River Cruises

The only river cruise I have been on was in China, but my gut feeling is that a river cruise would tend to be less handicapped-accessible that an ocean cruise. The ships are much smaller and don't have elevators. In my case, there were steps everywhere, even on the main level (down a few to the main floor, up a few to the dining room or the cabins, etc). My cabin was on the next deck up, but it was two flights of stairs. The same company does river cruises and all of their ships are of a similar design. You would need to check with whatever company you are planning to sail with to find out if their physical arrangement is different and if they are accessible.

I travelled on Viking Cruise, Clara Schumann, on the Elbe River this past fall. The ship was very comfortable and every staircase had a lift for those who could not manage stairs.

The tour was really beautiful with stops every day at wonderful towns and cities.

Your best bet is to pose the question directly to the line you are thinking about using. Many of us are less noticing about such things until it happens to us.

I can't say about European ones but here in the U.S., riverbarge.com has excellent provisions for those in wheelchairs and walkers. They have an elevator, ramps and the crew always seems to be there to help push people up the hill and provide special assistance on excursions. Not sure if they have special rooms but I believe so. For sure, people in wheelchairs and walkers used them in the four trips we took. They are particularly accommodating to special needs. One couple we met in board needed a special diet for him and she was blind.

Then again, the US has a lot more rules on accommodating the handicapped.

Roberta, which river(s) are you thinking about?

I can't recall the name of the main cruise company on the Rhine (KM line?)but it would be okay for your husband as a day trip. If you are thinking of the one-hour ride Rick suggests, there isn't really any motion of the boat to worry about. Some of the smaller lines aren't as easy to board and have steeper and tighter deckplans.

It might take a little while to negotiate the ramp on and off the boat. As I recall the line has an open deck plan (with full size doors that separate inside from outside) and you can avoid most if not all the stairs during a short ride.

If you are planning on sleeping aboard a cruise, there are bound to be some issues getting to and from your cabin. In that case I would make sure the boat had an elevator.

The name of the "main" cruise company on the Rhine river is "KD lines" which stands for Köln-Düsseldorfer. Just FYI...