Michael, Kathleen and granddaughter, Ophelia
( from Minnesota) relaxing at the La Playa Beach resort in Naples Florida.
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Michael and Kathleen enjoying themselves the
at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.
" I wanted to thank you again for
the wonderful trip you planned for us to Las Vegas. We could
not have done it without all of your thoughtful and thorough
planning based on real life experiences of traveling with
an electric wheelchair and everything that entails. Especially
helpful, were the instructions on how to handle preparing
the wheelchair, signs for proper transport instructions and
what to expect from the airlines. Just proves that
one doesn't have to learn everything the hard way-you've
taken "the hard way" out of wheelchair travel!" Kathleen
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| What a blessing it was the day I found
a business card for "Wheelchair Escapes" and called
Kristy for advise about the road trip we were planning in October
2006. Thank you, Kristy, for your part in making this trip
so much fun and helping me find accessible tourist traps! Even
though the trip was not without it's surprise problems,
I knew that I could call you anytime and get you to help me deal
with the problem, so I could take care of my husband. This
is from my heart, Kristy. Thank you so much. Carolyn |
Richard and Carolyn took a cross country road
trip from Maryland to Portland Oregon and back by way of Las
Vegas. Here they are outside of the Treasure Island hotel
one of the many places where they stayed.
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Here they are doing a little
mining along Route 66.
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Jim and Sandy on the right and Jerry and Kristy on the left,
taking a minute out of their
great cruise, on the new, Freedom of the Sea, to capture a
moment in a photo.
Jim called shortly after the cruise to tell me that when he
booked the cruise, he wasn't
expecting to really enjoy himself. He thought he'd just
give it a try. He said, he had a
great time and couldn't wait to go again! This was Nov.
2006. He is going with us
again Mar. 2007 and planning a 10 night Panama Canal cruise for
early 2008!
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Dick and Barbara on the right and Jerry and
Kristy on the left. We had just landed in Fairbanks Alaska
to start our tour and cruise.
We found out the bus driver lives only three miles from us! What
a small world.
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Alaska is a once in a lifetime trip!
We were very pleased with the accessibility provided by Princess.
Kristy's advice was accurate and very
helpful. We definitely recommend the helicopter tour around
the Denali glaciers!
Alison and Marie
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(a
portion of a letter to R.C.C.L.)
We are writing to express the great
joy and satisfaction we experienced on our first cruise on
the Royal Caribbean Voyager. Since my husband utilizes both
a wheelchair and oxygen, we were very apprehensive about
accessibility and comfort. We were fortunate to have
found Wheelchair Escapes and Kristy Lacroix, a disability
travel specialist. She highly recommended Royal Caribbean
and had an extensive knowledge of the many accommodations
provided by your cruise line. We were NOT disappointed. Thanks
to her and your commitment to providing accessible cruising
to people with disabilities, we had a most relaxing, comfortable
and pampered vacation of our lives!
Lynne and Jerry
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Jerry relaxing on Labadee, one of Royal Caribbean's private
resort beaches. ( notice he is connected to his oxygen) There
are beach wheelchairs available.
( My husband had no problem navigating the island in his own
power chair. Kristy) |
Jerry ( Lynne's husband, not mine)
relaxing on the deck of the Voyager |
Maria, Susan and Alba waiting to board their
first cruise.
Susan says, "What a wonderful escape! You
could do so much in such a short time. A very enjoyable
trip." |
Jim and Sue on the right going on their first
cruise. Jerry and Kristy on the left.
Sue always wanted to be on a cruise for her
"special" birthday. She told me where she wanted to be and
we built the cruise around her birthday destination. |
Kay and Walter at the dinner table aboard their
first cruise. I arranged to have a scooter waiting in
her cabin for Kay to use while on the cruise.
Kay said, " Kristy does a fantastic job!
You can trust her judgment. She will help make sure your
needs are met. She made everything so easy. Just give
her a call!" |
(L-R) Ellen, Judy, Kay and Linda relaxing prior
to their transfer to the ship. We went down a day early,
just in case the weather were to give us a hard time. |
(L-R) Jim, Kristy, Jerry, Irene, Judy, Ellen
Linda and Annie, waiting for the ice show to start. |
(L-R) Jerry, Chris, Terri, Kristy, Bob,
Rob, Chris, Kathy and Pat.
Chris says, "I procrastinated for years waiting
to get better. I finally joined Jerry and Kristy on a
cruise. Now I know, it is the only way to travel. I wish I
wouldn't have waited so long." |
Roland and Carol |
Roland and Carol enjoying their trip to Paris. Roland was
disappointed that a wheelchair traveler is not allowed to the top of
the Eiffel Tower.
Roland and Carol in front of one of the
palaces outside of Paris.
Roland says, " It was a pleasant surprise
to find out how wheelchair accessible Paris was. The buses
are all accessible, but they stop running at 9 PM." They
used a private tour driver for their exploring outside the city. He
also provided the transportation to and from the airport.
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Roland and Carol |
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Gigi in front of a Kylemore Abbey in Ireland.
It is not wheelchair accessible. |
I consulted with Kristy of Wheelchair Escapes,
to help me find out about accessibility for an already planned
pilgrimage to Ireland I was taking. Not only did Kristy help
me to find out about what was and what was not going to be
accessible, but when discovering some of the challenges I would
encounter on my trip, regarding hotel accommodations, Kristy
recommended I take the Tubby II with me. The Tubby II saved
the day by creating the accessibility I needed, in most of the
hotels I stayed in!
Thank you, Kristy. You made an
inaccessible country a bit more accessible. (At least the part
I was in.)
( For a picture of the Tubby II, a bath and commode chair, see
the photos section. This chair is available for purchase
through Wheelchair Escapes.) |
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Robert, Steve and Ramon enjoying their cruise
around the Hawaiian islands.
Kristy made planning this complex trip to Hawaii a breeze. With
our father, a senior, and a wheelchair user along, there were
lots of issues we never imagined. Through her experience,
she was able to take care of our special needs without a hitch. |
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What is Kyle smiling about? He is soaring over Ketchican
Alaska in a sea plane. Kyle is my youngest wheelchair traveler
to date. Seeing this picture of him enjoying his flight,
brought a smile to my face, too. Kyle was accompanied by his
parents, Faith and Christopher.
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Sights from the sea plane over Ketchican Alaska. |
Christopher, Faith and Kyle enjoying some of Alaska's "liquid
sunshine" on their Alaska cruise. They had a great
family vacation. They were pleased with the accessibility of
their cabin and the ship.
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 Making travel
dreams a reality is very rewarding, especially when I get to see the
smiles of my clients enjoying themselves on their vacations.
This is Marika making a new friend in Cozumel Mexico. |
You exceeded our expectations!
Until we met you, we did all our own travel arrangements and
bookings because there are so many things to worry about from air
travel, as well as, land and sea arrangements, when traveling with
Marika in her electric wheelchair. I never trusted anyone to think
of all the considerations and make appropriate plans. However
you are definitely the most knowledgeable and experienced person
I've ever met. Your many suggestions and the arrangements that
you so willingly took care of, made our Panama Canal cruise the best
family vacation we ever took!
( Not to mention the fact that you were always finding ways
to save on the costs.) We had no problems and everything was
so accessible. Marika had a blast and now she wants to do the
Alaska Cruise and land trip!! In the past, I would never
even have considered it - but knowing that you will attend to every
detail to make sure we have a great time with no hassles, we are
planning to take that trip next year, with your help. The
Steir Family 05/07 |
 Marika's
dad Michael ,is encouraging Marika to reach out and touch the
dolphin. She did come back with all of her fingers. |
| This is Jim ( to the right) from Boston.
He went to Florida and enjoyed a day at Disney and a day at
Sea World. Jim loved the service he received on JetBlue. He
said they took especially good care of his communication board.
Here are some of Jim's comments. Wheelchair Escapes was highly
recommended to me by my case worker who works for Work Inc.
Although, never having the pleasure of being face to face with
Kristy, the first thing that I was quick to notice, was her
upbeat and bubbly personality. My P.C.A. and I spoke with her
on the phone and she was this way every time. Our calls and
emails were always promptly returned. She is fussy and pays
attention to details. On our trip, we had a transportation
problem, but Kristy took care of it with just one phone call from
us. I highly recommend "Wheelchair Escapes." Jim |
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The Steir Family enjoying their encounter with friendly pirates on
their recent Panama Canal Cruise. |
 John and Wanda hadn't seen their
grandchildren or her sisters for five years! They called and
after discussing their special needs we were able to get them mapped
out on a road trip to visit them making sure their special needs
were to be met at each stop along the way. |
We
had a wonderful time. My parents enjoyed their first cruise.
thank you so much! Manju |
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Dear Kristy, Thank you for your help setting up my trip.
When I saw the ship ( Liberty) I could not believe how big it was.
I was so impressed with the accessibility all over the ship.
Our accessible room was big and the bathroom was so easy to get
around in. I was impressed with the "wave" and the dining
room. It was nice to meet some of your other clients on the
ship too. I loved using the beach wheelchair at Labadee.
The water was so clear and warm. The ice shop was awesome.
thanks for telling me where to go to see it best. The pools
were too deep for me. My favorite thing was my dolphin
experience that you arranged special for me. I loved it!
The dolphin kept coming back to me. The people there were very
helpful. This was the ship's 100th cruise. Thank you So
much! Rebecca Legard |
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Photo on Left: This is Pat, who I met at an Abilities
Expo in New Jersey. Pat had a unique request. Her horse
was being trained in my small town Newton NH. She lives on
Long Island NY. She wanted to drive here with her service dog,
have an accessible room with a roll in shower, close to the stables
and have an aid for the morning and the evening. She gained a
lot of self confidence in taking this trip alone. (She usually
travels with her own aid. She wasn't able to come with her.)
Between the aids Joyce and Terri and my hoyer lift and "M bar" we
were able to make sure pat had a safe and comfortable trip.
She is looking forward to coming back up for another visit. "I
felt like I made new friends." Joyce, Pat and Kristy took good
care of me. I look forward to coming back!
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Our trip was a big success! Julian did very well in NYC and
did not want the trip to end, so I know he really enjoyed his stay.
Kristy, you were very accommodating and we just want to thank you so
much for your services. Thank you for helping to make our
travel experience with a disabled child as smooth as possible.
I will highly recommend you to any friends and family members.
Sincerely, Carleen ( They needed to fly five of them to NYC for a
family reunion. They had never attempted to fly with a power
chair and their disabled son. They had an accessible room with
a connecting room an accessible van, a hospital bed and commode
chair waiting for them.)
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We were extremely pleased with Kristy's help on our trip to
Florida this year. She even got us good fares on our flights!
MaryLou & Ed Nelson
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This is a group shot of the 20 of us that sailed together on
the Explorer of the Seas in March 2008. We sailed from NJ and
back for nine nights. It was nice to make some new friends,
like Minaxi, Devyani, Jaiprabha, Kailash, Indira,Sybil and Nicole.
As it turned out Minaxi came to my rescue and actually put me up for
a few nights shortly after the cruise. Thanks again for that!
Sybil and Nicole have already booked their next cruise with us. |
We have had a scare with Dad this week
and last. He was hospitalized. The one thing
keeping him going has been that he is so looking forward to our
trip. we truly feel that your services don't have a dollar
value... they are priceless. You give people like us hope.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will definitely
send you pictures of Dad and me at the WWII Memorial. Thank
you again, Laurie |
 (back)
Janice, Kainoa, Keala and Patrick (front) Matthew Adela
(service dog) Shari and Al modeling their new RCCL caps for
winning the trivia contest.
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A big THANK YOU, Kristy for helping us to take this cruise to
Alaska. The flight went smoothly and we now feel more
confident about traveling. I would say it is still not easy,
but now we have the experience. Our folks enjoyed being able
to spend time with their grandchildren. We did win a trivia
contest and my mother in law won the big bingo jackpot! All we have
to do is decide what to do next. We'll be sure to let you
know. Shari |
Patrick, Shari, Thomas, Matthew and Adela their service dog in front
of Hubbard Glacier. |
Wheelchair
Escapes
