First time on Princess - accessibility questions

[hugosmom]

I'm hoping to find out about accessibility on Golden Princess with regard to my husband, who is blind, and his Seeing Eye dog. Our last cruise on Celebrity's Mercury was excellent in terms of accessibility for those who are blind.

 

We've never cruised Princess and I'm not finding much about accessibility on these boards. I appreciate anyone who can tell us about your experiences.

 

1. Are the buttons on the elevators Brailled? Do the elevators "talk" to announce your floor/deck?

2. Are the numbers on the stateroom doors Brailled?

3. Does Princess provide menus and other printed material in Braille or in other accessible format (tape or on disc)?

4. If you've taken a service dog, what was the relief area like?

 

I think those are our main questions - we're looking at Golden Princess in the spring and I've learned previous passengers often know more of the little details than customer service reps do. I will be contacting the cruise line as well, of course.

 

I'd also appreciate some guidance about cabin choices on Golden Princess - we seem to have a variety of choices and can probably do a mini-suite, PS - maybe even a PH. I'm not familiar with the layouts and would appreciate any feedback - not just about disability issues. Thanks in advance!

[franksandy]

Go to boards and check out dissabled travlers....there is much written on service dogs on the cruise ships....I recently got off the Diamond and it was probally more accessable for the blind than for WC or scooter riders.

 

Sandy

[hugosmom]

Thanks, Sandy - I did post there at the same time I posted here. We'll see what we find out!

 

They have no problems naviagating the ship - hallways and such - once they get the layout down (Hugo is amazing about knowing which way to turn once he gets off the elevator no matter which way it's facing!)but Brailled elevator buttons and cabin doors aren't usually obvious to those who don't use them everyday. Any help is appreciated!

[Toto2Kansas]

We do have a CC member who's parent travels with a service dog. If you can hold on until she sees this message, I am sure she can address most of your questions with acurate answers. Keep checking back, I am sure as soon as she sees this, she will respond. ;)

[Coral]

Hi,

 

Toto was referring to me..... I have traveled a dozen or so times with my mom and her service dog on Princess, RCCL and Celebrity. Princess has been the best to deal with IMO.

 

You will need to have your agent get in touch with Fleet Medical with Princess. Usually I fax them a letter saying that we will be traveling with a dog and they send me an email with a contact name and some papers to sign. The individuals at Fleet Medical are extremely helpful.

 

My mom doesn't read braille - so I can't help you with that but I believe if advance notice is made, they will make braille menus for you. I have seen braille menus on the ship but they did request them in advance. Princess has done a lot of cruises with a large amount of dogs on the cruise (max 25 I believe) in the past couple of years and they have this down to a science. I don't remember if the cabins have braille but I can tell you that our dog can find the cabin with out braille :). Just show her the cabin once and she is fine. The elevators do talk. We were pioneers with bringing our dog on cruise ships and were written up in Cruise Travel magazine.

 

I would be happy to answer all of your questions but would prefer to do so over email. My email address is cruise-coral@usa.net . I am very busy the next few nights as I am going to California Saturday. I will be able to answer your email once I get to California but the next few nights are crazy.

 

There are a lot of issues to deal with depending on the itinerary you are going to - such as permits (International Health Permit which you will get before you leave plus special permits for the various countries/islands) and special vaccinations depending on the itinerary. Some islands will not allow service dogs to even get off the ship (Barbados is one I believe). Other itineraries are very easy such as Alaska, Canada, Bahamas, Mexico, etc... Also remember, outside of the US and Canada (equivalant) - these places do not have ADA laws so while you may be able to get off the ship, you may not be able to get a taxi or go into a restaurant.

 

Theresa

[Toto2Kansas]

Thanks Coral, I knew you would have all the info she was looking for. ;)

[hugosmom]

Thanks, Theresa and Toto - I didn't realize I had posted twice - sorry...

 

At any rate, we have cruised twice and have traveled internationally with his various dog guides (including Australia and UK - with all their restrictions). We've been provided good relief areas on both Carnival and on Celebrity and know that we'll need to do all the work involved in getting the proper documentation in order. My husband travels independently all over the US and the world with Hugo, and it's important to him that he be independent as possible, which is why we have questions about Braille signage. He likes getting out when Hugo needs to "go" and getting back to the cabin without necessarily needing my assistance (especially since I like to sleep late!). The Braille menus aren't nearly as important as Braille on the elevators and cabin doors.

 

Thanks for the responses - and for your e-mail address, Theresa - I'll write you early next week! But I would still appreciate comments about the various types of suites (mini, premier, and penthouse) and the pros and cons about their placement on the ship (especially as regards the balconies). Thanks so much!

 

Hugo's mom

[Coral]

Here are some pics of Grand class suites:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/tlassek/PhotoAlbum21.html

 

Here are pics of minitsuite:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/tlassek/star2004/PhotoAlbum56.html

 

We have had sod put on our balcony a few times. Princess prefers to not use sod but that is all that Erin was trained on. They prefer to use a wood mulch and a box. I have also seen them have those pads.

 

They have usually assigned us an Accomodations Coordinator who periodically checks up with my mom and make sure everything is fine. They have also provided us life vests for the dog.

 

Sometimes the place that they have allocated for the dog to park it is in staff stairwells. Though it has varied from ship style to ship style and also depending on where our cabin was (when we didn't use a balcony). On the Sun class ships, they used a front deck that only staff had access to. They have been very accomodating.

 

I apologize for not knowing about the braille. My mom because visually impaired in her 50's so she didn't bother to learn braille. I want to say the elevators do have it but can't be sure. It may be worth it to go to a roll call for next week for the ship that you are looking at and see if someone on the ship can check things out for you.

[B8C]

I remember the CB and Crown voicing the elevator floors. The floor signs and elevator buttons also have braille. I'm remembering the individual cabin locations as having braille as well but not 100 on this.

[Coral]

Here is an article about Princess's accessibility:

 

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na545&submit=pk

 

Sight and Hearing Disabilities

Guests with sight and hearing disabilities will find vessels equipped with such helpful features as Braille elevator call buttons, audible arrival sounds and infrared listening assistance systems in the Princess theaters. ADA "all in one" kits are available upon request -- featuring telephone amplifiers, visual smoke detectors, door knock sensors, text telephones (TDD) and other aids. In-cabin movies feature close captioning, and ship libraries feature a selection of books on tape.

 

Princess ships also welcome service animals, and have hosted a variety of such special helpers, including seeing-eye dogs, hearing-assistance dogs, and even a "helping hands" monkey.

 

---------

 

I personally would love to have seen the monkey!

[Coral]

I remember the CB and Crown voicing the elevator floors. The floor signs and elevator buttons also have braille. I'm remembering the individual cabin locations as having braille as well but not 100 on this.

 

I just did a webshots search and found pictures of doors and I don't see braille:

 

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1394730667040337873GzXutF

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/1217531303061504120KYcJTb

 

Unless I am missing it somewhere. It doesn't make sense to not have it.

[daveco58]

Thanks, Sandy - I did post there at the same time I posted here. We'll see what we find out!

 

They have no problems naviagating the ship - hallways and such - once they get the layout down (Hugo is amazing about knowing which way to turn once he gets off the elevator no matter which way it's facing!)but Brailled elevator buttons and cabin doors aren't usually obvious to those who don't use them everyday. Any help is appreciated!

 

This is the advantage of navigating by smell. LOL.