Jump to content

Accessible cabin availability


1980dory
 Share

Recommended Posts

It is getting more and more difficult to obtain an accessible cabin without booking one or two years in advance. It appears that the demand is increasing, particularly for those cruise lines whose demographic is 55 plus.

I posed this question to a CEO recently and was told about how they have 5% of the cabins designated for handicapped. A nice and interesting statistic, but my question remains: What is being done to alleviate the problem of insufficient availability of accessible cabins? Perhaps you need to have 10% accessible cabins. When new builds, or retrofits occur, why not add more accessible cabins? It looks like it is a matter of space and most importantly-money.

CEO, I hear about all the great social and wildlife concerns you have, but isn't it time you addressed the needs of your clientele first?

I would dearly love to hear from all cruise lines on how you are individually addressing this problem. Booking one or two years in advance is really not practical or reasonable for me at my age. My only option is book with someone else who does have a handicapped cabin available. This is the reality of the problem. Pay attention: You're losing business and I really don't want to go to your competition!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

don't look for it on any existing ships. in the space of one HA cabin, they can fit 2 regular cabins. twice the revenue potential

 

maybe on new builds, but under ADA they don't have to provide more than a few of each cabin type.

 

they are marketing more to families now, not the older demographics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

don't look for it on any existing ships. in the space of one HA cabin, they can fit 2 regular cabins. twice the revenue potential

 

maybe on new builds, but under ADA they don't have to provide more than a few of each cabin type.

 

they are marketing more to families now, not the older demographics.

 

Spookwife,

 

Exactly as I suspicioned. Worry about the cockroach extinction in remote Borneo and neglect the handicapped and elderly for the sake of money. Please, don't thank me for my service! The epitome of hipocracy indeed! CEO, enjoy your penthouse suite while I struggle to get in and out of my cabin.

BTW: Look again. The baby boomer generation is growing the fastest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most senior citizens are on fixed incomes. If they sail, they rarely spend money on board. Not the type of passengers they want. The potential for illness, injury and death is greater. They cannot handle 10% of their pax on ECVs or in wheelchairs.

 

They go where the money is.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This is a very difficult situation for those of us who require a handicapped stateroom. I DO book 2 years in advance and I always lose out on the special sales that offer a free upgrade, because there is never an upgrade H/C staterooms available.

 

Sadley the cruiselines are more intent on making money than providing access for those who need it because the H/C stateroom does take up more room.

 

And remember, the accessible stateroom is not only needed by elderly passengers, there are many younger passengers that need it also.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

don't look for it on any existing ships. in the space of one HA cabin, they can fit 2 regular cabins. twice the revenue potential

 

maybe on new builds, but under ADA they don't have to provide more than a few of each cabin type.

 

they are marketing more to families now, not the older demographics.

 

ADA only fully applies to one cruise ship . That ship is NCL's Pride of America which is the only cruise ship registered to the USA, sails under the USA Flag and is permanently docked in Hawaii and sails only USA Hawaiian Ports. ADA does not fully transfer to Foreign Flagged ships.

 

Foreign Flagged ships that embark from a USA Port are to comply with a Department of Transportation Law that went into effect on 1/1/2012 regarding the booking of accessible cabins. Though there has been legal action brought against various cruise lines regarding their accessibility and USA Congress acknowledges that new build parameters should be set for any Foreign Flagged cruise ship embarking from a USA Port, Congress has yet to determine those specifications and enter them into law. Furthermore those specifications would only apply to the public areas of the ship for new builds and not to the number of accessible cabins which are not considered public areas.

Edited by xxoocruiser
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are a lot of people who could make do with a cabin with a wider door and grab bars in the bathrooms. They wouldn't have to be larger.

 

That is the only reason that I need an accessible room. I have an electric wheelchair and if I could get through the door, I would be alright. I also need the grab bars in the bathroom.

 

I have started booking suites because those doors are wider. You can get some good deals on them if you are able to book soon enough. This is kind of the same issue as with the accessible cabins.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On new builds couldn't they make ALL doors wider? That and a grab bar by the toilet in all cabins and many people could book a regular cabin and free up the accessible for those who are dependent on a mobility device full time.

 

Sent from my LG-H831 using

 

It all comes down to revenue. The average standard cruise cabin door is 22" wide and accessible door is 32". That's 10" x the number of average cabins. In order to gain the extra space to widen the doors for all standard cabins means the space can only be gained by reducing the overall number of standard cabins. Unlikely any cruise line would even consider that an option nor is there any International Law that requires them to do so.

Making the accessible cabins available to only those who are dependent on a mobility device full time, specifically for ships embarking from a USA port, is not the solution either. Reason being that by implementing such a policy the cruise lines would be intentionally discriminating against individuals who have a disability that requires the use of the other accessible features that are provided in the cabin. To support that such a policy would be discriminatory against all other disabled individuals who are not dependent on a mobility scooter full-time any Foreign Flagged Cruise Ship embarking from a USA port MUST comply with the USA Department of Justice Law that went into effect 01/01/2012 which in summary states :

g)To prevent fraud in the assignment of accessible cabins (e.g., attempts byindividuals who do not have disabilities to reserve accessible cabins becausethey have greater space, you—

(1) Must inquire of persons seeking to reserve such cabins whether theindividual (or an individual for whom the cabin is being reserved)
has a mobility disability
or a disability that requires the use of the accessiblefeatures that are provided in the cabin.

(2) May require a written attestation from the individual that accessible cabinis for a person who has a mobility disability or a disability that requires theuse of the accessible features that are provided in the cabin.

Personally not a full time scooter user but do require a zero threshold bathroom entrance as well as a zero threshold shower to accommodate my walker in the bathroom, a folding shower seat , raised toilet , grab bars and space for my mobility scooter for longer distances. Many disabled cruisers who are not full time mobility scooter users have the same need for an accessible cabin.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are a lot of people who could make do with a cabin with a wider door and grab bars in the bathrooms. They wouldn't have to be larger.

 

That is the only reason that I need an accessible room. I have an electric wheelchair and if I could get through the door, I would be alright. I also need the grab bars in the bathroom.

 

I have started booking suites because those doors are wider. You can get some good deals on them if you are able to book soon enough. This is kind of the same issue as with the accessible cabins.

 

 

So true a wider door would alleviate most problems for me too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On new builds couldn't they make ALL doors wider? That and a grab bar by the toilet in all cabins and many people could book a regular cabin and free up the accessible for those who are dependent on a mobility device full time.

 

Sent from my LG-H831 using Forums mobile app

I agree wholeheartedly. My scooter fits through the regular cabin doors on Carnival but I have to aim perfectly. Not sure about other cruise lines door sizes. I book a suite for the extra room but the tub is horrendous and their shower stool does not fit in a tub so I have to bring my own folding stool.The tub sides are very high and I nearly fall every time I try to get in there. The cabin steward had no idea that the shower seat would not fit. They really don't do as much as they could. After all our generation has money to spend and they should be trying to woo us more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

However can you make the doors wider without increasing the size of the cabin. It would involve changing layout which is why i say on new builds only.

 

Sent from my LG-H831 using Forums mobile app

 

Fully understood that you meant new builds only and as I previously stated it's all about revenue. Enlarging all standard cabin doors to be wider even if for new builds only still requires to reduce the number of standard rooms resulting in lost revenue which realistically cruise lines are unlikely to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree wholeheartedly. My scooter fits through the regular cabin doors on Carnival but I have to aim perfectly. Not sure about other cruise lines door sizes. I book a suite for the extra room but the tub is horrendous and their shower stool does not fit in a tub so I have to bring my own folding stool.The tub sides are very high and I nearly fall every time I try to get in there. The cabin steward had no idea that the shower seat would not fit. They really don't do as much as they could. After all our generation has money to spend and they should be trying to woo us more.

 

It appears that the assumption was made that people with disabilities that cruise only make up one generation and at that you don't state what that generation that is ? Cruise lines are marketing to all generations these days . Disabilities have no generation boundaries and every generation has people that certainly have money to spend on cruises. Therefore why should Cruise Lines just woo one generation ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree wholeheartedly. My scooter fits through the regular cabin doors on Carnival but I have to aim perfectly. Not sure about other cruise lines door sizes. I book a suite for the extra room but the tub is horrendous and their shower stool does not fit in a tub so I have to bring my own folding stool.The tub sides are very high and I nearly fall every time I try to get in there. The cabin steward had no idea that the shower seat would not fit. They really don't do as much as they could. After all our generation has money to spend and they should be trying to woo us more.

 

Could you please identify “our” generation. I'm 80 and have been traveling since before I can remember. And even though I have done extensive traveling, I've never been in a situation where I could honestly say “I have the money to spend...” I have to plan and budget for my trips. I'm truly a budget traveler because I do not have money to waste or spend carelessly.

 

Now back to the original issue of this thread. We all know that one of the major problems is the fact that the cruise lines does not have any control of who reserves the cabins. They have to take the word of the individual and we all know that people use any excuse to get the “large” cabins even if they do not require them. So until the cruise lines has a way to monitor usage, do a little checking of who is actually using them. Celebrity once moved a couple out of an accessible cabin to give it to us. I have heard of a couple other cases, but it is few and far between.

 

I fully agree with whoever suggested the wider doors. Since it would not be practical for all doors to be wider, I'm sure many could be. Also the aspect that some cruise lines have distinguished a difference in HC vs “accessible” cabins. Thus they have adaptable equipment for deaf on blind people or others that allows them the use of the standard cabins and the accessible cabins are reserved for those of us with mobility devices. Ruth and I have shared standard cabins with both our small scooters. That is togetherness.

 

Many year ago, one of the cruise lines did not properly identify an accessible cabin put back into inventory after the original booking was cancelled. I do not know if that problem has ever been corrected. We got the cabin only because I asked for it by number.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I just received a call from Carnival rep with questions about our accessible cabin. MIL uses a mobility scooter and we were told there is no way to turn the scooter around in the cabin. When we booked the cabin the rep. said there will be plenty of room to turn around in the cabin. Yesterday the rep also said she can't take her scooter on the tender to Belize. I told her it breaks down and she said the may still not allow that to be taken.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just received a call from Carnival rep with questions about our accessible cabin. MIL uses a mobility scooter and we were told there is no way to turn the scooter around in the cabin. When we booked the cabin the rep. said there will be plenty of room to turn around in the cabin. Yesterday the rep also said she can't take her scooter on the tender to Belize. I told her it breaks down and she said the may still not allow that to be taken.

 

you can ask the steward to remove the coffee table and that will make room. sometimes rearranging the beds to split helps as well

 

as for the tender: depending on ship, you may have to go down stairs/a ladder to reach the tender. not all tenders will be accessible either. and no you cannot break it down.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On the Princess web site it states that if there are no HC cabins showing as available to call. Has anyone ever done that and is it just a wait list or do they make some other arrangements?

 

typically, HA cabins are not made available online until after final payment has passed to ensure that those who need them have first dibs. there is both a wait list and they MIGHT ask someone already booked in one to Give it up( but they cannot make anyone do so) the best way to get one is to book ASAP after the itinerary is released.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just received a call from Carnival rep with questions about our accessible cabin. MIL uses a mobility scooter and we were told there is no way to turn the scooter around in the cabin. When we booked the cabin the rep. said there will be plenty of room to turn around in the cabin. Yesterday the rep also said she can't take her scooter on the tender to Belize. I told her it breaks down and she said the may still not allow that to be taken.

 

Who ever contacted you from Carnival was probably following the guide lines for wheelchairs. Space wise, a scooter requires less turning space. You may have to do some maneuvering, however you should be able to turn in a standard cabin. As far as removing furniture, Carnival would not allow us to do that on one cruise. Regardless, you can arrange the cabin however you want and I'm sure your cabin steward will assist you if you ask. On our last Carnival cruise in a standard cabin, we put the beds in an “L” shape that allowed much more floor space. That made adequate space for both scooters.

 

As far as the tender, are you able to disassemble the scooter and carry it up and down the steps. Years ago, Belize offered tenders and their people were receptive about lifting scooters on and off.

 

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just received a call from Carnival rep with questions about our accessible cabin. MIL uses a mobility scooter and we were told there is no way to turn the scooter around in the cabin. When we booked the cabin the rep. said there will be plenty of room to turn around in the cabin. Yesterday the rep also said she can't take her scooter on the tender to Belize. I told her it breaks down and she said the may still not allow that to be taken.

 

 

Carinival Cruise Lines has 3 classes of Accessible Cabins. Though all classifications appear on the deck plans with the International Handicap Icon as you scroll over the rooms you have to actually click on that room to see more details. Unfortunately Carnival Reps as well as TA's don't always ask the right questions when assisting someone with booking an accessible cabin particulatly if the individual called an requested a specific cabin number. Being that the cabin has no floor space to operate the Wheelchair it appears you were booked into what was formerly classified as a Modified Accessilbe Cabin which is just a standard cabin with a modified bathroom which is now and classified as an Ambulatory Accessible Cabins (AAC) which has no floor space to use either any type POV or manaul wheelchair in the cabin.

 

Canival's recently revised Accessible Cabins classifications are as follows:

Fully Accessible Cabins (FAC): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with highly limited mobility, who require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter or other similar assistive devices. Fully Accessible Cabins contain accessible elements including turning space, accessible routes throughout the stateroom and an accessible bathroom. Additionally, the bathrooms contain grab bars and shower seats.

 

Fully Accessible Cabins - Single Side Approach (FAC-SSA): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with highly limited or no mobility, who require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter or other similar assistive devices. Fully Accessible Cabins - Single Side Approach are a type of FAC that provide an accessible route and clear floor space on only one side of the bed, in staterooms configured to provide only one bed. In a stateroom configured to provide two beds, the clear floor space will be between the beds, with one side of each bed getting an accessible route. Additionally, these staterooms have an accessible bathroom that contains grab bars and shower seats.

 

Ambulatory Accessible Cabins (AAC): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with mobility limitations, who do not require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter, or other similar assistive devices. For example, Ambulatory Accessible Cabins are ideal for guests who only use an assistive device (like a cane or a walker) for traversing longer distances, and who may benefit from certain accessible features like grab bars, to assist with balance.

Tendering in Belize - As with all cruise lines inluding Canival prohited and type of POV from boarding the tender unless it has roll-on capabilties. To the best of my knowledge Carnival uses its life boats as tenders at the Port of Belize. These tenders to not have roll-on capbilities nor do they have sufficant space to store/secure any type of POV on board even if it dissambles. Thus the reason the Carnoival Rep told it "may still not allow that to be taken".

 

The following was copied directly from Carnival's website :

Whether guests with mobility limitations can board a tender is subject to numerous factors, including weather and tidal conditions, all of which affect the transfer from one moving vessel to another moving vessel. While the sea and wind conditions may be acceptable to safely board the tender, fluctuations in the weather may make re-boarding of a tender to return to the ship dangerous. Safety restrictions prohibit crew from carrying individuals onto or off the tenders. The final determination of whether any guest may board a tender is made by the Captain.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Booking an accessible cabin two years ahead is not always possible. If you are over 70 and have medical issues you can only buy insurance in the UK up to one year ahead. If you don't set up insurance immediately on booking you may find that is up to twice the price of your cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Who ever contacted you from Carnival was probably following the guide lines for wheelchairs. Space wise, a scooter requires less turning space. You may have to do some maneuvering, however you should be able to turn in a standard cabin. As far as removing furniture, Carnival would not allow us to do that on one cruise. Regardless, you can arrange the cabin however you want and I'm sure your cabin steward will assist you if you ask. On our last Carnival cruise in a standard cabin, we put the beds in an “L” shape that allowed much more floor space. That made adequate space for both scooters.

 

As far as the tender, are you able to disassemble the scooter and carry it up and down the steps. Years ago, Belize offered tenders and their people were receptive about lifting scooters on and off.

 

Have a wonderful cruise,

Betty

We had a regular cabin, a scooter and four people. Steward did remove the table for us. Great idea about making the bed configuration LShape. We will keep that in mind!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My daughter will be 10 when we cruise RCCL Radiance of the Seas in Alaska next summer. We need an accessible room for her because she uses a manual wheelchair for longer distances. She can walk with forearm crutches but could not walk around the ship, wait for elevators, stand in line for meals at the buffet, etc. without her wheelchair. She is clearly not in the 55 and up age range. I'm grateful we have an accessible room and the neighboring one as we are 6 people total, I just had no idea it was going to be so difficult.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just received a call from Carnival rep with questions about our accessible cabin. MIL uses a mobility scooter and we were told there is no way to turn the scooter around in the cabin. When we booked the cabin the rep. said there will be plenty of room to turn around in the cabin. Yesterday the rep also said she can't take her scooter on the tender to Belize. I told her it breaks down and she said the may still not allow that to be taken.

 

I've taken my Pride GoGo Elite Traveller Plus Mobility Scooter on the Carnival Pride a number of times, and I've been able to drive the scooter into the standard balcony cabin and turn the scooter around with no problem. Maybe the dimensions of your scooter are a little bigger than mine. I just go forward and back slowly a few times, and turn the scooter around to face the door. I can't comment about the tenders, but I think she's correct about not taking your scooter on the tender. I think there are only certain tenders that can accommodate scooters, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...