Cruising for a Fall

by Andy Vladimir

Fall is the time to think about heading south — preferably to the Caribbean if you can afford it. And this is the year to go. The major cruise lines have introduced a number of new ships, which means they have a lot of empty berths to fill. That translates into bargain prices if you shop around.

Monarch of the Seas

The author is transferred into the pool on the Adventure of the Seas.

My current cruise of choice (by a long shot) is on one of the new Voyager Class ships of Royal Caribbean. If you have any sort of disability at all, these ships will blow your socks off. Ive just returned from a few days in Puerto Rico and a week in the southern Caribbean on the Adventure of the Seas, and it was the most accessible vacation Ive ever had.

This 142,000-ton megaship is the largest cruise ship Ive ever been on and the first that was designed from the hull up to accommodate people with mobility problems. With the exception of my cabin door, there wasnt a door on this ship I had to pull a handle to open. Almost all of the doors, even those to the outside decks, open automatically. There are no thresholds to cross, either.

Imagine accessible public bathrooms where you push two buttons, one to open the outside door and another to open the door to the accessible stall. You press more buttons to leave.

But I havent told you the best part yet.

I go on cruises all the time, and Im surrounded by water. But of course I cant go in it. Thats not a problem on this ship. Royal Caribbean has installed two chair lifts on the lido deck — one for the main swimming pool and one for the Jacuzzi. I just rolled up to the pool and two attendants transferred me to the chair and lowered me in.

After my swim and Jacuzzi I rolled into the first accessible steam bath and sauna Ive ever been in — afloat or on land. Obviously steam rooms arent good environments for electric scooters, but this one has wide doors and room to maneuver inside. My friend Mario went in with me, helped me transfer to a regular seat and then rolled my scooter out again. Ten minutes later he brought it back in for me.

The ship even has a roll-in shower with a built-in seat right in the locker room. If this array of facilities exists anywhere else, Im not aware of it.

A Ship With Everything

Now for the rest of the ship. Imagine a vessel the length of a 17-car freight train, and twice as wide as Broadway in New York with a shopping mall running straight down the middle.

Imagine a ship with 26 accessible cabins, many with balconies.

Imagine a ship with an ice-skating rink and a rock-climbing wall. These may not be your cup of tea, but theyll be fun for your family and friends. And if youre feeling competitive, you can challenge everyone to a minigolf game on the specially designed accessible course.

Our cabin was terrific. It was the size of one and a half regular cabins, which gave me lots of room to maneuver. We even had a sofa, an easy chair and a minifridge, as well as twin beds with space underneath them. Our balcony was ramped over the threshold and was large enough for me to turn around on. The bathroom had a roll-in shower, lots of grab bars and, again, room to move around. There were lowered bars in the closets, phones, and emergency buttons in the cabin and bathroom. Of course, there was a TV set with a remote.

The food was first-rate (unless you hate things like lobster bisque, escargots bourguignonne, beef tenderloin, New York steak, duck à lorange and sesame-crusted salmon). There was more of it, including luscious desserts and ice creams available 24 hours a day, than you and I together can possibly imagine.

There was also a special alternate Italian restaurant, and my favorite — a Johnny Rockets hamburger diner. Whats more, the hamburgers, fries, chili and everything else on the menu were included in the cruise price. You can sit there and eat all day. The only thing they charge for are the shakes. And, of course, the waiters do dance routines while they arent serving.

The entertainment is family style. The Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers do medleys — everything from a tribute to the Beatles to movie and show music of the last 40 years. Theres a magician, a comedian, an acrobat and a spectacular ice show.

If you want to get away from your kids or they want to get away from you, the ship offers comprehensive programs tailored for five age groups, the youngest 3-5, the oldest 15-17. Programs run all day, and at night there are baby-sitting services (both group and in-cabin for children over 6 months) and a private nightclub for the teens. They also have their own restaurant serving everything from alphabet soup to fried chicken, pizza, hamburgers and, best of all, ice cream!

Royal Caribbean has four Voyager-class ships in its fleet and a fifth one, Mariner of the Seas, debuting in October. One of them will be offering cruises from New York City to the Bahamas in 2004.

Puerto Rico — Without Barriers

Andy Vladimir enters the Sea Without Barriers facility in Puerto Rico.

Our cruise started in San Juan. I wanted to spend some extra time in Puerto Rico to explore it as an accessible destination. With the help of Puerto Ricos very efficient tourism authority I arranged to visit some special sites that we all might enjoy.

In San Juan I stayed at the Marriott hotel in the Condado section on the beach. The hotels accessible swimming pool uses a ramp and special wheelchair so you can just roll right in and enjoy yourself. Its a lovely resort in a fine location, and near some of San Juans best restaurants and shops.

My first destination was Luquillo Beach, about 30 miles out of town. Luquillo is one of the prettiest beaches in the entire Caribbean, with miles of pure, white sand and turquoise water surrounded by elegant palm trees. Its also the home of a unique facility you wont find anywhere else — the Sea Without Barriers (Mara Sin Barreras).

Here the government of Puerto Rico has constructed a pavilion for the sole purpose of helping people with disabilities and senior citizens enjoy the sea. There are special beach wheelchairs and lifeguards who will transfer you from your wheelchair and accompany you right into the water. They took me swimming — the first time in years Ive been able to enjoy the Caribbeans waters the way theyre meant to be enjoyed. For more information call (787) 889-4329.

Next we visited El Yunque — the Puerto Rican rain forest. This U.S. National Forest is accessible and well worth a visit. A modern visitors center has exhibits about ecology and the plants, animals and birds to be found. There are some excellent paved trails as well.

I asked to visit a remote, out-of-the way parador (a Puerto Rican inn) that was accessible, and they suggested the Villas del Mar Hau, in the town of Isabela at the other end of the island. This parador is really a collection of fully furnished beach cottages and a romantic restaurant right on the ocean.

Two of the cottages are wheelchair-friendly. Theyre ramped and have wide doors, but the bathroom lacks maneuvering space. These cottages sleep up to four people so you can bring the family. Because its off the beaten track the rates are reasonable — $131.38 per night per cottage including breakfast for all four.

The Hau offers a fall special (September-November): Pay for two nights and get the third free. The inn is about 2H hours from San Juan and can arrange accessible or other transportation for you. The best way is to rent a car or minivan and drive yourself if you can manage it. Call the Hau at (787) 872-2045.

Other Ports of Call

A swimmer enjoys Sea Without Barriers with the aid of a beach wheelchair.

Our first cruise port after leaving San Juan on a Sunday evening was St. Thomas.

Ive always regarded St. Thomas as one of the most beautiful but most inaccessible islands in the Caribbean. All that has changed because of the efforts of one company, Accessible Adventures.

These people operate regular 2-to-2½-hour tours through St. Thomas and St. Johns on specially built sightseeing trolleys, each of which has a lift and room for up to three wheelchairs. Whats more, Accessible Adventures even paid part of the cost to install a lift at the islands most scenic stop, the Mountaintop, so that visitors can descend from the gift shop to the observation deck and savor a famous banana daiquiri (invented on this very spot!).

This company also rents beach wheelchairs so you can go for a dip at another fabled Caribbean beach, Magens Bay.

The tour cost is $32 for adults and $22 for children. Tours are available through most cruise lines, or you can also book them directly on the Web site, www.accessvi.com, or by calling toll-free (866) 282-7223.

After St. Thomas we cruised to St. Maarten, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. All were beautiful, and we found something to see or do on each of them from taking an accessible catamaran ride to visiting a historic naval fortress once commanded by Lord Nelson.

While all of the Voyager-class ships have attractive itineraries, I particularly like this one. All new Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships soon will have pool lifts and other amenities especially for persons with disabilities. I support them and I hope you will, too.

To send feedback or questions about "To Boldly Go," write to Andy Vladimir in care of Quest or at andyvlad@bellsouth.net.