Danube River Christmas Market Cruise with Broken Foot
How difficult is it to navigate the Christmas Markets and cruise tours with a knee scooter or wheel chair?
Our daughter (24 y/o) will be joining us for our cruise the end of November/first of December on the west bound Danube Christmas Market cruise and recently broke a bone in her foot. She is under the care of an orthopedic surgeon who suggested she go non-weight bearing with that foot for 4-6 weeks to see if there is improvement/healing or she may need surgery in the future. She is inclined to have the surgery late December if it is required and is adamant about not cancelling the cruise. This of course is with approval from her Dr.
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Tours say they do not accommodate scooters or wheelchairs, perhaps you need to talk to Tauck. Also, consider you might encounter snow, ice and cobbled streets.
Maresc,
I went on a Danube river cruise last October. i think your daughter will likely have a difficult time. To access the boat, you need to walk up an inclined narrow gangplank. The rope railing will offer minimal support. Further once off the boat, there are often 1 or 2 flights of steps (with a fixed railing) to get to ground level. She will also need to climb the steps to get onto the bus. Sometimes the boat stacks so you may need to climb multiple steps on another boat to get to the dock. And then the touring itself will involve much walking and standing … often there are steps involved. I don’t want to be a Negative Nancy, but I want to give my thoughts.
Concur with comments so far. The gangplanks for river cruise ships are not like the wide and often fixed ones on ocean going ships. They are portable structures the ship takes with them and set up at each docking. The picture below is an Avalon ship but the same type of gangplank that Tauck uses. Sometimes they use a longer one. Sometimes it ends in a platform with steps. The incline can vary. All hard to predict depending on the dock and water levels. You'll see it's narrow, has ropes not fixed handles, and has those cross metal pieces for traction.
On board the ship she would be fine except that the elevator does not go to the Sun deck.
If she can walk short distances using both feet she could do this assuming you handle the knee scooter. See below re wheelchairs.
Part of the Health/Mobility guidance from Tauck on the river cruises:
PLEASE NOTE: We regret that this Tauck itinerary cannot accommodate wheelchairs or motorized scooters. Likewise, we regret that we're unable to provide individual assistance to guests with walking difficulties or other personal needs. The responsibility of the Tauck Director who accompanies your trip is to ensure that the larger group enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing individual assistance to any one guest. Guests requiring such individualized assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied companion who can provide it.
There's no way. Too many steep ramps, steps, and cobblestone. Plus - often boats dock next to each other in port and you have to climb lots of stairs to get off your boat, onto another boat, etc. Plus-- the castles, abbeys, palaces, cathedrals they take you to have stairs. The markets are very crowded - it would be difficult to navigate and even get up close to the stalls to see the products.
Thank you to everyone who responded. We have travelled extensively with her throughout Spain, Italy, Paris, and London and are well aware of the challenges she will encounter in the churches, abbeys, and with cobblestone streets. Hoping she has significant healing between now and our departure date or we have to book another cruise for next year!
Your doctor may have a better idea of the healing progress in 2-3 weeks time, but likely not before your final payment. Best of luck. It is usually us older travelers that get these surprises!
Maresc, with respect, if you have been to these countries, you must be aware of the challenges ahead and yet you are asking questions here that you should already know. You must go with your gut and hope for the best.
Maresc, wishing the best. Its a fun cruise. Even just hanging on the ship is special with the amazing decorations and special holiday food and drinks.
I just got off the Blue Danube cruise I have lots of experience with broken feet and scooters. There’s NO WAY. I currently have a stress fracture just from walking!
The cobblestone walks are ALL there is. Pretty impossible to roll a scooter.