Some guests call us with a ship in mind. Others call with a situation: a first voyage alone, a grandchild coming along, a hip that manages stairs well and wet sand less well. We have been aboard these ships, and the honest answer to 'is this voyage for me?' depends less on the Kimberley than on the ship, because each partner sets its own rules on age, single pricing and mobility. This guide sets those rules out as the partners publish them. The rest is a conversation, and it is one we enjoy.
In short
Each partner sets its own minimum age: children from five on Silversea's expedition voyages, over six on Paspaley Pearl. Solo travellers have real options, from a dedicated solo stateroom on Paspaley Pearl to Ponant's Free Solo Supplement on selected departures. On Zodiac and tender days, wheelchairs stay on board. Medical paperwork differs from one line to the next, and we prepare it with you.
Why the ship decides most of this
On the Kimberley coast the small boats do the exploring. Silversea uses its Zodiacs almost every day here, and on several occasions the Zodiac is the only way on and off Silver Cloud. Much of what the partners publish on age and mobility turns on that step from ship to boat. Our complete guide to Kimberley cruises covers a typical day, and our guide to Zodiac cruising in the Kimberley explains how the boats work.
Travelling alone
This is where the details matter most, and where knowing them pays.
Paspaley Pearl carries 30 guests in 15 staterooms and suites, and one of them, stateroom 107, is offered on each departure as a solo stateroom with no surcharge. Ponant runs a Free Solo Supplement on a selection of cruises each season, a double stateroom for one guest at no extra cost, and whether it applies is shown departure by departure. Silversea prices on double occupancy and quotes single fares on request, with reduced supplements on selected voyages. Scenic offers solo fares on selected departures.
Each of those is a moving target, and finding the departure where the solo price works is one of the most useful things we do for guests travelling alone.
Travelling with children or grandchildren
- Pearl Expeditions: children over six are welcome aboard Paspaley Pearl, supervised by their guardians at all times, as there is no childminding on board. Families looking at Paspaley's Ultimate Kimberley Experience should know that El Questro Homestead, where the package begins, is an adults-only retreat.
- Silversea: children under five are outside the booking conditions for expedition voyages. Guests under 18 share a suite with a parent, guardian or responsible adult over 21, and when that adult is a grandparent, Silversea asks for a notarised consent form from a parent, accepted before sailing.
- Ponant and Scenic: we confirm the minimum age for Le Soléal, Le Jacques Cartier and Scenic Eclipse II for the departure you have in mind.
The Silversea consent form is the detail grandparents most need to plan for, and we start it with you as soon as the booking is made.
Limited mobility and medical conditions
Ponant
Ponant designed its Sisterships, the series Le Soléal belongs to, and its PONANT Explorers, the series of Le Jacques Cartier, to welcome guests with reduced mobility, with dedicated wheelchair-accessible staterooms on board. Every guest signs and returns a medical certificate before sailing. A doctor and a nurse sail on both ships, and a doctor or nurse goes ashore with guests on outings.
Silversea
Silversea asks guests to set out any special requirements in writing, then assesses whether the voyage suits them. Wheelchair users bring their own collapsible chair. On days when the ship uses tenders or Zodiacs it stays at anchor, without a gangway, and wheelchairs and scooters stay aboard; the Master makes the final call. Silversea suggests seeing your doctor at least eight weeks before travel.
Scenic
Scenic notes that some doors, bathrooms and corridors can be narrow for wheelchairs, that lifts reach some decks rather than all, and that every guest needs to manage stairs to the evacuation points. Motorised scooters stay off the ship. Collapsible walkers travel on tenders but not on Zodiacs. Every guest completes a medical form, and expedition and remote voyages add a questionnaire signed by your own doctor.
Pearl Expeditions
Paspaley Pearl has no lift, and its 21 crew members are there to help with accessibility needs. Pearl Expeditions asks for a reasonable general level of fitness, with the expedition team advising before each activity. On board there is a medical room, round-the-clock external medical support, crew with medical training and a stewardess who is a qualified nurse. Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is a condition of travel.
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Where a specialist makes the difference
Published rules are only the starting point. We have walked these decks, so we know which cabins sit close to the lifts or the tender platform, how each ship handles its boats, and how much walking a given landing asks of you. We put the precise questions to the partner on your behalf, prepare the medical forms and the consent paperwork with you, and choose the departure, the cabin and the pace that suit you. Then one person from our team stays with you until you are home.
The honest answer
- Travelling alone is a question of price, set departure by departure, and there are good solo options on this coast.
- Families with children aged five or six and over have choices, within each partner's rules on supervision and cabins.
- Guests who use a wheelchair full time will find that wheelchairs stay aboard on Zodiac and tender days, and Zodiacs are part of most Kimberley days.
- Guests who walk with some support have options too, and the answer depends on the ship, its boats and a conversation we hold with the partner for you.
- Every case is different, and we work through yours before you commit.
Before you call us
- Write down what you need. A note on mobility, medication or equipment lets us ask the partner precise questions.
- Book your doctor early. Silversea suggests eight weeks, and some lines need a doctor's signature.
- Check your insurance before paying a deposit. Pearl Expeditions requires medical evacuation cover.
- Mention stateroom 107 if you are travelling alone on Paspaley Pearl. There is one on each departure.
Questions we are asked about solo, family and accessible voyages
Is there a single supplement on a Kimberley cruise?
It depends on the partner and the departure. Paspaley Pearl offers one solo stateroom per departure with no surcharge, Ponant runs a Free Solo Supplement on selected cruises, Silversea quotes single fares on request, and Scenic offers solo fares on selected departures. We find the sailing where the numbers work for you.
Can my grandchildren come on a Kimberley expedition cruise?
Yes, within each partner's rules. Paspaley Pearl welcomes children over six with guardians supervising at all times, and Silversea accepts children from five on expedition voyages, with a notarised parental consent form when they travel with grandparents. We confirm the rules for Ponant and Scenic departures.
Can I bring a wheelchair or mobility scooter?
Silversea asks wheelchair users to bring a collapsible chair, which stays aboard on tender and Zodiac days, and Scenic keeps motorised scooters off the ship. Ponant's two Kimberley ships have wheelchair-accessible staterooms. Paspaley Pearl has no lift, with crew on hand to help. We work through each case with the partner before you book.
Do I need a medical form?
Usually, yes. Ponant sends every guest a medical certificate to sign, Scenic requires a medical form and, for expedition voyages, a questionnaire signed by your doctor, and Silversea asks you to see your doctor well ahead of travel. We prepare the paperwork with you.
Tell us who is travelling and what matters to you, and we will find the ship, the cabin and the departure that fit. Start with Paspaley Pearl, Le Soléal, Silver Cloud or Scenic Eclipse II.
