QM2 & handicapped passengers

[DRS/NC]

I have only cruised w/Princess since I've used a rollator (& now a wheelchair) -- 6-7 yrs.  I'll rent a scooter for the cruise.

Now, we're planning a TA on the Queen Mary 2 -- a bucket list item for me (& DD).

How is the QM2 for those of us w/mobility issues?

 

THANKS

[TheOldBear]

Mrs Bear has some mobility issues - we bring a rollator mostly for waits in terminals, but she also uses trecking poles instead of canes.

We have only had a normal Britannia balcony room - not an accessible one [I did request a shower seat on the personalizer for our next sailing]

Around the ship _almost_ everything is on the level - there are a few exceptions, off the top of my head I can think of both accommodations and problems:

• Both the Royal Court and Illuminations have deck level seating toward the back of the theatre main entrances. The Royal Court has indicated handicapped seating near the aisles for folks who can handle a ramp or a couple of steps. Illuminations has steps or ramp access from the deck 3 lobby.
• QM2 has 'half decks' as a bypass around the Britannia dining room and Royal Court [e.g. Deck 3L] these are served by dedicated lifts at either end. The Art Gallery occupies one of these decks, and is common route from the central lobby area to the Queens Room
• At the forward end of deck 8, there are steps and a ramp up to the elevator lobby and the Library
• The Spa pool on deck 7 and the Pavilion Pool on deck 12 have a chair lift to bypass steps and ladders. The outdoor deck 6 'Splash' and deck 8 'Terrace' pools do not have lifts.
• Handicapped access to the deck 8 terrace is by crossing through the Veranda restaurant.
• Some topside areas - like the "Lookout" are only accessible via staircases. 
• Our room was right by the 'D' lifts and staircase - Mrs Bear found it preferable to walk from Carinthia to the D lift by walking through the pop up restaurant area between the C and D lobbies.

[Victoria2]

Of course the ship is geared up for disabled travel but as an interested observer, I came to the conclusion navigating QM2 on a scooter or in a wheelchair, is not straightforward.

 

If users are prepared to go with the quirks/exceptions as mentioned by TheOldBear, then the ship should be fine for disabled travel as long as an appropriate cabin is booked by a scooter users.

 

[david63]

Also bear in mind that Cunard, certainly in the UK, have increased the need to advise them in advance of any mobility issues - which includes the use of walking sticks. If pre advising is not done then there is a strong possibility of being denied boarding.

[shippmates]

I had friends that were told they could not bring a scooter on board unless they had a handicap cabin.  I would make sure you tell them you will be using a scooter when you book your sailing.  There are not very many handicap cabins available so book early.

[Victoria2]

7 minutes ago, shippmates said:

I had friends that were told they could not bring a scooter on board unless they had a handicap cabin.  I would make sure you tell them you will be using a scooter when you book your sailing.  There are not very many handicap cabins available so book early.

There are two separate issues here re cabin type

An adapted/accessible cabin  https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/marketing-assets/pdf/accessibility-pdfs/qm2-accessiblestaterooms.pdf

or

A non adapted cabin but one  which will take scooters. https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/marketing-assets/pdf/accessibility-pdfs/qm2-nonaccessiblestaterooms.pdf

 

It would be a good idea to peruse these sites before booking if a scooter is to be used onboard.

[Host Hattie]

This section of the Cunard website has lots of information 

Accessibility on board

[DRS/NC]

Thanks, Everyone!

[Drysil]

I'm coming a touch late to this conversation, but may be able to offer some practical items, as my wife and I cruised last June on QM2, just three weeks to the day after she had knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.

 

We chose to rent a transport wheelchair for use on the trip, since we could easily fly with it.  While we had numerous adventures while travelling to and from the cruise ship (it turns out that transport chairs are only barely sufficient for the tall order of a vacation), once on board our only major obstacles were the seams midship by the central elevators and at some exits to the outside on decks 11 and 12 (they are quite high bumps) and navigating to the Queen's Room for afternoon tea (this took us a try or two to perfect, and was still a bit of a journey even so).  

 

I can't imagine a scooter would have problems with any of these obstacles, and once you get the hang of which elevator to use to go where (and it does matter a bit, unfortunately), it should all be second nature.  

 

I will say that navigating the casino (if you are a gambler) was very challenging, as it is quite tight inside that room; Carinthia was similarly challenging due to space, though perfectly navigable with a bit of patience.  Additionally, while Cunard made excellent accommodation for wheelchairs in Illuminations, the seating location must be near the rear (of course), which means that the view into the projection dome isn't ideal.

 

Overall, we were really pleased with the staff attention to our mobility needs under the circumstances, would happily consider another cruise on Cunard were we in such a situation again, and are looking forward to our (fully mobile!) TA this coming July.  Enjoy your trip!