Would you pay the difference...SOS GS?

[mringenoldus]

I originally booked myself and my three little traveling buddies (one grandson, two nephews) into an SO cabin on the Sovereign of the Seas.

I chose the furthest aft cabin on Deck 9 to allow my nephew, who as a disability similar to cerebral palsy which impairs his ability to walk, easier access to the teen center. I make no excuses for myself - I cruise a lot and I should know better - but I didn't account for his ability to maintain his balance with the ship's motion.

We may now need to take a wheelchair to remedy this possibility. The only available handicapped accessible cabin is at a lower category (H) and down on Deck 2. It would cost me $910 to upgrade to a grand suite but that would allow more room for the four of us and the wheelchair. The additional cost is a bit steep considering that this is only a 4-night cruise. I have contacted RCCL to see if they could help me and I have filled out the Special Needs form asking if there was any opportunity for them to place us in the GS,perhaps at a lesser cost to me. Long shot, I know.

I would appreciate some opinions from others that may have experience with this situation or the cabins. Would the GS be worth the additional cost of $910?
Thanks! Maureen

[PH8]

In your case,I say try for the GS.normally I would say its not worth it for 4 nights,but there is no way,you'll be comfortable in a category H on deck 2 with 3 children(with one that needs a wheelchair)

Good luck trying to negotiate...........I hope you get some help from RCCL..

[cb at sea]

I'm not sure a GS would be worth that much extra---but if you have to use a wheelchair, the regular cabins doorways are pretty narrow--I'm not sure a wheelchair will fit! Of course, if he can manage to get out of the chair in the hallway, the chair will fit if folded through the door.

[mringenoldus]

Thanks for the input!

My nephew is able to walk with a very awkward gate. Walking extended distances is very wearing on his knees and hips (as an image concerned teen he doesn't want to wear braces so we only use the wheelchair for theme parks etc.) I didn't think he would need it for the ship but forgot about his balance issues. The poor guy falls even on dry ground. However, it wouldn't be a problem to fold the chair.

The only GS left is in the front of the ship and near the Windjammer (another favorite of teens - food!) but the SO is right next to the hang out area. He's very social and the Sovereign has gone out of its way to create a teen space - one of the reasons I chose it.

I wonder how long it might take RCCL to reply to my fax?

[MilliesMom]

I wrote RCCL a while back about door width on the regular cabins, here is their response:

Our standard stateroom door dimensions are 23 inches wide and some of our higher suites are about 25 inches wide. The hallways on our ships are approximately 46-50 inches wide.

These dimensions do not pertain to handicap/wheelchair acessible cabins, and the question was regarding the Radiance. So part of the question will be how wide is the wheelchair and will it fit thru a regular cabin door that is 23 inches. They also state that "some" not all of the higher suites have door "about" 25 inches wide.

Hope everything works out and that you have a fabulous time on the ship.

[mringenoldus]

Milliesmom
You have really helped! I wonder if I would be smart to just rent a lightweight scooter for the week?

I wonder how cumbersome those are to take on airplanes?

[pmfan]

I would keep the cabin near the teen hang out. Since he is social he will spend alot of time there. The GS is not worth the cost for 4 nights.

[kc320]

Also some of the GS under the Windjammer are very NOISY...my boss & his wife had one for their 25th wedding anniversary & heard pot's slaming & banging all night long... they said even ear plugs didn't help..

[jbrambach]

Originally Posted by mringenoldus

Milliesmom
You have really helped! I wonder if I would be smart to just rent a lightweight scooter for the week?

I wonder how cumbersome those are to take on airplanes?

Maybe you can arrange to rent one at the port. I have no experience with this, but I have heard of people renting scooters that are delivered to the port of departure.

[sdear]

i think there are some companies that rent scooters for handicapped and deliver to the ship. I am sure someone will chime in.

If the GS is too much...have you considered a JS ? They are roomier then the OV as well. Might be another option for you.

[mringenoldus]

Thanks to everyone!

Here's the end of the story.....
Today, the JS accessible #1550 was available for only $360 additional. Not only will we get a good location (midship), extra room but there will be a balcony.

I'm not sure what happened but it somehow opened since yesterday. I know we will be below the pool - but young teens aren't going to care about any additional noise.

I think I made a good decision but would welcome any input.
Maureen

[sdear]

You made a GREAT decision !

Have a great cruise !

Sue

[mringenoldus]

Thanks, Sue

Now there's just this pesky question about the quad sleeping arrangement. On the "Disabled Cruiser" board someone said there was no sofa in the cabin! Maybe that was prior to the refurbishing??

[sdear]

I was just in a JS on Sovereign, and ours had a sofa/sleeper !

It will be a great room for you ! Have a great cruise !

This is a picture of our JS, and I believe the handicap ones are larger.

The sofa isnt a HUGE sofa, but it did pull out to a bed.

[PH8]

Good choice.............glad that JS opened up for you.......

Hey Sdear--check out our roll call...........another FL get together ,if you're interested..

[mringenoldus]

This is the post I was referring to. I have asked that he email the video he mentions, if he still has it. I think he must be mistaken.

The sofa bed should be fine for the two brothers - one is very small for his age.


"What cabin are you in 1050 or 1550 my wife is also in a wheelchair and we were in 1550 that cabin did not have the sofa in it. Also I have video of the cabin if you would like to see it."

[MilliesMom]

Originally Posted by mringenoldus

Milliesmom
You have really helped! I wonder if I would be smart to just rent a lightweight scooter for the week?

I wonder how cumbersome those are to take on airplanes?

Originally Posted by mringenoldus

Thanks to everyone!

Here's the end of the story.....
Today, the JS accessible #1550 was available for only $360 additional. Not only will we get a good location (midship), extra room but there will be a balcony.

I'm not sure what happened but it somehow opened since yesterday. I know we will be below the pool - but young teens aren't going to care about any additional noise.

I think I made a good decision but would welcome any input.
Maureen

What I would recommend is using the wheelchair provided at the airport to get him to and from the plane. Let RCCL know that you need wheelchair assistance at the pier when you board. I know with Handicap accessible staterooms they give priority boarding. Contact special needs dept.

On our Carnival cruise with my BIL who is disabled, he had the travel agent arranged for a scooter to be in their cabin when they boarded. Carnival got us a wheelchair to get him on board (at that time he could walk a bit). The scooter was fantastic. They charged it at the end of each day (think they go about 5 miles on a single charge). You might want to pack a heavy duty extension cord, just in case if you need it for recharging scooter or electric wheelchair. At the end of the cruise, scooter was left in the cabin and a wheelchair brought to get him down to the taxis. Worked out well.

If your nephew can stand for a while, then using the wheelchair at the pier, scooter on board is a great way to go. If he can't stand any time (sometimes they will not allow a wheelchair out to the taxis to bring someone in ... caused us a bit of concern at the pier when we arrived as there was a line to drop off luggage), then rethink what will work best for you. If you are going to port the day before, some of the rental agencies will bring wheelchair/scooter to hotel and you return it to the hotel concierge from what we were told.

Not all handicap accessible staterooms allow for 3/4 people and some do not have a sofa to allow for more room for the wheelchair or scooter. If they allowed you to book the new cabin with no issues, you should be fine. You might want to double check tho to be sure there is a sofa bed not a fold out bed from the mid wall area above the bed (think it is called a pullman bed). Did you book a regular cabin correct or is it a handicap acessible one?

You will have a fantastic time I'm sure.

The junior suite will definitely give you more space.

[MilliesMom]

http://emerginghorizons.com/book/sample.php
Traveling with a wheelchair or scooter

http://www.dotcr.ost.dot.gov/documents/Acc/disabled.pdf
government site - traveling with disabilities

http://www.flying-with-disability.org/index.html
great site, loaded with good information

On the Soverign of the Seas, the following are accessible cabins (don't know how many each cabin will hold):

Handicapped Accessible Staterooms: Categories vary
Dimensions are approximately 269 square feet
All include wide doorways and wheelchair accessible bathrooms with no-step showers.

The following is a list of Accessible Staterooms:
Category JS: 1050, 1550
Category Q: 2580, 2582
Category K: 5089, 5589
http://www.7blueseas.com/cruiselines...p?id=54&page=7
Hope this helps.

[MilliesMom]

special_needs@rccl.com

Contact special needs at RCCL and asked them about this specific cabin. I saw the other posts on the disability cruising section. Better to be sure ahead of time. Special needs has been fantastic with helping us for an upcoming cruise for my family. It does take a couple of days for them to get back to you tho, but they do respond and give complete information. Be sure to explain your concern to them and how many of you will be in the cabin.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

[mringenoldus]

You are all terrific to be of so much help!

This morning, I called the special access department at RCCL. The lady I spoke to told me about the JS now being open. Then she transferred me back to booking for them to change the reservation. Everyone was well aware that I had four people in a quad so it would seem very unlikely that they put me in a cabin that didn't have enough bed space.

My nephew can walk, but as I said, his gate is very, very awkward and his balance is poor. If he walks too much - then next day his knees will be so painful he can't really enjoy himself. I am actually even more worried about his balance. He constantly adjusts his torso to balance himself - I would feel terrible if the boat shifted and he fell.

I'm going to look into the scooter - I think it would be a good idea for him.

Thanks again!