Accessible rooms

[OhioMike2016]

I have cruised before but because my wife now has mobility issues, I have the following questions (just starting to look into my options):

 

1) since accessible rooms are so limited per ship, how far in advance must one book?

2) which cruise line has the best accessible room options (not just the room but the entire ship being accessible)?

3) does it cost more for this type of room?

4) are deals available for these types of rooms?

5) do any of these rooms have a balcony option?

[kokopelli-az]

1 hour ago, OhioMike2016 said:

1) since accessible rooms are so limited per ship, how far in advance must one book?

2) which cruise line has the best accessible room options (not just the room but the entire ship being accessible)?

3) does it cost more for this type of room?

4) are deals available for these types of rooms?

5) do any of these rooms have a balcony option?

1)  We book as much as a year or more out.   But they can be found closer to sailing.   You just have to check the cruise(s) you are looking at to see if they have any available.

2)  We have been on all the major cruise lines but mostly Royal, Princess and Celebrity.   They all have very good accessible rooms as far as we're concerned.   The ships are all accessible.  Very easy.  If you find a bump somewhere, you can just go around it next time.  

3)  Accessible staterooms cost the same as non-accessible rooms in the same category.

4)  I've never seen deals specifically for accessible rooms, but if the cruise line is offering deals the accessible rooms would be included (assuming there are any available).  

5)   Yes balconies.  Yes suites.   

 

When you narrow things down, come back to this board and ask any questions you might have regarding a specific cruise line or ship.  Or anything else.   There are many, many mobility challenged passengers on cruise ships.  

 

FYI:   https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=1820

[GUT2407]

6 hours ago, OhioMike2016 said:

I have cruised before but because my wife now has mobility issues, I have the following questions (just starting to look into my options):

 

1) since accessible rooms are so limited per ship, how far in advance must one book?

2) which cruise line has the best accessible room options (not just the room but the entire ship being accessible)?

3) does it cost more for this type of room?

4) are deals available for these types of rooms?

5) do any of these rooms have a balcony option?

1. We book as soon as possible, but one cruise  22months out couldn’t get an accessible balcony.

 

2. All the lines I have been on I’d rate pretty much equal on general accessibility though some ships are better than others. Queen Mary (I think that was 5he ship) had a few floors that had sections with pretty steep slopes, another ship had lots of changes in flooring carpet to tile to inlay with edges around them (each change caused, what many would consider minor, bumps that caused my back to jar and increased pain. One older ship had a ridge at the fire doors that was difficult to negotiate alone either with poor balance or a Manuel chair.

 

3. no, save to add you can’t get say a Guarantee Accessible Mini Suite, which may cost less than picking your cabin. I have never seen a line with guarantee accessible cabins

 

4. never seen a specific deal on accessible cabins.

 

5. On the lines I’ve sailed with Balcony, Mini Suite, Jnr Suite and Suites have balconies

[Bloodgem]

10 hours ago, OhioMike2016 said:

5) do any of these rooms have a balcony option?

We have only sailed with Royal Caribbean.

Balcony accessible cabins tend to sell out first on Royal.  If you want to book a balcony book early.

[GUT2407]

1 hour ago, Bloodgem said:

We have only sailed with Royal Caribbean.

Balcony accessible cabins tend to sell out first on Royal.  If you want to book a balcony book early.

My experience is that that applies to all the lines I’ve used

Royal

Princess

Cunard

Celebrity

P&O (Aus)

Carnival

HAL

 

[Guindalf]

It’s illegal for anyone to charge more for an accessible room than an equivalent regular one. 
 

Updated Celebrity ships have a few nice features that some others don’t, like push-button doors and power outlets in the right place.

 

We’ll be on the Celebrity Solstice next week (28th) and early September on the Discovery Princess. It’s our first time on Princess but had a great experience on the Celebrity Apex last year, first time ever with a rented scooter. I have my own now, so this trip should be interesting!

[bluenose1]

What happens if you book a regular balcony on NCL for 3 people and one of the 3 is handicapped and in a wheelchair. Then you show up to check in and then request a accessible room. Will they switch your room?

    

[Bloodgem]

1 hour ago, bluenose1 said:

What happens if you book a regular balcony on NCL for 3 people and one of the 3 is handicapped and in a wheelchair. Then you show up to check in and then request a accessible room. Will they switch your room?

    

There may not be any accessible rooms that are vacant. Cruise lines will sell empty accessible rooms to anybody about 8 weeks before departure date.

Edited January 17, 2023 by Bloodgem
Added extra info

[Essiesmom]

7 hours ago, bluenose1 said:

What happens if you book a regular balcony on NCL for 3 people and one of the 3 is handicapped and in a wheelchair. Then you show up to check in and then request a accessible room. Will they switch your room?

    

If you check deckplans, you will find few HC cabins that accommodate 3.  And if a HC cabin were to be available, chances are it would be an inside.  EM

[kokopelli-az]

8 hours ago, bluenose1 said:

What happens if you book a regular balcony on NCL for 3 people and one of the 3 is handicapped and in a wheelchair. Then you show up to check in and then request a accessible room. Will they switch your room?

    

Chances of an accessible stateroom for 3 being available at check-in are slim.   

 

If you do book a regular stateroom and one passenger has a wheelchair, be sure to advise NCL.    Here is a link with information, FYI:   https://www.ncl.com/about/accessible-cruising

[GUT2407]

14 hours ago, Bloodgem said:

There may not be any accessible rooms that are vacant. Cruise lines will sell empty accessible rooms to anybody about 8 weeks before departure date.

Never happened for me, first cruise in a wheelchair, booked a standard room, then ended up in wheelchair, they did arrange to take it away overnight and I called room service to have it returned (I could get to the bed with sticks). They did make enquires to try and find a suitable cabin. Then 5 years in a chair, out again and booked a standard cabin, you guessed it, back in a chair, this time our Steward helped Mrs G lift the chair, once folded, into our cabin. I will never book a standard cabin again.

 

[Algebralovr]

Yep - that is the problem.

I go in and out of needing accessible features. 

Generally, I'm a part time WC user.  I have a nice manual chair that has been all over the world, and as long as I can put weight on at least one leg, I find I can manage in a regular room, but boy is the accessible room a lot easier. 

 

I pretty much ALWAYS need grab bars in the shower and at the toilet.  I can bring my own, the suction cup kind, and often they are sufficient if I could not get an actual accessible room.

 

But I know that eventually, I'll need accessible all the time.  Just how it is. 

[JSR]

I have sailed many cruiselines. I book anywhere for 8 months out to a couple weeks out. Depends on how flexible and lucky you are. 

 

Cabins matter but so does the cruiseline. Some have a can do attitude towards people with mobility issues and some do not. For instance RCI products, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea, they will lift you in and out of tender if you can not walk, they will help you down the gangway no matter where you are. I have found that CCL products will depend on the specific ship and most are not willing to take you on tenders or help with the gangway. This is my personal experience. 

I have sailed  Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Silversea, Cunard, Princess, and NCL. 

[JeannyJ]

We're going on our first cruise in July on Holland America, and I needed to get an ambulatory accessable room. They don't have lots of accessable rooms (full or ambulatory) so we needed to book early. We booked in January and there were only 2 ocean view rooms left, all of the lanai and all but 1 suite were booked with several inside rooms left. The room cost the same as a regular but we weren't able to use any of the room discounts/deals. We are on the upgrade list but they can't guarantee another accessable room but we'll cross that bridge if we get the offer. We were told that all their ships are very accessable and take special care of their passengers with special needs/disablities. Unfortunately I haven't found many excursions that are accessable but the ones that are are good ones.  I hope you guys find the cruise you're hoping for and have an awesome time!

[Benthayer Gonbak]

One of the problems, especially with older ships are door openers, especially o for public restrooms.   On NCL the accessible toilet near the dining room had a high threshold and the opener was pretty fast to close.  
 

i made reservations for an accessible cabin about 2 years out and then the cruise was cancelled 5 months before sail date.  I booked for the next year but for one of the legs there were no accessible cabins so I was waitlisted.  About 11 months later I got the room.  I had just switch from a 19 inch scooter to a chair approximately 24 inches wide.  I’m not sure I could have driven the chair into the room, and folding can get old.