A New Way to Travel
Inspiration strikes!
By 2008 the cruise industry was beginning to take hold in Australia. I had enjoyed several cruises in my younger years, but neither of us had really considered cruising with the wheelchair until we flew to Sydney to watch Diane’s parents arrive in the harbour on the Queen Mary 2. After that I began researching possibilities for travelling with cruise companies that stated they had wheelchair accessible cabins with wider doorways and well designed bathrooms. We decided to book a short 8-day cruise on the Sun Princess with the thinking that ‘if it’s too hard or the cabin isn’t suitable we are still in Australia and can disembark and fly home without too much hassle’.
Queen Mary 2 in Australia for the first time 20th Feb 2007.
The cruise proved to be very successful although not 100% easy. Our biggest issues on that cruise related to gangways at the various ports of call. Due to it being ‘early days’ for cruising in Australian ports some of the Ports or Terminals had not yet designed suitable gangways that worked well with the tides so the Ship had to deploy its own gangways which are small stepped style gangways (not always ramped) and I was unable to utilise those. Whenever the tide permitted a short ramped gangway would be deployed from a lower deck and I ventured outside without any difficulty but the concern was ‘how will the tide be when you come back and will we be able to get you up the stepped gangway’?
When we arrived home we contacted Princess Cruises to advise them of the issues I had experienced with some of the gangways. They offered the immediate solution of carrying a Stair-Climbing wheelchair on all ships in their Fleet. This was great and it allowed us to book a second cruise to New Zealand some months later on a sister ship – Dawn Princess. This time the cruise was 14 days and we booked the same cabin which was identical in layout to that of the Sun Princess cabin. I would have to say that back in 2008 / 2009 there were still lots of issues with ports of call in N.Z. due to the steepness of the ships gangways so again, I didn’t manage to get ashore in every port but I certainly utilised the stair-climber in a number of ports, as did numerous others who were confined to wheelchairs or who had mobility restrictions due to age.
The Kiwi 360 farm at Tauranga.
Shore access in the ports of call has improved out of sight in more recent years. Now, almost everywhere can cater for wheelchairs with ramped ship or local gangways or air-bridges in the major city ports but there will never be 100% access for me. On this cruise I was able to access the tender boats which transfer passengers to shore where the ship cannot dock. I am no longer permitted go ashore at Tender ports due to safety reasons regarding having to lift me in/out.
Some wheelchair users are able to utilise the Tender boats if they can stand up and assist with stepping in/out of the small boats but if lifting by Ship’s crew is required then as a general rule, the Captain does not permit this as he has to consider the safety of the Crew and the dangers to the passenger in the event of the sea becoming rough right at the wrong moment when they are attempting to lift you from a stable platform to a moving boat.
However, I don’t mind – staying onboard when the majority of passengers have gone ashore for the day makes for a very quiet ship and gives opportunity to go anywhere without a crowd so I don’t see it as missing out – rather I look at it as spending the day doing something different to most others and enjoying time to interact with the Crew who are much less busy when most people are onshore.
Around the World in 104 days
After 2 quite successful, learning experiences on these shorter cruises, we decided it was time to tackle a big adventure and I booked a 104 night World Cruise. It took us many months of research to discover all we needed to know about the 42 ports of call and accessibility. Thank goodness for the Internet – no way could we have sailed away so well prepared had it not been for emails and the ability to explain to Tour Guides the exact help we required or the type of vehicle we needed to transport the wheelchair.
On July 5th 2009, despite the concerns expressed by many, our trip of a lifetime commenced. It was the best experience imaginable – absolutely fantastic from start to finish and when I say that I am including the fact that we had numerous obstacles to overcome along the journey but that just added to the adventure. Being the first ever World Cruise from Australia to Australia it was, for the most part, Aussies onboard and they were all, like us, excited to be undertaking such an adventure and there was an incredible atmosphere onboard due to all of us, including the Crew, being ‘first-timers’ doing this itinerary together. We absolutely loved everything.
Sure, some of the 42 ports visited were difficult for us in terms of access. India for example isn’t the place to locate a wheelchair accessible vehicle. There you are bailed up by driver after driver wanting to offer you a tour in his rather dilapidated Tuk-Tuk because they don’t understand that a person cannot walk or stand up to climb it. Transport options were limited in many ports but we don’t mind a long walk so we’d set off on foot to go exploring and interact with the local people that we met as we went and we got a great feel for the destination without needing to take an organised tour from the ship. We made the trip the best it could be WITH a wheelchair.
We often came back to the ship after a day in port and were greeted by other passengers asking “did you go out today, Michael”? I could answer “yes, I’ve been out all day – had an excellent time – been here, seen this etc, etc, etc”. The usual reaction from the questioner was ‘wow – how did you manage to do all of that – I hardly saw anything – you are quite intrepid – you have no fear of failure and you don’t allow the wheelchair to limit your desire to succeed’!!!
Well, quite obviously, we can’t do or see everything that we would want to but our time onshore was always full and interesting and fortunately, we always came back in one piece although, there were often situations we had to face and be resourceful as to how to over-come a problem. Flat tyres, broken arms on the wheelchair, a snapped foot plate, getting lost due to there being no access points to cross major roads and we couldn’t utilise the underpasses that had many steps and having to walk several kilometres in the opposite direction just to get back to the ship...
Yes, it all happens and you have to be prepared for everything and keep a clear head and never panic - although that is easier said than done when you are in a predicament in the middle of Egypt during the period of Ramadan when almost everything is closed and nobody seems to speak English. However, we survived and managed to complete the 104 nights successfully and with an ever increasing desire to cruise again.
Unforgettable Places and Activities
Singapore from the top of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel
World Cruise 2012
We didn’t really plan another world adventure, but in 2012 the price of the World Cruise was greatly reduced 2 months before departure and “our cabin” was still available. It was a great itinerary to take us to a number of new destinations and some repeat ports that we were more than happy to visit again.
We said “Yes!” and then the rush began.
We had to do all our research, organise medication for 3.5 months away, book our drivers, pack, get visas for some of the countries, arrange travel insurance etc, etc – a logistical nightmare to tackle in so few weeks but we managed to reach the Ship with a reasonable amount of research completed and enough experience under the belt to feel confident that we could manage in the ports that we hadn’t yet researched in depth and ……….off we sailed.
This time we sailed anti-clockwise around the globe. Between Sydney and Darwin we experienced our first equipment failure. The Hoist that I use for my transfers had been damaged at the Port when they were loading it. Fortunately Darwin was our first port of call. We did some running repairs to get us there and arranged with the agreement of the Captain for a local Mobility Shop service technician to board the ship and carry out the necessary repairs.
Chai
A few days later, after spending a wonderful day in Singapore, we returned to find a different waiter at our table for dinner. Our previous waiter had finished his contract that day and Chatchai (Chai) from Thailand had just joined the ship to replace him - the first day of a 9-month contract. Our first meeting did not go well as we struggled to understand each other. Chai spoke softly and very rapidly and I couldn’t keep up. I had to ask Diane, “What did he say?” Likewise, sometimes Chai would turn to Diane to “help me out please, Madam” with interpretation of my requests. But, like with anything, you should never give up too fast – good things often result from an initial challenge – and Chai turned out to be the most helpful and thoughtful waiter I could ever hope for. He understood my difficulties with utensils; he never hesitated, despite his busyness with other passengers, to stop and cut up my food; he would recommend foods that he felt would be easiest for me to manage; he would assist me with drinking from a straw, never ever forgetting to put a straw on the table so that I didn’t have to ask for one again after the first night. These were small observations on his part, but something that proved how aware he was of my needs and he never once made a fuss – he just did things behind the scenes to allow me to blend in. Chai actually made me feel like I was NO PROBLEM at all – never ever. Nothing was too much trouble for him and he always sought to make meal-times easier for Diane by doing as much as he could to assist me and allowing Diane to eat while her food was still warm rather than her having to attend to me first.
During the course of the cruise Chai and I became firm friends. I found myself looking forward to Dinner – anticipating the next round of practical jokes and good fun. Since disembarking we have always maintained contact with Chai. We’ve come to know his whole family and we’ve shared in many aspects of his life. Chai was the first of many close crew friends that I made on-board. I discovered, from my interactions with Chai, about just how much the crew enjoy to have fun with passengers to help pass the long months at sea away from their families.
I appointed myself Crew Morale Support Officer for the remainder of this cruise and my purpose was to lift the spirits of any crew I came in contact with. One thing I did discover was how us bringing back a small item that we knew the crew loved to eat – thinking we were just doing a nice gesture from outside the ship – came to mean a whole lot more. They explained to us, ‘We love that food you brought us but most of all it means more to us that you were thinking of us working hard on-board while you were outside enjoying yourself and this is the thing that makes us happy – that you never forget us when you are outside the ship.’
Chai (Little Brother) – I know you will read these words one day – and I want you to be reminded, as you read my story, of just how big a part you are in this chapter of my life and how much you have taught me. The day in 2012 when you boarded the ship was the beginning of my life having a whole different purpose. You know how much you mean to our whole family and how much I admire you for your inner strength, your unbelievable positive mindset even in the most trying, difficult, stressful and saddest of situations, the depth of love you have for your family, your dedication to your duties onboard,
your care and attention shown to all your passengers but especially to Diane and myself, your fun and happy personality, your practical jokes, your very real kindness made evident by your desire to always share anything you have and I could continue this list but I know that by now you are saying ‘stop – it’s embarrassing me’ so I’ll just end with one more thing – your tremendous love of animals (I simply had to include that little brother to make you smile).
Well, I don’t mean to embarrass my little brother – but I want you to know that you are the one who completely changed cruising for me from being simply a good holiday option, into an activity that I can be totally involved in and impact the lives of so many people even from my lower level in the wheelchair. You taught me that when I have a good attitude to life and I cross paths with people that somehow those people don’t really notice the wheelchair. They only notice me and I am no longer less able than someone else but in fact, I am empowered and completely able to befriend people and people actually are eager to associate with me because they feel good to be around me.
It’s all about attitude – if I am positive and show enthusiasm for life then I become quite a magnet drawing others and causing them to respond in a positive way but if I give out negative energy about my situation then people would not feel drawn to me. There is no comparison from my early days immediately after the accident when I was very angry and upset with life and really not wanting to be alive if I couldn’t walk and talk properly to now when I have so many reasons to live and do good things to help others. Life for me definitely has hard days and it always will but when I balance that against what I see others facing in life I realise that my difficulties are just ‘different’. Life is what we choose to make it and we all have challengers to face and we can all help each other to overcome the challenges we meet along the way. Friends from Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Nepal, Italy, France, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, South Africa, Brazil, UK, Canada, Columbia, Moldova, Uganda, USA, and so many others have all helped me just as I have helped them and my outlook from 1981, until now, has completely flipped for the best.
