Handicap access on the Majesty of the Seas and Coco Cay

[PokerStarNH]

Handicap access on the Majesty of the Seas and Coco Cay

 

 

This is our experience on the Majesty of the Seas, your experience may be different based on your degree of mobility. I'll describe our handicaps and abilities so that you can use these to relate to your situation My wife had stroke approx. 1 year ago. She has right side weakness with limited use of her right arm and hand. She can walk short distances and do some stairs. We are about 50 years old. I am in good health and able to help her with most things and have no problems pushing the wheel chair in most normal situations. I can get her to her feet in most cases but can not lift her unassisted. We rented a lightweight scooter from Care Vacations for this trip. It was waiting for us in our stateroom when we arrived.

 

 

Here is the link to Royal Caribbean's accessible features page for the Majesty. I did not see all the features they list, specifically pool access, but that does not mean they do not exist.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ports/printAccessibilityInformation.do?pagename=accessible_features_MJ

 

 

Check-in and Boarding

We had no issues checking in with a wheelchair. They told us to use the suite line to the check in desk and did not have to wait in the long line. After getting our Seapass cards, there was an elevator to take us to the gangway. The gang way was easy with no issues.

 

 

Access around the ship

Most but not all external doors were automatic sliders. My wife did have a problem with one external door on deck 12 and a fellow passenger assisted her. The Chorus Line lounge was accessible with no stairs on the main floor. The balcony was also accessible.

 

 

Main Dining Room

We had no issues in the dining room. We parked the scooter near the entry doors and walked to our table. The wait staff does everything they can to assist you.

 

 

Pools and Hot Tubs -

The pool is not handicap accessible. It is deceiving. There are stairs down to a platform around the pool that has about 6 inches of water over it. The deep part of the pool is accessed by a ladder. The hot tubs are raised above the pool deck by about 4 – 5 feet and are accessed by stairs. You then need to step down into the hot tub. If you are handicapped, I would not plan on using the pools on the Majesty. Note: RCL's website says there is a lift for the main pool and hot tubs and stairs for the solarium pool. If it's important to you, I would call RCL's special needs department.

 

Port Access - Key West

The ship is docked at the pier in Key West. We had no issues exiting or returning to the ship. The gangway is a little steep and somewhat narrow but the crew was helpful. Getting around Key West was not a problem. Being in the USA the city is bound by the Americans with Disabilities Act. We took the City View trolley. The first trolley had a wheelchair lift. The second trolley did not. Since my wife is not confined to the wheelchair it was not a problem for us. If you are confined to the wheelchair, you may have to plan to make sure you have time to wait for the trolley with the lift. We also visited the Butterfly conservatory. Again, we had no issues there.

 

 

Port Access – Nassau

The ship is docked at the pier in Nassau. We had no issues exiting or returning to the ship. The gangway is a little steep and somewhat narrow but the crew was helpful. We walked from the pier to the British Colonial Hilton. I pushed my wife in the wheelchair. We had no issues walking to the BCH. The beach access to the BCH had one large step to the sand.

 

 

Port Access – Coco Cay

The ship is tendered at Coco Cay. Due to the weather, my wife decided not to leave the ship in Coco Cay. I observed the handicap access but did not have to test it. The ship uses a gangway to get to the tender. The gangway appeared to be easy to navigate and appeared less steep than the gangway at the piers. The tenders have a large flat section at the bow where the gangway ends. People in a wheelchair can stay on this section during the ride to Coco Cay. Coco Cay also has ramps that go from the tender to the pier. Overall, access to/from the tenders seemed like it would be easier than the piers.

There were about 5 or 6 Beach wheelchairs on Coco Cay. They were first come, first served. To me that did not seem very comfortable as they appeared to be tilted very far back with big wheels in front and small wheels in back, which seems backwards to me. I also saw a tram taking people around the area. There are paved areas but they are covered with sand. It seemed like it would be OK to push a wheelchair. I'd be careful as it seemed like it would be easy to go off the hard area and into the soft sand.

 

 

Stateroom Access

We had a deluxe outside accessible stateroom (9534). The door was wide enough for the scooter and wheelchair to fit easily. The stateroom itself had plenty of room to store the wheelchair and scooter. The bathroom had a small threshold. The sink was open underneath and there was a bath chair so you could sit and use the sink. There were plenty of handrails in the bathroom. There was a low rim around the shower area. My wife can walk so this was not an issue. There was a fold down shower seat mounted to the wall and a hand held shower head.

The bed and sofa were a little low and gave my wife a bit of trouble getting up. At home she has a high mattress with a bed rail and a power lift chair.

 

[gofeo]

Thank you, Very well writen article. We have booked for April and have an inside room on deck 3. Single supplement. On Majesty. The room you discribe. Was it HC room?

[xxoocruiser]

Handicap access on the Majesty of the Seas and Coco Cay

 

Pools and Hot Tubs -

The pool is not handicap accessible. It is deceiving. There are stairs down to a platform around the pool that has about 6 inches of water over it. The deep part of the pool is accessed by a ladder. The hot tubs are raised above the pool deck by about 4 – 5 feet and are accessed by stairs. You then need to step down into the hot tub. If you are handicapped, I would not plan on using the pools on the Majesty. Note: RCL's website says there is a lift for the main pool and hot tubs and stairs for the solarium pool. If it's important to you, I would call RCL's special needs department.

 

 

 

RCL's websited does not state that there is lift for the main pool and hot tub and stairs for the solarium. The website states nothing about it being the main pool nor does it state that there is stairs for the solarium pool. The following was copied directly from RCC's website under "Accessibility" :

Services provided:

• Early boarding
  
• Cruise transfers utilizing a specialized bus or van with a lift or ramp
  
• Boarding and departure assistance
  
• Scooter access
  
• Lifts for one pool and one whirlpool on each ship in the fleet
  
• Accessible Blackjack tables in the casino
  
• Accessible Guest Relations Desk
  

Every RCCl ship I have been on has always had a lift for one pool and one hot tub. Did you ask any of the ship's personel which pool/hot tub had the lifts ? Also, most of the time the lift chair is disconnected so children don't play with it and you need to request that the ship's pool personal to place the lift in operation.

 

Thank you for all your other information.

[xxoocruiser]

Thank you, Very well writen article. We have booked for April and have an inside room on deck 3. Single supplement. On Majesty. The room you discribe. Was it HC room?

 

Yes , the cabin that the OP posted pictures of was definitely a HC Cabin.

[PokerStarNH]

Hi,

Thanks for the clarification on the pools. It was only in the 60's on our cruise so we didn't get a chance to use them. But like I said in the beginning, if someone has specific concerns, they should call and speak to the special needs department of the cruise line.

[jim_stormie]

wow...great article !! thanks for taking the time !! we have the same rm. for november 5th. i have been on the ship n was already prepared that it might not be up to today's accessibility standards. we r going for a quick break...some much needed rest n relaxation !!

u answered some questions....coco cay. once again....have been there but it was when i wasn't looking for accessibility. thanks for the heads up :0)