Improvise, Adapt, Overcome
Day 1
Ok so its not Bermuda, but it is still a cruise. We head to the Manhattan Cruise Terminal, 711 12th Ave, NY, NY. A relatively easy ride. You can park at the pier for $40 per day. I’m told there are cheaper options nearby, but we went with the convenience. If you chose to park somewhere else, you can drop your luggage off at the terminal first. When parking at the terminal, its a quick elevator ride to check in where you show your cruise documents and passport and head through security. If you use a wheelchair or scooter you go through an expedited line to check in where you get your keycard and head aboard. It took about 30 minutes total from parking to being aboard.
The first thing you do once you board, a least on Norwegian, is to go to your muster station and check in. This a much easier process than prior cruises where everyone shows up at once with your life jacket. This way you know where to go (its identified on your key card) they scan your card proving you complied, and your vacation begins!
Next stop is to check out the room. I was lucky and was able to book an aft balcony wheelchair accessible room on short notice. Accessible rooms usually go rather quickly so it is recommended you book further in advance than the two weeks I did for this trip. The first thing you notice is the door is wider to accommodate wheelchairs. To access the room, you tapped your key card on the reader and the door automatically opened, with ample time to maneuver to get inside. What I liked best about this I could come and go by myself if necessary. The bathroom was first thing as you enter. In many non accessible cabins there is a small step to enter the bathroom but there was a light ramp and I was easily able to roll in. There were grab bars around the elevated toilet and a bench seat for the shower. The actual shower was easily adjustable so you could either stand or sit. The room itself was wide enough for a wheel chair to turn around in with ease. The closet had a pull down rack to hang your clothes and there were tons of accessible storage options.
I do have to say my absolute favorite part of the room was the balcony. Like the bathroom, there was a slight ramp to easily access the balcony. It was big enough to be able fully turn around and enjoy the ocean breeze.
The next stop was dinner. We elected to dine at one of the ships specialty restaurants. Normally, there is an extra charge but our booking came with 3 free. We dined at Moderno Churrascaria, a Brazilian steakhouse where you get a coaster, red on one side and green on the other. If ts flipped to green servers come to your table with skewers of various meats until you flip to red.
At the end of the day, while a bit disappointed, we were still on a cruise and would make the best of it. Tomorrow is our first port, Newport Rhode Island!