Consumer Newsletter – August 2009

Welcome to the first newsletter from Special Needs at Sea, a Special Needs Group, Inc. company! Our company was created out of our own passion for travel coupled with a conviction that the fun and adventure of traveling the world should be available to everyone, regardless of physical challenges. For this issue, we wanted to reflect on how much our team has been able to accomplish in such a short period of time and also look ahead to the future.

Since Special Needs Group was created in 2007, we have fulfilled thousands of vacation dreams. Through our rentals and sales of wheelchairs, scooters, oxygen, hearing impaired equipment, baby cribs and more, we have made travel not only accessible, but a reality. 

My fondest memories range from our participation providing equipment for the world's largest deaf charter to the thank you call from a woman on supplemental oxygen who thought she would not be able to travel again. She said that her seamless cruise to the Mediterranean reopened the world to her. Times like that make all of this more rewarding.

From a business standpoint, I am proud that all the major cruise lines have recognized our superior service and some of them, like Holland America and Royal Caribbean have named us a preferred vendor. We are also the Preferred Accessibility vendor of organizations such as CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) after they recognized our ability to consistently address passengers' needs.

We still have much we want to achieve but have several new exciting changes in the works that we believe will be beneficial to all. We wanted to thank everyone who has supported us. Thanks to you, we have become the one-stop solution for travelers all around the world. We look forward to continuing to serve your needs.

SAVE UP TO 30% OFF RENTALS IN AUGUST

In celebration of our country's independence, Special Needs at Sea, a proud American company, was pleased to offer discount pricing on equipment including wheelchairs, scooters, powerchairs, oxygen and more during the month of July. Because of the great consumer response, we extended the discount pricing for the month of August. A reservation can be made for future sailings and the special price will still apply. Contact your travel agent today! 

PORT OF HIGHLIGHT: BARCELONA, SPAIN

Barcelona, Spain is a city filled with museums, galleries and various other cultural attractions. It is also one of Europe's most accessible cities for people with disabilities and mature travelers.

Principal sites of interest such as Sagrada Familia by Antonio Gaudi, Parc Guell, The Monastery Montserrat, Picasso Museum, Fundacio Joan Miro, the Olympic Stadium and the Castell Montjuic are all wheelchair accessible as well as areas including Las Ramblas and the Gothic and Roman Quarters. Some beaches in Barcelona, such as Nova Icaria, Sant Sebastia and Nova Mar Bella have also been made more disabled-friendly with changing rooms and boardwalks that lead right down to the water. Additionally many stores and restaurants have ramps. Accessibility details are on most of the websites for the respective attractions, but we also recommend advising visitors to call in advance to make sure lifts and toilets are working.

Interesting Fact: Las Ramblas, the major center of activities in Barcelona, has an average of about 150,000 visitors every day.

Cruise Information: Celebrity, Costa, Crystal, Disney, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Azamara, MSC Italian, Silversea, Oceania and Seabourn all sail from Barcelona.