Mobility nationwide have recently created a travel guide showing accessible places to go around the UK. It got me thinking about our recent cruise and how everything seemed to cater for all. By that I mean people of all ages and all conditions. There were plenty of youngters in pushchairs and there were a lot of people in wheelchairs on the ship too. It was lovely to see that the very large ship, catered for a very large variety of families.

Easy excursions

There is a booklet that you can read through which details all of the available excursions and it filters them from easy to extreme. So for example, if you want to go on a mountain hike and do a lot of walking. You can. On the flip side of this it details the easy excursions, so the ones with little walking and ease of access for pushchairs and wheelchairs. When we did the Pisa excursion, that was classed as easy. There was a lady with us who was in a wheelchair and she was saying what a delight it was to be involved and it was nice that the ship offered such an excursion. There was a bit of a walk from the coach to Pisa but it was all pavement and the wheelchair made it just fine.
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Easy to get around on board

The ship had stairs, but it also had lifts. So many lifts. You could easily of got lost, moving from one lift to another. There was a lift to every floor and so accessible to all. Everything was signposted and you could easily work out where you needed to get to and more importantly, where you are at the moment. The corridors were wide enough for wheelchairs and the restaurants had wide corridors too. There was not a place on that ship that was too tight. Even the auditorim and cinema had wheelchair access. Everything had been thought of.

Friendly staff

The fact that the staff were extremely friendly and supportive, also aware of everyones needs, made it easier for families and accessibility was key. There was one example in the Lido restaurant where I had my hands full with both children and I was on my own and a member of staff offered to help carry our plates and also went and got us our drinks. It was an amazing moment, where I realised that the staff literally go above and beyond to make sure everyone has a nice holiday. They helped people with wheelchairs get suitable seating at mealtimes and I even saw one member of staff pushing wheelchair off the ship to help the man get to the coach on time. 

Mobility nationwide have been working on a guide to highlight some fun activities to do, that are accessible for everyone. If you are not planning a cruise anytime soon, check out the travel guide below to see if there is something else you might like to do.

If you have any other places to add to the list, I would love to see them in the comments below. 

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