montgomeryfamily

Was Ketchikan scheduled on the itinerary to be a tender port, or was this a change?

Koolforkatz, how did you receive notification?  I faxed the forms in early on Wedneday morning, but haven't heard anything.

Princess does not allow passengers to tender unless the passenger can walk onto the tender.  So passengers who are wheelchair bound are not allowed to tender. 

Are wheelchair accessible taxis readily available at the airport or do we need to pre-book one?  We are going to a hotel downtown.

Essiesmom, I understood that your cabin assignment was a guarantee and I believe you are blameless in staying in this cabin.  I'm sorry if it in any way sounded like I was saying that your staying in this cabin was wrongdoing on your part.  I realize that Princess and other cruise lines often assign guarantees to wheelchair accessible cabins and for those who receive the assignment, especially after final payment, I usually believe and post that they should keep the cabin because the cruise line will probably just assign it to someone else if  they refuse to take it. 

I realize there are photos of the special wheelchair accessible cabins out there, but I just don't want to make anything easier for people who have the scheme to give themselves an "upgrade" by staying in these cabins when they don't have a need via "onestop shopping" for info and photos on Cruise Critic. (And I believe there are people out there who have such schemes based on posts they have made on Cruise Critic).  Plus my understanding is that one has to know the cabin number in order to look up photos on cruisedeckplans.com.  (by special wheelchair accessible cabins, I mean those which have some special features that regular wheelchair accessible cabins don't have).  I've sent emails of photos of these types of wheelchair accessible cabins to disabled cruisers but I try to be careful about posting them.

All that Princess requires is an attestation statement which can be made by a TA or made online by checking a box.  A person who wanted the stateroom could check the box without a second thought or a TA can make the false attestation for the passengers that book through them in order to get them an "upgrade".    Princess requires that passengers booked in wheelchair accessible rooms fill out a special needs form with the mobility needs described as well as other needs.  However, Princess rarely follows up on this.   Two different times we ourselves have been side by side (many wheelchair accessible cabins are bunched together in twos on each side on various decks) with another couple that appeared to have no mobility or other disabilities--in both cases they told us that their travel agent had arranged for the complimentary "upgrade" (and no guarantee was involved in either case).  So I don't really believe that Princess ever checks on passengers to determine actual need for these rooms or removes passengers who clearly should not be in those rooms.

Indeed, as Essiesmom has shown in her post above, Princess puts people in wheelchair accessible rooms who have no disability to fill guarantees and often does this even before final payment.  The room is not noted as being occupied by someone who is not disabled, so if someone comes along who has a disability such that they need the features of a wheelchair accessible stateroom, that stateroom occupied by the able bodied person just shows as occupied and not available--then when you request Princess check to confirm, the answer is always "they wouldn't be in the room if they didn't need it".

I know that the latter happens because we have had it to happen to us on more than once.   One time, we wanted to book a window suite and there is only one wheelchair accessible window suite (and the only wheelchair accessible suite on the entire ship).  We were booking a a  little over a year in advance.  The w/c window suite was occupied and I asked Princess just to confirm that the passengers who were occupying actually needed the accessible features because we had read on Cruise Critic how some people booked that room (and even promoted booking that room) because it was larger than the other window suites.  Princess refused--giving us the line "they wouldn't be in the room if they didn't need it".  We waitlisted for that room and booked a balcony (this cruise was to celebrate a special occasion). 

On the roll call, about two months out just after final payment, someone posted that they took a paid upgrade to that wheelchair accessible window suite (from an obstructed oceanview).  I was furious and contacted Princess, where I was told that the reason the suite was available is that the original occupants had taken an upgrade to a Vista Suite.  None of the Vista Suites are wheelchair accessible--so clearly the original window suite occupants did NOT need the accessible features of the window suite.  In addition, Princess "apologized" for overlooking our waitlist, but would not move the able bodied passengers they allowed to take the suite even by giving them an upgrade to a higher level suite or moving other window suite cabin occupants to a higher level suite (and there were some left) and moving the wheelchair accessible window suite passengers to one of the regular window suites.  So no action to back up their words of apology-not even an offer of shipboard credit (for which we did not ask because we wanted the cabin, not money)  So Princess talks a good game, but unless you find someone like you found with Princess who is actually willing to take some action, you find it is just talk.  We now book Celebrity wheelchair accessible suites or Royal Caribbean wheelchair accessible suites for special occasions. 

Essiesmom,  I know you mean well posting the photos, but my experience on this board shows that photos like you posted are often misused by able bodied who want to give themselves an upgrade and scheme to take these rooms.  So this is why we try not to publicly advertise the few special wheelchair accessible rooms which are on some of the ships. 

Congratulations, you will be very happy with the inside room you have.  Of course, it won't matter soon since the ship will be transferred out of the Princess fleet, but we have been careful not to advertise the room number or to praise it too highly for concern that able bodied will book the room to give themselves a free "upgrade".  So we urge your discretion. 

I am so glad you found someone at Princess who would make the effort to actually help you with your issue.  I was concerned about your situation.

Thanks, but someone already posted some photos showing both the lift and the elevator on page 2 of this thread.  I was very happy to see those.  We had seen the photos of the same on the Milly, but we were concerned that Celebrity might not do the same for the Summit.  We were very relieved and happy to see that, in fact, both were included on the Summit renovation.

Rather than forgoing use of the pool because of the ladders, you should use the chair lift.   The chair lift (when it is working) is for use by anyone who can't enter the pool via the entry method/s provided.  People who can't walk have to use the chair lift if they want to use the pool because even if there are graduated entry/sloped entry pools, a water wheel chair is rarely provided (we have only seen it provided at one hotel out of numerous hotels who offer the sloped entry pool and none of the cruise ships with sloped entry pools we have been on offer it). 

We actually stayed in one of the obstructed oceanview staterooms during a cruise about four years ago--I don't remember which one, only that it was on the port side.  The cabin we stayed in would only hold two people as there were no upper berths and no sleeper sofa.  It is possible that one or two of the others would hold more than two people, but you may want to confirm that with Princess.

We have a cruise booked on the Star Princess in C303 and that stateroom has upper berths.  I understand the C304 has upper berths too. 

I thought you were waitlisted for the obstructed oceanview cabins.  That usually means the cabins currently have someone booked in them.  So those obstructed oceanview should also be sold out and "closed out" too.    Since it is after final payment for your cruise, it is unlikely that those obstructed view staterooms will become available if they are not already available.  Are there accessible balcony cabins currently available in which you could be placed?  I don't know who you are talking with, but if it were me, I would follow up with Princess.  I wouldn't want to book airfare only to find out we couldn't go on the cruise because no accessible cabin was available.

18 minutes ago, screwsmcernst said:

Here are pictures of the retreat elevator and the lift for the hot tub.  A TA posted these on a FB group that I am in.  I hope these are what you are looking for.  😃

Thank you so much for posting these photos!  This is exactly what I was hoping to find!!!   We are so happy that these accessible features were included in the suite retreat.  🙂

Since your family has RS cabins, you will have access to the suite retreat area.  I would appreciate it if you would take some photos of the suite retreat hot tub, specifically of any wheelchair lift there is going into the hot tub.  Also, would you take a photo of any elevator going up to the suite retreat area (or note if there are only stairs going up there).  I haven't been able to determine access from the photos which have been taken and posted thus far.  Thank  you.  Have a great cruise!!

There are two inside cabins which will accommodate 3 people--twin beds and a sleeper sofa.  There are also some balcony cabins which will accommodate 3 or 4 people with upper berths.  I'm not aware of any obstructed oceanview cabins which will hold more than two, although it is possible 303 and 304 might have upper berths--I'd check to find out in advance.  Those inside cabins are very nice--you might want to see if you can get one of those instead.

Also be certain to check the bathroom door width because in many categories of stateroom it is smaller than the doorway to the room.  I also suggest measuring the width, length, and depth of the step to the bathroom. 

The doorway to the bathroom may be even smaller and there is a step into the bathroom.  So your client would have to be carried into the bathroom.  Also, if there is a tender port, the wheelchair cannot tender because that area on the MIlly is not wheelchair accessible. 

Contact the special needs dept of NCL.  There should be sign language interpreter made available for shows, but often requests have to be made very far in advance.  There are some threads on this board about sign language interpreters on cruises and several of the people who post seem to be very knowledgeable.  I suggest that you also search this board for those threads and the info on them.

Thanks.  That is the small table.  We going to have to request a larger table--the smaller balcony table is useless for a wheelchair user since it can't be pulled up under and can only be used with difficulty from the side.  So no good for breakfast--just holding a drink.

So is it the small table that barely two people can fit next to with chairs (and not a wheelchair)--basically just to hold drinks and maybe a small plate-- or is it the larger one (the size minisuites have)

We have stayed in 301 and it only comes with one barrel chair.  302 accommodates four people, so perhaps that is why there are two chairs in that room.  The room also has a closet with a pull down bar so passengers in wheelchairs can hang their clothes, a ramp to the bathroom with a roll in shower and a ramp to the balcony.  Some of the storage in other staterooms is not present because the wheelchair has to be able to roll under the sink and desk. 

Ombed, how big is the table on the balcony--is it a small table or larger?  The wheelchair can't roll under the small tables because the legs interfere.  We are booked again in May for that stateroom and would like to know what to expect. 

When you take photos of the suite retreat area, could you please look for a wheelchair lift at the hot tub and take a photo of that with the hot tub.  There was one put in the the Millie and we are very hopeful that Celebrity will do the same on the Summit.  We cruise in August.

42 minutes ago, LunaL said:

Is there any caption/subtitle in the theater for deaf passenger?

No, but upon advance request, the cruise line will provide a sign language interpreter if that helps.    This has also been discussed on the disabled cruise board also. 

On the Disabled Cruise  Board there have been several discussions of the T-coil and other assistive listening systems on the various cruise ships.  I suggest that you do a search of that board for information and post your question there too.  As I recall, there was also information that you need to contact the Special Needs Department of the cruise line (Princess, in this case) and advise them of your needs and ask them for assistance.  Princess has an email address for the Special Needs department on their website.

I do know that it is unlikely that a Guest Services representative at the Guest Relations desk knows how to assist you if you just go up to the desk and ask.  We never get correct information when we ask about the wheelchair lift on the pool, but over the years we now know to go to the pool deck and talk with the Pool Deck Mgr.   I need to seek out the theatre mgr or theatre audio/visual mgr and talk with them about the issue.  Hopefully Princess Special Needs will notify the ship of your need and also advise you who to contact regarding this once onboard.  You do need to talk with the onboard contact and insure appropriate arrangements are made well in advance of the show(s) you want to see.

On 3/4/2019 at 7:56 AM, Almighty188 said:

What does the virgin chocolate mudslide have in it?

 

A regular traditional mudslide has kahlua, vodka, and ice cream mixed in a blender with chocolate syrup drizzle on the glass.  Sometimes irish cream and/or coffee is added.  So this is basically an alcoholic milkshake.

The virgin mudslide is without the alcohol.  On Princess, the bars don't have ice cream at the bar, but many of the bars have ice cream mix, which is mixed with crushed ice and some chocolate syrup drizzled in the frozen mixture and on the glass.  I usually ask for extra chocolate syrup.  Some of the bars which have heavy cream will also add heavy cream.  Coffee could also be added, but you would need to ask for it.  Most of the bars have coffee brewed.  

Several years ago when we took a Princess Southbound cruisetour, on the first night at Whittier, the dinner was open seating, so no first/second seating--you just went to the dining room during the dining room hours.  I doubt that it has changed, but to confirm you probably should post on the Princess board for more recent experiences.

My favorite is the virgin chocolate mudslide.  Since milkshakes aren't included any longer, this is the closest thing to it.  Haven't had any trouble getting pool bar to make it, but sometimes the inside bars say they can't because they don't have ice cream mix.