Sailing Away on a Caribbean Cruise by Mark Chapman

I’ve recently just got back from a Caribbean cruise, it was fantastic. I went with my mum and dad and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

It was such a good experience and a holiday I’ll never forget. We’ve been on a number of cruises now, sailing from Southampton back to Southampton. We find it really easy because we take all the equipment we need, ventilator, cough assist, hoist and shower chair in our van and then when we get down there the porters get all your luggage and equipment and put it straight in your cabin for you. So no need to worry, you can just relax and enjoy the holiday. The ship is highly accessible so you can get all over it without a problem, and getting on and off the ship is no problem as there are plenty of porters to help.

The disabled cabins are brilliant. They are twice the size of normal cabins so there is plenty of space for your wheelchair and all your equipment. The en-suite bathroom also has plenty of space. We had a balcony cabin for this cruise and like the cabin, the balcony is twice the size, so you can get out in your wheelchair and have a look out at the sea.

The best thing about cruising though is waking up in a different location everyday and getting the chance to explore a number of different places. This cruise was for 28 days and toured the West Indies and Caribbean, also stopping at Madeira and the Azores. My favourite places were Barbados where we walked to the beach and got some sun beds near a bar, which was perfect. Then Tortola where we got in the only wheelchair accessible taxi on the island and it took us to the other side of the island to a beach. It was picturesque just as you’d imagine of the Caribbean. When we got in the taxi the driver put loads of clamps on my chair and we thought “blimey he’s very safety conscious” and on the way we knew why. He was like Lewis Hamilton, driving up the steepest of hills at full speed he overtook a van and a taxi on a hairpin bend. It was bonkers, who needs a rollercoaster. It was a bit hairy but I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

But my most favourite place has to be Saint Maarten because it was a 10-minute walk to the beach and you can go on the beach with your wheelchair, as the sand is very firm. On a previous cruise a few years back we had been to Saint Maarten and the sun bed guy looked after us really well, with good deals on drinks and brought me 2 buckets filled with sea water to put my feet in because I couldn’t get to the sea. When we were leaving he said “next time you come to Saint Maarten come and find me I’ll be right here”! So when we got to the beach we went to find him and he was there, he came running over “Mark, Mark!!!” He remembered us, it made our holiday, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our time in the Caribbean! If anyone is thinking about going on a cruise but aren’t sure, just go for it you’ll love it.