Do I really need an HC cabin?

[boomerSexyK]

We have only sailed once before on the Celebrity Constellation. We had an HC Sky Suite. I'm in a wheelchair for any type of distance, but found that on our cruise, I could negotiate the cabin fairly well with my 2 forearm crutches. Of course the big advantage is the washroom ....handrails and a large roll-in shower as well as a large entry door to it. My question is this (since I have no method of comparison .. only the 1 cruise) do I really need an HC cabin? I definitely like the wider doorway to wheel my chair thru when returning to the cabin, grabrails in the bathroom and the roll-in (walk-in ??) shower. I'm a fairly big guy, 6'2" 275lbs, so that extra space in the bathroom was a real bonus. But I was wondering since we will probably book a suite of some kind, if I could make do with a "regular" suite as opposed to an HC one? It would give us a little more choice in locations (wife wants to try a stern cabin for a 16-day Transatlantic) and at the same time free-up an HC cabin for someone who may be more needy of it. We're looking at RCI's Legend of the Seas for next April. I realize that ultimatly it will be my decision to make. Does anyone know if a "regular" cabin door is big enough to get my chair thru? Are the bathrooms and showers that much different?

Thanks for any help you can provide

[travelteam]

From my experience only HC cabin is the way to go. Unless you can walk, then if you have a folding wheelchair, you can step out of it, fold it up (since it cannot be wheeled through the standard doorway), and then enter your cabin.

 

For us, we rent a motorized scooter and bring our personal manual wheelchair, which cannot stay in the hallway outside the door, we have no choice. Also, since my husband has a movement disorder disease the safety handrails in the bathroom are essential for his safety.

 

It all boils done to need I guess. For us there are days I need the manual wheelchair in the stateroom because he is having an off day. Wish they had larger suites for the HC then the JS. We'd love to have an aft cabin so we can see the wake from the balcony, but this has not come our way as yet. NCL does have such a suite, but we don't care for the ports for 2006/07. We always keep our options open.

 

Have a grand trip no matter what you select. I'm sure other posters will share their own experences with you. Just my two cents.:D

[DEL67]

Yes, the bathrooms are very different. First of all, in a non-HC cabin there is almost always a step up to the bathrooms and there may or may not be saftey rails. Secondly, Can you access a tub? You would need to check, but I believe that most suites have bath tub/shower combinations rather than just showers. If they do have showers, I assume that you would need a shower seat and non-HC cabin showers are small so even though they would be big enough a for a 6"2" man standing, it probably would be tight for you sitting on a stool. Also do you need a roll-under sink? If so, only HC cabins have them.

 

One more thought. Will you be stable enough to use your crutches if you hit rough waters during your crossing?

[Splinter]

Many suites have a tub, often a deep Jaccuzi type tub. Can you get in and out of a tub? Can you step up 4-6 inches to get into a bathroom. You don't say the width of your wheelchair but with your size, I assume you use at least an 18" (seat width) chair, which will not go through a regular cabin door (most suite doors are not wider).

[CaptData]

Most regular cabin doors are to small for a wheelchair to fit throught. In a regular cabin the door from the room to the balconey is a step up. The bathrrom is smaller then an H/C and the bath tub is very hard for most people to get in due to high sides. The sink is blocked in with doors and drawers. You also do not have emergency cords.

[leoandhugh]

we have used handicapped sky suite on infinity and summit - sister ships to constellation - and they were just great, but don't judge all hc cabins by that; they vary by company and age of the ship. the roll-in shower is very safe to use in rough weather such as transatlantic can be - don't know how comfortable I would feel on crutches under those circumstances. also keep in mind that the aft cabins or suites are often far removed from the elevator banks if you have trouble walking any distance. and the aft cabins tend to have more motion going full speed in rougher seas. how much more room do you need than what you had? the space in a suite is fine, but look carefully at the other amenities - tub, door width, lips or sills.

[briri]

Legend of the seas is a sister ship to Rhapsody of the seas which I've been on.... Royal suite has two person jacuzzi tub, seperate large shower and seperate room for toilet/bidet...all are easily accessible by wheelchairs of any size( except shower which isnt roll-in), balcony you need to jump an approx. 4 in lip... I'm a T5 para in a Quickie folding chair and had no trouble at all... Room is fabulous... also checked out owner's suite and grand suites which have wide enough entry and bathroom doors for wheelchairs but may have step up into bathroom...room attendant told me he had a small ramp if needed but I could have jumped it easily.... full sized tubs in these suites...balconies like RS.... didn't check out a junior suite on Rhapsody but just got off of Navigator and the entry door of JS is 32" wide but bathroom door only 21" wide...full tub in JS.... RS, OS, GS doors on Voyager class are 32" or bigger for entry and bathroom....

 

You can talk to people in reservations at RCCL and they can now look up dimensions online for the different rooms, but they aren't always correct... to be sure call Guest relations on the ship you want, ask to talk to the supervisor, and have him send someone to check out/measure the specific room you are interested in.

 

Good luck.