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From Vancouver to Hubbard Glacier near Juneau, Alaska, we saw wildlife, entertainment, and had accommodations for disabilities. We did that on an eight-day Royal Caribbean International cruise, including the Tongass National Forest.

As a wheelchair user, I was satisfied with the accessibility at sea and on side trips from Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas. We glided through the mostly placid Inside Passage running beside British Columbia’s western border, east of the vast Alexander Archipelago, and then along the Tongass, heavily forested with Sitka spruce, hemlock, and cedar. We saw porpoises, trumpeter swans, and peregrine falcons. The bald eagle and brown bear thrive in the Tongass, along with many flower species.

You and your traveling companions can take specialty tours for people with disabilities, hike, ride horses, take photos, play snow sports, fish, or hunt. Aboard ship, there were enlightening conversations with passengers and crew members from more than 50 countries – and almost nonstop entertainment. You could find something good to eat 24 hours a day and play pool in a lounge with self-leveling tables. Services include a day spa and beauty salon, fitness center, swimming pools, stores, and a medical facility. Staff members in the medical facility were able to care for a man who tripped and broke his leg during the cruise.

Royal Caribbean went out of its way to assist passengers, from boarding the ship to disembarking. Cruise staff members brought our luggage to the room, came to the room to shine the shoes on my leg braces, helped me into a regular chair in the dining room so I wouldn’t feel awkward in my wheelchair, and (my right wrist was fractured) cut my entrée each night at dinner. Servers at the Windjammer Cafe, which featured a smooth rock-and-roll trio, made sure I was comfortable. If I wanted to switch to a couch, three people would hurry to help me get situated.

We opted for the buffet at breakfast and lunch. Someone would rush to get us coffee while Barb selected food, and attendants helped her bring it to our table. For the show each evening in the Aurora Theatre, the staff directed us to seating with an unobstructed view and where no one would trip over my foot pedals.

If we wanted to gamble, the casino was accessible, as was the terrace behind the buffet area. At the Hubbard Glacier, a crew member took me to a window seat starboard so I would have a full view going up the bay and as the ship rotated to give everyone on board a chance to see the glacier. What an experience!

We took advantage of the Juneau trip to the salmon hatchery. We drove out to see the 40-mile highway that just stops at a mountain. The guest relations director arranged for us to have an accessible shuttle waiting at the dock in Juneau to drive us to the Mendenhall Glacier, where we were directed to an elevator we wouldn’t have found ourselves. In it, we reached a lounge with a spectacular view.

During the White Pass Railway trip from Skagway, I enjoyed an accessibility premium. Out of the middle car on the train came a hydraulic lift I’m sure could have handled a Hummer. Crew members strapped me onto the platform so securely I didn’t think I’d ever be able to get off. The railroad staff did that for several other wheelchair users, including a gentleman in a motorized chair. Inside, our chairs were secured with shoulder belts and tie-downs, and regular seats were nearby for family members and companions.

Cruise ships can accommodate wheelchair users, diabetics, dialysis patients, oxygen users, people with visual and hearing challenges, and travelers with assistance dogs. Just check with the airline first.