Venice P&O or DIY.

[RB1961]

We have been to Venice before but my OH is now a part time wheelchair user.
She has limited mobility but can do the odd step with help. During the day we will use the wheelchair so that she can save her energy to walk to dinner especially on a formal night. We still use a standard cabin as the wheelchair collapses.
I would appreciate some guidance on the best way to enjoy Venice.
Has anyone any knowledge of what the disabled trips are like or would we be better to DIY.

Thanks.

[ArtemisMiss]

Something to say about the disabled tours in general is that you may be limited to one (or none) in any port of call - and none if the port of call is a tender port, they are far more expensive than standard tours because it usually costs more for the vehicles and they carry fewer passengers and they will only give you a minimum cost per person - based on the vehicle being fully booked and, if the minimum number of passengers required to make the excursion viable are booked on it, you are likely to pay more per person.

We have a similar situation with a part time wheelchair user and have found it's easier to book ourselves on the standard tours but choose ones that are listed as 'highlights', 'panoramic' or 'leisurely' as they (usually) involve the least walking!!

AM

[RB1961]

Thanks AM

We haven't had anything back yet from P&O about the disabled tours but you have confirmed what I was thinking about prices.
We normally do the "panoramic" but OH struggles up the steps on the buses (they can be steep)..I will get behind her and give her a shove...we do get allocated seats at the front which is handy. When we stop I will jump out take some pictures and get back on.

I guess we will wait and see,

Thanks again,

RB1961

[mavismumakrill]

We did Venice in 2009 with P&O. We were advised by the excursion desk lady that we would be best going on a boat trip in the morning with my son and daughter in law getting me on the boat and leaving my electric wheelchair on the dockside. On us leaving the ship to go to this boat we were told there was a wheelchair shuttle bus (free) to one of the squares in Venice. The boat trip was the most boring I have ever been on and when we got back we got straight onto the shuttle. It went to a square, we could get to the bottom of one of the bridges but couldn't get over and it was too late to get on a Vaparetto and make sure we got back in time to get the shuttle back to the ship so we just stayed where we were - just a few stalls and nothing else.

So, my advice would be to check if there is a wheelchair access shuttle bus, go on it in the morning and explore Venice using the Vaparetto's. Just make sure you check what time the last wheelchair shuttle leaves Venice and remember where it dropped you off.

Have a good time when there.

Mavis x

[Timothy Turtle]

Last summer there was a wheelchair accessible bus from the ship to Tronchetto, where there was a short walk to the vaparettto stop. Venice is very limited for wheelchair users because of the numerous bridges but we found level walks from Rialto and San Marco vaparetto stops and had a wonderful, if tiring, day. Hope this helps.

[towny44]

How easy is it for a full time wheelchair user on the vaparettos, I have seen pictures which show a ramp style gangway, but are there any specific issues we should be aware of. I take it that the wheelchair shuttle bus goes to Tronchetto and assume you can take the grand canal vaparetto from there?

[Timothy Turtle]

Yes, the wheelchair shuttle bus goes from the ship to Tronchetto and you can get the vaparetto down the Grand Canal from there. (In previous years the shuttle has gone to Piazzale Roma - you could also get the Grand Canal vaparetto from there). All the vaparettos have a blue 'disabled access' sign on the outside and have a dedicated area for wheelchairs just inside. Do you have a manual or motorised wheelchair? The water level does change by a few inches and sometimes there can be a step up or down as you get onto or off the boat. The vaparettos are always busy and we found that there are many people to help if it is difficult but this may be a problem with a motorised chair.

Other advice - a) don't forget to buy your vaparetto ticket before you board the boat, b) there are disabled toilets near San Marco - go towards the waterfront from the square, turn right past the souvenir stalls and a small garden and they're on the right and c) be prepared to come across a few 'dead ends' and have to retrace your steps. It will be a hot, tiring day but Venice is well worth it. Good luck!

[haveabeer]

My wife is part time wheelchair user and DIY in Venice is easy once you know what to do
we where lucky once we got of the Shuttle bus we bumped into to two P&O crew who showed us the ropes
Water taxi number two cost was 1 euro i think and carer was free Guy on water bus was most helpful stopped everyone getting on and took control of the wheelchair and made sure my wife was able to view outside he even pointed out some of the sites.
We did the boat trip last year and yes it is a waste of time going again this year not sure what we will do maybe stay on board

[ArtemisMiss]

Thanks AM

We haven't had anything back yet from P&O about the disabled tours but you have confirmed what I was thinking about prices.
We normally do the "panoramic" but OH struggles up the steps on the buses (they can be steep)..I will get behind her and give her a shove...we do get allocated seats at the front which is handy. When we stop I will jump out take some pictures and get back on.

I guess we will wait and see,

Thanks again,

RB1961

Fb,

That sounds just like our experience in regards to excursions - I can't remember the number of times that my knee/shoulder/hands have provided the required 'hoik' up into the coach!!

The excursion guide for mobility restricted passengers is only sent out about 4/5 weeks pre cruise and, as we found, sometimes you'll only be sent one if a full time wheelchair user!

Good luck, let us know how you get on,

AM

[towny44]

TT & Havaeabeer, thank you for the very useful info, it sounds relatively painless so all I now have to do is convince my wife that she will not be tipped into the canal in her chair as we board the vaparetto!

[arrbee]

I thought I'd just share my experience in Venice too. I was using a wheel-chair temporarily in Summer 2011 when we were on Azura in Venice. The only excursion they could offer was the boat trip which Mavis refers to. It was basically a trip round the lagoon and just didn't appeal to us. However, we actually met a couple of disabled passengers on the day in Venice who had a guided tour specifically designed to meet their needs. The guides seemed to be wearing badges saying something along the lines of Department of Tourism Official Guide. It was one guide per disabled passenger. I know P&O helped with the arrangements but I don't know how it all came about / cost etc

We actually took the disabled bus to Tronchetto. The bus was waiting at the bottom of the gangway and it had a lift which raised me up into the bus. I think there were about 6 wheelchair spaces. There's a market and a some shops at Tronchetto and there was about a 50 metre walk from the drop-off to the vaporetto station. My husband got some help to get me onto the vaporetto. From there we went down the Grand Canal, getting off at a stop near St Mark's (Giglio??) If you were doing this, it would be worth-while downloading an audio tour. From then it was just a nightmare because whichever direction we went there was a bridge with a steep flight of stairs so we had a look at the views, bought a couple of things at the stalls then headed back to the ship. The other option would be a water-taxi right from the port again to St Mark's (San Zaccaria vaporetto station). It's fast but you don't see much. However from there you could take vaporettos to various locations around the lagoon. Hope that helps.

[RB1961]

Thanks all for your posts.
This was our experience of Venice for a manual wheelchair user. Much the same as the post above we caught the accessible shuttle bus just off the gangway. We were taken to Tronchetto and met by a guy who directed us to the vaporetto ticket office. I asked for 1 wheelchair and 1 adult return to St Marks and was charged 2 euro 60. There were 3 wheelchair users and we all got charged the same, we all thought it was cheap.
We waited for vaporetto number 2 to arrive at the pontoon to the right of the ticket office. We all boarded ok and went down the Grand canal and under the Rialto bridge. When we got to the St Marks pontoon we all got off safely with a bit of help from the guy who opens the gates. The pontoon looked quite new.
When we got to the end of the walkway to get off the pontoon there were accessible toilets to the left,we didn't use them, and St Marks was to the right. We went just about everywhere until we got to some steps and then turned back. We didn't attempt to go in any of the attractions.

The return journey for us was the reverse of the above however the vaporetto number 2 does do a loop.We were going to get off at Rialto bridge but we couldn't summon up the energy once I had sat down
You get a leaflet about 3 days before you arrive in Venice with all the info you need to do the trip on your own.

Hope this helps, it is tiring but worth it and as on other threads the sail in is quite something.

Cheers.

[Timothy Turtle]

I'm really glad you had a good time. Venice is special, isn't it!!