Accessible Cruises – You Should Go Anyway

St. Maarten, cruise port on Carnival Fascination

February 14, 2020youshouldgoanyway

It was mostly gray, gross, and rainy on the day we stopped in St. Maarten and the island itself is still rebuilding from the 2017 Hurricane Irma but you could still tell there’s a lot of beauty there.

I was lucky to book a last minute wheelchair accessible St. Maarten tour through the Carnival excursions and my friends and I hopped the accessible bus for a journey around the island. We visited both the Dutch and the French part of the island and our driver kept us very entertained and informed for the entire route.

The island has a lot to see, including many amazing beaches. I didn’t get to see people get blown off the beach by the airport runway but certainly if I ever go back, that would be the plan.

The port area itself was accessible enough to hang around in, but you’ll need transportation of some sort to get to any of the beaches on your own.

St. Thomas, USVI, cruise port stop on Carnival Fascination

February 13, 2020February 14, 2020youshouldgoanyway

The first stop on my 7-Day Southern Caribbean Cruise on Carnival Fascination took us to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. There was an accessible excursion available through Carnival so I booked a wheelchair space for myself. Unfortunately, the non-wheelchair spaces were all booked and my friends had to take a different excursion but that’s my fault because we booked it so late.

It was a beautiful day and I met the tour outside the port. The driver loaded me up on the lift to the van and we were on our way for an island tour with a few stops at scenic locations.

Our driver had a great sense of humor and was very accommodating to my needs. A few times I just wanted to stay on the bus while the others stepped off and he was happy to chat.

I did get off at the last stop though which was a beautiful overlook down onto some beaches and islands. I was also able to go souvenir shopping and the store was very accessible — bathroom and everything.

It was a short excursion, but just enough time for me. The island is hilly and the roads were bumpy. Two-and-a-half hours was plenty.

Aruba, cruise port on Carnival Horizon

January 17, 2020April 23, 2025youshouldgoanyway

Looking out my balcony door, I see one lone tree guarding the reef here in the Aruba cruise port. It’s a stark contrast to the action happening on the other side of the boat.

There are tour buses lined-up to gather passengers from boat and head out on excursions. A diamond store sits prominently adjacent to the port parking lot. Steel drums echo faintly. I can see dozens of stores, bars, and restaurants without even leaving the deck of the Horizon. Everything looks close.

I exit the port and easily roll over to the main strip. The curb cuts aren’t exceptional but they exist, which is 99% of it. I weave my way past the slow-walkers and sunburned as they stall in front of any of the twenty or so souvenir shops along the sidewalk. Pretty much every local I pass says, “Welcome to Aruba!”

The feeling is different here. The people seem outwardly friendly. The music pumped out from the Royal Plaza shopping area doesn’t hurt in creating an upbeat, “I’m on vacation” vibe.

I wandered about for several hours and there was a lot to see in a very small area, which was nice. I felt like this was the only port on this trip where you didn’t have to work to see the city.

One thing I did notice is that the interior ramps for wheelchairs are a bit steep. After having slid down the steep exit ramp from the boat earlier, I was unintimidated by these however. Side not: I would have crashed through a glass window had this amazing Carnival crew member not jumped in front of me and pushed back on my chair. I wasn’t even rolling….just sliding down the slick ramp. So much for those anti-slip stickers.

In any case, Aruba wins the cruise! I’d go back on a different trip and spend some time in the resort areas near the beaches if I ever have a chance.

Curacao, port on Carnival Horizon

January 17, 2020January 17, 2020youshouldgoanyway

I had high hopes for this stop in Curacao as it has always been on my list. The pictures and descriptions paint the port as one of the prettiest you’ll see, reminiscent of Amsterdam. Staying in the port area, however was a bit underwhelming to me. In hindsight I wish I’d booked a tour of some sort and I am open to coming back and checking out the Dolphin Suites — an accessible resort — at some point.

The port itself is accessible and flat. You can roll through all the little bars and stands, then roll over the pontoon bridge and get to the downtown area pretty easily. There are a lot of shops and restaurants and you could wander around there for quite some time if you wanted to.

I wanted to see a beach but every time I thought I was getting close, I’d get blocked by either a dead end road or an enclosure for a building of some sort. Since it was getting hot, I headed back towards the port area and the Renaissance shops/mall. From there I headed into the A/C at the casino and hung out for a short time during which I won $400.

The sunset behind the ship was beautiful and the Horizon was impressive there at the dock.

La Romana, Dominican Republic, cruise port on Carnival Horizon

January 14, 2020January 15, 2020youshouldgoanyway

The second stop on my 8-day Carnival Horizon cruise is La Romana, Dominican Republic. Originally an oil island, there appeared to be a large refinery or maybe a power plant burning something as we pulled in. There were several large estates around the port and many residential buildings in the distance. Aside from the cruise center, however, there’s nothing to do in the port itself.

I did have a nice view from my balcony room. The waves crashed up against the shore in front of an estate that had a helicopter pad, a pool, and even a golf hole. There wasn’t much else to see and it rained on and off the entire day. It was a relaxing stop, but not an eventful one.

Next stop, Curacao!