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Hello. My name is Sylvia Longmire, and I’m a cruise addict.   

The first trip I took when the pandemic started winding down was a cruise. To give you a sense of how addicted I am, I went on seven cruises in the span of just three months in the fall of 2022. Five of those were with Celebrity Cruises, my favorite line for accessibility, comfort and itineraries.  

If you’re looking for an easy wheelchair-accessible vacation, cruising is the way to go. All of your things are in one place, you get to visit multiple destinations in one trip, and you get to meet some really amazing people. Celebrity makes it that much easier with beautiful and truly accessible ships, friendly and accommodating crew members, and an inclusive environment. Here’s more of what makes Celebrity, and cruising in general, so magical.  

An Accessible Home Base  

I’ve always recommended cruising as a first option for wheelchair users who are venturing into accessible travel for the first time. You get to visit a wider variety of places that may not be accessible enough for an individual vacation. You sleep in the same bed every night and use an accessible bathroom on board. The crew can help cater to your accessibility needs, as well as dietary restrictions — two things that might be difficult if traveling to a foreign destination on your own. And access aside, cruises are simply fun. It’s hard to beat sitting on the deck, watching the ocean and soaking in some vitamin D and sunshine.  

Celebrity is a deluxe cruise line that generally caters to older travelers, many of whom use some sort of assistive mobility device and desire diverse itineraries and luxurious surroundings. You’ll typically find younger passengers on Caribbean itineraries, and seniors on longer European and Pacific cruises. Celebrity has twelve cruise ships, ranging from 2,137 to 3,260 passengers in capacity, and three smaller expedition vessels. Celebrity departs from ports in North America, South America, Asia and Australia, and visits over 300 ports of call around the world.  

All the nonexpedition Celebrity ships have accessible staterooms and public spaces, although the newer Edge-class ships have the best overall wheelchair access. Compared to other major cruise lines, the interior accessible staterooms on Celebrity’s older Solstice- and Millenium-class ships are a bit cramped. But all Edge-class accessible staterooms, whether interior or with infinity-style balconies, are quite spacious, partly because the balcony area is integrated into the stateroom, as opposed to being a separate outdoor space. Interior staterooms can feel confining because there aren’t any windows or natural light. Balcony staterooms, while more expensive, offer a great opportunity for some fresh air, and a relaxing cup of coffee first thing in the morning.   

The size and layout of accessible stateroom bathrooms will vary between each ship class. However, they all have a toilet with surrounding grab bars, a roll-in shower with a fold-down seat and adjustable-height showerhead, and a roll-under sink. The biggest issues I have come across in Celebrity stateroom bathrooms — and cruise ship bathrooms as a whole — is the wide variety of fold-down shower seat sizes and comfort levels, and poor positioning of shampoo and shower gel dispensers. They’re out of reach for a passenger who can’t stand up, so I always bring my own shampoo and shower gel on cruises.  

Navigating the Public Areas  

Dining room experiences vary between ship class. Millennium- and Solstice-class ships have a more traditional main dining room, while the Edge-class ships have four different themed dining rooms. Navigating between tables and chairs with a wheelchair can be challenging if the dining room is full. Thankfully, servers, hosts and guests have always been happy to move obstacles out of the way, or hosts can reassign you to a table that’s more accessible. The Celebrity Beyond even has a table for two in its Cosmopolitan restaurant with an adjacent space just for scooter or wheelchair parking.  

The ability to use cruise ship pools varies, but most Celebrity ships have at least one pool lift, and often a second lift for one of the hot tubs. The Edge and Apex have wheelchair lifts to bring users up to the pool area from the main deck, but the Beyond has ramp access. All of Celebrity’s theaters have wheelchair seating at the top of the lower level, although some of the spaces may have a slightly obstructed view. Some ship lounges may be a little hard to navigate because of the large seats, but I’ve always found fellow passengers helpful in making space.  

Personally, I’m the social butterfly who likes to participate in every cruise ship social activity available. You will find me in my power chair at trivia, karaoke and game shows every night. The entire entertainment staff usually knows me by the third night, and they are always very kind and accommodating of any access needs I might have.  

Logistics  

The availability of wheelchair-accessible excursions booked through Celebrity is hit or miss, and varies depending on the itinerary. Celebrity is getting better at providing more offerings, but still has a ways to go. Often the shore excursions that are offered are simply panoramic tours of the local area in an accessible minibus. The advantage is that they are considerably less expensive than accessible shore excursions booked through a third party. Many are often not very immersive, but to be fair, offerings may be limited due to lack of accessibility at those particular ports of call. 

Booking an accessible stateroom is easy on Celebrity’s website, as is managing your itinerary afterward. You can book multiple staterooms if you’re traveling with several friends or family members. The website also enables you to book accessible shore excursions when they are available and purchase from a variety of extras like specialty dining, beverage or Internet packages. If booking a Celebrity cruise becomes overwhelming because there are so many options, I strongly suggest enlisting the help of a reliable accessible-travel advisor. For cruise bookings, I recommend Kristy Durso, a wheelchair user who operates Incredible Memories Travel. For accessible shore excursions in Europe, I recommend Mirjam Versteegh with Disabled Accessible Travel, and for excursions in the Caribbean, I like Sage Traveling.  

If you’re looking for an easy wheelchair-accessible vacation, you can’t beat a cruise. So don’t hesitate to roll aboard and set sail for your next accessible vacation! 

Editor’s Note: Author Sylvia Longmire received a 2-night comp cruise for the inaugural voyage of Celebrity’s Edge ship as part of her work as a travel blogger. She received a 4-night trip on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady ship as part of her work as a travel agent. All of her other trips on these two cruise lines were paid for out-of-pocket.