Imagine a scenario where you would like to take a river cruise?
You would have a few options. On the other hand, imagine a scenario where you needed to take a river cruise and you have physical limitations.
What influence would this have on your alternatives?
Accessible Travel refers to having the capacity to address the issues of people with physical disabilities. This includes hearing and visually impaired as well as those with mobility issues, which tend to be more mind boggling, especially for those travelers who are wheelchair-bound. With the end goal of this article, we will concentrate on travellers with constrained physical versatility.
Some choices can make river cruises feasible for very nearly anybody. So in the event that you or somebody you know has physical confinements, you will be happy to realise that a percentage of the cruise lines have lodges that are wheelchair available, wheelchair lifts, wide passageways and wheelchair open outings.
Shockingly, large portions of the significant river cruise organisations don’t have cabins on any of their boats. This incorporates AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Uniworld and Viking River Cruises. The majority of the river pontoons have lifts however are not generally outfitted for travelers with constrained portability.
There are a couple organisations in Europe and the United States that offer accessible travel on some of their river boats. In Europe there are options on traditional river cruise ships as well as barge river boats. On the off chance that you are new to a barge, it is a smaller boat that has the capacity go along channels and conduits that are not safe by bigger river vessels. Barge vessels more often than not convey somewhere around 6 and 12 travellers.
River Cruise Companies that Offer Accessible Travel Options
Recorded beneath are the river cruise organisations in Europe that have available cabins on some of their boats.
CroisiEurope
Seine River – Ships: MS Botticelli and MS France
Rhine and Danube Rivers – Ships: MS Beethoven, MS Gérard Schmitter, MS L’Europe, MS Lafayette, MS Modigliani, MS Vivaldi
Garonne and Dordogne Rivers in France – Ship: MS Cyrano de Bergerac
Guadalquivir and Guadian Rivers in Spain – Ship: MS La Belle de Cadix Shearings
MS Alegria cruises on the Rhine River and the Dutch and Belgian Waterways.
Scenic Cruises has open lodges on all of 13 of its ships that cruise the conduits in Europe and Russia.
European Waterways (barge cruising)
La Nouvelle Etoile cruises in Holland from March through May, Burgundy in June and July, and in Germany and Luxembourg in September and October.
Barge Charters (barge cruising)
La Reine Pedauque in Burgundy, France
For river cruises in the United States, the American Queen Steamboat Company has some available travel alternatives. Both the American Queen on the Mississippi River and the American Empress on the Columbia and Snakes Rivers have wheelchair cabins.
Please note that even though these companies have designated cabins for accessible travel, there are a limited number available on each ship. And each cruise company varies with the level of assistance they will provide with regard to airport transfers, getting on and off the ship, making special accommodations for tours and excursions, and other things not mentioned. To determine the level of service provided, you can contact the cruise lines directly or find a travel agent that specializes in Accessible Travel.
Other Considerations For Travelers With Physical Limitations
While you might be able find a cruise ship that can accommodate physical mobility issues, there are a few other things to take into consideration if you would like to take a river cruise.
Most companies only allow wheelchairs that are collapsible. Some do not allow motorised wheelchairs.
- Solo travel is generally not an option. You will be required to travel with another passenger who can assist you.
- When your boat docks at each new port, there may be times when you will not be able to leave the ship if you are unable to walk and must be carried on and off the boat in a wheelchair. If the cruise line staff is unable to assist and determines it’s unsafe, you will be required to stay on the ship at that port.
- Some of the tours, particularly in Europe, require a lot of walking across cobblestone streets, up stairs and hills, and through narrow passageways both inside and outside buildings.
- You might need to arrange your own airport transfers and tours with companies that can accommodate wheelchair transport. (This is where a travel agent who specializes in Accessible Travel can be very helpful.)
River cruises are not suggested for everybody, particularly for the individuals who have physical difficulties and would rather not manage a portion of the hindrances. Notwithstanding, in the event that you are willing to look past the difficulties you may experience in readiness of and amid your trek, then completely, yes, go for it. Despite the fact that you may be to some degree restricted, you will in any case have the capacity to cruise along the river through the heart of numerous urban communities, appreciate the wonderful landscape along the way, and taste the numerous territorial dishes served served onboard the ship.
