Alaska is another option. There's an awful lot to see from the ship without getting off — glaciers, whales, porpoises, bald eagles, majestic mountains and even an occasional moose. And if you disembark you're in an American port, which is almost always easier to move around in. The tours in Alaska are more accessible as well. You can even land on a glacier in a special helicopter that has a lift.

If you're interested in history and culture try the Mediterranean. However, remember that European ports, cities and museums haven't been designed with wheelchairs in mind. Again, special arrangements for accessible vans can often be made, depending on the country.

Getting the Best Deal

Here are a few points to consider when cruise shopping: Some 95 percent of cruises are sold through travel agencies. The reason is that a cruise is a complicated product to sell. The main reason has to do with pricing.

Inside cabins cost less than outside cabins. Cabins on deck 3 cost less than cabins on deck 10, which cost less than cabins on deck 12. Some outside cabins have an obstructed view, others don't. Some cabins are bigger, some have verandas. At certain times of the year cruises have lower prices. Some itineraries are more expensive.

So, it isn't unusual for a cruise to offer as many as 36 prices for the same type of cabin on the same ship. You need a professional to guide you through this process and it takes some time.

Cruise lines pay travel agents an average of about 14 percent commission to sell cruises for them. In order to assist agents in the selling process they print a price in their brochures, which is the recommended retail price. But no one ever pays that — it's like the sticker price on a car. What you do pay is further complicated by the fact that different agencies get different commission rates — depending on factors such as how many cruises they sell each year for a given line and how competitive their particular market is.

On a $2,000 cruise, agency A may be getting a commission of 10 percent or $200, while agency B right down the street may be getting 17 percent or $340. Now here's the rub. Agency B may chose to rebate some of that commission in order to offer really low prices. That means they can sell the same cruise for $140 less and still make the same commission as agency A! So how do you get the best price?

The answer is: Shop around. Ask three travel agencies and you may get three different prices for the same cabin on the same cruise.

At the moment a great many new ships are being introduced so cruise lines have more capacity than demand. That means discounting is widespread, by the lines and by the agents. In order to fill ships the lines are offering deeper discounts for booking early, for sailing on certain dates and for certain itineraries where sales are soft.

It's a buyer's market, but you need to do your homework before making a deposit. Many travel agents market aggressively with Web sites and toll-free numbers. Some of the best deals around are to be found this way. But the tradeoff is that you lose the benefit of the counseling a professional agent can provide.

Taking the First Step

Ready to take a cruise yet? If you are, you need some brochures so you can pick your ship and your itinerary. If you're connected to the Internet you're in luck. All of the lines mentioned in this article have Web sites (see Resources, at right). Some Web sites offer virtual tours of the ships, and Princess even has a Web camera on the bridge of each of its ships all over the world!

One final caveat: The lower your expectations the better your cruise experience will be. On a ship that's designed mainly for able-bodied people, not everything will be perfect for the disabled traveler. I'm not satisfied with wheelchair seating in many showrooms. Some accessible cabins and bathrooms don't work very well for me and may not work for you either. If you use a device like a Hoyer lift you need to make certain there's space under the bed.

If you require a special diet, ask for it. If you need special equipment such as a place to refrigerate medicine, or a hypodermic disposal bin, tell the cruise line when you book your trip. In most instances they'll go the extra mile to accommodate you — maybe even more!