Wheelchair accessible vs accessible.

[sally4909]

Does anyone know why some cabins on deck plans show as accessible but other cabins show accessible with a picture of a wheelchair? My husband has had 2 knee replacements, one successful  and the other leaving him with very limited range of motion and difficulty walking. I know we would not need a wheelchair accessible cabin but a cabin close to an elevator would be nice as he has great difficulty with stairs or walking for any length of time. Trying to understand if he would be eligible for a cabin close to an elevator that is called accessible. 

[finny2]

All accessible cabins are wheelchair accessible. The accessible staterooms are intended for guests with mobility disabilities and other disabilities that require the use of the accessible features of the staterooms. Special needs accessible staterooms are designed with wider doors, roll-in showers, grab bars, lower sink and vanity, bathroom grab bars, higher toilet, and ramped thresholds. 

If your husband has limited mobility, and difficulty walking more than a short distance, you might consider renting a scooter for him and getting an accessible cabin. The ships are pretty long, and there is usually a lot of walking involved. If he does not need a scooter, then your best bet is just to get a cabin close to the elevators, and leave the accessible cabins for those who need them.

[kearney]

My husband has mobility issues resulting from a detached quad muscle..and only modestly successful surgery. He has been renting scooters from Special Needs at Sea. He didn't think he needed on the first time we rented..but since then ..that is the only way to go. They park the scooter in the cabin. Now here is the challenge. To actually get the scooter in a cabin.. it is best to have a cabin with the bed by the window/balcony. I find that the S class cabins are large enough to do so... I think M Class cabins have bed by the bathroom...which makes it tough. Now the other thing is that you can not block the hallway with your scooter... difficult for housekeeping and other wheelchair/scooter traffic ..to say nothing of emergencies. However there are a few spots on an S class ship where you can park one outside the cabin where it does not impede traffic...and there is a plug. This is a good place to park during the day for short stays in the cabin. On deck 7 and 8 near the hideaway area and by the elevators are good spots... you can recharge the scooter in those areas and not impact traffic flow. There are even a few spots where you can part outside the cabin...but discuss with the steward..because they block their closet... however, there is a way to move the scooter without the key... and they should know how to do that...there is a switch near the battery...

 

Technically DH qualifies for an accessible cabin..but we have never done that since he can still manage the step up into the bathroom and we would hate to take the cabin away from someone who really needs all the features. I wish they put together a guide to help people figure out the best cabins or scooter users... but here is a clue if you see triangle or square on deck plan... that means the bed is by the bathroom (actually it means pullout sofa or overhead pulldown bed)... but that always is closer to the window/verandah. We like to get a cabin on the side of the hump of the aft/midship elevators. We tend to go on deck 6.. to save a few bucks the first two on deck 6 are 1D cabins and have a slight obstruction..but a larger veranda than most..so works out for us.

 

We then sign up to get wheelchair assistance to get DH to the cabin... and at the end of the cruise..you leave the scooter in the cabin... have your steward get you a wheel chair the night before... and get wheeled down to sushi on 5... for help getting off the ship. I usually do that. Aft is a good location for most activities... except the theater and Sky lounge.  Hope this helps... well worth the $250 or so cost of scooter rental