My wife and I recently attended a destination wedding aboard a cruise ship that left Seattle and cruised up the Alaskan coast and back to Seattle. The ship was originally built in 2019 and renovated in 2024 and had many amenities including entertainment venues, restaurants, lounges, a theater, pools and daycare facilities. The ship accommodated up to 4200 passengers and 2100 crew.
Cruise ships are covered under Title III of the ADA as public accommodations when operating in American waters. So, I decided to pay attention to the accessible features and barriers during the 7-day cruise, port stops, excursions and transportation to and from the cruise ship from the airport.
So, we jumped on the boat and off we went. Kind of. Planning for this trip started over a year ago. The cruise line sent out information on the general requirements, booking, flights and an app. In addition, they have a website. I didn’t check the accessibility of the website as I do not have that expertise, but the site has a great “Accessible Assistance” section. This section lists accommodations, how to request the accommodations and a phone number you can call to speak with an actual person. Accommodation assistance was offered before and during the cruise.
We didn’t see all the accessibility features including wheelchair or sensory accessible rooms but the website for the cruise line listed accommodations. They requested people contacting them when booking their cruise to request the room accommodations needed. Individuals also had the opportunity to request limited Sign Language Interpreting, pagers to provide written forms of audible announcements, Braille information, and other accommodations as needed.
Are Service Animals allowed? Yes, and we even had a person utilizing one on our cruise.
For getting on and off the boat for starting the initial trip and at the end of the trip, additional/expedited assistance was offered for people with disabilities. Also, offshore excursions assistance was also offered with some limitations. When we came into port at a couple of stops such as in Juneau and Skagway, the tide was very low, and the gangways were very steep. As the tides rose during our time in some ports the gangways became more accessible. Additional transportation via golf cart was offered for some people with mobility limitations.
For some of the excursions we boarded buses to take us from the point where we exited the boat to the town or attraction. Not all the buses were accessible but there were usually a few that were wheelchair accessible. People with mobility limitations had priority loading for these buses.
We didn’t go on all the excursions, but we did take a train ride on an old train with a narrow track. I believe it was over 100 years old and was not accessible. So, it was important to research excursions before booking. Some of the excursions included helicopter/plane tours, fishing, hiking and visits to various event-based shows such as a lumberjack competition. We did observe individuals from our boat and other cruise lines in port using wheelchairs, scooters and white canes along with service animals.
Most of the ports offered shopping and depending on the age of the businesses and terrain, many were accessible, but not all. Some of the ports had steep roads and sidewalks, with some businesses still having steps.
Amenities of the boat included elevator access to the various levels of the ship, pool lifts, accessible dining areas and lounge areas. Accessible bathroom facilities were also provided where common area bathrooms were provided. Again, we had many guests on our boat who utilized wheelchairs and scooters who were able to access the various areas including a theater for performances.
Getting to the boat from the airport and back to the airport we utilized bus transportation, of which many were wheelchair accessible, and the Seattle light rail which was also accessible.
If you are interested in cruising, I would encourage you to spend a bit of time exploring the various cruise lines, destinations and variety of accommodations available for people with disabilities.
Thanks to our guest blogger, Corey Birkholz, M.S., CRC, ND Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, and RMADAC Advisory Committee member.