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Some of the ports we stop at are tender ports. This means you cannot walk or roll off the ship. You have to get in a small boat (tender) and get shuttled over to the pier. We have not felt comfortable taking a wheelchair on any of the tenders and Carnival does not recommend it either. The ports that we have been to that are inaccessible to wheelchairs are Avalon, Catalina Island and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. There is no American Disabilities Act in Mexico and as a result there are few sidewalk ramps. There are also lots of cobblestone streets. The cobblestones can yank the rubber off the wheels of regular wheelchairs. It happened to us in Puerto Vallarta. St. Maarten in the Eastern Caribbean can be a problem because all the beaches except one are accessible only by shuttle vans with no wheel chair lift. Phillipsburg where we dock is accessible by a long walk or by rolling and there is a nice beach in town. There are no wheelchair lifts on any of the buses or shuttle vans that we need to use in Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta. Ensenada is accessible without the use of a shuttle van. You can roll off the ship and roll into town without much of a problem. We do recommend an off road or all terrain wheel chair. We also require that anyone in a wheelchair bring a personal attendant. We will have to adjust the price of the tour accordingly but will give you the best (cheapest) price we can. We want to custom design a tour that will take into consideration some of the limitations that cruising would impose on our wheelchair members. Because you are in a wheelchair does not mean you should not go on a cruise. Carnival has a special needs department and Isabel Bernal has been wonderful in getting us wheelchair accessible cabins. You have access to everything on board the ship including the great shows, the food, shopping etc. We want everyone to have a great time including our wheelchair members. |
(window) cabin. If we are booked into an upper deck we will allow staff into a balcony if it means we can keep everyone together around us. Balcony cabins are now a very high percentage of the available cabins on board the newer ships but we do not feel comfortable with our members using them without supervision. We do allow our members access to the balcony with staff. It is fun to use when arriving into and leaving a port. When our members are on the upper outside decks there is always staff present.
Medicare works everywhere in the United States. That includes Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Medi-cal which is issued by the State of California is useless outside the state. Kaiser and other HMO's can be questionable outside their designated territories. Since we are outside the United States for a portion of every cruise we cover everyone in the group including the tour escorts with a travel insurance policy from Travel Guard which includes medical insurance to a certain limit and medical evacuation. Check them out at www.travelguard.com. They also have policies for our members traveling from Canada.
A duffel bag with wheels and an extending handle measuring 15" X 30" approximately is just fine. Anything bigger is not necessary. You can get one for around $30 - $40 at COSTCO or WalMart Etc. Remember you are going on vacation, you are not moving, so pack light. It is warm down in the Caribbean even during December so you can leave your heavy sweaters and jeans at home. Everyone will receive a packing list and it is a great idea to go by that. Do not pack anything sharp into your carry on bag. Also leave your pocket knives at home. TSA security will find them and it will delay all of us while you try and explain to them why you have one. The weight of the bag when packed cannot be any more than 50 lbs.
No problem. It is fantastic if you get your meds blister packed for the trip. Your pharmacy knows what that is. We cannot give you your medication. We can remind you to take it, but you have to be able to self medicate. We do have a medication chart which your tour staff will help you with and it can be returned to your care provider, Q, or your parents. You prescription has to be printed on your bottles or on the blister pack. DO NOT PACK YOUR MEDICATION INTO YOUR CHECK IN BAG. Keep it on you or give it to your tour staff.
The ships we travel on are so big that you can hardly feel them moving. There is a doctor and a medical station on board and if anyone does get queasy they can provide us with some medication to make you feel better.
Yes. You can get to us through the operator at the cruise line. You need the name of the ship and the passengers name. It is not cheap. $9.50 per minute! Our cell phones now work while we are on most ships but they will be roaming. Check with your carrier to see what the roaming charges will be! When we are on a road trip you can get a hold of us at any time. Most of our members and all of our staff have cell phones. On board the ship we use 2 way radios for communicating. All the staff have one and any of our members who can use them will also have one.
We include just about everything the listed price does not. Included are hotel charges, port taxes, fuel surcharges, air fare, gratuities, shore
Also included is ground transportation between the airport, seaport and hotel. 8. Why are your prices so much cheaper than some of the other organizations that are doing this? We are pricing our trips from a major transportation center (Los Angeles) while other organizations have to price their trips from wherever they are based. Organizations on the east coast would have cheaper Caribbean cruises than us because they are obviously closer to Miami / Ft Lauderdale. Our trips to the Mexican Riviera would be cheaper than theirs. Other organizations on the west coast may not be based in a major transportation hub and would have to include transportation from where they are located. We can take advantage of being close to BUR / LAX / LGB and the Port of Long Beach. We also avoid traveling during the major holidays. 9. Can we get a passport card instead of a regular passport book? NO. In case of an emergency and we have to fly someone back to the USA you will need a regular passport book in order to board an aircraft. PLEASE get the Passport Book. 10. How do you prevent someone who cannot drink alcohol from getting a drink from one of the several bars on board a ship? With a Sharpie Pen. In order to get a drink on board a ship you have to show your Sign and Sail Card. We write NO ALCOHOL with a water proof Sharpie on the card. We also talk to the bartenders to back up what is on the card. Most of our members take meds that cannot be mixed with alcohol. Some of our members can have alcohol and they keep it at one or two a day. There are non-alcoholic versions of most of the drinks on board. The strawberry daiquiri becomes the strawberry smoothie etc. and our members do get those! 11. With all the drug related violence aren't you afraid to go to Mexico? Most of the ongoing trouble is right along the border with the United States. We stopped going across into Tijuana from San Diego back in the 1980's. We used to go over to eat lunch and shop but it was difficult for our guys to answer all the questions that the US immigration officers would ask. This was before we had to have a passport to get across. Today we would not even think about going into T.J. Where the cruise ships dock on the Mexican Riviera cruise are actually very nice areas. The beach we use in Puerto Vallarta is right next to the port and is a short walk from the ship. The beach is lined with very upscale resort hotels. We need a van in Mazatlan because the docks are in an industrial zone. There we always use Humberto Ruiz who takes us on a tour of the old city. Then we drive to the resort hotel area along the beach called the Golden Zone. We always stop to see the cliff divers on the way back to the ship. At no time have we felt uncomfortable. Humberto knows everyone in Mazatlan and they are all very friendly. The port in Cabo is also very nice and walkable. If we have a beach crowd we can just walk or take a water taxi to a beautiful beach again lined with resort hotels. We are cancelling any cruises going into Jamaica until further notice. Although the trouble there is the same as Mexico (drug related) and it is on the other side of the island from where the ships dock it is a little too close for comfort. We have never had any problems in the Eastern Caribbean. Two of the islands where the ship docks are US Territory and the third island is under the jurisdiction of the Netherlands and France. We are and will continue to monitor all the places we visit on an ongoing basis. |
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cannot weigh more than 50lbs. Pack light! 2. Do not pack your medication into your check in bag. Pack it into your carry on bag or turn it over to your tour staff. Remember to bring your written prescription. 3. Bring Number 50 or higher sun block. Anything less will not work very well down in the Caribbean or the Mexican Riviera 4. Beach towels are provided by the cruise line. They can be used on board and off the ship. You do NOT have to bring one. |