[Travelandtourism] Cruise Lines and the Blind

[Peachtree Travel]

Cruise lines are like sampling different kinds of food.  Some you will 
absolutely like and some you won't.  That could be said for airlines as 
well.  It all depends on the level of service you receive at the time you 
take your trip with them.  If the service meets or surpasses your 
expectations you will return and tell all your friends/family how good it 
was.
And if the service you receive is pore then you won't return and you will 
tell your friends/family not to do business with them either.

So far, I have nothing but good things to say regarding NCL.  The travel 
reps have been very helpful.  Now I reserve judgment on the ships and their 
crew because I have yet to sail with them so it would be unfair of me to 
make an opinion.  However, once I do and my clients state their opinions as 
well, I'll be able to form an opinion how accessible and accommodating they 
are towards the blind.

The only Cruise line I feel comfortable making an opinion on at this time is 
Carnival.  This is because I have dealt with them from beginning to end and 
even took a group of 20 blind clients on a Eastern Caribbean trip last year. 
Unfortunately, none of them brought a guide dog along so I didn't get a 
chance to see how the Carnival crew deal with service animals.

I saw at least 6 wheelchair scooters on board and they had no trouble 
getting on/off the ship and navigating around.  Elevators and room numbers 
were Brailed making it easy to find our way around.  Already knew that 
Braille menus were going to be hard to come by so that wasn't a surprise 
when I never saw one.  Now there's an area that needs some improvement in. 
But can't knock them all that much.  After all, there are national 
restaurant chains that don't have Braille Menus and we still eat there 
anyway.

I realize there are people who have had bad experiences with all the cruise 
lines and if they don't wish to do business with a particular one, who are 
we to try and convince them otherwise.  Just sell them something else 
comparable to what they really want and everyone is happy.

Inform them of the changes that were made regarding their situation and 
then, let them decide if they are willing to give them another try.

Maurice

Independent Travel Consultant
http://www.Peachtreetravel.net
1-888-831-3180
Reservations at peachtreetravel.net
Affiliated as an Independent Contractor with Montrose Travel CST-1018299-10