Many of our fellow river cruise passengers were Viking ocean cruisers and highly recommended them - we will be looking at Viking for an ocean cruise in the future as well.
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I would think the Grand European would be too stressful with so many cobblestone streets, pretty much all of them. You may want to check out Portugal or the France river cruises. Also look at the US river cruises.
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There’s a lot of walking at each port. We logged at least 10K steps a day, up and downhill and cobblestone streets. I was surprised that even the older passengers(late 80s) we met onboard were able to complete the tours. Some considerations for you and your mother to think about. She of course can stay onboard and enjoy the magnificent scenaries as the boat is cruising down the river. It’s totally different from ocean cruises.
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We are taking a med cruise. I did not find the same issues with excursions being booked.
One excursion was booked before our time but they must have found more availability because I was able to book later.
We will see how we like the Ocean. I do have to say that we found the communal dining draining. Although we met so many nice people, we would have rather dined alone. My husband is hard of hearing , dining for him was stressful
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I’m having trouble with my last post, hoping this is better!
On our fall med cruise, I was able to book every optional excursion I wanted and I booked a lot!
Also I don’t think river cruises are great for those with mobility problems. The other thing that happens on a river cruise is that boats will be docked next to each other.
You have to step through one or several boats to get out. I’ve even heard that you might have to climb steps and go over another boat to exit. The dock can be steep based on river levels. That’s just getting off your boat! And then there is the walking involved. Europe does not have ADA accommodations like the US. We sat with ladies who did the leisure tours and they would walk over a mile. Even on the less active tours.
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I think a Viking river cruise could be a great family trip, especially for folks maybe looking to go with friends or family on a trip that requires minimal logistics planning. We’ve heard it is a nice way for retired sibling couples to travel together.
There could be challenges for those with difficulty walking. Our week was very busy with low water, so we sometimes were parked out of town and had to walk 10 min just to get to the bus (after getting off the boat). However there was option of Leisure (“take it easy”) option on our Rhine Getaway, though not sure if that is always true. It meant less walking. And in one case, there was taxi ride back to the boat.
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Thanks to all of you who shared your thoughts on the river cruise. It’s tough to find anything she can do since walking is so difficult with her vision loss. I will figure something out!
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@mompop, would something like Chautauqua be of interest? In some ways, it’s like a cruise on land - very life of the mind.
If you do decide to go on a river cruise, make sure you book a cabin on a floor with an elevator. Bottom level cabins are fine, but you have to climb stairs to do anything. If your mom is comfortable visiting on ship, enjoying delicious meals, etc., she could still have a good time.
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Elevators on river ships usually don’t go to the top deck either, so if ships are rafted (docked side by side, tied to each other, if the other ship is not of the same design, exiting means going up to your ship’s top deck, over to the other ship’s top deck, and then down.
Not easy for the mobility-limited folks. Also, a wheel chair would not work in the hallways where the cabins are.
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I will look into it- thank you for the suggestion!
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You could always contact river cruise carriers. It’s possible that they have narrow wheelchairs to lend, as well as crew members to assist with non-elevator levels. After all, their major clientele is seniors.
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There is a statement somewhere on the Viking website (or cruise documents, not sure exactly where) that addresses concerns of limited mobility. Specifically, it states that due to liability issues, the crew is limited in terms of how much help they can provide for those of limited mobility.
Ocean cruises are all about the ship and its amenities—river cruises are all about the ports. If one cannot go ashore and walk, and must remain on the ship, there isn’t a whole lot to do if you remain behind.
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That’s an excellent idea-thanks!
I’m trying to figure out if I should find some new kind of footware for our NZ trip next year. I will be wearing compression socks on the flights, and on substantial walking days. But there will be a lot of time on a bus. My Sketcher sneakers are comfortable enough, but my feet don’t really like being shut up in shoes for extended periods - I spend much of my normal day in slippers.
I was looking if there were any kind of lightweight yet supportive travel slippers or slip on shoes that could be carried in a day pack. Hoping for something that could also serve as hotel slippers. But everything I’m finding looks as substantial as my sneakers. Between bunions, hammertoes, and arthritis, it’s very hard to find a comfortable shoe!
We’ll be two weeks on the Globus NZ tour, then four days on our own in Sydney. Other than the sneakers, I’m just bringing my new Merrill hiking shoes and a comfortable vaguely dressy flat sandal.
Oofos?
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The recovery slides look like a potential - they should squash down. There are some local stores that might carry them.
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These are extremely light, but these Easy Spirit Travel Time Clogs may be bulkier than you want. On overseas flight last month I wore my low/waterproof hiking boots (Merrill brand, Moab). I took the clogs in my carry-on backpack, switched on the plane. Also wore them in the room, down to breakfast, I think once out for a casual dinner (the navy goes ok with black). They come in MANY colors. Width narrow, medium, wide, xwide. I get mine at Kohls.
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Likely bulkier than I want to carry in a daypack, or backpack with all my camera equipment and other daily necessities. I was hoping to find something fairly compact - just tossed an old pair of ballet flats that rolled up into a small bag (they were literally disintegrating). But those kinds of shoes don’t fit well over socks unfortunately.
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I have some very old Merrell clogs that are very light weight, and are kind of a light linen material. I don’t see them on their sight, but they do have some that seem pretty light weight - maybe the Encore Breeze?
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