First note I must add: sorry this is months late going up as it is from Feb/March but my health has recently deteriorated and I needed a break to rest and recover.
My latest adventure was a cruise around the Caribbean with Marella who are part of Tui. It was my first cruise in years and I have to say that I absolutely loved it! 5 of us went, my Mum and Dad and two of their friends. I was wary at first, visiting so many places when my chronic illness could flare up at any minute. We had lots of trips planned from different ports and I didn’t want to let anyone down, especially if I didn’t have enough time to rest when we got back on the ship. Turned out I had plenty of relaxing time in between ports and of an afternoon.
So I’ll start by listing the destinations I did visit:
- Boarded in Bridgetown, Barbados
- Bequia, Grenadines
- Scarborough, Tobago
- St. Georges, Grenada
- Roseau, Dominica
- Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe
- Castries, St. Lucia
- Bridgetown, Barbados (we decided to stay here for 4 nights but decided to do a separate blog post about this hotel etc)
As always the staff in Manchester Airport could not have been more helpful in assisting me, the sunflower lanyard system, put in place to be able to identify people with hidden illnesses and disabilities, works amazingly. Meaning I don’t have to stand in long lines risking my PoTS kicking off and my hips becoming painful before I’ve even got on a plane.
Upon landing in Barbados you and your suitcases are taken directly to the ship, this avoided all the usual messing about in the airport getting cases, finding transport etc, when all you want to do is get started with your holiday. The bus was on the runway near to the plane, which was great.
Upon boarding you are informed that your cases will be dropped off at your cabin. This gave us time to figure out the layout of the ship, find out where everything was and to get a much needed snack and a cocktail in the Caribbean sunshine.
The ships decks are all pretty much flat meaning they were very easy for me to navigate my way around with my walking stick and limited mobility. There are a number of lifts throughout the ship to get to different floors and we never really had a problem getting one at any time of the day to change decks. Upon arrival I was pleased to find we had been assigned a room near the lift as per request on booking. The pool deck had enough space to negotiate your way through rows on sunbeds using my walking stick with ease. I cant say I found any mobility related issues on board, which I was surprised at as I had a misconception in my head that on a ship things would be more cramped together than they were. It was actually quite the opposite. It is literally like a big floating holiday resort. To add to my love of it, the explorer 2 is adults only, no offence to your children, but getting round a buffet restaurant on a walking stick with small children running around is really difficult. I don’t have the best grip strength on my plate as it is, someone knocking into me is likely to end up wearing some of my dinner haha.
Excursions I would recommend
Rhum Runner 2. Probably my favoruite excursion, in St. Georges in Grenada. It started off with a shortish sail, while a steel band played Carribean music, to a lovely picturesque beach. From the time you first set sail until the time you arrive back you receive complimentary rum punch, probably not the trip for you if you don’t drink alcohol. Once you reach the beach you can get off for a couple of hours to sunbathe/swim in the sea. A member of the crew comes round a tray of rum punch, so you can have a refreshing drink whilst floating about in the sea. After this you get back on the boat to a more party atmosphere for the sail back, they had everyone up dancing and even held a limbo competition, (obviously limbo isn’t my forte) but everyone seemed to enjoy it. Probably my favourite day.
Wacky trucks in Dominica. This is another I would definitely recommend, it is great for those with limited mobility. You get to still see the island but from the ‘comfort’ an open topped 4X4.
You could also swim in a waterfall from the film ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ unfortunately I had to give that part a miss due to hip pain flaring. My Dad swam in it and said it was amazing though.
Activities onboard I recommend
Mini golf, located on deck 15. It is like golf with a view, especially if the ship is docked in a port! We absolutely loved it for a laugh of an afternoon. You do have to climb a set of stairs to get to it, so while not entirely accessible to all, on a good day, I could manage.
White party. The white party night was amazing, they had a Robbie Williams tribute act on the week we were sailing. He was really good and had everyone up dancing on the pool deck and the deck above. I would suggest getting there early as to make sure you get somewhere to sit as it got extremely busy.
Silent disco. There was also a silent disco night on the pool deck which was hilarious. It was on quite late so everyone had had a couple of drinks by this point, it definitely had a good party atmosphere with a lot of laughter going on.
Board games in coffee port. If you fancy something a bit quieter, located on deck 7 in the coffee port, there are board games you can play at no extra cost. They did the best coffee on the ship, they also do specialty drinks (I personally prefer my coffee flavoured). Sometimes it’s nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship for an hour or so. It was always quite quiet when we visited.
Quizzes and poolside activities. If you’re like me and you like to bask in the sun like a lizard by the pool, there’s always something going on. From Bollywood dance classes to random general knowledge quizzes over the tannoy. Never a dull moment. Sometimes I prefer to just lie there blasting music through my headphones. I couldn’t hear anything going on around me with them in, so if that’s more your thing, there’s something for everyone.
Gluten free food.
Firstly I must say that the staff onboard were excellent when it came to attentiveness and ensuring you were catered for and well looked after with a dietary requirement. The restaurant manager was straight over to us if he spotted us walking into Marketplace (the buffet restaurant) to ask if there was anything in particular I needed. There were hand sanitizing stations available as you entered a new area/restaurant which was something that I found an added bonus, especially in these germ filled times.
Breakfast
Of a morning we ate in Marketplace and in the main restaurant depending on the time we got up. There was something to eat in both restaurants. The highlight for me in Marketplace would definitely be the gluten free pancakes. You did need to order these a day in advance with the chef or restaurant manager but they were honestly worth it. In the restaurant, I always went for the option of the omelette with gluten free toast. You could add whatever fillings you liked from a list to the omelette so it was to your taste. All gluten free options are clearly marked out on a menu card in the main restaurant so it makes it much easier to order.
Lunch and snacks
Of a lunchtime we tended to only visit the pool snack bar or the Marketplace restaurant, however meals are available in the main dining room. In the buffet restaurant the gluten free choices were varied, with each food item marked up as to if it contained gluten or not. I could always find something to my liking, that filled me up for the rest of the day. However on days you were just sunbathing and fancied a snack by the pool, I found to be quite difficult. The only hot food available from the snack shack was fries. Cold food wise they had a couple of salads that were GF. I had read online chicken wings were available for coeliacs, but I was disappointed when this was not the case. A food highlight for me was definitely afternoon tea in the buffet restaurant. They had a wide variety of sandwiches, biscuits and cakes, all gluten free to select yourself. It was lovely to sit out on the deck, with a cake and a cup of coffee to break the day up.
Dinner time/evening meal
Of an evening we generally went to the main dining room, which was separated over two floors into Latitude 53 which had your classic dining style of food, or Vista which was essentially contemporary Italian food. A gluten free menu was posted to the room each morning to select the food you wished to eat that evening. It had to be handed back in at reception once complete, first thing of a morning. The food was incredible and most nights I had three courses. In latitude 53 a lot of the dishes were local to the islands you had just visited, so it was cultural as well as being delicious. I literally have zero faults to pick with the main dining room as it was spacious, beautiful and spread over 2 floors.
The other restaurant we frequented on more than one occasion was Nonna’s Italian. It served pizza and pasta dishes, both available as a gluten free option. This was a great restaurant for me as you could personalize the dishes to your taste by selecting your own ingredients if you wanted. I am a massive pizza fan so had a pizza piled high with my own chosen toppings on more than one occasion.
One final point is that there are other restaurants on board available, that are not included in the price. However we personally didn’t feel the need to visit them as their was always something I wanted to try in the previously mentioned restaurants. The gluten free is also clearly marked out on these menus to check out before you book into them.
On a final note, I would definitely recommend a cruise to anyone, young or old. I am not the best person on boats for sea sickness usually but I had no problem at all with this once onboard the ship as you could barely feel it moving. If you are worried about getting about on a ship with a disability or chronic illness, I would say they have it all covered. I found no problems at all getting about with limited mobility and I know there are specially adapted cabins available at request for wheelchair users and those with less mobility than myself. Finally as you have seen being gluten free or having dietary requirements is more than catered for on board and I did not have a single issue food wise other than a lack of poolside snacks, more of a personal preference thing though than anything else.
I loved the Marella Explorer 2 for my first cruising experience and I will definitely be going cruising again in the near future!
My life with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome 