TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Cruising

It’s About Time: CDC Announces Rules for First Test Cruises from USA

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Two cruise ships docked at a tropical port with bright blue ocean water.

In order to resume the operation of revenue cruises from the United States, cruise lines must first participate in a “test cruise phase” to test out safety parameters and procedures.

Guidelines, established by the CDC, state that the test must operate for a duration of between two to seven days, with an occupancy rate of at least 10% based on the ship’s total passenger capacity. Volunteer cruise passengers on test sailings must be fully vaccinated or free of serious, underlying medical conditions that would place them at high risk for serious complications with COVID-19.

Each of the volunteer passengers must be checked for Covid symptoms before and after the cruise, and at least 75% must undergo a COVID-19 test before disembarking.

With this news, it looks as though cruises from the United States could resume later this summer. For more information on this development, read the article from TravelMole.

This Cruise Line Is Totally On Board With Inclusive Travel Needs

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a boy water slides through a red tube on a float
Carnival Horizon is certified sensory-inclusive. ANDY NEWMAN/CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE

Families that have a child diagnosed with autism or ADHD look for people who ‘get’ what their kids need—and increasingly, they’re finding like minds. Writer Judy Koutsky praises Carnival Cruise lines for prioritizing inclusivity. Find out how Carnival became “certified sensory-inclusive” and why they will appeal to the rising number of families with kids who have autism and ADHD that are interested in future travel, here.

OUR TAKE: There are multiple ways to train your staff to be autism-friendly and to design spaces that offer the best possible experience for children on the spectrum. Carnival Cruise Line’s Horizon worked with  KultureCity to become the first ship to be certified “sensory inclusive”.

But with the world on pause, there’s no rush to be the first. More important is the desire to offer the best experience and the willingness to dive in and learn what inclusive means and why it is so helpful.

Let A Travel Pro Design Accessible Itineraries For Your Destination

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meet the TravelAbility itinerary design teamIf you are looking for an accessible itinerary to post on your site or offer as a service to the burgeoning group of travelers who need some accessibility built into their stay, where do you start?

You could go with what comes up on Google (meh) or you could trust five of the most curious, experienced and trustworthy pros in disability tourism (yes!) Imagine: Signed, sealed, delivered, it’s yours to publicize on your website and share through your social media channels.

Niche travel is sold through itineraries that include attractions, tours, and sites that cater to a specific audience,” stated Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility Summit. “We brought them together to help destinations add authenticity to their accessible itineraries by having them created by actual travelers with different disabilities who are prominent professionals in the industry.

“Once these itineraries are designed, DMO’s can promote the fact that they were designed by disability travel thought-leaders, all of whom have their own extensive following and can offer cross-promotion opportunities as well as consultation advice.”

Here is some background information on each itinerary design team member.

head shot of Cory Lee smiling wearing t shirt. He has eyeglasses and is sitting in his wheelchairCory Lee Woodard writes a travel blog Curb Free with Cory Lee and recently started his own travel agency. On his blog, full of detailed itineraries from around the globe, his mission is to show readers how, where and why to travel as a person with a disability. If you’ve got questions—what city is the most wheelchair-friendly? to what’s the best way to determine if a hotel has a roll-in shower? Cory Lee has answers.

sid in a black hat and olive green sweater


Sid Marcos is a business developer from San Diego, California. She is the former director of development for Outlandish Travel, where she produced accessible destination guides around fun themes such as pub tours. She is a founding member of the National Startup League and director of an incubator for social entrepreneurs. Learn more on her blog.

sue Slater head shot she has red hair and is smiling wearing a jacket and black topSue Slater, the founder of Presto Magic Travel, is a cruise and groups specialist who will soon be celebrating her 20th year in the travel industry creating accessible itineraries. She’s sent thousands of people on cruises all over the world, including cruise destination weddings. Accessibility is a personal passion and a necessity. Sue is blind and her husband has a chronic disability that requires him to use a wheelchair. Both travel extensively, hence she can find a work-around for pretty much any travel need you might have. Learn more, here.

upper body shot of John wearing a navy jacket and blue shirt sitting inside a plane smiling, wearing glasses John Morris approaches travel from a critical angle—in a good way. His fact-checking and reporting on the latest news in accessible travel is unrivaled. That’s probably because he’s traveling the world an average of 310 days a year as a triple amputee with one hand, a passport and a power wheelchair, writing about his travels and adventures—and asking crucial accessibility questions along the way. Read his blog, wheelchairtravel.org.

All five experts will be on-site at TravelAbility Summit, November 12-13 in San Francisco. The team will be given designated “office hours” at the end of each day to talk with you about creating authentic accessible itineraries

 

How to Plan a Cruise That’s Not a Snooze for People With Low Mobility

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flip flops at the edge of a pool that says 1.00M The flip flops have the British flag on them

Barbara and Jim Twardowski write about travel, lifestyle and boomer topics from the New Orleans area. In this piece for the New York Times, they have compiled some evergreen tips for cruise travel that are worth sharing, whether you’re worried about how to get from the plane to the ship or need an activity plan that caters to people with low mobility.  READ MORE

OUR TAKE: Planning is key to making the most out of a trip for people with disabilities. As part of the travel industry, it’s also one way you can make your organization stand out. Offering great service and suggestions to people who often feel overlooked (the disability community being one)is a great way to build incremental business and freshen up your collateral online and onboard.

 

Silversea Cruises Launches 9 New Highly-Accessible Shore Excursions in the Caribbean and Central America

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credit: Silversea Cruises

Nine highly-accessible tours are now available thanks to a partnership between Silversea Cruises and Accessible Travel Solutions, both devoted to helping guests with all of their accessibility needs. Of course, shore excursions are made accessible using vehicles with wheelchair lifts or ramps. But the cruise line goes beyond the basics: Trips are carefully designed to include sites that have step-free access, accessible restrooms, and guides who are experienced with accessibility issues. In Grand Cayman, off-shore excursions include up-close views of sea turtles. In Roatán, Honduras, participants with limited mobility can interact with primates at a sanctuary. Other accessible tours include visits to markets of all kinds, literally giving travelers a taste of Cozumel and Grenada. Read more.