Hawk's Cay, Carnival Stand Out

by Andy Vladimir

Writer Andy Vladimir makes a dolphin connection.

For those of us who are disabled, every trip to a new place invites the unexpected. When I go to someone's house for the first time, I worry whether I'll be able to get through the front door. When I travel on a plane I wonder if my Amigo scooter is going to survive the trip. When I go to a new city I fret over how accessible the streets are. Are the curbs ramped?

Every trip for me is an adventure. I sometimes feel like Captain Kirk on the Starship Enterprise, boldly going where no man has gone before! In this column I'm going to share my knowledge gained by more than 40 years in the travel business, and tell you how to go boldly on your own — how to travel to places you've never been before.

The face of accessible travel is changing so rapidly these days that there's always news about places that weren't accessible before, or at least didn't welcome people with disabilities. But we're now 55 million strong; one out of every five Americans claims to have some kind of a disability. We've become a significant travel market, and the good news is that more tourism directors, hoteliers, restaurateurs, and cruise and airline executives have seen the light and are actively seeking our patronage.

Here are a couple of travel suppliers that deserve our business:

Hawk's Cay Resort on Duck Key, Fla.

If any resort in the Florida Keys deserves the title of "most accessible," surely it's Hawk's Cay. Ninety miles south of Miami, this 176-room, year-round, Caribbean-style retreat has always been a popular family resort.

Its spacious, beautifully landscaped grounds include a protected lagoon, two swimming pools plus a children's pool, an 18-hole putting green, tennis courts and an active children's program.

With the addition of two new accessible villas, Hawk's Cay has pulled miles ahead of its competition. These cottages, just outside the main lodge, feature two bedrooms with two bathrooms, one with a roll-in shower. There are ramped entrances and two doorbells — an audio one and a strobe light for people with hearing impairments.

The cabins have lots of room in which to maneuver, and the accessible bathroom has a convenient sink you can pull right up to in a wheelchair, as well as many grab bars. Every villa comes with a private spa pool which unfortunately isn't accessible. However, Vice President and General Manager Tom Cherniavsky says he intends to install a pool lift in the main pool and possibly in the cottage pools as well.

In addition to these two new cabins the resort has a number of accessible, rooms in the main lodge. The grounds of the resort are completely accessible as are the two restaurants.

The Offshore Sailing School is located at the resort's marina, and there's a fly-fishing school across the street.

Hawk's Cay is also home to the Dolphin Connection. This organization, which is independent of the hotel, strives to educate the public about marine life and the ocean environment. For $90 you can enjoy 45 minutes of personal contact with two of its eight dolphins.

The dolphin experience involves sitting on a platform submerged in the water up to your waist. The dolphins sit on your lap, play ball with you, kiss you and interact in other ways. To get to the dolphin experience I had to don a life vest and go down a steep ramp to the docks. Then with the help of my son-in-law and one of the trainers, I was lowered from the chair onto the dock, and then onto the platform where I could sit comfortably. It was the most fun I've had in years.

Hawk's Cay's Web site, www.hawkscay.com, posts some special Internet prices. Or call (800) 432-2242 for a brochure and/or reservations.

Another reason I like this property is that it's right down the road from John Pennykamp Coral Reef State Park. This is the first undersea state park in the United States, with 178 nautical square miles of coral reefs, seagrass beds and hammocks. There are guided nature walks, a couple of beaches, glass-bottom boat rides and snorkeling trips. All of these are somewhat accessible, depending on your personal situation. For more information you can call or write the park at (305) 451-1202; P.O. Box 487, Key Largo, FL 33037.

Carnival Cruise Lines

Carnival has recently settled a lawsuit over accessibility, but I think the cruise line has gotten a bad rap.

In the earlier days of cruising the technology just didn't exist to offer accommodations to people with disabilities. It's much better now and improving with every new ship. The new Carnival Pride, which I just sailed on, is the most accessible ship in the fleet to date.

It's also one of the nicest. Designer Joe Farcus, who does all of Carnival's ships, created this one around the theme "icons of beauty." The splendor of the Italian Renaissance is the first thing that strikes your eyes on coming aboard. The lobby, atrium, elevators and stairwell use wood and bronze moldings and reproductions of paintings by Botticelli, Raphael and other artists of the era.

The Taj Mahal show lounge is filled with intricate Indian designs, elephant friezes and stone work with encrusted jewels. Best of all, this is a showroom where wheelchair users aren't relegated to the back of the room. The aisles are wide enough to park anywhere, even in front, without blocking traffic or anyone else's view.

The Normandie Restaurant décor, which emphasizes dark wood and deco accents, is based on the famous transatlantic liner Normandie, considered by many the most beautiful passenger vessel ever built. There's a sports bar, a Nobel Library featuring Swedish design and an Internet café, and an accessible promenade deck which completely circles the ship, unusual for today's vessels.

My favorite place is David's Supper Club, a reservations-only restaurant serving what's arguably the best meal at sea aboard a mass-market cruise ship. It has a unique agreement with the legendary Miami Beach restaurant Joe's Stone Crabs to serve its delicious crustaceans prepared exactly as Joe's does. The rest of the menu is what you would find in a good steak house. There's a supplementary charge of $25 per person for this alternative dining room, but it's well worth the cost.

Our cabin was an outside one with a fully accessible veranda. It was small but had all of the features I expect, including a roll-in shower, lowered light switches, lowered hanging bars in the closet, space under the bed for a Hoyer lift, and beds that convert from a double to two singles.

At 88,500 tons, the ship is the ideal size for providing lots of amenities in a spacious layout. There are handicap-accessible bathrooms on all of the major decks and several self-opening doors to get outside. For more information, you can call Carnival at (800) Carnival or visit www.carnival.com.

I'm interested in your feedback as well as questions that you'd like me to address in future "To Boldly Go" columns. Write to me in care of Quest or e-mail me at andyvlad@bellsouth.net.