Holiday review: Caribbean Cruise
SIA member Jill Jackson recently embarked on a 35-day cruise around the Caribbean and USA – here she shares the highs and lows of life on board a cruise liner.
I booked my 35-day USA and Caribbean cruise on the Ventura ship with P&O cruises two years before I went – you often have to book cruises far in advance if you need an accessible cabin as there are only so many per ship. The advance booking allowed plenty of time to organise everything I needed to help me on board – medication, clothes, hoists, shower chairs etc.
TIP! … When researching your cruise, I would recommend going direct to the cruise line and suggest shopping around before making your booking as they vary dramatically in price and facilities.
The Ship
I was able to get on and off the ship easily via ramps and accessible doorways – the ship’s crew were all extremely helpful. As we set sail from Southampton I explored my accessible balcony cabin with a view of the sea. It had an accessible bathroom, plenty of space and my equipment and suitcases had all been delivered as planned. Although a little dated, I was quite happy with the room. My two PAs had an inside cabin opposite me so they could be on hand to help with my usual routines.
We explored the large ship and found lots of different activities to do including a theatre, spa, and plenty of bar and eating areas with everything from fine dining to buffet style. The ship had very good accessible lifts to take me to different floors and the walkways were very smooth and all wide enough for my wheelchair.
There are lots of onboard activities – quizzes, bingo, art, dance classes, inspirational talks, films and more. Each day we were given a list of the activities available for that day/night. There is also a helpdesk for excursions and a reception to help you with any other queries you may have.
While I was able to do most things, I couldn’t make full use of the spa on board as the swim hoist was too upright for me and it didn’t have straps to keep me in.
For evening meals, we could choose whether to go for full glitz and glamour or something more casual. We chose to sit with a table of twelve giving us the opportunity to meet other people but you can sit on the table in your own company if you choose. The food was good although drinks are purchased separately and not included in the package price.
The Stops
We stopped at a lot of wonderful ports, gorgeous beaches and lots to see and do. Below is a selection of just some of the stopovers.
Bermuda
We got accessible boat-taxis (with rusty ramps and no straps so it was quite an experience!) from Hamilton dockyard to some pretty areas of the island. The island is famous for swimming with pigs and although I didn’t get to do that because the beach didn’t have a boardwalk to the sea, the guide was kind enough to show me one of the little piglets.
Cozumel Mexico
The port is a 10-minute walk from a lovely view of the beach with a few cafés, bars and shops. The town’s paths were very bumpy and there weren’t many accessible tours or taxis so, as a wheelchair user, I was not able to experience the culture fully.
Honduras Rosand Island
Within a 10-minute accessible walk from the ship we were in a beautiful cove where I was able to get onto the beach via a walkway. The lack of accessible beds meant I couldn’t get in the actual water but being able to get down onto the seafront was lovely.
Belize
Our large ship couldn’t get into this port, so they had to get small boats to ferry people to the island.
Unfortunately, for safety reasons, my power wheelchair couldn’t get onto the small boat, but it was a beautiful hot day, so I did some sunbathing and chatted with other people and crew on board the main boat.
Miami Florida
An accessible coach took us into a small shopping area with very glitzy bars – the atmosphere was lovely and we had super cocktails. We had booked an open bus tour which turned out not to be accessible (though it was advertised as being). I got a refund, and a wheelchair accessible taxi was called for us. We made our way over to Little Havana where the Latin music was great. An accessible bus made it cheaper for us to get back to the port.
New Orleans
We were due to go on an accessible Mississippi river cruise which would have been wonderful, but a freak bout of snow stopped the ship from docking there – disappointing but couldn’t be helped.
Port Canaveral Florida
The cruise ship organised buses for us to go to Port Canaveral however there were only a few accessible spaces, mainly for those who could transfer themselves into a seat. I ended up organising a taxi and going to Kennedy‘s space centre, which was amazing.
Although there were disappointments with the lack of some excursions being available to me, my 35-day adventure was amazing. I would certainly recommend cruising for anyone with a disability but do check all accessible facilities before booking. We arrived safely home in Southampton with very fond memories.
This story featured in the Summer 2025 issue of Forward Magazine.
