Accessible Cruising on the Enchantment - Canada & New England "Ports" Review by AkronMadisonGal

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Home > Member Reviews > AkronMadisonGal's Port Reviews of Portland, Maine, Bar Harbor, Saint John, New Brunswick, Halifax

AkronMadisonGal's Port Reviews of Portland, Maine, Bar Harbor, Saint John, New Brunswick, Halifax
Enchantment of the Seas cruise in October 2012

Member Name:	AkronMadisonGal
Cruise Date:	October 2012
Embarkation:	Baltimore
Destination:	Canada & New England
Member Review:	AkronMadisonGal's Enchantment of the Seas Review

	Portland, Maine Lighthouses of Maine Tour Rating: Great tour. Getting off the ship was easy, although there is a rather long walk/roll to actually reach the tour buses, and city. Nothing strenuous, just be aware and allow time. All of the basic city tours are on large buses and collapsible wheelchairs are easily accommodated. After the tour, I pushed Mom, in the wheelchair, into the little city center and we shopped and had lunch at an Irish pub. Everything was very accessible.
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	Bar Harbor Whale Watching Cruise Rating: Bar Harbor is a tender port. We were in port along with two Holland America Ships. Getting off the ship with a collapsible wheelchair was again a breeze. Only issue - the tender port - we where dropped on a dock with an approximately 100 feet, metal, incline ramp, at an approximate 45 degree angle, to reach the main thoroughfare. There were two dock attendants at the bottom and they helped push the wheelchair up the incline. I'm not sure we would of made it had they not been there to assist. The steep angle was due to the tide and time of day - when we left, there was a short roll to the tender boat with maybe a 20 degree incline. The Holland tenders dropped passengers on a companion dock, right next to the whale watching cruise departure point, and the incline there to get to the main thoroughfare was much more navigable. The Whale Watching cruise had a special boarding process for the mobility limited and it was a great excursion. We saw pilot whales which was rare for the season.
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	Saint John, New Brunswick Horse Drawn Carriage Rating: Originally booked a tour sponsored by the ship for the Bay of Fundy and a Train Ride. Booked this tour at the excursion desk, after asking a ton of questions about accessibility and having my Mom with me in the wheelchair. The morning of the tour, we notice that printed right on the bottom of the ticket is "No Wheelchair Access." Worked out okay. It was Canadian Thanksgiving but there were lots of folks out and about and catering to the ship being in port. Wheeled Mom toward town, and after a 10-12 minute walk, there was a horse drawn carriage on the side of the road - $20 per person for an hour ride thru the city center with narration. Blankets included. One guide drove the horses, the other narrated. They answered a ton of questions. They handled the collapsible wheelchair without problem. After the tour, I was able to push Mom around the city center and thru a little mall type area nearby and by many outdoor vendors. We even had a Tim Horton's doughnut and coffee. This turned out to be my favorite stop; the people were incredibly friendly, the sidewalks were wide and access was easy.
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	Halifax Peggy's Cove Rating: Had originally booked a Tall Ship excursion here, but with the experience in Bar Harbor, we were spooked about accessibility so we changed to a bus tour that included Peggy's Cove as we knew the bus could handle the collapsible wheelchair. In retrospect, the dock was modern and had even boards, so the advertised "8-10 minute walk along a wooden dock to the tall ship" would have been navigable. As it turned out the, the Peggy's Cove Tour was quite entertaining - we certainly saw a lot of Halifax and that was the point. On this trip, the guide, quite liked himself and his stories, and he got a little boorish by the end of the tour. He diverted our bus on the way back to drive past his boyhood schools, which, in rush hour, was unnecessary, and cut into our time back at the dock to visit the other vendors and markets nearby.
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