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NCL and Hearing Loss access


Hondu
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Does anyone have any recent (within the past 2 years) experience with NCL and its accommodations for passengers with hearing loss?

 

Muster?

 

Cabin?

 

Main Showroom?

 

Pagers for announcements?

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Does anyone have any recent (within the past 2 years) experience with NCL and its accommodations for passengers with hearing loss?

 

Muster?

 

Cabin?

 

Main Showroom?

 

Pagers for announcements?

 

NCL's website has much information regarding Guests who are Deaf or have low hearing. Following was copied directly from NCL's website :

 

Guests who Are Deaf or Have Low Hearing

 

At Norwegian Cruise Line, we will attempt to provide our Deaf or Low Hearing guests with an enjoyable cruise, which means making every attempt to make the technology available to assist Deaf and Low Hearing guests during your Freestyle cruise experience. We strongly encourage Deaf or Low Hearing guests to contact the Access Desk prior to cruising so that your specific needs can be discussed prior to your cruise. Many different options are available prior to the cruise and needs vary from guest to guest.

 

For additional information, call (866) 584-9756 (voice), fax (305) 468-2171, or send an e-mail to accessdesk@ncl.com, or have your travel agent contact us.

 

Amenities and Services include:

  • Embarkation day meeting with staff member who will see to your accessibility needs during the cruise
     
  • The Sky, Sun and Pride of America have staterooms that are hard wired for Deaf and Low Hearing guests which includes a visual-tactile alert system to alert you if there is knocking at the door, telephone ringing, alarm ringing or smoke detection
     
  • On those vessels where rooms have not been hardwired, a portable kit is available upon request in your stateroom that includes a visual-tactile alert system to alert you if there is knocking at the door, telephone ringing, alarm ringing or smoke detection.
     
  • Individual and/or group emergency drills for all Deaf or Low Hearing guests upon request
     
  • Pagers are available upon request on all Norwegian Cruise Line vessels to alert Deaf or Low Hearing Guests to vessel announcements and a manual for same can be provided in advance.
     
  • Assistive listening devices are available on many vessels in the main theatre through the Guest Service Desk.
     
  • Closed-captioned televisions are available for your state room.
     
  • Closed-captioned DVD movies are available upon request prior to sailing.
     
  • Sign language interpreting services may be provided for Deaf guests if that is their primary means of communication. A request for sign language interpreting should be made with the Access Desk at the time of booking through the Special requirements Information Form that can be obtained from the Access desk, but no later than 90 days prior to sailing. Requests are subject to a number of considerations, including but not limited to, the availability of interpreters and cabin space. Sign language interpreting services may be provided on cruises that depart from and/or return to the U.S.
     
  • TTY Phones are available onboard all ships except Norwegian Spirit that use handy phones and text messaging.
     
  • The guest can request that the phone in their room be replaced with a TTY phone and this will enable them to communicate with the Guest Services Desk staff by teletype.

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What NCL offers sounds good snf hopefully we will get to hear from passengers who have actually used the services and equipment.

I do like the idea of meeting with special staff on embarkation day. On Princess ships I could not find anyone who was willing to take on that responsibility.

 

Low hearing! That's a new one to me. What does it mean? You can only hear low pitched sounds or what! I prefer the good old fashioned "hard of hearing".

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xxoocruiser:

 

I did read that already but what I was hoping to get was firsthand experience. I am sure you know that a business can profess to provide certain accommodations but feedback from actual users tend to be more accurate.

 

Hondu

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have had the hearing kit set up in my cabin on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

 

It isn't great.

 

The will set up the phone kit ( it is just annoying and takes up space). Unless you are yakking on the cabin phone all day, give this a miss.

 

I had problems with the door sensor. It is hooked up to the door and to a vibrating button under the pillow, and when ever a couple of people walked down the hall it would be triggered. It scared the cr** out if me a couple of times.

 

I made the mistake of asking for the kit before I got on board. The last time I told them not to bring me the phone kit in person.

 

I was disappointed that there was no light to alert me if there was someone at the door. Unless my head was on the pillow, I couldn't hear if someone was at the door.

 

There is nothing special with the muster drill. Just show up. They just do a roll call, you can just talk to the crew that is working your muster station and let them know.

 

Nothing was offered for announcements. Zip. I can't really hear them, this is why I asked for asked for the kit and identified myself as someone with hearing issues. The cabin steward acknowledged my issue. I figure the only way of knowing the shop was sinking is that I would see folks running to the life boat.

 

I sailed the day after the costa Concordia tragedy. It really struck home to me that I can't hear someone knocking at the door or announcements.

 

If you can get a designated cabin on NCL, that may be the best option. The kits on HAL suck. I will have to get a kit on my upcoming NCL cruise, but I am pretty sure it is the same kit.

 

My next cruise is on NCL Sun, and I hope they do a better job than HAL.

 

I have issues with low hearing. I don't hear some frequencies. I can't hear someone if the are talking behind me. I can't distinguish sounds in a noisy environment, like a restaurant or party.

 

I am not a creaky old lady. But years of listening to very loud music has taken it's toll. My cruises now are mainly on a fully chartered music cruise. You can find me right in front of the stage. Now with earplugs on.

Edited by sun~
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NCL says I will get a pager for important announcements.

 

That for the shows, I need to pickup an assistive listening system at the front desk

 

If any part of the kit is an annoyance, I will request that it be disconnected.

 

Like you, a visual that someone is at the door would be valuable.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I just got off the phone to the special needs department on NCL. Really nice woman who went through things with me.

 

She made note of the items I want and don't want (the telephone adaptor).

 

Since we are going on a B2B, one regular cruise followed by a full charter, she made notes for both segments. I am also sending the form in that was sent to me a few days ago. The TA made a note on my file.

 

I was very pleased that the woman went through everything carefully. I mentioned that my hubby uses a CPap and that competes for space with the telephone adaptor, she said "oh, does he need distilled water? I can help with that". Very nice.

 

Our cruise is at the end of September, so I will report back.

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  • 1 month later...

Just back from the NCL Sun. We did a 5 day snooze cruise from Vancouver to LA, then we were on the fully chartered Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise for 7 days. We had cabin 0007 for the first leg, then 0056 for the second part.

 

When I got to the cabin, they had set up the fire alert, phone system, and door alert. Yay for the door alert! Loved it. They just taped to the door, but the flashing light worked well. It didn't go off when someone walked by - unlike the thingy that is put under the pillow that vibrates.

 

I was given the pager later in the day. However, only "important" information was paged. For example, only for the crew fire drill that was ship wide and fire doors would close automatically. So no regular announcements at all. Which I would have liked.

 

One problem with the equipment in the cabin. There is one plug. My hubby uses a Cpap machine. So, the Cpap was the first priority.

 

So when we moved cabins, I only bothered with the door alert and pager.

 

On the snooze cruise, the shows are too silly and cheesy for my liking, so I don't care about what goes on. The comedian improved quite a bit (he was quite funny), so I don't know what you could do but sit close.

 

On the blues cruise, there are huge speakers set up for concerts, so ear protection is in order, which the charter provides :D

 

The guest services coordinator, Ligaya, was awesome! She worked hard to accommodate me.

 

If you don't need the plug in the room for a medical device, things can work just fine.

 

I hope that helped!

Edited by sun~
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Sun

 

Thanks for your followup and experience with the accommodations.

 

Did you checkout the assistive listening device from the Front Desk and if yes, what type is it and brand? I was told that this device can be used in the main lounge to understand the evening productions.

 

What did you do for the muster? NCL told me that they would provide a personal drill so I can be sure to know what to do in an emergency.

 

I agree that it would have been nice to get the other announcements which would have been comparable with hearing passengers information-wise.

 

Having a Cochlear Implant I have to recharge the battery nightly. Maybe I need to bring a surge protector to have another outlet.

Edited by Hondu
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Everything was delivered to the room. No clue what brand things were.

 

The priduction shows were just singing and dancing. Nothing to understand. The old folks in the audience on the snooze cruise seemed to have fun :rolleyes:

 

You just show up to muster. They just check off the cabin number. They do a life jacket demo. Again, all nothing to really understand. If the ship is sinking, I doubt I will need an alert, just watch the folks running for the lifeboats ;)

 

I would have really liked the regular announcements. Not on the snooze cruise, it is just stupid stuff like bingo announcements. Who really cares about that crap? But on the blues cruise, there were venue and time changes for bands ( we hit the tail end of a hurricane, so the schedule was scrambled). That was difficult, I had to tap folks on the shoulder to ask what was happening.

 

As an FYI surge protectors are not allowed on cruise ships - it will be confiscated. Apparently they are not compatable with the ship's electrical system.

 

If you contact NCL directly, you can get things set up when you board. The guest services coordinator (Ligaya on the Sun) and they will leave you a letter and info in your cabin, then you can meet with them on board.

 

I would also recommend eating in the quieter speciality restaurants. I can't sort out the multiple sounds in a big, noisy dining room. It drives me crazy. I loved La Cucina. I could have a conversation with my hubby.

 

I hope that helps!

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Thanks for the report from your cruise. Your comment about the noise in the dining rooms makes me wonder if we could ask to eat (free of charge) in the speciality dining rooms as a way of providing "communication access" as required by the ADA. Just daydreaming but it would be nice to actually be able to have a conversation over dinner.

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Whiterose:....That would certainly be an accommodation if NCL would let us eat complimentary in the specialty restaurants for communication purposes. But I guess the penny pinchers in their revenue department would throw a fit.

 

Sun~, ...thanks but what happens if the ship is going down at 3:00 a.m. ? :)

Edited by Hondu
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Thanks for the report from your cruise. Your comment about the noise in the dining rooms makes me wonder if we could ask to eat (free of charge) in the speciality dining rooms as a way of providing "communication access" as required by the ADA. Just daydreaming but it would be nice to actually be able to have a conversation over dinner.

 

Whiterose:....That would certainly be an accommodation if NCL would let us eat complimentary in the specialty restaurants for communication purposes. But I guess the penny pinchers in their revenue department would throw a fit.

 

Sun~, ...thanks but what happens if the ship is going down at 3:00 a.m. ? :)

 

 

 

Since ADA specifically applies only to the USA. Therefore it would only apply to NCL's Pride of America which only sails with the USA, is registered to the USA and sails on the USA flag. Even at that NCL's Pride of America would not be required to allow you to eat complimentary at a specialty restaurant under ADA Law. Rather NCL's Pride of America would be required to make a "Reasonable Accommodation" under ADA and such a reasonable accommodation would be to allow you to dine in a specialty restaurant providing you meals from the MDR standard menu.

Edited by xxoocruiser
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Actually the ADA applies to all cruise ships that begin, end or visit a USA port. Cruises in other parts of the world would not be covered by the ADA.

Kind of like the idea of having food from the MDR delivered to me in the nice quiet speciality restaurant - smile. However, I don't expect I'll get up the nerve to ask for this unless the noise in the MDR drives me over the edge.

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Actually the ADA applies to all cruise ships that begin, end or visit a USA port. Cruises in other parts of the world would not be covered by the ADA.

Kind of like the idea of having food from the MDR delivered to me in the nice quiet speciality restaurant - smile. However, I don't expect I'll get up the nerve to ask for this unless the noise in the MDR drives me over the edge.

 

 

 

In a 5-4 decision, a highly-divided Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that foreign-flagged cruise ships embarking in U.S. waters are subject to liability to disabled passengers under the ADA for alleged discrimination practices, policies and procedures. Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd., 125 S. Ct. 2169 (June 6, 2005).

 

The Court held that only certain aspects of the ADA could apply to foreign ships . That the scope of the decision involves only application of U.S. laws when foreign ships enter U.S. waters. . Therefore in theory a foreign flag ship is not required to grant a "Reasonable Accommodation" under ADA law once outside of US waters.

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Thanks for the report from your cruise. Your comment about the noise in the dining rooms makes me wonder if we could ask to eat (free of charge) in the speciality dining rooms as a way of providing "communication access" as required by the ADA. Just daydreaming but it would be nice to actually be able to have a conversation over dinner.

 

That would work for me.

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I highly recommend a "Hearing Dog" from Canine Companions for Independence. The dog can not decipher what someone is saying but he can let you know that someone is talking to you; that alarms are going off; that someone is knocking on your door or your phone is ringing. He can also let you know that someone is calling your name or trying to get your attention behind you.

 

I've traveled onboard cruises with my dogs since 2005. My first dog [brenda] had completed 15 cruises before she passed. She had been on every known, major market cruise line. My Successor Dog [Horton] will be on his 5th cruise, for 10 days in April, 2015.

 

The dog will not replace being able to hear and the darn noise confusion that comes in a crowded dining room but just having him makes life so much more full and a whole lot safer!

 

Happy sailing to all ♥ Roz ♥

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  • 2 weeks later...
Thanks for the report from your cruise. Your comment about the noise in the dining rooms makes me wonder if we could ask to eat (free of charge) in the speciality dining rooms as a way of providing "communication access" as required by the ADA. Just daydreaming but it would be nice to actually be able to have a conversation over dinner.

 

Seriously? Give your head a shake on that comment. Cough up for the speciality restaurant like the rest of us.

 

You can always order room service and eat in your cabin.

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Whiterose:....

 

Sun~, ...thanks but what happens if the ship is going down at 3:00 a.m. ? :)

 

Then you would get a page. Or notice the ship listing to one side. I wouldn't be tough to figure out.

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Fun reading the comments about Specialty Restaurant. Yes, one can always dream.

 

We've had success just chatting after boarding with the dining room manager.

 

Background - during our previous 21-day cruise on Holland America Line I was completely left out of the conversation at a table for six in the noisy dining room. I hated missing it because the two other couples were so nice. (Not fair for them either to have to repeat for me.) Yes, I do read lips to some extent, but that only goes so far when everyone is chewing and I am looking down at my plate trying to eat, too.

 

So the next cruise, we booked the Select (open dining) on Celebrity. The first night, my husband spoke to the dining room manager and explained that a table for two in the quietest possible area would be appreciated. We were given the perfect table, near a corner, sort of in a niche set in the wooden wall. The other angle of the corner was a table by the window, so we had a view early in the evening, too.

 

On the way out, we commented favorably, and the manager offered to reserve that table for us every night at our preferred time. I enjoyed all our dinners so much! We did go to the Murano Specialty Restaurant once, but our little corner in the main dining room was just as quiet.

 

On our next cruise - next month - I'll be traveling with my Hearing Dog from Dogs for the Deaf. Should be an interesting experience, and I hope the first of many cruises together. A quiet table in a corner or by a wall will work well with the dog along, too.

Edited by Caribbean Chris
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