NEWS
Te UK ocean cruise market exceeds two million passengers per year, with lots of talk of
atracting millennials and Generation Z to fill the 24 ships launched in 2019 and 107 due for delivery by 2027. On the rivers, the UK market is about 210,000
Debbie Marshall MANAGING DIRECTOR, SILVER TRAVEL ADVISOR
When it comes to accessible cruising, river and sea cruises are oceans apart
passengers, but confidence in growth is equally bullish, with over 20 ships launched this year and more than 15 due for delivery in 2020. For river cruise operators, it’s the baby boomers
who are the target market. However, unlike most millennials or GenX, for whom continued good health can largely be taken for granted, the ageing demographic brings health and accessibility challenges that can deteriorate quite rapidly, literally from one cruise to the next. A stroke, a fall or a diagnosis of an illness requiring medication or care can mean a change to the way that a cruise (or any holiday) is selected and enjoyed.
Ocean accessibility By and large, ocean lines understand the needs of their ageing (and loyal) clientele, and most ships are accessible to people with a wide range of disabilities. Many older ships have been adapted, and newer ones offer purpose-built wheelchair or mobility scooter accessible cabins, entertainment venues and facilities, wide gangways and liſts, and accessible embarkation and disembarkation. Tere are also excellent transfer services such as
Driving Miss Daisy for adapted travel to ports, and lines such as Silversea offer shore excursions that avoid stairs and using wheelchair-friendly vehicles. Of course, disability isn’t only physical. Many ships provide in-cabin kits for those with sight or
hearing loss, braille documents, dialysis, oxygen and alert systems such as vibrating pillows to ensure important information and events aren’t missed.
River challenge But accessible river cruising is a far greater challenge. Some ships have accessible cabins and liſts, but just geting on and off the vessel can be problematic. Planks are narrow and cannot accommodate a wheelchair or scooter, and it is common for a river ship to tie up next to others in port, so guests need to step across at least one other boat to get on or off. And with most river cruises visiting multiple cities, excursions are even more problematic because of cobbled streets and uneven walking surfaces. A typical accessibility rating for a river ship is
“Mobility One”, defined as “suitable for a person with sufficient mobility to climb a flight of steps but who would benefit from fixtures and fitings to aid balance”. Tis is realistic, and it would be unwise for agents selling river cruises to encourage physically disabled people to take one unless meeting these criteria. Lines are honest about this in their FAQ
sections. Uniworld, for example, puts it succinctly: “For your safety and enjoyment, we recommend that all guests be in good physical condition.” So river cruising has significant practical
limitations. Te sector therefore needs to count on a continued upsurge of healthy (and wealthy) baby boomers, and continue to increase active onboard options to atract a younger market, to ensure the huge growth in capacity is matched by demand.
Read more columns by Debbie Marshall:
go.travelweekly.co.uk/comment
14
5 SEPTEMBER 2019
travelweekly.co.uk
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