Here we go again. AB booking HC cabins.

[Valentine's Mom]

Umbarger,

 

Thanks for the help. It looks like my original post got "poofed" it's gone as far as I can tell. This subject makes me so angry! I just can't understand how they can justify doing something like thais that is so obviously wrong! It's funny how on some sections of this board the people get so agressive and on other parts it's nice and tranquil. My MS is so affected by stress that If it weren't so important I would just skip over this type of thread. Thanks for your help though. Maybe we educated someone. Their original thread is now on page two.

[Oceanwench]

I have to agree with whiterose, actually. The word "accessibility" is used in many ways, and entry to/use of a space is not the only kind of accessibility. In terms of cabins, then you are correct - deaf or blind persons can "access" standard cabins without special accommodations, and therefore do not necessarily need to book the HC cabins (unless they have an additional disability). That does not mean, though, that all cabins are instantly accessible to deaf or blind pax. For a deaf person (I am an interpreter, so I'm familiar with deaf accessibility but not blind accessibility), it's not just having a TTY phone available but also a door knock signaler, flashing/vibrating alarm clock, fire alarm strobe light, etc. Most cabins can be modified to have these features, fortunately.

 

And yet the rest of the ship may not be accessible to a deaf person. Whiterose, have you asked the cruise lines for interpreters (oral or sign)? Most of them do provide them when asked in advance. I know shows and events on board are interpreted; I don't know if shore excursions would be.

 

The thread is about accessible cabins, so let's keep discussing that, but as whiterose points out the word "accessibility" means a lot more than for those with mobility impairments.

 

I am talking about the general perception of what the term "accessible" means.

If I go into a restaurant and ask for an accessible table, will they give me one with a Braille menu? Or a table with ample space for a wheelchair?

If I ask for an van-accessible parking space, won't it have an area for a ramp/lift?

If I ask a cruise line rep for an accessible room, won't they give me one with wider doors, a roll-in shower, etc?

If I ask the excursion rep is a tour is accessible, or a bus or taxi is accessible, will they offer me an interpreter?

 

We're dealing with semantics here ...

 

Many in the deaf community do not consider themselves disabled/handicapped.

 

As much as you would like things to be 100 percent accurate, you're not going to be able to change the public perception of "handicap accessible."

People are still going to think wheelchair/mobility problem.

[Oceanwench]

Umbarger' date='

 

Thanks for the help. It looks like my original post got "poofed" it's gone as far as I can tell. This subject makes me so angry! I just can't understand how they can justify doing something like thais that is so obviously wrong! It's funny how on some sections of this board the people get so agressive and on other parts it's nice and tranquil. My MS is so affected by stress that If it weren't so important I would just skip over this type of thread. Thanks for your help though. Maybe we educated someone. Their original thread is now on page two.[/quote']

 

Sometimes I have to skip over those threads, because the selfishness of so many people is upsetting.

But it's worth the effort to try to educate some of them! It's just that you get flamed so badly after ...

 

It seems there are so many people who think ME ME ME -- why shouldn't I get the biggest cabin, the biggest verandah, etc.?

It's appalling.

[Oceanwench]

A pet peeve of mine is when hotels make their "accessible" rooms to include physical access mods AND to have permanently installed sensory access mods. In most cases the mods for sensory dis are portable and folks can have a portable kit (supplied by the hotel) to use in any room. If they install the sensory mods to the wc-accessible room, they are further limiting the number of wc-accessible rooms they have (because they may be booked by a person with a sensory dis, who in fact could occupy any room with a portable kit). It's not that hotels ignore sensory dis, it's just that they are more portable. It' not like you can move a wide doorway or a roll-in shower to another room.

 

Candy

 

 

Excellent point -- as always!!!

[GRMonLI]

I agree with you, as a person with Fibromyalgia and heart problems I have no outward signs of handicap but am considered handicapped by the federal government.

I am so afraid to book a handicap cabin because 1) I dont want to deal with explaining my illness all the time and 2) I am afraid I would be taking it away from a person in a wheelchair or someone who might need it more.

 

And are the handicap cabins THAT much bigger???? The bathrooms look like they are not very efficient for someone who was not in a wheelchair.

[Valentine's Mom]

Now they are discussing booking handicapped rooms without needing them on the HAL board. I just can't believe that this problem is as wide spread as it seems here. They are saying that one guy does it as a "sneaky" way to get an up grade. Apparently he does it all of the time.:mad:

[sologrip]

Now they are discussing booking handicapped rooms without needing them on the HAL board. I just can't believe that this problem is as wide spread as it seems here. They are saying that one guy does it as a "sneaky" way to get an up grade. Apparently he does it all of the time.:mad:

 

 

Check out the post on the Disney thread that asks about stateroom #6154......

[whiterose]

Hi Etoile

Thanks for the thoughtful response and the details of what passengers with hearing loss need in their cabin. Princess has been very good about supplying the TTY, flashing light doorbell etc but once I leave the cabin I've been excluded from most of the entertainment on board. I now have a cochlear implant so on my last cruise on the Golden I used the Assistive Listening Systems in the two show lounges and could finally hear the entertainment and the movies. Wonderful!!!!!!

I am late deafened so my sign skills are not good to benefit from an interpreter. What I would love to see are some movies with captions - in the theater - and more captions on the TV programs shown on the cabin TV.

[Valentine's Mom]

I don't know if I'm a little thick or not but I don't quite understand what is going on on the Disney board. I know that they aren't H/C but they said that Disney insists that they have that cabin. (makes no sense as to why they would "Make" them take that cabin but I relly don't understand the rest. And Sologrip why did you keep typing "troll"? I think my brain must have gone on vacation without me.:(

[Susan in Maine]

We are booking a cruise this week with Princess. And my parents will have a HC cabin. My father is 73, blind, must wear hearing aids in both ears. If you were to see him walking about the ship, he would not look particularly disabled.

 

Could he get by in a regular cabin? Probably. But having a handicapped cabin makes it much SAFER for him. The call button is particularly helpful. So is the extra room - much easier to get around. He also won't have to negotiate long corridors because the HC cabins are right near the stairs and elevators.

 

Before you flame me, also consider this. In case of an emergency during the night, it is much easier for the crew to assist my father if they can instantly find him.

 

The only other time he has had a HC cabin was on a Disney cruise. We did have to provide a doctor's statement explaining why he needed the cabin. Disney WANTED him in a handicapped cabin. He was told that in case of an emergency he was to go back to the cabin, and they would come to get him.

 

So - there are other reasons to need a HC cabin.

[terri1020]

After reading many of the posts on this thread, I made the call to Carnival to request a HC room for my blind, diabetic mom. The bars in the bathroom and shower seat (both of which she has at home) will help her enjoy her time so much more by giving her a sense of security! I also requested a refrigerator for her insullin. Carnival made me call my TA because we booked through him. I just emailed him and now I wait. It does make me feel badly to think someone who might not need a hc room would actually fake it. What is this world coming to?

 

We just lost my dad who had been wheelchair bound for five years. Of course if someone in a wc needs the cabin we are inquiring about for mom, we would gladly give it up.

 

Terri

[mohavemommy]

I also have mobility impairments due to a back injury and have used a wheel chair from time to time but do not require a full-time wheel chair... but it is coming at some point in the future. I have a difficult time walking and need the bars in the bathroom to get up. I wish that I had access to a wheelchair during my last cruise as I missed the first port of call due to back pain and staying in bed with it. I have better days and worse days... but NEVER pain free days. I do have a permanant disability tag on my car due to this.

 

I called RCI when booking my next cruise and explained my disablilty. They released a HC cabin to me, but I would glady give it up to someone who is full-time wheelchair bound... but not to someone who just wants a larger room. I just hope that when I am full-time in a wheel chair I will be able to book an accessable cabin without worrying if some selfish non-disabled person grabbed it first.

[Valentine's Mom]

MOHAVEMOMMY, Don't worry. It sounds as if you deserve the room as much as any other disabled person. You are not the kind of person that we are talking about. The person who is completely AB and just wants more space is the person that we don't want to get that room. Do you live in the Mohave desert? We lived there 2 years while my husband was in the Navy. In China Lake. Have you heard of it? My son was born just outside the gates in Ridgecrest. You are certainly out there by yourself but it is beautiful country. I have a lot of good memories from there.:D I hope that you are in less pain for your cruise and have a wonderful time.

 

Blue skies

Barbara

[srains]

This thread (and the similar one under this topic "Need an Accessible Room...")

are taking on urgent significance as I book a Hawaiian cruise for a party of three with various mobility impairments. Over at the "Need an Accessible Room" thread I share some advice on a systemic solution to this bottleneck of too few appropriate rooms. Universal Design ought to be adopted by the cruise lines.

 

The seven principles of Universal Design are:

 

1. Equitable Use: The design does not disadvantage or stigmatize any group of users.

 

2. Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and abilities.

 

3. Simple, Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.

 

4. Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.

 

5. Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended actions.

 

6. Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably, and with a minimum of fatigue.

 

7. Size and Space for Approach & Use: Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user's body size, posture, or mobility.

[Alexru12]

took my first cruise with carnival 5 years ago, when making my reservation i asked about medical resourcses on board and thier policy on pax with AIDS. although i am generally healthy , i do get overtired and lose balance easily.They not only booked me into a handicap cabin, they insisted on meeting me at embarktation with a wheelchair. This was thier policy, not my suggestion. i told them I would be fine and they told to basically just go with it till I get onboard.Now while i was thankful for the help and appreciated thier openmindness towards my disability, i did not appreciate comments i got from other cruisers who saw me sitting on deck one morning and made rude comments as to why i seeked out un needed assistence. i told them that what happened was at carnivals request, not mine, they just got more rude. i mentioned it at the p desk and was told to point them out to security if i saw them again. also what i did not know was carnival had me listed on the ships computers as a special needs passenger. i wondered why every time my sail card was scanned i was asked if i needed any extra help! point is while i do not look the part of a disabled person, i often need the hand rails, can not always manage the stepup into the bath, and the call buttons could be a lifesaver. i have been on 12 cruises in the past 5 years, i always book as far in advance as possible. just booked a 2008 cruise on summit. point is xcarnival was great, pax were rude

[DEL67]

Alexru12 - Your experience is similar to what i have found on Carnival. Other cruise lines tout their handicap facilities and, it is true that their HC cabins are usually larger then Carnival's, but Carnival has been by far the most helpful to us. For example:

 

- They have moved able bodied passengers out of HC cabins so we could sail.

 

- Before we started cruising with a manual chair as well as a power one, they volunteered to loan us one. When RCCL promised to lend us a manual chair, they not only did not provide one, but they also criticized me for expecting it.

 

- Prior to our last Carnival cruise when I called the special needs desk to ask a question, the rep noticed that the HC cabin we booked did not have as accessible bathroom as another. She then arranged for us to be upgraded to the other cabin at minimal cost ($30.)

 

- On the same cruise, the pursers desk called us shortly after we boarded to ensure that my husband's oxygen concentrator had arrived safely. Princess did not even post a no smoking sign.

 

- My husband fell and I could not get him back into his chair so I called the pursers desk and asked for help. Within 60 seconds, an officer and 3 cabin stewards were in our cabin. The stewards picked him up and put him back in his chair and would not even accept a tip.

 

In addition, when I write often write letter to cruiselines after our cruise to suggest improvements to their HC facilities. Carnival always responds, thanking me and saying that they will address my suggestions. Of course, I do not know if they do address them. When I write RCCL I receive a defensive letter that tries to make it seem as if I was as fault (eg. you can not expect some ships to be as accessible when I was writing about thier newest ship) and lectures me about things like tendering when I did not even bring up the subject. Princess did not even bother to respond!

[cusyl]

In case anyone is interested I will post pictures of a HC handicap cabin and yes I require one.:rolleyes:

[etoile]

Do you have any way to make those pictures a little bigger? It is very hard to see much in them.

[cusyl]

the program doesnt let me upload any bigger than this

[cusyl]

See if these are any easier to see, I resized them

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/traveler34231

[Valentine's Mom]

My husband , mother and I just tried to get into a Handicapped room for next November with RCCL, Carnical, and HAL and were told that standard "sold out" that be have becomed wellaware with. We were to do a back to back this year but won't be able to now. We will be doing a land based vacation for 2 weeks whick I like better anyway.on St Thomas. We will be getting married and won't have to share it with anyone! If we don't want to that it.

[bh2359]

Indirectly, I have been called "selfish" and some other names on this thread.

 

My wife and I are both AB and on seventeen cruises, have been booked into an HC cabin twice. The first time, we went to the pursers deck and told them it must be a mistake as we did not need that type of room.

 

They said "Don't worry about it" so we didn't.

 

We book guarantees and that is probably why we ended up in those rooms. However, I really don't think I deserve to be called "selfish" and those other names.

 

A couple posters said it was the problem if the cruise line, not the passenger, and I agree. I have NEVER said I was handicapped so to get one of those cabins and never will.

 

As an aside, let me tell you two ship elevator stories pertaining to people in wheelchairs.

 

We were already on the ship's elevator when it stopped at a floor (deck) and the door opened. An elderly lady in a wheelchair and her daughter were standing there. Two people pushed past them to get on the elevator. The daughter turned her mother's chair around and got her in the elevator so she was facing front. Other people then got in.

 

We went up two more decks and the elevator stopped and the door opened. A voice from the back YELLED "Hey lady. Move the wheelchair, we can't get out". It was one of those who pushed past her to get on first.

 

The lady smiled and said softly, "If you had waited until I got on, you'd be in the front and could have gotten off. I ain't moving".

 

We laughed, and those two people had to go up two more decks when the wheelchair lady got off, before they could get off.

 

The other story was better. My wife and I, a gentleman dressed in a suit and tie, and a lady by herself but in a wheelchair, were in the elevator. We stopped at the deck where both us and the lady were going to get off. As the door opened, a men outside actually pushed the wheelchair further inside so he could get in. (Had he waited, the wheelchair and both of us would have been out of the way). He then said loudly (why do rude people always talk so loud?), "I hate waiting for slow people in elevators. Glad I got this one".

 

I held the door open button so the lady in the wheelchair could get off. As my wife and I exited behind her, I heard the man in the suit say, "Why not have the elevator all to yourself". He then pushed every floor button and exited with us.

 

The lady in the wheelchair was laughing as hard as we were. She told us she was always afraid to speak up when people crowded her like that, and that it did happen often. Now, after what that man in the suit said and did, she said she would speak up from then on.

[etoile]

We book guarantees and that is probably why we ended up in those rooms. However, I really don't think I deserve to be called "selfish" and those other names.

 

A couple posters said it was the problem if the cruise line, not the passenger, and I agree. I have NEVER said I was handicapped so to get one of those cabins and never will.

Hi there,

 

I don't think you are the type of people we are complaining about and calling selfish. We are pretty much universally referring to people who deliberately book HC cabins when they are able-bodied, simply because they like the extra room. Sometimes they'll say "my TA got it for me because he/she wanted to give us a perk" but that's not an excuse because it's their responsibility to speak up if they don't need the HC cabin. We have seen these people literally gloating on threads about this. Those are the people we are calling selfish.

 

I don't think any of us thinks someone in your situation is selfish. You are getting these cabins by booking guarantees. If the cruise line puts you in a HC cabin that way, so be it. At that point I think it is helpful for you to tell the cruise line "please move us if someone needs this HC cabin." Once you have told them that, you have done your duty. They put you in the cabin, they know you are not handicapped, and it is their responsibility.

 

Like I said, you are conscientious cruisers, you are not the kind of people we are talking about...fear not! :)

[DEL67]

BH2359:

 

Etoile is correct, you are not the type of person that we think of as selfish. As a guarantee, you are assigned a cabin at the "last minute" as opposed to taking one for the extra space.

 

As we often have elevator issues, I enjoyed your elevator stories. It reminds me of one of our own. One day on returning from shore we spend over 15 minutes waiting for an elevator because every time one would arrive others (mostly seniors) who arrived after us would rush ahead of us not leaving enough room for my husband's chair. Finally a woman in her early 20s, having seen what was happening, raced to the next elevator that arrives, spread her arms and announced that no one else would get on until my husband did!

[travelteam]

Oh Del, that happened to use also. A young couple saw we couldn't get space on an elevator for quite a while because people pushed in front of DH's chair, actually put their hands in front of the door and wouldn't let anyone on until we entered. It was funny...........and so thoughful of them. Never did see them again to thank them for their thoughtfulness.

We find that most people are thoughtful.............in all our years traveling only one couple stand out for being thoughtless. They appeared not to have liked beening seated at dinner with someone in a chair..........left the table early that first night, after mumbling something (never was sure what they said). My DH felt bad, but next day we had table mates that made the trip ever so memorable.............we even shared some tours with them, and they sat with us for several shows. I believe most people are good........just a few that spoil it for the rest.