psupa

Are there still accessible cabins available. If it's a different category you may be able to change to it. My husband has limited mobility and he uses a rollator walker and we have booked accessible cabins. I would call to see what category accessible is available and then contact your TA. You should be able to change category even in final payment. It may be more money but may be worth it. Are you sailing on the Grandeur. We just returned and we were not able to get an accessible for the cruise. I asked for a shower bench for my husband and there was a tiny little stool in the shower. I asked our cabin steward if he could get us a shower chair instead and he did. The bathroom is small and I don't know if there will be room for grab bars. This was in a larger oceanview and believe me it is not that large. Good luck because there are not that many accessible cabins on the Grandeur so maybe they are all gone, but I would check anyway or get put on a wait list should one come available.

I am loving your review and pics and your style of writing. We will be sailing on the Breakaway in January (first time on a ship this large) and appreciate the info on the free restaurants. We don't do specialty dining when there is plenty of food included. We are also in an inside cabin because we need to have an accessible for my husband who has a mobility issue and your pic of outside deck 8 with seating is nice to know.

Theresa

My husband and I are booked on a cruise for next March. Trying to project his health status a year out was tough, and we had to book immediately (the booking is for a convention I'm attending). I had no time to do research beyond "Does this cruise suck?"

 

We booked an accessible balcony cabin through the convention -- we couldn't book through the cruise line, due to how the convention organizers had organized their block of rooms. Originally the convention organizers had a limited number of accessible cabins in their block, and the accessible balcony room was taken, but they arranged to swap out another accessible room so we could get this one.

 

But then, I found Cruise Critic and became more aware of just how really rare those accessible staterooms are. So here's my problem:

 

My husband's mobility disability is a "sometimes" thing. He can walk, but the more he walks, the worse he gets, and "worse" can last for days or even weeks. At his worst, he has to take heavy-duty painkillers in order to get out of bed and can't stand for more than a few minutes. At his best, though, he seems fine.

 

However, I suspect there's a lot of walking on cruise ships, even if all you want to do is get out of the stateroom to get food. So while he might be fine on day 1, he's probably going to be in bad shape by day 2 and a wreck by day 3.

 

I've talked to him about renting a wheelchair or scooter. That's a possibility in the future, especially because they just found an irregularity in his spinal MRI that may require surgery. For now, though, he said, "If it's that bad, I'll stay in bed and order room service."

 

Stubbornness aside, he will likely need and use the bench in the shower, because again, he can't always stand for long periods -- even more than a few minutes. (Basically, he'll use an aid that's already present. If the ship had wheelchairs or scooters already available, this would be a whole different story.)

 

So what I'm wondering is, did I do the wrong thing by booking an accessible cabin?

You did the right thing booking an accessible cabin. My husband has limited mobility and needs to use the shower bench so we try to book an accessible cabin if it's available. We have a rollator walker that we bring with us and I always try to book a cabin that's close to elevators and dining rooms. We do use the embarkation/debarkation assistance that the cruise lines offer. We will be cruising on the NCL Breakaway next January and will rent a scooter since that ship is huge.

I for one wish the captains announcements could be heard in cabin instead of having to open my cabin door...

I'm with you on this one. I always have to open the cabin door to hear what the Captain is saying. We just returned from the Grandeur and other than the announcement for the muster drill in the cabin, all other announcements you have to open your cabin door to hear them and they never bothered us. The CD did say that if there is an emergency the announcement will be heard in cabins.

I miss the bingo from many years ago when it was fun and they played the snowball bingo game on the last day. The lounge was packed and the prize was anywhere from $3000 to $5000. Now it's fill the card in 49 numbers or win consolation prize.

Yes, we get CNN Intl, and CNN Headline News . . . Everyone here is aware of the troubles. . . They seem to have News on TV in many if the lounges.

 

I am happy that I never get seasick. . . It looks bad. Many passengers on board are not feeling well.

 

We have diverted our course to SE (144°), I guess so we can maneuver around the storm?

 

 

Radio

;);)

 

 

.

I wish Royal would get better TV channels like Carnival has. We had ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CNN and several other channels. Was nice to be able to watch Good Morning America and other shows when in the cabin. Was nice to be able to get the weather while on the Pride from Baltimore. Luckily we did not return until Feb 7th from the Journey's cruise and the snow was all gone.

Royal should do away with the free drinks and give a set discount on packages based on loyalty status...

 

This makes far more sense for everyone imo

Why would I want to pay for something when I get free drinks.

Are you kidding me? Why would I want to buy a package if I can get 3 free drinks a night? Some people don't want to drink all day long.

Ditto

I would if I was you. The table will be there waiting for you. As well as the same wait staff

Just my opinion but I believe people who want first seating and can't get it do YTD and clog up all the early times. Seen this on the Pride when we did the b2b, but only crowded on the first leg.

Sorry but chair hogs can be a problem on any ship. And if the people are returning even for a minute within that 40 minute time frame, they can keep the chair as long as they want. 8am for a spot on Sunshine's serenity is like showing up at lunchtime. We never had a problem finding a seat up there but we purposely waited until later in the day. Just too busy up there and no seats in the morning.

 

We had late seating but ATD seemed to run much better than you described. I saw the line but it went fast. People would get pagers then wait in Ocean plaza. 90 minutes waiting for a table would have turned me inside out. Sorry you're having a hard time. We did alot of resesrch to make sure we avoided some of this and absolutely loved the Sunshine. Going on her again next year.

Can you tell me some of the things you like about the Sunshine. I booked a cruise for Sep 2017 from NY to Canada/NE. In your opinion are the cabins on the small size. We have an accessible inside because my DH has mobility issues. We have done the Splendor and Pride and enjoyed both. Yes we are down for YTD and am curious what dining room they use.

I wasn't happy with this policy either and the thing that bothered me most was I had to go all the way from the aft to deck 1 forward to pick it up and carry it back. I too wanted to pack it so we wouldn't have to carry it off. The first leg of the cruise pickup was in the Raphael Room. I don't know why it changed on the 2nd leg. Not sure if other cruise lines are doing this and will find out when we sail the Grandeur in a few weeks. Seriously is Carnival worried about people drinking it the night before or loss of revenue from drink purchases.

I find it so disheartening to think that someone cruising on the same ship can be so dishonest and not turn in a lost wallet. Unfortunately they are everywhere even on cruise ships. Can't trust anyone these days

On the Carnival Pride you have to walk through the casino to get to the theatre and the smell and smoke is awful. It would be nice if they could have just a few hours of no smoking in the casino. Celebrity cruises does not allow smoking in the casino at all.

Can anyone help me with a luggage question? We received a call from our travel agent yesterday. We were told that on our upcoming B2B cruise , we would need to pack our suitcases and set them outside our room. They would then be taken downstairs and later returned to our new cabin. That cabin is across the hall from our first cabin! When I called Carnival to confirm this info, they agreed!!! Can this possibly be true??? Help.

We just returned from the Carnival Pride b2b and had to move rooms. You will receive info on the ship during the 1st leg. We packed our luggage but did not put it out with the other luggage. Your cabin steward will help move it to your new cabin. I labeled the luggage with the new cabin number and had no problems. PLEASE DO NOT PUT IT OUT WITH THE OTHER LUGGAGE

Theresa

 

My husband is in a wheelchair. We've been researching cruises knowing that obtaining an accessible room on any ship is almost impossible. When we found a room (2107) on the Grandeur in March 2014 and it happened to be the Christmas Cruise, we thought hooray, finally were able to find an accessible room. The only downfall with Room 2107 was being on the second deck, yes you absolutely feel every movement of the ship. We never got sick but just having that woozy side to side feeling in your room was a bit weird. Also, the bed and pillows were extremely uncomforable, unfortunately. We had the greatest room steward, Prasadha, who went above and beyond our expectations since my husband is in the wheelchair and he made sure our comfort was his priority!! (Prasadha even decorated our door with a Happy Birthday banner for me when we returned to our room that evening (Dec 22).

 

Happy Cruising!!!

We were in 2107 when we cruised the Grandeur and thought the location to the elevators and being on the lower deck was great. Usually don't feel as much motion when on lower deck. The only thing I didn't like were the beds which for a handicapped person are hard to get up from.

This is why I no longer purchase future cruises. It's just too much aggravation when you want to change to another cruise. The OBC doesn't matter to me. The pp deposit for me also changes to full deposit when I book through my TA who gets a group rate. No brainer for me, I do better with my TA and sometimes get OBC too.

Love the Grandeur and will be sailing in March. I'll have to wait until we return from the Carnival Pride to read your review.

Theresa

We been cruising for many years and tried Carnival for the first time last May. We sailed the Splendor on a b2b. We are going on the Carnival Pride next week on a b2b Journey cruise. What caught our eye was the nice itinerary that other lines don't do for b2b.

Hi Theresa, I'm sure you and your husband will find the ship very easy to get around.

 

We didn't realize that yes, the transporters can take you directly to your cabin. I can't remember if we asked to be taken to our cabin, or if we just assumed we couldn't be. We tipped them when we got to the Atrium, then I went directly to Guest Services where I asked for a chair for my husband. The person at GS told me the transporters who pushed us on could have taken him to the cabin. She called for someone else who then came to push him.

 

One other thing. If your husband will be transferring to a chair in the main dining room, the staff will take his wheelchair and park it until after dinner, then will bring it back to the table when he is ready to leave. I would suggest that you stop in the MDR soon after you board to see exactly where they have you seated. If you find it is not going to work in terms of ease, comfort, or location let them know so that it can be changed.

 

Feel free to ask any other questions. One reason why I like to do reviews is because we represent the older, more challenged population. It is funny but when I told Morgan I had rented a scooter for him (of course he said he didn't need one, HA !) he asked if I had ever seen a scooter on a ship before. He was afraid he would be the only one. He had never noticed or been sensitive to the number of cruisers who have mobility challenges. It is almost as if, unless you are part of that population, you do not pay attention to the same issues. Glad I can help.

 

Be sure to come back on here after you cruise to let me know how things worked out for your husband.

Thank you for the info. After the fiasco on the NCL Gem I wanted to rent a scooter for Michael but he too said he doesn't want one. I think with the location of our cabin and size of the ship we should be fine. I forgot to mention that we have the cabin on the other side from where your cabin was on deck 7, and we are up on deck 8 same location on the 1st leg. We'll have to move cabins in between the cruises, but that's okay they will help us move. The location seems to be very convenient for elevators. We also signed up for the open dining and will ask for a table close to the doors if possible. I will definitely post after the cruise and let you now how it went. Thanks again.

Theresa

I really enjoyed your review of the Pride and how easy it is to get around. Sounds like a ship just the right size for us too. We will be sailing on her in 3 weeks, doing a b2b (21 days) total. My husband also has limited mobility issues and uses a walker to get around. We have accessible balcony cabins for both legs of the trip. I have purchased the FTTF for embarkation in Baltimore.

My sister-in-law gave us a Carnival gift card for Christmas and you said to just go to guest services to have it applied. Is that correct.

DH will need wheel chair assistance both getting on and off the ship. Do they take you right to your cabin when embarking. Also interested that they come to your cabin with the wheel chair on debark day. Do you need to sign up for that in advance. Any information would be appreciated.

Just to mention to you that we cruised the NCL Gem in November and they were absolutely terrible with wheel chair assistance. We waited over 2 hours, they had folded up 4 wheel chairs, and there were still people (us included) waiting for assistance. Worst debarkation ever from the ship. I wrote to them and am still waiting for a response, which I know will never come.

Theresa

The only real negative experience was the embarkation,it was like a cattle call getting off the ship and out to the street. The walk to the street was very long and we couldn't find a porter to help with the luggage. Lucky it was very warm so waiting for our car service wasnt that bad.

 

Any questions,please ask.

We returned from the Gem on Nov 23rd and loved the ship, but had a horrible disembarkation for disabled passengers who needed wheel chair assistance. It was the worst we have ever experienced on any cruise line and when we got into the terminal there were no porters. Someone went outside to get them to come in and assist us. We were some of the last passengers left on the ship waiting for wheel chair assistance. We waited over 2 hours and then they had the nerve to fold up 4 wheel chairs and put them against the rail. Absolutely horrible. I am still waiting for NCL to respond to my complaint 3 weeks later.

Theresa

Thank you all for your input and good information. Gives us a lot to think about and I will call and do some inquiring. You all bring up some interesting points.

Theresa

Aren't you the lucky one! I am so used to seeing it on so many of the cruises I have been on I thought it was the norm. My last cruise was 14 nights so you would think after a few days some reminders would have been issued to the rooms concerned and then some enforcement of those who still did not comply. I agree that they are a health and safety hazard especially to those not steady on their feet.

 

The cabin with the double stroller was an inside with 2 adults a 2 small children so I think space was at a premium for them. By day 3 I had learned to make a wide turn into that passageway. Otherwise my left foot would be on a plate of half eaten don't know what and I would slide straight into their neighbours stroller.

 

How things should be and policies are all well and good but there are so many that are not adhered to or enforced. That is my experience.

I would go to guest services and report it, especially if this was every day. That's no place for scooters or strollers. At least strollers can be folded up. People have to get through there and you're right some not too steady on their feet would have a problem. My husband has a mobility issue and uses a rollator walker.

If you decide to rent the scooter for your mom, then also check with the cruise line about what amount of insurance you must have - I'm sure the rental company will provide insurance or know who you should go to to get it. I know one line - I think it is Celebrity??? - requires a $500,000 insurance policy to bring a scooter onboard - and yes I'm talking about one of those mobility scooters, not a motorbike. LOL! I was surprised about that insurance requirement, but found out those scooters can cause major injuries if the person driving it runs into you.

I would like to know if it's a requirement to have insurance when renting or bringing your own scooter on a ship. I'm sure those of you who have rented them can tell us.

Wonderful review and great pics. We were cruising at the same time as you so I just finished reading your review.

Theresa

I just read on one of the boards that insurance is required when you rent a scooter. We have never rented a scooter, but may do so on future cruises and wonder if insurance is required by the cruise line. I really never though about that.

Theresa