Mediterranean cruise: considerations for 90-year old w. limited vision?

This web site is primarily for questions and answers related to flying to & from Europe and inter-European travel, lodging and sightseeing. Yours is the first question I have seen asking questions about cruises. If you do not get any worthwhile answers here, try finding a similar site that focuses on cruises. You might ever google something to find one. Good luck and happy travels. aloha charlie

The website cruisecritic.com could be helpful to you. There is a message board for questions such as yours and you can also find out about each port on your itinerary. I think you will find it invaluable. Good luck.

I applaud your grandfather for his interest in traveling so far at his age - amazing! Aside from stairs, you should also consider how well does with uneven ground. Many of the cities you list that I've been to (Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Barcelona) have lots of cobblestones, weird curbs, and uneven surfaces, even in the main tourist areas. I assume the Greek sites would be the same. Even if you had a wheelchair, the person pushing it is going to have challenges. Europe isn't (in my experience) very wheelchair friendly.

Thanks for the heads-up and suggestions. Didn't realize that people don't really post about cruises on here. Sorry about that! I should have figured. The main reason we're considering a cruise is so my grandfather can join us. Yes, my grandfather is pretty amazing! I really appreciate the comment about the uneven ground ... that hadn't occurred to me, but might be a big issue. Not sure how a wheelchair would function on cobblestones either. Again, thanks to those who responded. I'm brand-new to European travel and this site has helped me quite a bit.

My Mom is 90 and healthy for her age. We were thinking of going on a cruise to Alaska. We went to a travel agent. I usually don't use a travel agent, but in this case I thought it would be a good idea. She suggested for her to buy travel insurance because of her age and was it ever expensive!! But travel insurance is very important. I met a man in the Rome airport and his elderly Mom got very sick on her trip and he had to fly to Rome to be with her. She had to stay in the hospital in Rome for two weeks! She had good travel insurance thank God!! Maybe nothing like that will happen on your trip but better safe than sorry! Your cruise sounds wonderful!!!

Alicia, When my father was quite elderly and had lost a lot of mobility and cognitive function after a debilitating accident, he dialed a 800-number and booked a long cruise from FL to CA around the tip of South America. My mother went along with it because it was his dream. Everything worked out fine. Sometimes he stayed on the ship or stayed on the excursion bus. Your grandfather will have five people who love him to help him and look out for him, an opportunity which may never roll around again; he'll be able to take this trip while he still has some sight, and you will all have wonderful memories to share.

It is true that this broad has a little anti-cruise attitude from time to time but we have been 12 cruises, 11 in Europe. He will be fine on ship. In fact they will help him a lot so that is not an issue. Unfortunately a lot of Europe is not handicap friendly. Sidewalks can be rough and steps are frequently. And in particular most of the ports on this cruise requires a lot of walking. A cruise through northern Europe would have been easier. The ship will provide tours and you can work with the tour director to find tours more appropriate for him. Ship tours tend to be expensive but their service level is fairly high. My wife's attitude has always to go to Europe while we can see and walk and hit Alaska and Hawaii when we cannot. Good luck.

Alicia, You may have already chosen your cruiseline. If not, I would suggest traveling with one of the smaller cruiselines.....Silversea or Regent, as the fellow cruisers would generally be your parents'age or more senior.....and it would be less confusing/calmer/more country-club like vs. carnival like on some larger ships. Santorini and Ephesus would be tough ports for him, and some ships send tenders to/fro in certain places (I recall this was the case in Santorini for our cruise....but cruise staff are used to senior travelers and will provide reasonable assistance when getting on/off ship and tenders. I would suggest booking private guides for private tours instead of trying to use the ship's shore excursions, so he would be able to tour at a personalized pace. Divide by six and not that expensive. In Santorini, though, even if he did not get off the ship, the view of the caldera and thewhite buildings spilling down the hillside is lovely. Mykonos would be a bit easier for him, if you stay in the area by the water, which is pretty. Athens is a zoo, but again with a private guide/tour do-able, and some sights are visible from a car. For Naples, I would suggest at trip to Sorrento (safer) as a off-ship tour instead of the zoo of Naples. Pompeii would probably be way too challenging for him. Capri (usually an excursion from Naples) could be fun, if you arrange for a convertible taxi to meet you and show you around...they seat four. Florence do-able with a taxi/private guide...maybe a ship's shore excursion depending on how it would be rated re: walking requirements...but great chance to see the Tuscan countryside, even if just from a vehicle. The other locations, I can't advise, as I have not get visited those. But, if he has the travel spirit, I would encourage him to go and do what he can.....life is short and we need to enjoy every ounce of it :)

Alicia,
I just popped over to the Tauck Tours site to see if they offer cruises through the Mediterranean, and they do. While I have not yet cruised with Tauck (only the big cruise lines and then a small ship experience with Silversea, which we loved), I mention Tauck because when we did the Rome/Capri/Amalfi tour with them last year, they were very attuned to the needs of some very senior folks 80+ who were on the group tour. They arranged golf-cart type transportation up hills, tour director scouted out elevators, etc...............so, it might be worth a phone call to them to find out if any special accommodations/arrangements could be made for your foursome with shore excursions, etc. Tauck is not inexpensive, but they really do provide a very nice high-end journey, with some one-of-a-kind experiences along the way. We were impressed. Also see if sightseeing excursions are included with Tauck ship cruises.....they are on the river cruises and on land tours, so I would guess that is the case with the cruises. Silversea is expensive too, but you can book ahead and get 60% off with airfare included, which can put the net price in line with mega cruises, but get a nicer experience. No huge casinos or big shows....a calmer environment (which we like).

Oh for goodness sake, if grandpa general health is good( for 90) then I would definately take him,, lets face it,, its now or never! The cruise itself is fairly relaxing and easy,, getting around in the ship is like walking around in a big resort hotel. Theres enough to keep him happy( shows , music, dining out and his familys company) that even if he elects not to get off at every port he will have a great time.. and he will never be alone, many cruisers do not get off at every port,, they relax and enjoy the less crowded ship on port days they stay aboard. The ships usually have many tours to choose from, some are active and will clearly say so, others will be mostly drive bys,, He will need to walk on someones arm almost everywhere, as noted there is uneven pavement in many places, but unless he tires easily he will not need a wheelchair everywhere , especially on a bus tour, where you just get out here and there and look around take some photos and get back on bus. It will likely be a good idea that he skips some ports anyways, my experience is that the Med cruises stop almost everyday,, which can be tiring even for younger folks,, and as also noted, the views of the ports from the ships can be rewarding too. I strongly suggest you choose your cruise wisely,, avoid Carnival and Royal Carribean,, they are fun enough cruises, but will have many young families on them, so noisey pool areas,, and generally a bit more hectic .. look at Holland American,, they are a good main stream line, and my mother loved them,, they will take good care of dad on cruise,, Please do go on the cruisecritics website, its a great cruising forum,, you will find many people there that will have already taken the exact cruise you are looking at and will be able to give first hand specifics. Good luck,, and hope you enjoy a wonderful trip together,

I've cruised the Med and been to some of those ports. The ship will absolutely not be a problem for your grandfather. The ports will pose a problem. The way for you to lessen the impact is to arrange driving and/or bus tours for him. I think most people on this board will shudder to think of seeing those cities from behind a glass window, but in your grandfather's case it may be the only option for him. If you go to cruisecritic and join the roll call for your cruise, you can often organize small group tours for a fraction of what the cruise line will charge. It will still be more expensive - and limiting - than doing it on your own. But like someone else said, it's now or never for him and I think you could make the best of it. Piraeus (Athens) - Climbing the Acropolis will be too challenging. Staying in Piraeus (there is a tourist hop-on/hop-off bus he could ride around on during peak season) is a definitely option. Kusadasi (Ephesus) - A private guide can drive you to Mary's House which doesn't present a problem. You could enjoy a rug-making demo. Ephesus itself is tricky. Definitely uneven surfaces. If it is raining, it is very slippery. But, a private guide who knows your limitations may be able to make this work. Civitavecchia (Rome) - Collosseum, Forum, Palantine Hill are all out. But, you can take the train in, take a cab to the Vatican and walk around St. Peter's and the Vatican Museum a little. You could also take a cab and get close to the Trevi Fountain, Parthenon (separate trips) and even just sit in a piazza for a while. Barcelona - has a good HO/HO bus he can ride around. You can take a cab from the port to Las Ramblas and slowly make your way down that street and be happy. Sorry I can't speak of the other ports.

Wow, I'm overwhelmed by the wonderful responses! I've read all of your thoughts and suggestions carefully. I appreciate them so much. Definitely invaluable advice. My grandfather is on the fence about whether he wants to go, but I hope sharing some of your thoughts will give him more confidence. My family would do anything to make it possible for him to join us, but I guess it comes down to what he wants to do. Have checked out cruisecritic.com as well. What a great site. I'll be using it for years to come.