Dr Barbara Holl, Coventry, writes
My husband wants to go down the Rhine to Switzerland for our wedding anniversary. He can walk with sticks but for standing he needs his manual wheelchair. So far we have had no luck in finding a tour company that will accommodate us and the wheelchair. Is one of the newer vessels on the river suitable for wheelchair users?

Jane Archer, Cruise expert, replies
River cruising is an easy way to see lots of places, but it’s not an ideal holiday if you have mobility problems, partly because most river cruise boats do not have cabins adapted for wheelchair users – and some older ones don’t have lifts – but also because of the problem of getting on and off the vessel and visiting historical towns with cobbled streets. There are often steps up and down to the docks and, as the rivers get busier, it’s not unusual for boats to dock next to each other, so access is through the other vessel’s atrium or across sun decks. There could be some places where he struggles to get on and off, and not all the places you visit will be wheelchair-friendly.

I’d suggest you try Shearings (shearings.co.uk ). It has chartered the Alegria, which is an old vessel but has 10 cabins converted for disabled passengers, plus wider corridors and a lift that rises to the sun deck. It also has priority docking to get as close to shore as possible. It is sailing 10-day Rhine cruises, but not to Switzerland, with prices from £999 including coach travel from Britain.

Scenic Tours (scenictours.co.uk ) has a fleet of modern, new river boats and one cabin on each is converted for wheelchairs, with a wider door and wheel-in shower. The vessels have lifts, but not to the sun deck. From next year, Scenic will have cruises between Amsterdam and Basel from £1,945 per person for a week, including flights, transfers, excursions, drinks and gratuities.

Source: The Telegraph

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