During the weekend, we spent some time with a dear friend whose days of traveling by air are over. He had a leg amputated last month, will say good-bye to the toes on his other leg next week and has assorted other medical issues that wouldn't allow anyone to fly…even if he wasn't in his 80s.
So what's our friend talking about doing?
Going on a cruise ship to Alaska.
He's hoping it will happen because he know it's possible, and it's possible because cruise lines have made it that way. As we Baby Boomers age, the number of people with wheelchairs, walkers, canes, crutches and similar special needs is certain to increase, and don't think people at cruise lines haven't considered that.
While all cruise lines welcome people who have difficulty getting around, the conditions vary from ship to ship. When Norwegian built the Epic, it included 41 cabins that are wheelchair accessible. That's a good start. Princess ships generally have stateroom doors wide enough for only collapsible wheelchairs, but you can be sure that will change when its two new ships arrive in 2013 and 2014. Others have wide corridors to accommodate wheelchairs and some have sliding doors to staterooms.
The bottom line is (using wheelchairs as an example), it's all over the map. As a result, people like our buddy need to do their homework — or have a travel agent do so on their behalf — to make certain there are no surprises.
Even if he never gets off the ship, the fact that somebody with his physical ailments can go on a cruise to see Alaska glaciers calving is nothing short of amazing.
Just like he is.
Celebrity Millennium
11 nights
October 22, 2012
Ensenada, Kilauea Volcano, Hilo, Kona, Lahaina, Honolulu
Balcony: $1,249
Cost per day: $137
www.celebritycruises.com