Wheelchair Access in a none HC room

Hi All, This is my first post on Cruise Critic but we have been on a few cruises before. On this cruise my sister who has MS will be comming with us on NCL Star 4/18/06 departure. She can walk short distances when there are walls available to steady herself but needs a wheel chair to move any long distance.

We booked an AC suite at the front of the ship. Later when my sister decided to go with us she booked a standard BB balcony room so that she could be near our room. All the HC rooms are at the other end of the ship on the NCL Star. So my question is.... will she do ok in a standard room with her level of disablity or should I talk her into taking one of the HC rooms at the other end of the ship?

Also, she is concerned about the shower. She says she looses her balance when she shuts her eyes. Therefore she need a chair so stool to sit on in the shower. From reading this board, I know fold down stools are available in the HC room showers. Is there any portable stools that NCL may provide in a standard room? Another option would be to buy & bring a stool with us.

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

Its doable, and they will lend you a shower chair idf you request one ahead of time, but it will be much more difficult for her and and ,I believe, not as safe. We booked regular cabins several times when no handicap cabins were available while my husband could still walk a few steps. The issues included:

- His chair not fitting through the cabin door. I had to bring his manual

so he could transfer from one chair to another. Then I would disesemble

his power chair to get it into the cabin.

- No safety bars in the bathroom

- The step into the bathroom.

- Regular sink. With no roll under sink so he often ended up dripping water

on himself

- No roll-in shower. They gave us a shower stool, but it was not

as sturdy as the built-in seats

- Bed access. The only way he could access the beds was if the cabin

accomodated there being placed perpendicular to each

In addition, the balcony will probably have a lip or even one or two steps down which may be difficult for her.

I would highly recommend getting the HC cabin. Some showers are in the bathtub, and it's very slippery with no grab bars. You really need a cabin with shower separate from the bathtub. There's also a high (high for a disabled person) step to get into the bathrooms. That can be a problem for a mobility impaired person.

I agree with the others. She should really take the HC cabin. My husband also has mobility problems and he can not manage the bathroom in a regular cabin. The tub would be impossible for him. Perhaps you can also be moved closer to her.

Thanks All for your replies. I will have to see if there is a HC room even avalalble. I don't suppose they have a waiting list if there is not one open?

Anyway, we are going to have a really great time on this cruise! I am so excited and so is my wife, sister and her husband. I'm sure crusing is going to be the perfect way for my sister to have a really great vacation.

I though the best shore excersions would be a private taxi to where-ever. Like I said, my sister can walk short distances and gets around in a regular car at home. The big steps that they have in tour buses would be hard for her.

Hi All, This is my first post on Cruise Critic but we have been on a few cruises before. On this cruise my sister who has MS will be comming with us on NCL Star 4/18/06 departure. She can walk short distances when there are walls available to steady herself but needs a wheel chair to move any long distance.

 

We booked an AC suite at the front of the ship. Later when my sister decided to go with us she booked a standard BB balcony room so that she could be near our room. All the HC rooms are at the other end of the ship on the NCL Star. So my question is.... will she do ok in a standard room with her level of disablity or should I talk her into taking one of the HC rooms at the other end of the ship?

 

Also, she is concerned about the shower. She says she looses her balance when she shuts her eyes. Therefore she need a chair so stool to sit on in the shower. From reading this board, I know fold down stools are available in the HC room showers. Is there any portable stools that NCL may provide in a standard room? Another option would be to buy & bring a stool with us.

 

Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks!

I think she should book a HC cabin. We will be on this cruise also and my DH has mobility problems. We booked a standard cabin because he can still walk short distances with his cane. We are taking his wheelchair for travel around the ship if he needs it. He didn't want to book a HC cabin because there is only a limited amount on the ship and he wanted to make sure someone else who needed it could get it. I am glad we didn't because you may still be able to get one now. Good Luck and maybe we will see you on the cruise.

Hi Poolgirl.

I have seen your posts on the roll call for this cruise. My wife is "german" See you guys sometime on this cruise!!!

I checked with NCL yesterday. No more HC rooms available. I think my sister will do ok in a standard room. She is really pretty moble when she has something to steady herself against. Cruise ship rooms are so small.... there is always a wall nearby to hang onto. A large part of her problem is balance.

I don't know that she will be at the M&G though. Looking at the deck plans.... It does not look like elvators go to the 14th deck where the Beir Garten is located.

Hi Poolgirl.

I have seen your posts on the roll call for this cruise. My wife is "german" See you guys sometime on this cruise!!!

 

I checked with NCL yesterday. No more HC rooms available. I think my sister will do ok in a standard room. She is really pretty moble when she has something to steady herself against. Cruise ship rooms are so small.... there is always a wall nearby to hang onto. A large part of her problem is balance.

 

I don't know that she will be at the M&G though. Looking at the deck plans.... It does not look like elvators go to the 14th deck where the Beir Garten is located.

Hi Sideways: Tell your wife German that I say Hello. I bet if you asked someone on the crew how to get your sister up to the Brier Garden they would come up with a way. If not my DH won't be able to go to the Meet and Greet either. Hope I see you on the cruise.

A few year back I had the same problem on Pride I park the wheelchair in the hall and at night my Husband took it to the purser office and placed it on charge and i carried a manual chair to use off the boat and it fit in the room so if I had to use it in the night it was there for me the staff was great and no one messed with it during the day when I was in the cabin. Hope this helps

A few year back I had the same problem on Pride I park the wheelchair in the hall and at night my Husband took it to the purser office and placed it on charge and i carried a manual chair to use off the boat and it fit in the room so if I had to use it in the night it was there for me the staff was great and no one messed with it during the day when I was in the cabin. Hope this helps

Some cruiselines/ships won't allow scooters to be left out in the hallway because it blocks access. The hallway may not be wide enough to allow others in scooters or wheelchairs to pass by your parked hallway.

I don't think storing the wheel chair will be too much trouble. It folds up. If they are too cramped with it in the cabin then they can put it in our suite.

Any ideas for shore excersions? I was on this same baja cruise with Princess last year. I remmember the street in Cabo were hilly with lots of steps.

Cabo is pretty flat, although much of the pavement is pretty rough. Maybe you are thinking of Puerto Vallarta, which has high curbs, lots of hills, and lots of steps.

We hired taxis in Cabo, Puerta Vallarta and Alcapulco; however, there was not a lot to see other than the cliff divers in Acapulco. The drivers tended to take us on a tour of the various hotels.

The walk along the harbor in Cabo is pretty accessible so you could walk into town. You need to take a taxi if you want to go into town in Puerto Vallarta and as Splinter said, they have very high curbs there. My memory is that the flea market in Acapulco was also pretty accessible, but be very careful, there are a lot of pickpockets there.

I think she should book a HC cabin. We will be on this cruise also and my DH has mobility problems. We booked a standard cabin because he can still walk short distances with his cane. We are taking his wheelchair for travel around the ship if he needs it. He didn't want to book a HC cabin because there is only a limited amount on the ship and he wanted to make sure someone else who needed it could get it. I am glad we didn't because you may still be able to get one now. Good Luck and maybe we will see you on the cruise.

Your husband is a sweetheart! How kind of him to think about others. :)

Have a wonderful cruise!