Suite Perks for HC rooms

[Pootersmom]

Looking at a RCI cruise sometime next fall. It looks like the only accessible suites are Junior Suites, and Junior Suites are excluded from Suite Perks. Would love and be willing to pay for a suite (including perks) if any of them were accessible, and if that is not the case, then would be willing to pay extra for a junior suite that also was included with perks. Please understand, I just want to shower the love of my life with every indulgence I can come up with (his first cruise, my third), particularly admission to the concierges lounge. Tried to call RCI and was placed on hold for several hours and finally gave up. Has anybody in manual wheelchair ever stayed in a HC suite? Just wondered if I was missing it somehow. I decided the next best resource was my friends at Cruise Critic. Thanks.

[kyriecat]

I only know of one "full" suite that is HC accessible on any RC ship. Both Oasis & Allure have one crown loft suite on deck 17 (cabin 1742) that is HC. All the other ships seem to only have JS cabins - no full sutes.

[montgomeryfamily]

We've talked about this before on CC in regard to both Royal Caribbean and Princess that it doesn't seem fair that since there are no HC suites, these cruise lines don't extend suite benefits to those who stay in the highest HC room available. Royal Caribbean has now added a HC suite room on two of their newest ships and Princess has added a category of suites called window suites on some of their ships and there is one HC suite in that category. So if you want suite perks on those two lines, those are your only options. However, Celebrity has an accessible sky suite category which comes with all of the suite benefits and Holland America has a category of suites which have wheelchair accessible cabins within that category.

 

The loft suite is quite expensive and also is only on the "mega" ships. I suggest that you consider booking a Celebrity sky suite--just don't book it on the Century, whatever you do, as that ship and suite is terrible for handicapped access.

[cb at sea]

Do you NEED the HC cabin? Or will stepping up to the bathroom be ok? If you don't need wheelchair access into the bathroom, could you just book a GS? The space would be sufficient for a manual wheelchair, if the person can walk a teeny bit. That way, you'd get CL access.

[kyriecat]

I believe all Grand Suites have tubs only not showers. That is a concern for many people with mobility issues. I know my mom's condition has worsened over the years so she cannot swing her legs into a tub by herself, even with a bench in the tub. She prefers to have a shower so she won't need assistance to bathe.

 

Some owner's suites (Radiance, Voyager, Freedom, & Oasis class ships) have a tub and a shower so a shower bench can be requested. There is still the step up to get into the bathroom and there aren't any bars around the toilets for assistance. RC can provide a raised toilet seat but I don't think they have portable bars to put around the toilets.

 

The balconies for non-accessible suites will have a step up into the cabin that is difficult for a wheelchair user to manuever over without assistance.

[DesrtDrmr]

The full suites (non handicapped) on Princess have a separate tub and shower. We have booked one to celebrate a special anniversary and I know my scooter will fit in the door. I have requested a shower stool, can walk a few steps, so will see how it goes. The last time we booked a mini on Princess it had a combo tub and shower, and the tub was really deep. I could not get into it and had to sit on the edge and take a sponge bath. I'm not going to do that again..................no fun. :( I, too, wish there were handicapped accessible rooms in every category on a ship instead of, on Princess anyway, just the top class of each category up to a balcony. There are no handicapped mini suites on the ships we have been on. We were on RCI and HAL before I had to use a scooter, so I don't know about those.

[Pootersmom]

Thanks Kathy. I may have to do that (Celebrity I mean). I have always been intriqued by Celebrity but have been on Royal Carribean and loved it. It's an option.

[Pootersmom]

He is a full paraplegic so there is no walking. He actually (using a transfer board) successfully gets in and out of a tub, but three areas we have a problem with in Hotels is the width of the doors not being wide enough for a manual wheelchair, step up's to the bathroom at the door and the commode not having grab bars, or space to slide an ottoman (or some other piece of furniture that we have improvised with) to transfer onto the commode. I personally have stayed in the Grand Suite and absolutely loved it. I would be one happy camper if I could share that experience with him. He would love the space and the appeal of that suite and he would make great use of the concierge lounge that was one of the suite perks for the Grand Suite. But my recollection was that the door was narrow to the suite and the bathroom and there was a fairly large step up at the door into the bathroom. I think the commode might have been workable. I know if you are a certain level of Crown and Anchor (I am a member, but at the bottom of that particular food chain) you can get concierge lounge privileges with a mini suite (or maybe even any cabin category). I love to cruise and he is nervous. This will be a honeymoon cruise and I just hope that he gets as big a thrill out of cruising as I always have.

[Sequim88]

could you just book a GS? The space would be sufficient for a manual wheelchair,

 

Do GS have hallway doors wider than standard staterooms? That was our biggest issue the one toime we gave up a HC Inside for a "deal" on a Balcony Gauaranty. Cabin door was not wide enough for even Jr. size wheelchair. Fortunately DW can walk some (hemiplegic) so we could fold her chair in the hallway to bring it in (or reverse when leaving).

 

HC JS on RCI is almost as big as a GS. Would not be a big deal to retrofit a GS as an option HC GS. Perhaps as part of Royal Advantage upgrades. And going forward (though pretty far out) Project Sunshine may follow lead of Oasis class and the HC Crown Loft and do more "full" suites HC adapted. In mean time I wonder how popular it might be if they offered HC JS but for upcharge with GS amenities.

 

For us the minimal benefits of a HC JS over a HC Balcony do not warrant the extra expense. All it really provides is more space and a robe. We end up priority boarding anyway due to wheelchair. Double C&A points would be nice but we can cruise twice anyway for the price difference (not counting airfare). So even with ability to step into GS bathroom we are not sure it would be worth it.

[CaptData]

Thanks Kathy. I may have to do that (Celebrity I mean). I have always been intriqued by Celebrity but have been on Royal Carribean and loved it. It's an option.

 

 

You can transfer your status ie Diamond is Elite on Celebrity and you get the perks for that as well.

[SimRob]

Cruising on carnival fascination 1/3/11. When booking, form had area to indicate special needs, I checked wheelchair. Does this mean they will provide a wheelchair orwill I have to use my own and they will put me in an accessable stateroom? Have booked a grand suite. Any comments on vip embarkation procedures?

[kitty9]

No, they will not provide a wheelchair except for embarking or disembarking, so you will need to bring, or rent your own. If you booked a Grand Suite, they cannot just move you to an accessible cabin. As for the VIP business, it really doesn't mean much nowadays because there are so many frequent cruisers who get VIP status, it doesn't really make embarking easier.

[Mindy97]

On Grand Princess and Golden Princess there is a class of cabin called a Window Suite. It is a full suite, but has no balcony. They are on the sixth deck, and access to them is from a separate corridor to the side of the Passenger Service Desk. There are seven of these cabins, each sleeping three. The one closest to the PSD is handicap accessible. The corridor outside looks wide, and leads to both the midship and forward elevators. Since there are only those cabins on that floor, access should never be a problem (not a lot of stewards' carts to go past).

 

The Grand usually goes to the Caribbean, I think, and the Golden goes to Hawaii, except in the summer, when it goes to Alaska. And here's the funny part. On the Hawaii routes, the cabin is priced like a suite. But on the Alaska ones, where I imagine most folks want a balcony, it is priced lower, in line with regular balcony cabins.

 

The WS cabins get all the perks...the internet, free washing and cleaning, initial bar setup, priority tender tickets, breakfast at Sabatinis, and all the other goodies (including chocolate covered strawberries on formal nite).

 

I haven't been in one yet, but I have one booked for Alaska 2012. I've been to Alaska multiple times, so the lack of balcony doesn't matter, long as I have windows.

 

M.

[glennjudy1]

We just returned from a cruise on the Norwegian Epic in an accessible Haven Penthouse suite. All of the suite perks, much more than you receive in suites with RCCL, were available. There is a whole suite complex called the Haven that has a separate restaurant, a private suite-only pool area with two jacuzzi's (one with a wheelchair lift into it), and many other perks. The suite was completely wheelchair accessible, lots of space including the bathroom with roll-in shower and fold-down bench. I would highly recommend this if you are looking for an accessible suite with full benefits to get spoiled with.

 

We have also sailed in an standard Owner's Suite on the Freedom of the Seas since there were no accessible suites. My wife is a full-time wheelchair user and cannot walk at all. However, the entry door and the bathroom door was wide enough to easily accommodate her manual wheelchair. There is a lip on the bathroom entryway but my wife was able to "pop" her front wheels over it and then just pull herself over the lip with not much effort. There is a tub and shower so if you can transfer into the tub, it should work for you. The tub even has a handheld shower head so that worked well.

 

We've also had a Sky Suite on the Celebrity Summit which was completely wheelchair accessible but the perks pale in comparison to the Epic.