Power wheelchairs

[Scotmay]

Can you take your own wheelchair on a Princess cruise. Are there any rules regarding size, batteries etc.,.  Thank you for any up to date info. 

[Thrak]

Yes, you can take your own wheelchair - whether manual or powered. As for size... I've seen a guy in a scooter who pretty much everybody on the cruise referred to as "the big guy". Personally I thought of him as "The Death Star" because he was that large. When he entered an elevator generally had it to himself as he pretty much filled the entire space.

 

Remember that, unless you book an accessible cabin, you won't be able to fit a wheelchair through the door.

[skynight]

Door size is 22 inches for all cabin categories except HCP cabins.  HCP cabins have large door where wheelchairs can enter without a problem. Wheelchairs have to be inside the cabin for charging and when not in use. 

Edited August 14, 2023 by skynight

[Scotmay]

Thank you. The size of our wheelchair could be a problem. Excellent info. Thank you. 

[mnkauf]

You cannot park the wheelchair in the hallway so it must fit through the door.  This will require an accessible room.  You will need to complete an accessibility survey and send it to Princess.  

[donswife]

There may also be limitations with tendering and excursions,  even if they say "accessible".

Edited August 14, 2023 by donswife

[Thrak]

13 minutes ago, donswife said:

There may also be limitations with tendering and excursions,  even if they say "accessible".

 

To tender you must be able to exit the wheelchair and take several steps - often onto a moving tender that rises up and down with the motion of the waves. If you are unable to do so you can't go ashore at tender ports. (Our oldest son never did get ashore in Lahaina due to this stricture.)

[Scotmay]

Thank you all. I was aware of some of these points, but not the exact measurements of the door to the cabins. There were no accessible cabins left when I booked. Let’s hope all who booked them did so honestly!  I think we will just have to take his walker instead of his power wheelchair!  Thank you!

[Waynetor]

My wife's wheelchair is 2" wider than standard -  We were able to get into the h/c cabin no problem but the space between the bed and wall was very tight.  I had to turn my night stand sideways and push the bed over a couple inches in order to get her chair to fit beside the bed in order to do a transfer.  

This was on the Island P.  We have had this issue on other ships also. '

[Scotmay]

My husband can still transfer to bed quite easily. He can also get away with using a walker instead of a chair, although for any length of getting around, sightseeing etc., his power chair is obviously so much easier for him. The ship builders really didn’t do their homework when it came to including disabled people in their ship’s design, considering that seniors are a big portion of their customers!  We need to start lobbying for more inclusivity on behalf of our family members!

[happy42cruise]

8 hours ago, Scotmay said:

Thank you all. I was aware of some of these points, but not the exact measurements of the door to the cabins. There were no accessible cabins left when I booked. Let’s hope all who booked them did so honestly!  I think we will just have to take his walker instead of his power wheelchair!  Thank you!

Talk to a Princess CVP or your travel agent & ask to be put on a waitlist for an accessible cabin, look into a rental folding motorized chair & check the Cruise Critic Disabled cruise travel forum for more helpful info.  If your chair folds up you may be able to get it through the door.  Also keep checking yourself to see if an accessible cabin becomes available (people do cancel) & call immediately to change to it if it does (put it on a courtesy hold).  Traveling with mobility devices is a challenge but not impossible.

[happy42cruise]

The new Sun Princess seems to have quite a few more accessible cabins than any other Princess class of ship.  They should make the doors wider on all cabins & on accessible rooms self-opening doors would make things much easier for handicapped travelers!  Those doors are heavy & awkward if you are alone with limited mobility.

[SargassoPirate]

11 hours ago, Scotmay said:

Thank you all. I was aware of some of these points, but not the exact measurements of the door to the cabins. There were no accessible cabins left when I booked. Let’s hope all who booked them did so honestly!  I think we will just have to take his walker instead of his power wheelchair!  Thank you!

Scotmay, One option is to see if the crew can do some sort of valet parking for you at bedtime. I have seen this done in the past, especially after complaints about scooters being parked in the corridors overnight.  The crew drove the scooter away, charged it overnight, and returned it the next morning when the person was ready to leave the cabin.

 

 By no means should the mobility device be parked in the corridor or the elevator lobby/stairwell/crossovers.  Do not block any path of exit travel.