First time disabled cruiser seeking help

[CruisinOnWheels]

My wife and I will soon be booking our first cruise with Royal Carribean from galveston, and have many questions...

1) does anyone have any experience to share from sailing on Splendour of the Seas or the Rhapsody?

2) We would be grateful to hear from persons who are wheelchair bound, of their experiences on either of these ships, especially in regards to ship and cabin accessibility and service.

3) If $ is tight, will the quality of our cruise be affected very much by our choice of room? We are considering a junior suite, or oceanview stateroom.

4) We are also looking for any resources available to help us fund our trip (difficult to come up with extra $ when you live on disability income and a preschool teacher salary).

5) How strict is the cruise line on dining attire...because of my handicap getting suits and dress shirts/ties to fit is difficult and costly...often times they have to be custom made for me. Will our seating at dinner be refused if I do not have a suit coat or tie on?

6) We are looking to book our cruise in early december this year (seems good discounts are available), can anyone give us advice as to what cruising from Galveston is like during that time of year..if we will have to worry much about hurricanes and storms that time of year in the Carribean? (we were told the ship will "sail" around the storm, seldom cancel a sailing).

7) Regarding money to pay gratuities and to spend on the ship...is it best to prepay that on your "seapass" card prior to sailing...or at the time you board your ship? Do they accept travelers checks...to put $ on your card...or can they be cashed on the ship? Are ATM"S available?

8) aside from pricing...is there much difference between the 5 day cruise and 7 day cruise? We were told the 7 day cruise has more lobster available, etc...

 

any other advice regarding these ships...or that can be of help to us would be greatly appreciated!

[CaptData]

I answered on your thread on RCCL board. If you can have you thought of taken the Voyager of the Seas. There is a group cruise 27 Jan 08. This will allow you to save more money and pay it off during the 17-18 months. You get a small Casino credit and Portofino's dinner for two. Inside is very cheap. Do not forget to get a H/C cabin.

[CruisinOnWheels]

Thanks for your reply....we are only able to sail from Galveston, and have commited to sailing early December this year. Just trying to decide between Splendour OTS and the Rhapsody.

[kitty9]

Either ship will be very nice for you. One big suggestion: you will need an accessible cabin, so that might limit your choice. Being in a wheelchair, you really cannot be in a regular cabin. The doors of those cabins are small, and in most non-accessible cabins, there's a huge step up into the bathroom. At least in an HC cabin, you will have a roll in shower and grab bars everywhere.

 

On ships as large as RCCL, you might feel out of place on formal nights if not wearing a jacket and tie. You don't need the tux or dark suit, but you will need a jacket and tie.

 

You can pre-pay your tips and that's what many people seem to do. They do cash traveler's checks and you can take cash out of the casino.

 

It won't make any difference about the lobster issue. It's only offered on one of the formal nights so the number of nights you cruise doesn't matter.

 

Hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.

[Splinter]

They are not inexpensive, but Rolli-Moden makes very nice mens' suits that are cut for wheelchair users. Many of the men that I know who are in chairs and wear suits either get these or have a good tailor alter a regular suit for them. You might be able to get away with a black turtleneck sweater (maybe one in silk) and black slacks insted, but definately not a sports shirt or t-shirt. Even on informal nights you need to wear a shirt with a collar (polo shirts are OK then).

 

http://www.rolli-moden.com/cgi-bin/rollistore/commerce.cgi?product=Suits&cart_id=1131153632.38867

[prarie cruiser]

If you could wear a pair of dark pants, like suit pants, a button down shirt and a tie I think you would be ok. There will be those highly dressed, but many will be in just nice "church" clothes.

A cruise is about you, not trying to impress others you will not see again.

[DEL67]

I just responded to your other post about the Splendour. In response to your other questions.

 

 

- Its been over a year since we sailed on the Splendour, but we found the service to be very good

 

- If you are concerned about $, I would book a HC oceanview. As I indicated on your other posting, the HC oceanview cabins are ver spacoius - almost double the size or regular oceanviews.

 

- I do not have any suggestions about funding, but watch the prices regularly. RCCL will match all reductions except those offered only to new bookings.

.

 

- A sport short and slacks will do on all nights except formal ones and on those you could get away with a navy sport jacket and pants if you do not want to purchase a suit. You could also eat at the buffet on those nights.

 

 

- You are correct that good discounts are usually available in early December. We have not sailed from Galveston then, but we have had good weather in the Western Cariibbean at that time of year. Hurricane season usally ends around Nov 1st so you should not have to worry about them.

 

 

- You can pre-pay tips, but not your other charges. We put all our charges on a credit card, but I know you can arrange to pay in cash or travelers checks. You can cash travelers checks at the prusers desk. Most ships also have an ATM, but the fees are high and it often goes down so we never use it.

 

- For us, there is a big difference between 5 and 7 day cruises. We find that on 5 days cruises we just begin to relax and its over.