Sun Princess, October/November 2016

We did a round-Australia cruise recently aboard the Sun Princess.  It was an enjoyable and interesting cruise stopping at all capital cities and other towns along the way including Broome and Albany.  There was also a stop at Alotau in Papua New Guinea.  We had an accessible cabin with wheel-in shower; rails in shower, and beside toilet. 

The cabin was comfortable and easy to negotiate. We had single beds which was ideal as my spasticity is a problem and can wake my husband.  He said the mattresses were too soft.  There was some difficulty moving about the ship when I wanted to go out on the deck, with or without my husband being with me.  There were ramps but they were not ideal, having a flat bit sticking up at the top.  We often had to wait for some kind person to hold the door open (very heavy) and help me in or out.  None of the excursions were accessible but this was not a problem for  us.  We hired taxis at each destination and found that to be cheaper and we got local people showing us the sites of each place we stopped.

There was a small ramp to get in to bathroom.  The shower was not ideal.  There was a drop-down seat, but there was a rail along the back.  So I'm sitting on the seat with a rail at my back, making it a bit uncomfortable to stay on seat.  The shower was on my left and the shower gel and shampoo on my right, both sort of behind me.  The drainage was good with a drain around the shower area so water did not go into the rest of the bathroom.  I have good core strength so I would suggest if you don't have that strength, you need a shower chair (plastic chair) for safety. 

Braeside, Maleny September 2016

We attended a family wedding at Maleny and stayed at a lovely B&B called Braeside.  When you walk in there are breathtaking views of the Glasshouse Mountains.  We stayed two nights so we would be close the wedding venue and we could enjoy a weekend in this beautiful environment.  When the proprietors decided to have a B&B they were required to have one room as wheelchair accessible.  It worked well for us.  There was a drop-down seat in the shower.  The rails in the shower and beside the toilet were adequate for me.  I could wheel-in to shower, toilet and hand basin.  It was also easy to wheel outside my room as the area had polished floor boards.  We could have breakfast while taking in the view and watching the birds outside coming to feed. The proprietor was also kind enough to drive us the short distance to the wedding and picked us up later.  Sadly, the B&B was For Sale as the proprietors would like to retire.

La Promenade, Caloundra - April 2016

We had a lovely weekend at Caloundra last week staying in an accessible unit at La Promenade.  Our hosts Kerry and Michael were very welcoming and want to encourage more people who use a wheelchair to enjoy the unit.  I know we are all have different levels of disability.  What works well for me may not necessarily work for others.  I can stand-transfer and I'm very strong.  This unit worked well for me.  There was a minor problem with the bed partially blocking access to the bathroom.  When needed, the bed can be easily moved with Michael's help.

The bathroom was accessible through another door in the hallway and this is the one I used.  The shower has a drop-down bench seat.  I was able to transfer to and from my wheelchair using the shower rail and with help from my husband/carer.  The shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel were a little high and could come down about 15 cm.  The shower had a moveable head so I could reach it easily.

The toilet worked well for me with the rails against the wall.  I would like to see a drop down rail on the other side which would help me to transfer to and from my chair.  The drop down rail could be left up for those who don't need that. 

The kitchen is not ideal and I think our hosts will work on that.  There are limited cooking facilities with only a microwave oven sitting on the bench and making it difficult to access power points.  There is a plug-in hot plate but not much space on the bench. 

The floors are tiled so easy to wheel around.  The view from the unit, which is on the second floor, is fantastic.  Those on the ground floor are fishing outside their unit.  That's how close we are to the water.  The weather was not the best last weekend with very strong winds making it unpleasant to be outside.  Our unit has a balcony which is accessible with a wheelchair.  This is the first time I've seen this.  Usually it is difficult to get over the tracks of the sliding door and then a drop to the balcony.  At this unit there is a tiled slope which makes it easy to get down.  We didn't stay out there long because of the wind but on a normal sunny day it would be a very pleasant spot to relax with a drink and enjoy the view.

Monier Hotel, Darra

This was quite a good toilet.  Door a bit heavy, push to open, then pull to exit.  As I stand transfer to the toilet seat I found the placement of the toilet paper holder was not ideal for me as it got in the way.  Note there is somewhere to hang a handbag but nowhere to put anything else except the floor.  The basin, liquid soap and paper handtowels were all conveniently close together.  A clean toilet. 4/5