Cerebral Palsy Society of New Zealand

Wheelchair Cruising on P&O Cruise lines
Have you been thinking about taking a holiday out of New Zealand but hate the thought of getting on and off planes with someone in a wheelchair? (Trying to push a wheelchair and luggage cart from place to place just didn’t seem like my idea of a great holiday) So when a friend invited us to join her on an 8 day cruise, it sounded like something we could do. In the end four of us gathered on the dock for our Pacific Ocean adventure. P&O have a few wheelchair accessible cabins but it does pay to book early. Ours was excellent. It was wide enough that Mandy could do a U turn between the bunks. The two top bunks could be folded back for easier access in dressing her. The cabin’s shower area, which included a pull down seat, was easily accessible. The pressure in the shower was fantastic... wish mine at home was so good. The only negative was the water ran over the drains so the whole floor became extremely wet. The toilet had a seat extension and there was another seat to sit on while dressing.	CP Society members Lynn and Mandy Slade put P & O Cruise lines to the accessibility test
There were also plenty of rails around the room which sure came in handy when the weather was rough. One word of warning! The red cord is NOT the extractor fan. One of my cabin mates pulled it trying to clear stream off the mirror and then had two very big security guards banging on the door asking if she was ok. Poking her head out she noticed a flashing blue light twirling above our door. Embarrassed she had to explain what she had done. The security men saw the humour in it and told her to go back and pull it once more to turn it off. Getting around the ship wasn’t a problem at all except in the very top area where there was no wheelchair access. There were several sets of lifts on all floors and you soon got to know which one took you to the part of the ship that you wanted to go to so you could take a short cut and avoid the congestion spots. The dining areas were no problem either. Breakfast was from 7am till 10am so there was plenty of time to either get there early and get a seat or wait till the main crowd went and then have a later breakfast. Lots of choices with hot food, cereals, toast, rolls, and fresh fruits. Lunch was in a similar vein spreading over a 3 hour period. Dinner was in a beautiful dining room on the 3rd level with a menu from a different country each night. If you didn’t like what was on the menu there was a choice of two other venues at which you could dine. You had to pay for these meals but the prices were quite reasonable. We never did get to dine at the Steak House as it was always booked well in advance and we never decided on where to eat till the last minute.
Activities for those with limited abilities weren’t many but that was ok as we already knew that this would probably be the case. Some of the shows were great others not so good. The island visits, for Mandy weren’t possible as the Tender boats are only accessible for those who are able to climb up and down steps but with assistance from the crew she was able to go ashore at Port Villa and have a look around the markets that were on the dock (no wheelchair accessible taxis available to get around the island). I must say that I cannot fault the staff on the ship and the support crew on the ground. Everyone was extremely helpful as were many of the passengers. One nice lady even went down with Mandy to help her play bingo when I was unwell due to sea sickness. I would recommend a holiday cruise to anyone with good sea legs/wheels. Lynn Slade
Ross Flood 55 Hillside Road Papatoetoe Auckland Phone/Fax (including answer phone) (09) 278-7106 Email Ross Flood