Gangways and Tenders, Oh My!
Getting on and off the ship, whether you are going on an accessible adventure or you’re exploring the port of call on your own, can be tricky. All DCL ships have minimal incline gangways wide enough for most wheelchairs and scooters. They are used at ports of call where long piers connect the docked ships to shore. Solo travelers or guests who wish to be on their own can easily manage the gangways. A port of call, such as Cabo San Lucas, that cannot accept larger ships in their harbor. This includes those in the Disney fleet, send a tender, which is a smaller boat, to transport passengers.
These boats can only take a small numbers of passengers at a time and they have stairs between decks. They don’t have the room for wheelchairs or scooters. Tidal changes and other factors may keep DCL ships from docking near the shore resulting in the use of tenders.
Wheelchair users cannot use a tender. Gangways are too steep to negotiate and stairs could be utilized instead of a gangway if the sea is too rough. Guests with limited mobility may find negotiating any stairs to get from ship to tender difficult. Everything is moving, the boat and ship bobbing on the water and the gangways and stairs moving with them. On a tender-in day, plan instead to stay onboard and enjoy the ship, pools, and movies.
Here is the precursor to this article from Rose Ann titled Seniors! Put Your Mind At Ease With Disney Port Adventures.
Are you a senior, or enjoy Disney Parks, Resorts or Cruises with senior family members? Come join the original Disney luvin’ seniors online community at Disney for Seniors Facebook Group.
