How to Enjoy a Cruise With a Senior Citizen Companion
A cruise vacation is an excellent choice if you are traveling with a senior citizen. Modern cruise ships meet disability requirements and provide menu choices for health conditions common among the elderly. You unpack once, and if you choose a cruise tour, your baggage transfers and connecting transportation are handled as part of the package. Cruise directors arrange special trivia contests, exercise classes, dance sessions, lectures and lounge music with seniors in mind. No wonder 25 percent of cruise passengers are older than 60, according to Cruise Lines International Association. While many seniors are so fit they can boogie with the 20-somethings, some have health and mobility issues. If this is the case with your travel mate, extra planning is required to make sure you and your companion have a perfect vacation.
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Consider a room upgrade if you need to keep a walker or wheelchair. Standard cabins are attractive and cozy, but at 170 to 200 square feet, they have little extra room for such equipment. Of course, cruise lines offer handicapped accessible rooms, but they are limited in number and a few extra square feet may be all you need.
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Buy travel insurance for your companion and yourself. When traveling with a senior, you should prepare for unforeseen problems. Seniors are at higher risk for slips, falls and infections. If she has an accident, you will be leaving the ship with her. Also, seniors are more likely to experience a medical event in the weeks before embarkation that necessitates canceling the voyage.
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Purchase or rent a wheelchair. Even if your companion does not use a wheelchair, it will come in handy for traversing the football field distances between activities you will encounter on the ship. Convince your companion that she should save her energy for the line dancing lesson or the art auction and not fritter it away traipsing from bow to stern.
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Upgrade any walking support devices. If your friend uses a standard cane, consider taking a more substantial cane or walker along. Ships roll, dip and shudder. Your friend will be more unstable than she is ashore and will appreciate the added support.
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Be cautious about booking shore excursions. Cruise booklets and websites provide substantial descriptions about shore trips, including accessibility and difficulty ratings. But avoid making assumptions about how these write-ups apply to your senior's specific limitations. Talk to a staff person by phone or in person regarding the excursion and the modes of transportation involved.
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Pack night-lights. Your friend will be in an unfamiliar room and have difficulty finding her way to the toilet in the dark. Don't think you can leave the bathroom light on and the door open a crack; it will slam shut in the night from the movement of the ship. Alternatively, purchase an eye mask for yourself and encourage your friend to turn on the room light when she needs to move around.
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Pack a blanket or lap robe. You may be sailing in sultry July, but out on the water, it will be colder and damper. Your elderly friend can sit on the blanket and wrap her legs snugly.
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Pack extra medication and supplies. People remember their prescription drugs but forget typical over-the-counter medications. Your friend's preferred pain, stomach, allergy and irregularity preparations will come in handy when her arthritis acts up or she overindulges at dinner. Bring extra disposables, including adult underwear, bed pads, cleansing wipes, rubber gloves and trash bags. Include extra hearing aid batteries. Such items can be difficult or expensive to obtain in foreign ports and don't add much weight to your baggage.
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Visualize your daily routine. Your cruise days will differ significantly from your normal routine. Allow for rests or naps and provide space between strenuous activities. While your senior is napping to prepare for the Broadway show, do something just for you--the fitness center, the climbing wall or the spa. After all, it's your vacation too!
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Tips & Warnings
Use the cruise line's information resources. The company wants you to have a positive experience and will be happy to answer your questions before and during your cruise.
Talk to experienced cruisers. Ask about their ship and shore experiences.
Make your cabin steward aware of your companion's special limitations and needs.
Discuss trip goals and expectations with your travel partner beforehand.
