THE SHIP: Norwegian Dawn
When we travel these days, the accessibility of where we are going is of premium importance. Mike typically uses a Permobil P3, a 400 lb. motorized wheelchair. His upper body strength is good, so he can transfer from his wheelchair to couches, chairs, toilets or a bed. As long as the grab bars or arm rests are in the right place - and he is transferring to things of approximately the same height as his chair - he's in good shape.
Here is a good view of Mike in his chair --->
When we started looking into international travel, Mike spent a lot of time looking into Costa Rica, a place that he has always wanted to see. But many of the hotels did not provide information about the accessibility of their facilities, and planning for accessible transportation was impossible. The more Mike looked into it, the more he was reminded of the things he wouldn't be able to do, instead of finding things he would.
So we pivoted our research toward the possibility of a cruise. It was easy to find accessible solutions. There are layout plans for most cruise ships online, with 360 degree views of the dining areas and staterooms. There is a hotline dedicated to guests with special needs, and many websites dedicated to accessible cruising. Knowing that his sleeping and living space, bathroom and food options were all covered was of the utmost importance to feeling confident enough to book with Norwegian Cruise Lines.
And what a great choice it turned out to be!
The photos we took tell the story well, so I'll let them do a lot of the talking. Four parts to this photo journal: the room, the ship, the food, the togetherness.
The room - #11116 - Mini-Suite with Balcony
Our room was located mid-ship, 11th floor, near the elevators, one floor below the pool deck and Garden Café, a buffet that is open 24-7. It was larger than a typical mini-suite, because it was handicap accessible.
The bathroom facility was fully accessible, with a roll-under sink, grab bars everywhere, and a roll-in shower with a fold-down bench seat.
There was a balcony with two chairs and a lounge chair where we watched many sunsets, and the balcony was accessible by a small ramp.
The main bed was king size - two twin beds pushed together. It was very comfortable. Mike's wheelchair was able to fit along the right side of the bed, making transfers easy.
The bed the boys used was a pullout couch - but not your typical hotel-room pullout. The boys were very happy with it. In fact our first day at sea they each napped for like 3-4 hours!
The ship
The Norwegian Dawn entered service in 2002 but underwent a complete re-design in 2016.
You can easily learn about all the ships amenities - but here are a few photos of our favorites.
The pool and hot tubs (4) - at day and at night.
The arcade - yay air hockey!
The oversize chess/checker boards
The theater
There is also a children's pool/water slide area, a sports court, a teen center, and a spa, a casino - but we didn't use any of that. We didn't even play one game of shuffleboard! What did we do? We played cards! In the room, in Garden Cafe, on the pool deck - everywhere - we played our traditional family card game, 3P's. We also played a new version of 3P's called Odd P's, a creation of Luke's. Fun!
There are 4 elevators mid-ship and the behavior of the elevators is unpredictable. Mike needed it (obviously) so we would have appreciated it if the able-bodied folks on the ship would have used the stairs a bit more. The best advice we got from the staff about the elevators is this: "Sometimes you have to go up to come down." In other words, if the doors open on your floor and there's room - get in! You may ride a few extra floors going the wrong direction, but then you control where the elevator goes next. We were very thankful for this tip!
The upper decks get windy and it's hard to find a spot by the pool, but those things are expected. There was a gorgeous sunset every night, and Luke and I challenged each other to take the best sunset photo.
I found the ship beautiful - especially at dawn. I'm an early riser, so I'm the only one in my family who got to appreciate these moments. I did take a few photos of the Dawn at dawn.
The food:
The all-inclusive, freestyle dining was my favorite thing about cruising. We ate a lot, we ate well, and I didn't have to meal plan, shop, cook or do dishes. It left me time to be on vacation. Norwegian's freestyle dining plan means that you can choose from a variety of included restaurants, and go to them whenever they are open and have space. There are specialty restaurants where you pay, but our family truly did not need them.
We ate most of our meals in the Garden Café - a buffet open 24-7 that was only one floor above our room. The boys ate 5 meals a day, and 3 of them were usually in the Garden Café. Favorites there were omelet station, pasta station, salad bar and dessert bar, including soft serve ice cream. Everyone could get what they wanted - and we have pretty diverse food needs these days - so a buffet was perfect. And we didn't always eat together all the time. If the boys were hungry, it was great to just say "Then go eat-bye!" They also allowed folks to carry food out of the Garden Café. There were plenty of times we brought Mike food to the room to save him the trip. Our room being so close to the Garden Café was FABULOUS!
The ship's two big dining rooms are Aqua and Venetian. They are sit down, order from the menu restaurants, and they have great steak and fish. (The boys ate steak every time we went there!) We also ate at a restaurant called Bamboo for Chinese food. We also frequented a restaurant called O'Sheehan's Pub, which had great fish and chips, and excellent cheeseburgers. Josh was kind of obsessed with the classic cheeseburger basket.
The togetherness
When we weren't having adventures, we were enjoying each other's company. To end, here are a couple of photos of what can be accomplished when the cell phones are locked in the safe, work is far away, and everyone is well fed and warm. I do not take these things for granted!
