The Beginning: How Cruising Wheelchair Came to Be

Cruising Wheelchair began as a place of freedom, honesty, and connection. It was created to share what accessible cruising really looks like — not the brochure version, but the lived experience of navigating illness, disability, and joy alongside it. Travel has always been more than holidays for me; it has been about reclaiming parts of myself that illness tries to take away.

Over time, my health has become more complex. I now live with intestinal failure, alongside multiple long-term conditions, and I am registered severely sight impaired. These changes have reshaped not only how I travel, but how I move through the world day to day.

Due to my sight loss, I no longer feel confident using a long cane while operating a power chair. For safety, independence, and peace of mind, I now use a manual wheelchair, which you’ll see reflected in new photos across the site. This wasn’t an easy transition — but it was the right one for me.

To support our independence while travelling, we are currently having a custom adaptation made for my wheelchair, allowing us to carry our own suitcases safely. This means we can continue to manage our own luggage without relying on others — something that matters deeply to us. Accessibility isn’t just about cabins and facilities; it’s about dignity, control, and being able to move through the journey on your own terms.

Cruising Wheelchair has always evolved as I have, and this is simply another chapter.

The Middle: Loss, Love, and Learning to Pause

The last couple of years have been incredibly hard on a deeply personal level.

In May 2024, I lost my mum suddenly to undiagnosed cancer. There are no words that truly capture that loss — the shock, the unanswered questions, the feeling of the ground disappearing beneath you. Grief has a way of weaving itself into everything, and it changed me in ways I’m still discovering.

Then, in February 2025, we lost our beautiful British Shorthair lilac Montygue. He passed away from undiagnosed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and a tumour. He wasn’t “just a cat” — he was family, comfort, routine, and unconditional love wrapped in fur. Losing him so suddenly was devastating.

Now we have our British Shorthair cream Ambrose, our only son, who rules the house and our hearts. He has become a quiet anchor during a time when so much feels uncertain.

As my health declined further, reality set in. In 2025, we were forced to cancel four cruises — something that was heartbreaking but unavoidable. My body simply couldn’t sustain longer trips anymore. I’ve also had to accept that I can no longer holiday for more than seven nights at a time. Acceptance doesn’t come easily, but it does come with honesty — and safety must always come first.

The End (For Now): Still Here, Still Cruising

Despite everything — the illness, the losses, the cancellations — Cruising Wheelchair is not ending yet.

We are looking forward, carefully and realistically, to Sky Princess in May 2026, sailing to Norway, staying in an accessible Mini Suite (C432). It’s a cruise planned with intention, pacing, and accessibility at its core. Shorter. Slower. Kinder to my body. And still filled with anticipation.

I may travel differently now. I may need more support, more rest, and more adjustments than ever before. But the heart of Cruising Wheelchair remains the same:

real experiences, honest accessibility, and showing that disabled lives are still full of meaning, love, and moments worth celebrating.

Thank you for being here — whether you’ve followed this journey from the start or are just finding it now. This space will continue to reflect the truth of life as it is, not as it’s “supposed” to be.

Different wheels. Different pace.

Same determination.

Still cruising.