Whale watching in Provincetown, MA

I took Number 1 on a whale watching trip along with two of my cousins and my sister-in-law. It was a huge success, although Number 1 was so over-stimulated by the end of the day that we had a spectacular melt-down at home.

We went with Dolphin Fleet of Provincetown. Some of their boats are more suitable for wheelchair than others, so you have to call in advance to see when they better ones are sailing. We went on Dolphin VIII. This was okay for a light manual chair like mine, but a heavy, or a wide, or an electric chair would have no hope of getting on-board. The staff were enthusiastic and eager to help. Getting on-board involved going down a long steep ramp (angle depends on the tide), hopping a large step and then up a short ramp onto the boat itself. The outdoor areas on the lower deck were fully accessible, although so narrow that my chair could barely fit at the narrowest point (my chair is 68.5cm wide). To get inside involved negotiating a tall (8", 18cm) thin lip typical on boats. It would be possible with assistance from the staff, but not easy. The toilets had wide doors and were large enough for my chair, but had the same lip to negotiate. I did not need to use them on this trip.

It would be possible to go alone with a child, but Number 1 had a lot more fun because her aunt was able to take her up stairs for a better view. She will be three next month (the child, not the aunt!) and I was worried that she would be bored but in the event she loved it and had a permanant grin plastered to her face.

This particular ride was quite rough and as a T4 with limited balance, I had to hang on to a rail at all times, but none of our party were sick and we got to see some whales.

Check it out, do your homework, and it might work out for you too.