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Accessible Cabins Re Classed on Iona.

hollyjess

By hollyjess,
in P&O Cruises ( UK )

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Cpt Pugwash

Cpt Pugwash

Posted
Posted
22 hours ago, hollyjess said:

Just been contacted by a friend who should be sailing in soon. She has had e mail stating her accessible cabin now not available. Had this happened to anyone else?

I've just had a email telling me some of the Accessible Cabins  are now being regraded as Partial Accessible Cabins and when i phoned them they said Wheelchair Accessible Cabins like i'm booked into do not have the space to turn a Wheelchair in if full time wheelchair user. Luckily for me i use a walking frame cause i have a Prosthetic leg but don't know what there going to do for Full Time Wheelchair Users now.?

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Cpt Pugwash

Cpt Pugwash

Posted
Posted

Just spoke to P&O about a email i received about my Wheelchair Accessible cabin i have booked which they say are now classed as Partially Accessible as not enough space to turn a Wheelchair in, though it doesn't affect me personally as i use a walker bit it looks like if you are a Full Time Wheelchair user you cannot travel on the Iona as they don't have any cabins big enough and offered me a refund if the cabin i had booked was not suitable.

Not very good design for a new ship.

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Cpt Pugwash

Cpt Pugwash

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, purplesea said:

We returned from Iona a few weeks back and there were some accessable cabins just next to us.  They were in use with people in wheelchairs and they looked big enough as we walked past!

 

Yes they are called Wheelchair Accessible Cabins but seems not anymore as they say a Full Time Wheelchair User cannot turn around in them, don't know what has changed.

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Cpt Pugwash

Cpt Pugwash

Posted
Posted
Just now, purplesea said:

One of the ladies was in a large motorised wheelchair and there were several other people on board with similar chairs! The ones we saw were 12520, 12518.

Oh yes they are big enough because i enquired about a Mobility Scooter i have hired to use on the ship and they said it would fit but would not be able to maneuver in cabin. As i says don't know what has changed but looks like there is going to be a lot of disappointed  Full Time Wheelchair Users booked on the Iona.

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terrierjohn

terrierjohn

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, Cpt Pugwash said:

Yes they are called Wheelchair Accessible Cabins but seems not anymore as they say a Full Time Wheelchair User cannot turn around in them, don't know what has changed.

Are these inside, ocean view or balcony cabins that have been re-classified.

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terrierjohn

terrierjohn

Posted
Posted
33 minutes ago, Cpt Pugwash said:

Oh yes they are big enough because i enquired about a Mobility Scooter i have hired to use on the ship and they said it would fit but would not be able to maneuver in cabin. As i says don't know what has changed but looks like there is going to be a lot of disappointed  Full Time Wheelchair Users booked on the Iona.

12520 and 12518 are balcony cabins, so may have more space for maneuvering around the cabin than your inside cabin.

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indiana123

indiana123

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Cpt Pugwash said:

o do not have the space to turn a Wheelchair in if full time wheelchair user.

 

Just a thought.  I think they may have had a visit from "elf & safety"

 

Its worked for full time wheelchair users in the past so why do they have to change it.

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davecttr

davecttr

Posted
Posted

I would have thought that as part of the design process such a cabin would have a mock up built ashore and tested by wheelchair users which of course would have discovered the problem. Or is this too much to expect in modern times?

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Denarius

Denarius

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, davecttr said:

I would have thought that as part of the design process such a cabin would have a mock up built ashore and tested by wheelchair users which of course would have discovered the problem. Or is this too much to expect in modern times?

Sadly, I get the impression that P&O (and others) are only really interested in able bodied couples and that disabled and single travellers are given short shift.

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GOQ

GOQ

Posted
Posted
24 minutes ago, Denarius said:

Sadly, I get the impression that P&O (and others) are only really interested in able bodied couples and that disabled and single travellers are given short shift.

With my limited experience I must say I quite like P&O. As a solo traveller I seem to be able to pick whatever cabin type I like and am not restricted to just to single cabins. They have a solos meetup every day and I am asked if I like to share a table at breakfast/lunch/dinner.

I  sometimes walk with a walking stick because of a wobbly balance and am frequently asked if I need assistance with my tray by the staff when at the buffet.

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Cpt Pugwash

Cpt Pugwash

Posted
Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, davecttr said:

I would have thought that as part of the design process such a cabin would have a mock up built ashore and tested by wheelchair users which of course would have discovered the problem. Or is this too much to expect in modern times?

Sadly commenting i's it too much to expect' is so close to the truth, i had my leg amputated at the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow  and using a Wheelchair it was obvious NOBODY had thought of asking a Disabled Person what would be a good layout for Disabled Toilets as i struggled using them and others with different Disabilities told me of there problems as well.

A perfect example is who in there right mind put a toilet roll holder on the wall BEHIND you, even a able bodied person would struggle with it.

Not just the idiot that designed it but also the idiot who signed the job off.

Edited by Cpt Pugwash
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Cpt Pugwash

Cpt Pugwash

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, GOQ said:

With my limited experience I must say I quite like P&O. As a solo traveller I seem to be able to pick whatever cabin type I like and am not restricted to just to single cabins. They have a solos meetup every day and I am asked if I like to share a table at breakfast/lunch/dinner.

I  sometimes walk with a walking stick because of a wobbly balance and am frequently asked if I need assistance with my tray by the staff when at the buffet.

Agree 100% like yourself travel as a Solo Disabled Passenger and have always been asked by many of the staff if i need a hand.

The only thing i realised  after clicking with two other Solo passengers we ended up in the same place every night and missed out on trying so many other places so this year while i'm on Iona in July i'm not going to eat in the Main Restaurants in the evening i want to try somewhere different every Lunch and Dinner.

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Rammers

Rammers

Posted
Posted

I also got an email about this albeit one of the worst written I've had from p and o.   It is only some of the lower grade inside accessible cabins, not all of them. 9228 PF grade is one of them.  It even looks smaller on the deck plans.

 

They have obviously had that many complaints they have sent that out to cover themselves as it basically says make your own mind up.

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Selbourne "Live from...." Rare

Selbourne

Posted
Posted

This sounds like a scooter issue, more so than a wheelchair issue. I have seen a YouTube video of an accessible standard balcony cabin and there is ample room for a wheelchair user. I appreciate that some scooters are quite big and none are as manoeuvrable as a wheelchair. Obviously people should check, but we have an accessible deluxe balcony cabin booked on Iona and I have no concerns that it will be plenty big enough for my wife’s manual wheelchair. 

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terrierjohn

terrierjohn

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

This sounds like a scooter issue, more so than a wheelchair issue. I have seen a YouTube video of an accessible standard balcony cabin and there is ample room for a wheelchair user. I appreciate that some scooters are quite big and none are as manoeuvrable as a wheelchair. Obviously people should check, but we have an accessible deluxe balcony cabin booked on Iona and I have no concerns that it will be plenty big enough for my wife’s manual wheelchair. 

It seems it's only the lower grade  inside cabins that are being re-classified.

Edited by terrierjohn
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Cpt Pugwash

Cpt Pugwash

Posted
Posted
21 hours ago, Wheelchair-cruiser said:

I am due to go on Iona in May in an inside accessible cabin. I am a full time wheelchair user but can stand and take a few steps. My wheelchair is electric and long. If anyone has used the inside access cabins as a full time wheelchair user please let me know your thoughts.

I would call P&O and check with them as they are saying some of the cabins previously called Wheelchair Accessible are no long big enough for Full Time Wheelchair Users. 

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