Overview

The ferry was very accessible for the wheelchair, actually much more so than I expected. We had an accessible cabin which was more than adequate for our overnight crossing from Aberdeen to Lerwick on Shetland. We also took the car across with us and that was very well organised and seemed a well drilled process.

Transport & Parking

When we arrived in Aberdeen at the ferry terminal, there was plenty parking close by, although we were taking the car onboard the ferry so we were parked in the queue waiting to drive on board. When collecting our tickets, if you’ve told them in advance you have accessible needs, they give you a notice to hang from your inside mirror that tells the staff directing you to board with your car that you need to be parked near to the lift that takes you up to reception. A helpful tip Would be, if you are a wheelchair user to also tell the staff directing you on board that you are a wheelchair user and you need extra space to vacate your car, or you need extra space behind to allow for your ramp or hoist etc, as they can sometimes cram the cars in and you are in with cars all around you before you know it. There is a train station approximately a 10 min walk from the ferry. I am unsure about the bus service as this was not used.

Access

Once onboard the ferry, the access for the wheelchair was really good. The lift that takes you up to reception, cabins and bar and restaurant decks was a good size, able to fit a wheelchair and a couple of people with carry on luggage. There is a good amount of space to move about the different areas, although the corridors are quite narrow. The cabins were an adequate size, . We had two single beds in our cabin with a space for the wheelchair to get in between both, although once you were in the cabin you would just get the wheelchair in and transfer onto the bed. The toilet was good with grabrails either side and a good sized roll in shower. In the public areas, if you decided not to have a cabin, you could have one of the comfortable seats, although due to the length of the journey my preferred option was to have the accessible cabin. Also in the public areas there was good sized accessible toilets and also a good sized accessible shower room with roll in shower. In the bar area there was a good amount of space to move around as there was in the Magnus Lounge where we had our meals. One small thing to note that may be an issue for customers with a visual impairment is the small hooks on the floor which are there to tie down the chairs as sometimes the crossing on the North Sea can be quite choppy. I also noticed there was a small cinema room showing movies, but unfortunately I did not have time to investigate. There was also a Shop that I had no problem navigating myself around with the wheelchair.

Toilets

The public toilets onboard were a good size and had grab rails either side. There were also accessible public shower rooms with roll in shower which had plenty of space.

Staff

The staff were exceptionally helpful and friendly. A special mention should go to the staff in the Magnus lounge

Anything else you wish to tell us?

I would encourage anyone who is travelling to Shetland and has the time to travel overnight by sea to go on the northlink ferries. It was a very pleasurable experience.

Photos