Skip to main content

Sailors with

Mobility Disabilities Some Sailors with mobility disabilities who cannot walk on their own, require a wheelchair, scooter, or walker for mobility assistance throughout their voyage. Sailors who require the regular use of a wheelchair or scooter should bring their own or rent from one of our vendors, Scootaround, or the Special Needs Group. To ensure safe and secure storage of mobility devices, we kindly ask Sailors that are users of non-folding/collapsible wheelchairs or scooters to reserve a fully accessible cabin. This will allow us to accommodate your scooter securely and conveniently during your voyage.

Amenities and Services

  • Assistance with embarkation/disembarkation
  • Provision of accessible cabins
  • Pool lifts
  • Accessible restrooms throughout public spaces
  • Accessible seating in theaters, restaurants, bars, and lounges

Accessible cabins are available on all our ships. We recommend you book well in advance to maximize your ability to secure an accessible cabin offering the features you need.

For additional details on the prearranged rental program for wheelchairs, scooters, and other medical equipment, please contact one of our authorized vendors. 


Scootaround
Phone: (toll-free) 1-888-441-7575 or 204-982-0657
Link: www.scootaround.com


Special Needs at Sea
Phone: (toll-free) 1-800-513-4515 or 954-585-0575
Link: www.specialneedsatsea.com

Ship Transfers and Shore Things Facilities

Some ports may lack sufficient pier capacity for us to moor our ship alongside. In these instances, we will anchor and use a tender or water shuttle (we’ll refer to these collectively as “tenders”) to transport our Sailors to shore and back. In order to safely board most tenders, Sailors must be able to take steps. If they use a non-motorized wheelchair it must be collapsible. Motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not permitted on tenders unless a roll-on capability between our ship and the tender is available. Roll-on capability on a tender cannot be guaranteed due to a variety of variable factors. Please note that although weather conditions may be acceptable to safely board a tender, changes in the weather may make reboarding to return to the ship dangerous. The final determination of whether any Sailor may board a tender is made by the captain or his/her staff. Safety restrictions prohibit crew from carrying individuals on or off water shuttles.

Ports that require tendering:
  • Airlie Beach
  • Cannes
  • Dublin
  • Isafjordur
  • Kotor
  • Lerwick
  • Mykonos (varies based on individual sailings)
  • Phuket
  • Santorini
  • Sydney (varies based on individual sailings)
  • George Town

If guests are unable to tender or disembark due to these circumstances, there will be no refund or credit for missed ports. While we recognize your disappointment, the safety of our guests and crew is our primary concern.
As certain ports of call involve foreign countries and/or ancient sites, some Shore Things may not be fully accessible to Sailors with mobility disabilities. Although we endeavor to make sure that companies based in the United States provide accessible shore excursions, we cannot guarantee that all our Shore Things are able to provide experiences/facilities that are fully accessible to persons with disabilities. Moreover, Shore Things in ports outside the United States may present challenges to Sailors with disabilities. For detailed, up-to-date information on accessibility issues involving Shore Things, we recommend that you visit our Shore Things page.

If guests are unable to tender or disembark due to these circumstances, there will be no refund or credit for missed ports. While we recognize your disappointment, the safety of our guests and crew is our primary concern.
To get more information or request accessibility assistance on your upcoming voyage, fill out the Accessibility and Medical Request Form or call our Sailor Services Crew.

Ready to sail?


Virgin Voyages Spinner