{"id":18509,"date":"2015-09-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-10T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/?p=18509"},"modified":"2022-05-27T07:15:48","modified_gmt":"2022-05-27T11:15:48","slug":"im-wheelchair-bound-can-i-river-cruise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rivercruiseadvisor.com\/2015\/09\/im-wheelchair-bound-can-i-river-cruise\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m Wheelchair-Bound: Can I River Cruise?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Can I river cruise if I am confined to a wheelchair?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is a question that comes up with increasing frequency as river cruising continues its skyward march in popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a tough question for more than one reason \u2013 and sadly, the short answer is this: European river cruising in general is not well-suited to those confined to a wheelchair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

River cruising through Europe can be surprisingly un-wheelchair friendly. Variances in water levels along the rivers can result in steep gangways, and some docking locations are downright unfriendly when it comes to the mobility-impaired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For guests coming from North America, this might seem to be unfathomable. The simple fact remains, though, that many cities may not have wheelchair ramps at convenient locations simply due to the structure of the cities themselves, which can be hundreds of years old. While major cities will likely have facilities catering to those confined to a wheelchair, smaller towns and villages are less likely.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"...and<\/a>
Even if your ship happens to be wheelchair-friendly, Europe may not be. Photo \u00a9 2015 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Not all ships are wheelchair-friendly, either \u2013 though many now have elevators to help those with mobility issues. This isn\u2019t because river cruise lines are not sensitive to the needs of their guests; rather, it\u2019s a reflection of two things: the incredible demands placed on the physical dimensions of the ships, which can only be so long, wide, and tall; and the nature of river cruising itself. Water levels, berthing facilities and transportation are all things that are difficult for cruise lines to predict accurately. Your ship may be wheelchair-friendly \u2013 but what if you\u2019re berthed next to one that isn\u2019t? Berthing two and even three abreast isn\u2019t uncommon in Europe, and we\u2019ve personally walked across ships that have required guests to ascend or descend to different levels in order to make it ashore. If there\u2019s an elevator, great. If not? Then there\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same goes for motorized scooters. River cruise ships are just not suited for them, and that goes for quite a few European cities. You can have cobblestones to cross, stairs to ascend or descend, and steep gangplanks \u2013 and that might just be to get out of the pier area. If you do a Google search, quite a few nasty comments come up from folks who are annoyed with river cruise lines for not allowing motorized scooters (most lines state that you can\u2019t bring one onboard, period), but this isn\u2019t because they\u2019re discriminating against anyone: It\u2019s simply because motorized scooters and river cruises do not mix.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Viking<\/a>
Steep access ramps can make getting around in a wheelchair impractica by yourself. Photo \u00a9 2015 Aaron Saunders<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Whether you can take a river cruise or not will ultimately depend on your level of mobility: If you are confined to a wheelchair and cannot leave it for any reason, river cruising likely will not work for you, and we would not recommend it. However, if you are able to stand for short periods of time \u2013 in order to perhaps climb stairs on a motorcoach \u2013 then it puts river cruising within the realm of possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having said that, there are a handful of operators that do offer varying forms of accessible staterooms for guests who have mobility issues:<\/p>\n\n\n\n