help move the providers to become more accessible to the disabled. Further, the fact that older individuals, who are more subject to illness and injury, which limits their mobility, are becoming a major portion of the cruising population will force the providers to become more aware of the needs of this population.
So, if you are considering a cruise, go ahead. The ships are far larger and much more advanced than those of the “Love Boat” era, and feature many more amenities. Just take the time to fully check out the amenities available for the disabled, and plan accordingly. Early planning will lead to an enjoyable time.
When we looked at the new ships and the changes, we found that Carnival has suites set aside for the mobility impaired. This is the good news. The bad news is that they are limited, so it was necessary to reserve our room well in advance of our travel date.
The room was oversized, with sufficient space to move from the entry door to the balcony door, between the bed and the vanity area, in a power chair or wheel chair. The entry door was motorized, eliminating the problems that we have getting through a typical door. The bath was fully tiled, with a roll-in shower area.
The staff of the ship was very helpful, and were always willing to help with food trays, moving of housekeeping trolleys to clear the hallway for access, and other services. For example, when we arrived at the terminal, we were moved past the long lines, and quickly processed for boarding.
This is not to say, all was rosy. There were problems, some minor and some major. Here are some of the more significant issues.
Do not rely on the cruise line to provide your transfer to the ship. We utilized the provider suggested by Carnival as part of their travel package, Greyhound bus lines. We arrived at Ft. Lauderdale Airport at approximately 11:30. The time for the trip between the airport and the cruise terminal is 10 minutes. You can actually see the cruise terminal from the airport. We were after 2 PM arriving at the cruise line terminal as there was only one bus with a wheel chair lift to handle all wheel chair travelers from both Miami and Ft. Lauderdale airports. The same 2 hour delay occurred when we left to return to the airport.
Check out such providers as Super Shuttle, and other local shuttle bus providers. Also, the local public transportation system connected between the airport and the cruise terminal, running every 10-15 minutes. So, take the initiative and do not rely on a secondary provider. As a representative from Carnival told me, “We contract for them to provide transfer service. We do not have any control over how they do it.”
On the ship, the pools and hot tubs are not handicapped-accessible. Simple changes can make these facilities readily available. The gangways are narrow, and can create problems with some access to the ports. If you are traveling to ports without dock access (transfer by small boats), you may not be able to transfer to the boats unless you can exit the wheelchair. At the various ports, the vehicles with lifts were non-existent. You had to be able to exit a wheel chair and climb into an open vehicle. This can be very difficult, as the vehicle beds are often 2-3 feet high, eliminating almost all island tour and travel activities.
It was discouraging, as a disabled individual and an advocate for the disabled, to see that the disabled still has far less access to typical amenities than others. However, I truly expect this to change.
On our ship, there were over 50 individuals that were in wheel chairs and power chairs, not counting those that were significantly impaired to the point of using walkers and similar amenities. The sheer numbers of the disabled using the ships will help move the providers to become more accessible to the disabled. Further, the fact that older individuals, who are more subject to illness and injury, which limits their mobility, are becoming a major portion of the cruising population will force the providers to become more aware of the needs of this population.
So, if you are considering a cruise, go ahead. The ships are far larger and much more advanced than those of the “Love Boat” era, and feature many more amenities. Just take the time to fully check out the amenities available for the disabled, and plan accordingly. Early planning will lead to an enjoyable time.
Gridiron Heros
Every year, promising high school athletes are paralyzed by freak accidents. Chris Canales was paralyzed in the last game of 2001 with less than four minutes to go. A simple tackle turned a life of promise into a struggle for survival. At the Texas State 3A final, Cory Fulbright of Everman High was at the pinnacle of his football career. One moment, the crowd is cheering, the next, he was lying on the ground, unable to move, paralyzed from the neck down.
For these two men and their families, the struggles still continue. Physical and medical needs are overwhelming. Costs will run between $500,000 and $1M for the first year just for medical care. Then there is the need for ventilators, hydraulic lifts, home remodeling (doors, baths, ramps), transportation (vehicles, wheel chair lifts), and daily care.
If the family has insurance, they quickly hit the maximum for their benefits, both for the year and for the total policy. Further, the insurance companies often have clauses such as “the company will pay for such care and durable equipment as the company deems appropriate and allowable”, which allows the insurance company to disallow such items as power wheelchairs, or limit the payment to six months of the rental of a wheel chair. Medicare and Medicaid have significant limitations on what they will pay.
Finally, unless the family happens to live in a county that has a public hospital, there is no hospital that will accept the disabled athlete for treatment.
At first glance, one would think that the school district would bear some responsibility for the athletes. However, very few districts carry catastrophic insurance policies for the athletes (cost) and the school districts are generally considered to be exempt from lawsuits for such injuries.
One individual is trying to make a difference. Eddie Canales, father of Chris Canales, has been trying to bring the plight of these, and other disabled athletes in Texas to the attention of the public. Driving around in an old van with a battered poster of some 14 paralyzed high school football players, his organization “Gridiron Heroes” is trying to help change things.
He is trying to raise $100,000 per year for his non-profit foundation. The money is used for wheel chairs and specially equipped vans for the kids.
“When the horse Barbaro went down, the racehorse community raised millions of dollars. We need to get to the point in the football community where we value the human injured athletes as much or more as the racehorse community values a fine animal,” he said.
I salute Eddie Canales. He is trying to help those less fortunate than himself, to make a difference. If you would like to see what Eddie is trying to accomplish, you can visit the website of Gridiron Heroes at http://www.gridironheroes.org/
For these two men and their families, the struggles still continue. Physical and medical needs are overwhelming. Costs will run between $500,000 and $1M for the first year just for medical care. Then there is the need for ventilators, hydraulic lifts, home remodeling (doors, baths, ramps), transportation (vehicles, wheel chair lifts), and daily care.
If the family has insurance, they quickly hit the maximum for their benefits, both for the year and for the total policy. Further, the insurance companies often have clauses such as “the company will pay for such care and durable equipment as the company deems appropriate and allowable”, which allows the insurance company to disallow such items as power wheelchairs, or limit the payment to six months of the rental of a wheel chair. Medicare and Medicaid have significant limitations on what they will pay.
Finally, unless the family happens to live in a county that has a public hospital, there is no hospital that will accept the disabled athlete for treatment.
At first glance, one would think that the school district would bear some responsibility for the athletes. However, very few districts carry catastrophic insurance policies for the athletes (cost) and the school districts are generally considered to be exempt from lawsuits for such injuries.
One individual is trying to make a difference. Eddie Canales, father of Chris Canales, has been trying to bring the plight of these, and other disabled athletes in Texas to the attention of the public. Driving around in an old van with a battered poster of some 14 paralyzed high school football players, his organization “Gridiron Heroes” is trying to help change things.
He is trying to raise $100,000 per year for his non-profit foundation. The money is used for wheel chairs and specially equipped vans for the kids.
“When the horse Barbaro went down, the racehorse community raised millions of dollars. We need to get to the point in the football community where we value the human injured athletes as much or more as the racehorse community values a fine animal,” he said.
I salute Eddie Canales. He is trying to help those less fortunate than himself, to make a difference. If you would like to see what Eddie is trying to accomplish, you can visit the website of Gridiron Heroes at http://www.gridironheroes.org/
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