High tidal variance - Madiera, Canary Islands, Lisbon

[Timothy Turtle]

My wife (who uses a wheelchair) and I are going to Madeira, Las Palmas, La Palma, Tenerife and Lisbon on Aurora in August. We were aware of the mention in P&O's brochure about possible restricted wheelchair access to the shore at these ports due to high tidal variances but the pre-cruise wheelchair accessibility information pack which arrived today gives much more dire warnings, saying that at Tenerife, Las Palmas and Lisbon "there is a strong chance that wheelchair users may not be able to go ashore". I'm not sure whether P&O are just covering themselves or whether it is really likely that we will have to stay on the ship (which would spoil the holiday somewhat). Has anyone had any problems going ashore with a wheelchair at these ports?

[RB1961]

My OH is also a part time wheelchair user and we have been to Lisbon twice and got off both times and as far as i can remember we were never informed that there could be any issues. We were on Ventura and Azura so not sure if its because you are on a smaller ship.
Not been to any of the other ports since she has used the chair.

RB

[Timothy Turtle]

Thanks RB, that gives me a little comfort! My wife really wants to go to Lisbon as she hasn't been there for nearly 40 years so would be really disappointed if she couldn't get off. We'll keep our fingers crossed!

[Manoverboard]

We have been to Lisbon many times and have yet to need a tender so fingers crossed for you but dare I add that Lisbon is not quite as pristine as she once was.

Fore warned is fore armed as they say.

[stocktonmackem]

We are going on Ventura to the canaries on 1st sept and like you I saw the warning when we booked and chose to ignore it. I was wondering how much longer we would need to wait for the accessible brochure. Are there any good tours at a reasonable price? I found last year that the cost of these were a bit on the steep side.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I wonder if they are just covering themselves to avoid any completes from people saying they weren't warned?

If they go onto the main berth on the harbour arm at Madeira I can't see any likelihood of problem as Funchal now has a new cruise terminal with an adjustable air bridge, like they use at Southampton, so no old fashioned and sometimes steep gangways like they used to have. There is, however, a second berth which is much nearer the city centre (good news for wheelchairs) but I think, despite also being new, doesn't have the air bridge.

[Timothy Turtle]

Thanks to everyone for their responses. We're feeling more positive now!

Stocktonmackem - There are accessible tours at Lisbon (3hrs 25mins for £65), Madeira (3hrs 30mins for £55) and Las Palmas (4hrs 30mins for £55). If you send me a PM with your email address I can send you the whole pack.

[stocktonmackem]

Thanks Timothy for the offer of sending them but I will wait until they send me it. I have already made plans for Lisbon to meet up with family and not sure about doing a tour in Madiera. Would like some heads up from you when you get back about any difficulties we might come across at the ports. Forewarned is forearmed as the saying goes. Have a fantastic time. Pat

[Timothy Turtle]

Thanks Pat. We've decided not to do any of the organised tours but will post something about our experiences when we return.

[Timothy Turtle]

Hi Pat & others. As promised, a few notes on how we fared on Aurora to the Canaries etc.

Overall, an excellent cruise on a wonderful ship. Embarking/disembarking with a wheelchair was pretty easy at all the ports. At a couple. the gangway was a little steep but the wonderful P&O mobility assistance lads were always there to help.

Madeira - there was a wheelchair adapted shuttle bus to the centre of Funchal. We found it reasonably easy to explore the city centre, cathedral and seafront areas but Funchal is quite hilly and we would do a tour to see some more of the island if we were to return.

La Palma - an easy flat 15 minutes walk into the small, quiet town of Santa Cruz, which is interesting but hilly.

Tenerife - We did a half day taxi tour visiting three towns on the island (130 Euros for 4.5 hours). Taxis were waiting at the bottom of the gangway.

Las Palmas - Ship berths close to the city centre. We spent 5 hours exploring the city and beach areas - mostly quite easy with the wheelchair, although some poorly maintained pavements and inconsistent provision of dropped kerbs. There is a shopping mall on the pier where the ship berths which is very easy to access.

Lisbon - The ship had the best berth in the city - a few minutes flat walk from Placa do Comerciio (close to main shopping area). It was my first visit to Lisbon and absolutely loved it. We got a taxi to the Christo Rei statue on the south bank of the river, which gives a fantastic view of the city. We then got a taxi to the cathedral which is on a steep hill, and walked down the hill to the central area for some shopping - a real test for the wheelchair's brakes!

An unrelated point - we were given extra time at two ports - in Tenerife where we stayed until midnight so the tropical night deck party could take place in port and the captain put his foot down after Las Palmas so we could arrive in Lisbon a hour earlier then scheduled.

In summary, a really good cruise and we managed to see the places we wanted to with the wheelchair. A couple of gripes with P&O during the holiday but nothing too serious.

Best wishes, TT

[arcadialover]

Glad you had a good time and things were relatively easy for you. Sounds like you had a good captain as well

[Timothy Turtle]

Yes, we did. The Captain was Neil Turnbull.

[stocktonmackem]

Thanks for the info, I was just thinking yesterday if you would be back soon. It sounds like you had a good time. I am very excited because our cruise is on Sunday. You have certainly put my mind at rest and hopefully the only minor thing we encounter is the rubbish pavements. I have tipped hubby out on many occassions Hopefully you have another cruise to look forward to soon. If you think of any other things that might be useful I will be around until Friday and one again thanks.
Pat

[towny44]

We are going on Ventura to the canaries on 1st sept and like you I saw the warning when we booked and chose to ignore it. I was wondering how much longer we would need to wait for the accessible brochure. Are there any good tours at a reasonable price? I found last year that the cost of these were a bit on the steep side.

All the details in the accessible brochure are available on the P&O website, use this link

Scroll down to the ports and you can download the data from there.

[stocktonmackem]

We are going on Ventura to the canaries on 1st sept and like you I saw the warning when we booked and chose to ignore it. I was wondering how much longer we would need to wait for the accessible brochure. Are there any good tours at a reasonable price? I found last year that the cost of these were a bit on the steep side.

All the details in the accessible brochure are available on the P&O website, use this link

Scroll down to the ports and you can download the data from there.

Thanks John, already seen the accessible brochure because our cruise is on Sunday. I decided not to use them because they are a bit expensive.. I just wanted a bit of info about the areas around the port etc. we are fairly new to cruising so just wandering around the ports is enough for us at the minute.
Pat

[stocktonmackem]

Just returned from the canaries and found the info given by Timothy to be very useful. There was never a problem getting on and off ship and although I found Madiera to be a bit hilly we managed ok.Thanks for your help

[Timothy Turtle]

Welcome home - glad you had a good cruise.

TT