This was our first cruise and we were concerned as my husband is disabled and has food allergies. There is a lot of information about the ship elsewhere and so this will just outline the relevant parts and a few constructive personal thoughts at the end.

Special Services ---------------- We contacted Celebrity special needs (specialservices.uk@rccl.com) on a couple of occasions regarding power outlets in the cabin, wheelchair and scooter, and medication. They were excellent in all aspects and will send you a non-invasive questionnaire. You may need to get a doctors letter. There is a 220v European socket (by the kettle - 5m from the headboard) and several 110v sockets in the cabin. They actually supplied a 5m long 220v extension cable so that it would reach the bed for medical equipment. You should request this in advance if you need it. They also offered a fridge for insulin, which we declined. Although there is a small amount of room in the minibar, we use Frio medication wallets for insulin and something you should definitely consider if you are not familiar with them. They also supplied a sharps bin. You will need to measure your electric wheelchair/scooter. We took both and it was worth taking both! Note that once or twice, the scooter charger did not flash normally during the charging process. This may have been down to spikes in the power supply or poor voltage/frequency regulation. Overall, I would not be too concerned, but don't start panicking. The wheelchair was best suited for shore excursions. Although most of the coaches could take both, some of the towns were not scooter friendly but you can get around in a wheelchair.

Prescription Medication ----------------------- Interesting topic. Their handbook tells you to take a set of prescriptions (which we found to mean an official list of medication (like a repeat prescription order). Given the travel delays around the Icelandic ash issue this is thought provoking and when taken literally is very good advice; especially if you were stranded for any length of time. Check with your travel insurance! Axa/PPP don't cover costs if you run out of medication and so having extra and a set of prescriptions is very good advice. Consider taking these in addition to your passport when going ashore in case you miss the ship. Southampton - At the port ------------------------- Cars are lined up in rows and queued so that luggage can be off loaded. There is plenty of assistance available. They took the cases and the wheelchair - we kept the scooter in the car. If you have prepaid parking, you can park opposite the terminal. Once the disabled car park is full, they let you go to the adjacent pay and display. Once back inside the terminal you have to checkin and then board the ship. That can be quite a trek (uphill when we boarded) in a manual wheelchair. The carpet varies through the ship and when in a wheelchair you can certainly tell the difference in pile. Although it's all level, it can be fairly hard work and this is where having a scooter helped a lot. In fact, there were a lot of scooters in use. Read more