Cruise Tips Continued, Part 3.

So for the last couple of weeks we have already covered cabins, destinations, dress codes, pre-paid gratuities  and dining options. This week I thought I would talk about guests with disabilities and also dietary needs.

These two subjects are quite important when you are choosing your first cruise.

Disabled Facilities :

I do speak to some guest who have never even looked at a cruise before only because they don’t know how the cruise lines would cater for their needs. Cruise lines offer a great way to get away for many disabled guests, as modern cruise ships offer fantastic facilities on board. Most cruise liners have disabled access cabins which range from Inside cabins up to suites, they  are much easier to get around in if you have limited mobility, they will have wider doors, a wet room and much more space than a standard cabin. If you require a hoist then these aren’t as standard in cabins and will need to be hired. One thing you do need to bear in mind that there are limited cabins for disabled passengers so you do need to book in advance to get the cabin you would prefer. If you aren’t confined to a wheelchair then some cruise lines will let you have a standard cabin and take your own manual wheelchair for use around the ship or on excursions. Some cruise lines do limit the amount of wheelchair users they will have on board the ship so again booking early is essential.

There are plenty of facilities around a ship for disabled passengers, there are ramps, lifts, hoists over swimming pools, wider doors and even the crew will do everything they can to help, including helping you board the ship, providing accessible tables in the theatres, restaurants and lounge bars. For the deaf and hard of hearing passengers the some ships will have text telephones, visual alert alarms, closed caption decoders on TVs and an assistive listening system in the cinemas.

If you travel with a service dog you must alert the cruise line before you travel. Service dogs are permitted on all cruise ships, although they may not be allowed to disembark in all ports. The menus will be in large print and braille and there will also be braille signs on elevator buttons and on the cabin signs.

For more information please follow the link below.

http://www.cruise.co.uk/guides/cruise-information-disabled-facilities/

Dietary Requirements :

Guest who have dietary requirements do need to inform their agent or cruise line of your needs. In my experience, most cruise liners are very accommodating for those guest who are on special diets. That’s because cruise lines make an effort to accommodate all passenger dietary needs and strive to provide delicious and suitable choices on request.  In general, cruise lines can provide food for vegetarian, vegan, low/no fat, low/no salt, lactose intolerant/dairy free, gluten- or wheat-free (celiac), low cholesterol, diabetic, Kosher and Halal diets, and also for allergies. While some diets can simply be accommodated by the extensive menu choices on board. Cruise lines carry certain limited supplies aboard, but you still need to make your requests as early as possible before sailing.

If you do need further help and advice regarding dietary requirements on board please have a look at one of my previous blogs :

http://www.cruise.co.uk/cruise-blogs/michellecruise/2012/07/11/cruising-with-special-diet-requirements/