My family and I recently set sail on a 4 day cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas. The ship sailed out of Miami and had stops at CocoCay and Nassau, Bahamas. Keep reading to learn about my first time cruising as a wheelchair user!
Embarkation
Independence of the Seas sails out of its port in Miami. When going through port security, wheelchair users get a pat down similar to one you’d have in TSA at the airport. The gangway leading onto the ship is ramped and wide enough for wheelchairs and scooters. After boarding, we dropped our bags in our rooms and headed up to the top deck to watch us sail away. No need to rush up to see the sail off because you probably won’t leave exactly when the time is listed. Our ship was supposed to sail out of Miami at 3:30 but didn’t actually leave until about 6:30. Take your time settling into your room, grab some of the free, unlimited ice cream and then head to the deck.
Accessible Stateroom
I stayed in one of the 33 ADA staterooms available on the ship and was very impressed with the accessibility features. Features include:
Roll-in shower
Fold-down shower bench
Grab bars in shower and around toilet
Hand held shower head
Roll under sink
Lowered bed
Ramped entrance to bathroom
Widened doorways
Roll-under vanity
My room attendant was so sweet (shout out Yurdi)! The mattress was a little too firm for me so he offered to get me a mattress topper, which helped so much. Full room tour can be found here.
Days at Sea
It’s really hard to get bored on this ship because there’s so many things to do! Since our cruise was shorter we didn't have a full day at sea, just 3 afternoons. These were some of our favorite things we did.
Schooner Bar - We spent a lot of time playing trivia, which is hosted at Schooner Bar. There’s usually 1-2 rounds of trivia each day with different themes like Disney, 80’s music, Taylor Swift, etc.
Casino Royale - If you’re feelin’ lucky, take some time to check out Casino Royale. We hung out here for a while after dinner each night.
Broadway at Sea - On the last night of our cruise there were two showings of the broadway play, Grease. It was really impressive and a fun way to end the cruise. There’s handicap seating in the back when you first enter the theater on deck 5. Even though I was in the back it was still a good view.
Port Stops
CocoCay
CocoCay is Royal Caribbean’s private island in the Bahamas. This place has something for everyone—a water park, 7 beaches, cabanas, a Straw Market, 3 Snack Shacks, and 2 buffets. There’s a long paved walkway from the dock to the entrance of the island. From there, there’s only a few parts of CocoCay that are fully wheelchair accessible. The paved walkway goes through most of the island but the rest of it is sand. There’s an accessible tram that can take you around the island. The driver was super nice and carefully helped me up and down the ramp of the tram.
Wheelchair accessible tram
We chose to book a spot on the adults-only Hideaway Beach. The tram dropped us off at the entrance of Hideaway Beach, which had a paved walkway. There’s beach wheelchairs at the tram stop that are free to use. You’ll first see a covered bar with a live band, pool table, and lounge chairs. If you keep walking/rolling down the path, you’ll see the beach, pool with a swim up bar, bathrooms, a bar, and a few Snack Shacks. We grabbed some food from the Snack Shack (included in your trip) and sat at one of their tables, which were easy for me to roll up to. After eating, I transferred into the beach wheelchair to get a good spot close to the water. I wish there was somewhere I could have left my personal wheelchair while I was on the beach, but it was fine for the amount of time we were there.
Before heading back to the ship, we hopped on the tram and the driver gave us a tour of the rest of the island. It was fun to see but also disheartening because most of it was sand and not ideal for wheelchair users. I’ve read that to reach the Straw Market and most of the restaurants and bars you have to go through sand. However, the water park is accessible and Oasis Lagoon pool has a lift. Hopefully Royal Caribbean will make strides to make CocoCay more wheelchair friendly in the near future!
Nassau
On day three we stopped at Nassau, Bahamas. Similar to CocoCay, there’s a long walkway leading to the port welcome area, which is all flat and paved. Most people book excursions in Nassau but we chose to take it easy and explore since we only had until 3:30 PM.
Straw Market - We first stopped by Nassau’s famous Straw Market, which was about a 15 minute walk/stroll from the port. Sidewalks were a little bumpy in areas but not too bad. In the market you’ll find locals selling hats, handmade straw purses, magnets, and other souvenirs. Prices were decent but I always tried to negotiate first. There’s an accessible restroom at the market and the ground was flat, however the aisles were pretty narrow.
Pirates of Nassau -After the Straw Market we went to the Pirates of Nassau museum, only a 3 minute walk from the Straw Market. If you’ve been to Disney World it’s kind of like a walk through version of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride! As you go through it there’s artifacts and places for you to read about what a day in the life of a pirate would be like. The entire museum was wheelchair accessible. It even had a lift to get to one particular area and accessible restrooms.
Smugglers Restaurant - Right next to the Pirates of Nassau museum is a restaurant called Smugglers. It’s the perfect place to eat after visiting the museum. They serve a variety of foods including Bahamian cuisine, burgers, gyro sandwiches, pizza and pasta. They’ve got indoor and outdoor seating—we chose to sit outside and enjoy the salty breeze.
The Queen’s Staircase - I know—visiting a famous STAIRCASE doesn’t sound practical for a wheelchair user but I still recommend seeing it! The staircase was chiseled from solid limestone in the 1830s to honor Queen Elizabeth. It’s a beautiful piece of history and a great spot for pictures. At the top there’s a few souvenir shops and a stand where you can get fresh juices, piña coladas, daiquiris, etc. Getting to the Queen’s Staircase was quite an adventure. The further you get from the main tourist area, you’ll find the streets are less accessible. Having family with me definitely helped when there was a hill or a curb to pop over.
Dining Options
These aren’t all of the dining options available, just the ones we chose to go to.
Dining Room (Included) - Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served here but we just came for dinner each night. The menu changed each night so there’s something everyone will like.
Windjammer (Included) - Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are also served here. We came for breakfast each morning and it was the perfect way to start the day. It’s buffet style so everyone can get as much as they want.
Sorrento’s Pizza (Included) - Unlimited free pizza? YES please! We stopped by Sorrento’s so many times I honestly lost count.
Schooner Bar - We spent a lot of time at this bar because it's where most of the rounds of trivia were hosted. At night they have live music so this a great place to grab a drink and relax.
FAQ
Q: How did you get off and on the ship on port days?
A: Our ship docked at each port and had a ramp that lets out onto the dock.
Q: Did it cost more for an accessible room?
A: Unfortunately it did cost more for an accessible room because it's bigger than an average room.
Q: How accommodating was the accessibility for wheelchair users?
A: I found that the ship was more accommodating than I expected. Every public restroom onboard had an automatic door for the restroom and door to the handicap stall. Another nice feature was that the door to my stateroom was lighter. There were a couple things I wish were more accessible. Of the 4 pools and 6 whirlpools, only two had pool lifts. Also, there were a couple parts of the upper decks not accessible to wheelchair users.
I really enjoyed my first cruising experience and would love to go on another! I hope this helps if you're planning a cruise!
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