Nath, Author at The Wheelchair Traveller

Day 4 (Copenhagen) – Hop On, Hop Off Bus

Back in Copenhagen, one caught the ‘Hop On, Hop Hop Off’ bus today for a tour around the city. The Tivoli Hotel concierge informed us that some of the buses were not wheelchair accessible and needed to call ahead to check the bus (as of 2017). To make life easier, one opted for the manual wheelchair!

Although the bus we caught was wheelchair accessible, no tie down straps were available thus the driver didn’t like the idea of one staying in the wheelchair! The tour took us around various landmarks such as The Little Mermaid which you couldn’t actually see from the bus which was a little disappointing…

The main issue arose when one was told to get off the bus and get on older one to continue the tour. The bus was not wheelchair accessible at all meaning that the manual wheelchair had to be carried on board and folded up otherwise we would have been stuck for 40 minutes!

Tomorrow, we head back to Copenhagen International Airport, this time by train for our short flight back to Bristol.

Day 3 (Malmo) – Train Travel and City Accessibility

Today, we travelled over the border to visit Malmö in Sweden via the Øresund Bridge. This takes around 60 minutes from Copenhagen by train. As ever, one was intrigued as to the accessibility of the Danish railway network. It turns out that the train to Malmö had a lower section to allow for level boarding for wheelchair users (much like the TGV trains in France) making it simple to roll on and off. However, it is worth noting that the platforms at Copenhagen are at different gradients hence level boarding may only be possible on some platforms otherwise a ramp is required. Once inside, the carriages are spacious with designated wheelchair spaces…

After de-boarding at Malmö Central Station, the thing that struck one was how clean everything is compared to Copenhagen. In addition, this being Sweden, it’s super easy to roll around in a wheelchair…

The main objective was to find our way to the Turning Torso (apparently named after the shape of a mans torso!) to see whether it was possible to go up to the top. Dismissing Google Maps, one followed the towering structure seen from all over the city.

Along the way, various landmarks came into view including the boat warehouse where the Eurovision Song Contest was held a couple of years ago!

Once one reached the Turning Torso, it was a little unclear whether you are allowed up said structure. However, after a discussion with the front desk staff, it turns out that they do tours at a reasonable cost. This tour included going up to the 54th floor which provides panoramic views of the city and the Øresund. It also includes a 30 minute presentation in pure Swedish!

After half an hour if a Swedish lesson, one sampled some traditional Moose at a local restaurant before heading back to Copenhagen.

Tomorrow, one plans to be a proper tourist by catching the ‘Hop On, Hop Off’ bus around Copenhagen.

Day 2 (Copenhagen) – Tivoli Gardens

Today, one visited Tivoli Gardens which is situated roughly in the centre of Copenhagen. On the way, one was able to get a feel of the accessibility of the city for wheelchair users. As predicted, being in Scandinavia, it is to a high standard with drop curbs in appropriate places etc…

After finding our way through various crowds, we reached the entrance to Tivoli Gardens. It is worth noting that disabled individuals can enter for FREE!

It’s difficult for one to describe the place, perhaps part theme park, part gardens. A large proportion of the site is completely wheelchair accessible making for an easy roll…

One of the highlights of Tivoli Gardens is its truffles which are truly divine…

On the way back to the hotel, one stopped off at the main station in Copenhagen to discover how the Danish railway system works in regards to booking assistance. According to the helpdesk, assistance must be booked at least 24 hours prior to the journey. Despite this, one is opting for the safer option of taking the manual wheelchair tomorrow to avoid as many complications as possible.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the pool before heading up to the sky bar to have some civilised whiskey whilst admiring the cityscape of Copenhagen…

Tomorrow, we head over the border to Malmö in Sweden.

Day 1 (Copenhagen) – Tivoli Hotel

The answer to ones previous post is the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen! After a 1 hour 45 minute flight from Bristol, we touched down at Copenhagen International Airport…

As Denmark are quite ‘with it’ when it comes to accessibility, one felt confident requesting a wheelchair accessible taxi from the assistance point within T3. Now, one would expect a standard taxi to show up with a ramp or a lift. In this case, it seems that the only wheelchair accessible taxi that was on offer was a Sprinter van, the ones that you would book if you wanted to travel in style!

It wasn’t so stylish when one found out that it had cost around £58 for a ten minute journey! Definitely getting the train back to the airport!

For the next few days, one is staying at the Tivoli Hotel which is located around 20 minutes from sights including Tivoli Gardens and City Hall, For the hefty price tag, it seems that the hotel have put more effort into decorating the hotel rather than the actual rooms, however one has seen worse…

Tomorrow, we head to Tivoli Gardens plus the railway station to find out what we need to do in terms of assistance in preparation for the train across to Malmo in Sweden.

Day 9 (Florida) – Miami Transportation System

Today was ones 24th birthday and the plan was to celebrate by visiting the Cheesecake Factory at Dande Land Mall in South Miami. The journey consisted of catching the FREE Metromover and then travelling on the Metrorail.

The Miami Metromover and Metrorail has to be one of the best that I have visited thus far as all the stations have elevators and the rolling stock enables level boarding! One was particularly impressed that they actually inform you in advance when an elevator is out of order.

It is worth noting that the Dande Land Mall has both a North and South station thus it is important to check that you are de-boarding at the correct station. After doing a little shopping and buying presents, The Cheesecake Factory awaited…

Tomorrow, we return to Miami International Airport for the long flight back to Heathrow. The question is, where next?

Day 8 (The Bahamas) – Nassau Accessibility

Today, we docked at our final port of call, Nassau in the Bahamas. As one read on another blog (Curb Free with Cory Lee), that Nassau was pretty accessible, I decided to take Superbunny for a roll around the place. As expected the place was very accessible as opposed to other places on the cruise and a large proportion of shops and restaurants have level access…

After taking a short walk through the centre we headed down to Western Esplande Beach for another dip in the Caribbean Sea. Unfortunately, said beach didn’t have wheelchair access hence needed a little manpower. Whilst on the beach, it was only appropriate to get with the Caribbean culture and sample drinking from a cocoanut…

Tomorrow, one docks back at the Port of Miami (and have to be out of our cabins at 7am!). As it’s also ones 24th birthday, the plan is to head to the Dande Land Mall to visit The Cheesecake Factory (made famous by The Big Bang Theory) which is officially ones favourite place in the world! To get there, we will be using the FREE Metromover and Miami Metrorail system.

Day 6 (Cayman Islands) – George Town and Palm Trees

Today we docked at Georgetown in the Cayman Islands, one says docked but we actually tendered out at sea and then boarded tender boats to travel to the the main land. One thought it would be best to take the manual wheelchair just to be on the safe side. It was a good job that we did as there would be no way that Superbunny would be able to get on the tender boats! It took 3 strong men to lift oneself and the chair onto the tender boat…

The cruise terminal is located in the heart of George Town making it easy if one wishes to do a spot of shopping. In terms of access, it is worth noting that the pavements, especially outside the centre are not the best for wheelchairs. However, a large proportion of shops in the centre of George Town are wheelchair accessible albeit with temporary ramps…

One of the main draws of the Cayman Islands is its beaches containing crystal blue waters. As one wished to find a quiet spot, we headed out of the centre for around 30 minutes and stumbled across a quaint little beach full of palm trees. This provided the perfect stop to go for a swim in the Caribbean Sea with ones rapid deployment inflatable system! Immersed in clear blue water, one was able to spot an array of marine life whilst bobbing around…

Returning to the cruise terminal, one stopped off at a beach side Caribbean restaurant spotting a few iguanas as we eat!

Tomorrow we head to Cozumel which is located just off the coast of Mexico.

Day 5 (Jamaica) – Fern Gulley and Dunn Falls

When one thinks of wheelchair accessible countries, Jamaica probably doesn’t spring to mind, however, we docked at our first port of call, Ocho Rios today…

Wishing to explore a little of Jamaica rather than staying in the resort town, one had booked a wheelchair accessible taxi courtesy of Jamaica Wheelchair Taxi to take us sightseeing tour around the local area, through Fern Gulley (which I was led to believe was a rainforest) ending at Dunn Falls. As one was unsure of the accessibility, Superbunny remained on the ship. Our driver arrived on time with a wheelchair accessible minivan which had a tail-lift at the back making it easy for both a manual and electric wheelchair to enter…

We started our tour by heading through Ocho Rios and its main street where it is possible to get a flavour of how poor the country is. Now, when one thinks of rainforests, images of exotic animals and the Brazilian rainforest come to mind, however, the Jamaican version seems to be simply a large amount of fern trees towering above you with a road winding through it! What is interesting is the amount of shacks at the side of the road with people selling trinkets etc. It is always amazing how people can make money in the middle of nowhere with the occasional car…

Next, one drove up to a viewpoint via a very poorly maintained road where it became apparent just how big our cruise ship actually is, towering over half of the town…

On the website for Dunn Falls, it looked fairly wheelchair accessible, however, in turned out that the majority of the site was on a hill with steep slopes making it difficult to roll around, even in a manual wheelchair.

Finally, our driver took us to a local takeaway restaurant to sample some authentic jerk chicken, before returning back to the cruise ship.

Tomorrow, we dock in Georgetown in the Cayman Islands.

Day 3 (Miami) – The MSC Cruise Experience

Today, one headed down to the Port of Miami to embark on a 11 day MSC cruise around the Caribbean. Although the port is only a 10 minute drive away from the Hilton hotel, the driver of the accessible taxi charged us $40 whereas the other taxi that we booked to take our luggage only cost $15!

We boarded the cruise ship with ease and, of course, one got to skip most of the queues! Our luggage was took by the porters including the manual wheelchair and made its way up to ones cabins. Sitting alongside a cruise ship, it always amazes one how these can stay afloat…

Accessible cabins on MSC ships offer a generous space, perfect for wheelchair users and a fairly big wet room complete with a slightly small shower seat…

One rolled up onto the 16th floor to watch the ship depart from Miami just as the sun set. When one booked the cruise, we didn’t quite realise how posh the evening meal hence we were a bit taken back by it..

Tomorrow, one is at sea all day as we cruise towards our first destination, Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

Lets see what Jamaica has to offer as a wheelchair user!

Day 2 (Florida) – Miami Beach Wheelchairs

Today, one headed to Miami Beach. It was simple enough to book an accessible taxi from the Hilton to the Miami Beach area (bar the fact that it cost $70 there and back!).

After promenading along the beachfront, one headed for the beach. Unfortunately, Superbunny became stuck in the sand immediately, however, a guy came over and informed us that you can hire a beach wheelchair. One had seen these online and was expecting to pay a little for it, but was pleasantly surprised that it was FREE. Although it was not possible to drive it personally due to the set up, it was rather exciting rolling along a sandy beach in an electric wheelchair…