Photos - Pearl Handicapped Mini-Suite 11654

My mother and I recently completed our first cruise. We had many questions as we were in the planning stages, and I was able to find the answers to many of them by reading these boards, but we were unable to find any pictures of the cabin that we had booked (Pearl Handicapped Mini-Suite 11654). So, I took some to help others who may be staying in this cabin in the future. I’ve posted a few below, and many more are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/travelingtonya/sets/72157622680500233.

Overall, the cabin was wonderful and there was plenty of room to move around. Mom brought the rollator that she uses normally, and we also rented a power chair for her to use during the cruise. There was enough room in the cabin to house both without interfering with the flow of traffic at all.

There were more electrical outlets in the cabin than I expected. There was one located in the vanity area across from the bathroom, one over the desk at the end closest to the balcony, and one above the nightstand between the desk and the bed. This last one worked perfectly for Mom’s CPAP machine, and we did not end up having to use the extension cord we brought.

One of the negative things about handicapped cabins that I had read on these boards was that water from the shower would get all over the bathroom floor. We never had that problem at all during the cruise, even when the seas were moderate and the ship was rolling around more than normal. There are drains completely surrounding the shower area, along with a drain in the far corner, and they kept the water from leaving the shower area.

Another concern that I had heard was regarding noise from the Great Outdoors directly above the cabin. While we could hear chairs being moved around, the noise was certainly not enough to disrupt us. We also never had any debris from above end up on our balcony.

One of the few difficulties that we did have was with cleaning carts in the hallways. The hallways are so narrow that the carts used by the room stewards need to be moved before someone using a wheelchair can pass by. Because this cabin is at the far end of the ship, there were usually several carts that needed to be moved before we could get to the first bank of elevators. The room stewards work very long hours, so the carts would be in the hallway from morning until mid-afternoon, and then again in the early evening hours while they were doing turn-downs. The room stewards were always very willing to move the carts, and did so cheerfully and without a bad attitude, but this still sometimes made leaving the cabin feel like a hassle.

The ship’s crew was exceptional. I never encountered an unfriendly crew member, and most of them went out of their way to assist Mom with anything that she needed.

We had a great cruise, and I hope that this information will be helpful to others planning to stay in this cabin. If you have any questions, please ask!

Tonya

Thanks so much for the information and photos. I want to take my mom on a cruise. I think seeing the bath and room for the w/c will help her be more comfortable:)

Great useful info and photos!

Thanks for the great pics and the info. We're in that cabin in January. Glad to know it was nice and you enjoyed it. Can't wait till it's our turn! :)

CG

Thanks for the review! I hope you can post this over on the disabled cruiser board too, where lots of us who need these kinds of cabins, spend time. Folks are often asking about cabins, and your pictures would be really helpful.

I've never had a problem with the showers in handicap-accessible cabins either. A bit of care to not directly aim the shower at the outside helps..but generally they've been well installed so they drain properly. I'm glad you experienced that too.

The carts in the hallways are a problem. So are people leaving their scooters and wheelchairs in the hall (those folks who don't have a handicap accessible cabin, but are using mobility equipment.) I wish there was a workable solution for both these issues. At least the carts are easier to move! :o

My handicapped sister, my friend, and I were in that cabin last February. Believe it or not, that roll out couch is very comfortable! The entire staff treated us extremely well. Whenever I am sailing NCL and meet people in a wheelchair, they all state the same...the staff goes above and beyond for them.

Thanks for posting the pics! They brought back fond memories!

I do have a question...were the hangers in the closet attached to the pole...or were they regular removable ones? I remember making a suggestion that regular hangars be used in handicapped cabins...my sister had a hard time getting the hanger into the little attached round thing...!

coka

Thanks for the responses!

I have posted this information on the disabled cruiser board also.

The hangers were the type that are attached to the rod. I can see how they would be difficult for someone in a wheelchair to manage. Hopefully they will soon switch to the regular type, as that was one of the few things in the cabin that was not wheelchair-friendly.

Tonya