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Royal Caribbean's room rates discriminate wheelchair users


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I've booked four wheelchair accessible staterooms going out of Ft Lauderdale through the Swedish Royal Caribbean branch.

 

The price for these rooms is higher than the guarantee price (GTY). GTY is not available for accessible rooms. RCCL refuses to change the price to match the GTY price. The difference is ~ $1000 in total.

 

The Department of Transportation rules, which are applicable to all cruises leaving from a US port, are clear that this type of higher fare for an accessible room is illegal. They are required to provide us with an accessible stateroom for the same price as the GTY pricing type.

 

49 CFR Part 39 Transportation for Individuals With Disabilities: Passenger Vessels; Final Rule

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/July2010final_Accessible.pdf

 

"§ 39.43 May PVOs impose special charges on passengers with a disability for providing services required by this rule?

 

(b) If the accommodations on a vessel that are accessible to passengers with a disability are available only in a type or class of service or part of a vessel that are more expensive than the type or class of service or part of a vessel that the passenger requests, you must provide the accessible accommodation at the price of the type or class of service or facility that the passenger requests. "

 

and

 

"passengers requiring an accessible cabin should be provided the same pricing options available to passengers who do not require an accessible cabin"

 

What can I do? Do these DoT rules apply even though the cruise was booked through the Swedish office?

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You're not booking a GTY cabin -- you are booking a specific type of cabin. A GTY cabin could be ANY cabin in a class (interior, OV, balcony, suite). You want a specific type of cabin, just like someone who may want a specific balcony type, such as aft. Therefore, you don't qualify for the GTY rate.

 

You have to remember that accessible cabins are few. If you want one, you have to book it specifically. You don't get that specificity option when booking a GTY room.

 

Enjoy.

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US rules do not apply to a booking under swedish T&C´s. A booking under swedish T&C´s is legislated by swedish / european rules.

 

 

In addition mdsgu is correct in saying you are paying the exact same price for your accessible cabin as any other person booking a non accessible cabin within the same category.

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Let's assume that the legal department at RCI has made sure they are in compliance. Points made above clearly clarify the distinction.

PS, I do not book them, but I would be eligible for the hcp room should I ever choose to book one.

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A guarantee cabin is not a handicapped cabin. When you book a guaranteed cabin it's just that - you are saying you are happy with anything available - could be an obstructed view, an area or deck you don't like, whatever - you are willing to take what you are given.

 

Handicapped cabins are specific cabin numbers. There are not many of them. Usually you have to book way in advance to get one and need to be handicapped. Anyone choosing to book a specific cabin number, handicapped or not, pays the same price for that category of cabin.

 

Occasionally if a handicapped cabin is not booked (very rarely) it might be released into the guarantee pool very close to the sailing date.

Edited by Grandma Dazzles
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by choosing specific cabins you are NOT eligible to get the guarantee rate.. as that is the consequence of paying less: you do not have a choice as to where your cabin will be. since there are so few HA overall on board any ship(, let alone in a specific category such as inside or balcony, ) they will not offer a GTY rate for them.

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I've booked four wheelchair accessible staterooms going out of Ft Lauderdale through the Swedish Royal Caribbean branch.

 

The price for these rooms is higher than the guarantee price (GTY). GTY is not available for accessible rooms. RCCL refuses to change the price to match the GTY price. The difference is ~ $1000 in total.

All rooms in most cases are higher than the guarantee price. If you want to pick your cabin, you pay more. Same with everyone

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The DoT PDF I linked above says:

"passengers requiring an accessible cabin should be provided the same pricing options available to passengers who do not require an accessible cabin"

This means that if Royal Caribbean offers a reduced rate GTY pricing option to normal passengers, they need to offer the same pricing option to people requiring an accessible stateroom.

Am I the only one reading that this way?

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The DoT PDF I linked above says:

"passengers requiring an accessible cabin should be provided the same pricing options available to passengers who do not require an accessible cabin"

This means that if Royal Caribbean offers a reduced rate GTY pricing option to normal passengers, they need to offer the same pricing option to people requiring an accessible stateroom.

Am I the only one reading that this way?

 

Yes. And you are offered the same pricing as anyone else who wants to choose a specific room. You aren't choosing to allow the cruise line to pick your room -- you are asking for a specific room. They aren't charging you more for a handicapped room. You are choosing to pay more to pick the specific room you want. I never get a GTY room because I want to pick the deck and area that my cabin is in -- and I pay more than GTY to do that.

 

If you want the GTY rate, I'm sure you can get it. You will just have to settle for not knowing what cabin you'll be in until a few days before the trip (or possibly not until you get to the port). You should also understand that the room the cruise line assigns to you will (99.9% of the time) NOT be handicapped-accessible. It will be whatever type GTY you book (interior, OV, balcony, or suite), but it is very unlikely to be in a desirable location. Why? Because the most desirably-located rooms have been taken by those willing to pay a bit more to make sure they have the type of room they want.

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The DoT PDF I linked above says:

"passengers requiring an accessible cabin should be provided the same pricing options available to passengers who do not require an accessible cabin"

This means that if Royal Caribbean offers a reduced rate GTY pricing option to normal passengers, they need to offer the same pricing option to people requiring an accessible stateroom.

Am I the only one reading that this way?

Yes, I’m afraid you are. We like to book mid-ship so never book at the (lower) guarantee rate. Not every class of cabin is offered at a guarantee rate on every sailing. If you want to book, say, a balcony cabin at a guarantee rate, you probably would not receive an accessible cabin.

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No, I'm not offered the same pricing option because they do not offer the GTY pricing option to people in need of accessible rooms.

 

Yes, they do. They do not prevent you from booking a guarantee rate, there's just no guarantee what room you will get. Same as for somebody not in need of a handicapped room. The pricing option is the same. If you want a specific room, you choose a specific category. Accessible or non, it's exactly the same.

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"If the accommodations on a vessel that are accessible to passengers with a disability are available only in a type or class of service or part of a vessel that are more expensive than the type or class of service or part of a vessel that the passenger requests, you must provide the accessible accommodation at the price of the type or class of service or facility that the passenger requests."

This means that if a passenger requests a class/type [GTY] and this class/type is not available for passengers with a disability, RCCL needs to offer accessible accomodation at the GTY price.

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No, I'm not offered the same pricing option because they do not offer the GTY pricing option to people in need of accessible rooms.

 

That's because you are booking a specific type of cabin!

 

Let's say I wanted to book an aft balcony. Those are expensive. And hard to come by because there aren't very many of them. I need to book early, and be prepared to pay for them. Guess what.....they don't have a "guarantee aft balcony." I could book a GTY balcony, and I will have a balcony somewhere on the ship, but it ain't gonna be an aft balcony.

 

You're in the same situation. You want a specific type of room, of which there aren't very many. You don't want to settle for, say, just any old OV cabin, you want a handicapped OV cabin. There's no such thing as a guarantee handicapped cabin, just like there's no guarantee aft balcony.

 

Basically, you are trying to get something that doesn't exist. Since it doesn't exist, they don't have to offer it.

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"If the accommodations on a vessel that are accessible to passengers with a disability are available only in a type or class of service or part of a vessel that are more expensive than the type or class of service or part of a vessel that the passenger requests, you must provide the accessible accommodation at the price of the type or class of service or facility that the passenger requests."

This means that if a passenger requests a class/type [GTY] and this class/type is not available for passengers with a disability, RCCL needs to offer accessible accomodation at the GTY price.

 

 

 

If that’s how you feel, take them to court and see how far it gets you.

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"If the accommodations on a vessel that are accessible to passengers with a disability are available only in a type or class of service or part of a vessel that are more expensive than the type or class of service or part of a vessel that the passenger requests, you must provide the accessible accommodation at the price of the type or class of service or facility that the passenger requests."

This means that if a passenger requests a class/type [GTY] and this class/type is not available for passengers with a disability, RCCL needs to offer accessible accomodation at the GTY price.

 

 

 

I think what you are missing is the simple fact that “GTY” is not a “class and or type” of cabin.

The TYPE of cabin is “accessible” and they are the same price as non accessible cabins in the same CLASS.

No discrimination.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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"If the accommodations on a vessel that are accessible to passengers with a disability are available only in a type or class of service or part of a vessel that are more expensive than the type or class of service or part of a vessel that the passenger requests, you must provide the accessible accommodation at the price of the type or class of service or facility that the passenger requests."

This means that if a passenger requests a class/type [GTY] and this class/type is not available for passengers with a disability, RCCL needs to offer accessible accomodation at the GTY price.

 

Since this has been the standard practice for years I would assume that if there were in fact a case for a claim like you present that someone would have already challenged Royal on it and they would have changed the way they operate if they were required to do so.

 

If you feel that strongly that you are correct I would suggest that you contact a lawyer. They are plenty out there who enjoy suing cruise lines.

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"If the accommodations on a vessel that are accessible to passengers with a disability are available only in a type or class of service or part of a vessel that are more expensive than the type or class of service or part of a vessel that the passenger requests, you must provide the accessible accommodation at the price of the type or class of service or facility that the passenger requests."

This means that if a passenger requests a class/type [GTY] and this class/type is not available for passengers with a disability, RCCL needs to offer accessible accomodation at the GTY price.

A GTY rate is often not available for solo cruisers, too. It's not discrimination. A GTY rate is often not available for a party of 3, or 4. It's not discrimination.

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He makes a fair point. Anyone of us can get the cheapest rate by booking a GTY, no matter the class of room. But, if he is disabled and needs an accessible room then GTY rates are not available to him. The only equitable thing to do, if they are not willing to accommodate his disability, is for some lawyer to compel them to make all rooms accessible....?

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The DoT PDF I linked above says:

"passengers requiring an accessible cabin should be provided the same pricing options available to passengers who do not require an accessible cabin"

This means that if Royal Caribbean offers a reduced rate GTY pricing option to normal passengers, they need to offer the same pricing option to people requiring an accessible stateroom.

Am I the only one reading that this way?

 

Yes you are the only one reading it this way and first of all try to take them to court in the US about a Swedish booking - not gonna work, take them to court in sweden about US rules - not gonna work, book in the US and take them to court - I doubt it´ll work.

 

One thing is for sure they are not discriminating in any way.

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The DoT PDF I linked above says:

"passengers requiring an accessible cabin should be provided the same pricing options available to passengers who do not require an accessible cabin"

This means that if Royal Caribbean offers a reduced rate GTY pricing option to normal passengers, they need to offer the same pricing option to people requiring an accessible stateroom.

Am I the only one reading that this way?

No, RCI offers a reduced rate GTY pricing to "normal" passengers, and also offers that same reduced rate GTY pricing to a person requiring an accessible cabin. However, the rules of GTY is that, as others have stated, the cabin you get under GTY pricing is whatever RCI decides to give you, you cannot specify any specific cabin within a given category. If you want a GTY price for cabin class "XX", then you are willing to take any cabin in class "XX", you are not guaranteed a given cabin. An able bodied person booking class "XX" could be assigned an accessible room, if one is available. Those accessible cabins in any given cabin class are available for GTY pricing, just like every other cabin, and will be assigned at GTY pricing if it is not booked specifically for someone requesting an accessible cabin.

 

Further, reading the document linked, you conveniently left out this part:

 

"PVOs may not charge higher fares to passengers with disabilities than to other passengers." The price to pick a specific cabin is the same whether you are able bodied or not. The portion you quoted applies to a situation where you are requesting an accessible cabin of a certain type (oceanview), and the ship only has accessible balcony cabins. Then you would be entitled to a balcony cabin at an oceanview price. This only applies if there are no cabins of the type you wish physically on the ship, not if they are all booked.

 

Finally, there is some wiggle room here, in that not all of the ADA applies to foreign flag cruise ships. In its decision in Spector v. NCL, the SCOTUS ruled that the ADA does not apply to a foreign flag ship's "internal policies and procedures", and you would need a legal consultation to determine if this falls under "internal policies and procedures".

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A GTY rate is often not available for solo cruisers, too. It's not discrimination. A GTY rate is often not available for a party of 3, or 4. It's not discrimination.

 

Surely it is discrimination if the ONLY reason he is denied the same rate as everyone else is that he is disabled?

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