With my love of travel but responsibility of being caregiver to my mom, Lady Lexie, i had to figure how to navigate the world, traveling with a loved one who suffers with dementia. If you know anything about dementia or Alzheimer’s, then you know that they are prone to getting lost or simply wanting to go home (they don’t even know where the home is that they seek). I found “go home” means my mom needs something…restroom, hungry, or she is not feeling well. Once I figure out which of these scenarios to cure, then she is fine until another instance occurs.

Navigating a Cruise: With A Loved One Who Has Dementia by Duchess DJ Love: Author, Blogger, Digital Creator, Influencer, Mentor, & Show Host of Gallivanting Like A Royal

Dementia Travel Tips: Navigating Travel with a Loved One who has Dementia S1:E14

Lady Lexie enjoys traveling and has always traveled near and far with me. We have taken some memorable trips to say the least. Magical encounters always happen on our journeys. As mom ages, she needs to “go home” more frequently and I can’t risk her wandering off during the night if i am sound asleep and this has happened recently. She always to go outside to find “home” which is dangerous and she will easily get lost.

To continue on with our travels, I decided to try cruising with her. We did an Alaskan cruise when she didn’t have dementia and she loved it. She enjoyed sitting on the balcony eating breakfast in the cold, chilly air of the shores on Alaska, she looked forward to striking a pose anywhere and everywhere. So I thought the cruise would be a safe haven for us to see more destinations and countries.

After looking for an itinerary that would suit me, I chose the Sky Princess Western Caribbean cruise. What I sought was the first and last days at sea. Why you might ask. First off, it gave me a full day on board the boat to acquaint mom with our surroundings and we could stay all day in our room if she became sea sick, or confused as to where we were. I wanted all the middle days to be at a port each day to ease the motion and sight see.

Once I decided on the cruise with itinerary to meet my needs, selecting a room was the next objective. Hmm. What would suit us best. I considered a suite as it is roomier and has more amenties, but the bigger space might be a negative for someone with dementia, as i need to me by mom’s side or at least can see the entire room all at once. So I decided a stateroom with balcony would work. The interior rooms might give mom claustrophobe with no windows and the oceanview room might upset her as she might think the water will come through the port hole or something and she did enjoy the balcony room before, so balcony room we got.

Next objective to decide is location. Location is important on several fronts. First of all the room position on the ship: the middle has the least wave movement. However, I needed the view of a higher floor for my photos and trip review. So the 15th floor of the sky princess was available but it was closer the aft rather than the forward, so not exatly in the middle but it will work because the stairs/elevator to the 16th floor is close to our room. On the 16th floor is the World Fresh Market buffet where we will dine in our very causal clothes daily. This way if the elevators are slow, we can climb a set of stairs quickly to dine or visit the pool and other eateries.

Dementia Awareness on Gallivanting Like A Royal S1:E3 Tonight: Sunday May 28, 2023

Once abroad, I was very happy with my decision. Mom has done well too. Another feature that I like on the Marina deck is that our balcony is directly below an over hang ceiling, so the rain doesn’t blow in on us. This was a huge plus as it has been dreary, stormy, and rainy almost the entire cruise.

Our Cozumel port was our only clear blue skies day. At least one beautiful clear day. Our room is cozy. We requested twin beds. We have one chair and desk in the room. It would be nice to have had two to watch tv, but there are two deck chairs and small table on balcony.

We just sat in our beds watching movies each evening. Which might be why the head of bed is sunk in. We noticed that immediately. So we aren’t the only ones who sat with our head against the wall watching movies in bed.

The room gave mom security. So after wandering around the ship, when she didn’t know where she was. She would ask to go back our home, which meant the room. She knew our room and would smile once inside. She knew her bed and where the bathroom was. Lady Lexie was usually fine in the cabin.

Another thing about dementia = alzheimers patients, is they like their spot in place and the same place all the time; kinda like neat freaks. so getting mom to leave the silverware and napkins with a dirty plate on the table was tough at first, but she learned that was what we did, so she got ok with it. Even though she would still clean up the table as much as I would allow her to do so.

We tried the fine dining room and that didn’t work out so well. First issue was getting her to take off her comfy clothes for dressy ones. So buffet was our place. Also the noise of dining room, with a course at a time didn’t work well. She was hungry, so she would fill up on the bread before the entre arrived and the silverware on the table setting messed with her mind, not sure why but it did.

One of my books, Navigating the World; traveling with a loved one with dementia, gives you tips and suggestions to make your journey a smooth one for the caregiver and the one with a cognitive disorder. Be patient, expect tandrums, plan flexibility into your schedule, allow sleep in time, and be surprised with the joy and memories that you will share together.

If you have any tips for traveling with someone who suffers from a memory disorder, then please comment. together we can share the love with others making life a bit more enjoyable for all.

Here’s more Dementia Travel tips from the AARP. Don’t forget to check out my other blogs, especially Traveling on a budget in 2024.