Taking my grandma on a cruise! We need your advice please.

[bradleyheathhays]

Hi everybody. I'm taking my mom and 86 yo grandmother on an Alaskan cruise and really do need your advice. Because grandma is fairly affected by her Parkinson's we're trying to plan things out very carefully. From what we've learned so far it seems like we should be looking toward Holland America as a cruise line.

Well, instead of going into a lot of questions maybe I should just say what our priorities are and then see what you guys have to say.

- Although grandma can stand fairly well and be on her feet for up to 5 min at a time, we're really prioritizing ease of movement on the ship for grandma which will probably happen by way of wheel chair about 1/2 the time.

- Secondly, we're looking for an environment grandma will be overall comfortable in, which for the most part means a low key environment. I'm sure the glitz and general activity on a Carnival ship would be way too much.

- Third, she's not going to be able to get off the ship at ports, so we're looking for the best big ship route with the very best 'from ship' views. We had to give up on the idea of an inside passage route due to the possibility of smaller ships rocking.

- Fourth, I know we're at somewhat of a cost disadvantage with an odd number of us going. I'd like to get mom and grandma a great room w/ a balcony, and get myself just the cheapest room on the ship, a single if possible. But if the cheapest I can get is a cheap double I'll probably just stay with mom and grandma the whole time, say if they have a couch.

- For entertainment, just real simple stuff would do the trick. Some kind of show would be nice. Actually, anything too loud or flashy would overwhelm a Parkinson's patient.

At this point I should say thanks for reading all of this and wrap up.

We're wanting to go when its potentially the warmest in August, and we're still entirely flexible. With our priorities in mind, what cruise line, cruise date, ship, and course/port of calls would be good for us? And of course all of your opinions are so greatly appreciated! Thanks.

~~~~

~~_/) ~~

~~~~~~~~

[sailingrose]

I have been to Alaska 3 times and it's one of my favorite places!

I suggest you look into Holland, Celebrity and Princess, anyone of them should fit your needs for your Grandmother.Also a newer ship will have more public windows.

I would definitely see if you can get a handicap room, they are much larger and easier to maneuver in especially if Grandma needs the wheelchair more then you think. If you need a wheelchair I think you have to reserve them early or you may have to rent one from an independent company. If you want 2 cabins it will be more expensive for sure. It is much more cost efficient to go in 1 room then to have a single person in 1 cabin since usually you pay for 2 people regardless.

You should be able to get off at several of the ports. Ketchikan is easy to walk. The crew will get your Grandma and the wheelchair off and on the ship. They are used to doing this.

Don't hold yourself to only August. July is usually a very warm month there too. We went in May, June and July and the May date was the warmest! LOL

Please don't forget raingear as it rains a lot in Alaska. Hope this helps you narrow down your search a little. There are lots of people here who can help. Please ask all the questions you wish and we'll try to help.

[bradleyheathhays]

Thanks sailingrose! We've gotten advice to be open to both the Celebrity and Princess lines, as well as to consider a July sailing. So hopefully our options have just expanded seeing as how we're booking so late in the year.

Thanks for everything! I'll probably be back soon with more questions :)