Europe River Cruising for Wheelchair Travellers
February 5, 2010 by Helen Page
Filed under Riverboats
European River Boats with Wheelchair-accessible Cabins:
Europe River Cruises - River boat
From the queries we see and from our own personal experience, it’s clear that finding information on European river cruises that cater to travellers with mobility problems was not an easy task in the past. In 2005 when we took my 89 year-old mother-in-law (Barbara) on the Amsterdam to Budapest river cruise, none of the river boats (including the fairly new ones at that time) had elevators and the only access from deck to deck was via the stairs.
Whilst Barbara was not wheelchair-bound, she could only walk slowly and climbing steps was difficult for her. We overcame the problem as best we could by booking her a stateroom that was on the same level as the restaurant and which had French windows so that she was able to enjoy all the views and the sunshine from the comfort of her room. To get up to the sundeck or down to the reception, we helped her along, taking things quite slowly so she felt comfortable making those trips.
Many ocean cruisers have cabins that are equipped with facilities for wheelchair-bound travellers, but river boats generally didn’t have them. Understandably, river boats are much smaller vessels than the ocean-going ships and space is an issue.
That was in 2005, and it’s good to see that many of the modern river boats now have elevators, however this still dosen’t solve the problem for travellers who are wheelchair-bound as the cabins are not “wheelchair-accessible”.
One river cruise operator, I checked with (Scenic Tours) confirmed that all of their ships feature elevators and have wheelchair-accessible cabins. Note that Scenic Tours have one of the most advanced fleet of river boats which they call “space-ships”. The MS Scenic Ruby, Scenic Diamond, Scenic Emerald and Scenic all feature outside balconies, whereas many of the other river boats would only have French windows, if at all.
Scenic River Boat - Outside Balconies
Scenic Tours say that they will “strive to the extent feasible, to accommodate guests with disabilities and mobility challenges”. This is the advice I received from a representative of Scenic Tours:
- Scenic has a beautiful Junior Suite (302) with a balcony which has wheelchair facilities for wheelchair- bound passengers. This suite is close to the reception and near the lift.
- The doors have been widened to allow access by a standard size wheelchair. The space in the room allows for easy manoeuvring of a wheelchair and there is a power point next to the bed. You can enjoy the view from your private balcony although there is a small lip onto the balcony level.
- There is a wheel-in shower and a stool provided for showering as well as a rail on the wall for further assistance.
- Lifts – Unlike a lot of river cruising ships the lifts on Scenic’s ships have access to the two main decks and this provides full access on these two decks which have reception, restaurants, shop, bar and lounge. Only the top outside deck, the Moselle deck and the Wellness Centre (including the hairdresser) are not accessible by the lift.
- Wheelchairs – Passengers confined to their wheelchairs must provide their own collapsible chair. It should be noted that only standard size wheelchairs can be accommodated on board.
Apart from the specific wheelchair-accessible cabins, all other cabins cannot be accessed by a wheelchair.
Other River Cruise Operators
Relaxing on the Sundeck
Uniworld does not have handicapped or wheelchair-accessible cabins. There are elevators on the River Princess, River Queen, River Empress, River Duchess and River Countess. On the River Queen, the elevator does not reach all decks.
AMA Waterways do not have wheelchair-accessible cabins. There are elevators on the MS Amacello, MS Amadagio, MS Amadante, MS Amadolce, MS Amadouro, MS Amalegro, MS Amalyra
Avalon/Globus do not have wheelchair-accessible cabins. There are elevators on the Avalon Affinity, Creativity and Scenery only.
Viking does not have wheelchair-accessible cabins. Of their huge fleet, only the Viking Danube and Viking Sky have elevators.
So if you’re looking for a European river boat with wheelchair-accessible cabins, Scenic Tours are the best equipped to cater for passengers with disabilities and mobility challenges. At least there is now one European river cruise operator who provides for travellers who use wheelchairs.
But before you rush off to make your booking, be aware that river cruising involves a fair amount of shore excursions and walking on cobblestone streets. To make sure that there are no issues with your travel, you should discuss with the river cruise operator your personal needs and the the feasibility of doing some shore excursions, if that’s a requirement for you. The good thing about cruising down the Rhine, Danube or any of the European rivers is that the scenery is spectacular and you actually see a lot from the river boat. So even if you can’t do many shore excursions, river cruising in Europe is still very enjoyable and worthwhile doing.
Read more about European river cruising
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