Wheelchair Accessable Rooms

I have cruised on NCL twice and use a WC fulltime and I am looking for my next cruise (FEB 2010)

I am looking at differnent lines to find the cruise I want and I am looking for any comments good or bad on say RCCL,Celebrity & Princess.

Room Size, Bathrooms,Balcony access??

Thanks

Our experience has been mainly with Princess whose cabins are about 50% larger that a standard cabin. We are about 3 weeks off Celebrity's Constellation where we found our "2B" cabin not quite a large as Princess but very adequate, extremely well fitted out, however the shower while roll-in was just a tad on the small size. HAL's "VD" on the Oosterdam over Christmas was a joke, you could not get a 20" chair around the foot of the bed and the scars on the wall proved it.

I am A full time WC user and have been on the Explorer and the balcony HC room was great, bathroom worked and the balcony was great no lips or ramps

The accessible cabins on Celebrity's newest ships (S-Class) are very well designed. Push-button doors, bedside light controls, extra outlet by bed to plug in scooter/chair, ramp to balcony, and more. We couldn't recommend those ships more.

The accessible cabins on Celebrity's newest ships (S-Class) are very well designed. Push-button doors, bedside light controls, extra outlet by bed to plug in scooter/chair, ramp to balcony, and more. We couldn't recommend those ships more.

I totally agree. I cannot believe how wonderful the S Class ships of Celebrity are for us in wheelchairs and scooters. The public bathrooms are incredible. You can access every outside space because their doorways are all automatic with no bump doorways. Their HC cabins are great and well appointed.;

DH is a fulltime electric wheelchair user and we went on our first cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas in 2010. We had an accessible Junior Suite as we needed to sleep 3 and it was brilliant. Our daughter slept on the sofabed and the cabin was large enough to leave the sofa bed pulled out all the time and still leave room for DH to move around. The bathroom was also fine. Balcony wasnt accessible though as it had a step.

The ship itself was also fantastic, really wasnt anywhere he couldnt access and the staff were brilliant especially in the MDR. We are booked on Radiance in November and it was a tough decision whether to stick with Rhapsody or try a different ship - fingers crossed Radiance is just as lovely :)

My mom is a full-time manual wheechair user - unable to walk at all. Her favorite ships are RC's Radiance class (Brilliance, Serenade, Jewel, Radiance). If she & my dad are together, they book an outside on deck 4. If she & I are together (I'm a balcony snob :p), we get a balcony on deck 7. Both the outside and balcony cabins are spacious enough for full cabin access (no dead zones where the WC can't get). There isn't a lip (bump) to get onto the balcony so my mom is able to get to the balcony and back into the cabin without assistance.

The bathroom has a roll-in shower with a seat, grab bars in the shower and around the toilet, raised toilet seat, and space for a WC to access the sink area. The bathroom storage is a little lacking. To allow WC users to get to the sink, they don't have cabinets under the sink so no storage there. The shower drainage can be a problem sometimes, particularly if the ship is rocking. We've had problems with water running past the drain and under the bathroom door into the cabin. A towel placed at the base of the door solves the problem.

The Radiance ships have an automatic door opener for the HC cabins to make it easier for WC users to get in and out. That makes it easy for Mom to get in/out when someone isn't around to hold the door for her. Occasionally the door opener doesn't work (always had it stick open not closed) but maintenance was able to fix it in a couple minutes. Just to be safe, I always watch for the door to fully close before leaving the cabin area.

Almost all the doors leading from the interior to the exterior decks on Radiance ships have automatic doors. The only exception that I can remember is on deck 12 leading to the Sea View Cafe. That was a manual door.

ADDED FOR MATTANDKELLY: My mom has been on both Radiance & Rhapsody. Rhapsody was her very first cruise which she really enjoyed. I think you will find Radiance even easier for wheelchair users than Rhapsody.

DH is a fulltime electric wheelchair user and we went on our first cruise on Rhapsody of the Seas in 2010. We had an accessible Junior Suite as we needed to sleep 3 and it was brilliant. Our daughter slept on the sofabed and the cabin was large enough to leave the sofa bed pulled out all the time and still leave room for DH to move around. The bathroom was also fine. Balcony wasnt accessible though as it had a step.

 

The ship itself was also fantastic, really wasnt anywhere he couldnt access and the staff were brilliant especially in the MDR. We are booked on Radiance in November and it was a tough decision whether to stick with Rhapsody or try a different ship - fingers crossed Radiance is just as lovely :)

This is my problem with most cruise lines. If an able bodied family of 3 wants to book a regular cabin, no problem. If someone in a wheelchair wants to book a cabin for 3, in most cases they have to bump up to a Junior Suite. This is so wrong. Aren't people in wheelchairs supposed to travel with more than one person?

OK...rant over. :mad:

Sapphire Princess has some balcony cabins which sleep three. Not many, but there are a few. You have to book early to get them, but what's new about that?

M.

Princess has a number of ships including the Sapphire and the Diamond that have cabins where 2 bunks that drop from the ceiling and sleep 4 persons.

Don't discount inside accessible cabins. We have had these on the Sapphire Princess which sleep 3 (with a sofa bed) and a bunk bed. Large cabins which were very comfortable for 3. Also the same on the Grand Princess and Star Princess.

Also, if you pick the right cabin, HAL has accommodated us for 3 with a roll-in in their very lowest deck forward accessible cabins on some ships. On Celebrity and RCCL we have had both sofa beds and bunk options for 3.

We always opt for the cheapest accessible cabin we can get that will accommodate us. We spend very little time in the cabin except for sleeping, dressing, and bathing.

we has an accessible cabin inside on oasis of the seas and it was wonderful for 2 adults and one 16 yr old. we had a scooter and a regular wheelchair in the room and still had plenty of movability. There was an extra outlet to plug the scooter in to. Also the teen had a pull out sleep chair- not a sofa but it was plenty big enough for him and he said it was more comfortable than a pull down bed. You are right that they dont have many for 3 but if you look early or check everyday you can find one. We booked an inside for 3 on explorer of the seas in august for a mid november cruise. Keep checking because someone may cancel due to a medical problem and you can get one. I also heard they sometimes keep lists in case of cancellations. We had to cancel the explorer one due to medical emergency so i hope someone else got it. good luck

The accessible cabins on Celebrity's newest ships (S-Class) are very well designed. Push-button doors, bedside light controls, extra outlet by bed to plug in scooter/chair, ramp to balcony, and more. We couldn't recommend those ships more.

My first cruise was a few weeks ago on the Eclipse. I was blown away by the space and layout of our Oceanview veranda stateroom. I've stayed in accessible hotel rooms that were smaller and more cramped than our stateroom.

Here's a few snaps of our room. In hindsight I should have taken more detailed photos. Next time.

My mother uses a scooter on all of our cruises. She and my sister usually get a handicapped cabin which is plenty big enough for both scooter and wc to fit through the doorway. We prefer Royal Caribbean but have traveled Carnival as well. I have seen some Carnival handicapped accessible cabins for two to be so small, it would be difficult to get wc, luggage and people in the same cabin. My mother-in-law took us on a Christmas cruise on Jewel of the Seas RCCL and she was in a family cabin with other family members. Unfortunately, the hall was too narrow for the wc so we had to park it outside the door. My sister-in-law was in the same cabin and also needed a wc so it was tight in the hall. Had it fit in the hall, in the room, there would have room in the cabin to store it. We also had trouble getting past some of the carts in the hallways, they would have to get out of the wc and walk some so we could get past the carts and then get back in the chair. Sounds like that would be a problem for you. Check with a reservation person to see if some halls are wider than others. I haven't seen my mother have this problem with her scooter on ships and the scooter is wider than the wc in most cases. Most of the newer ships also have the button on the outside of the cabin or a card reader that will open your cabin door which is nice for more independence.

Hope this helps.

I have seen some Carnival handicapped accessible cabins for two to be so small, it would be difficult to get wc, luggage and people in the same cabin. .

Carnival has two classifications of HC Cabins . Fully Accessible HC Cabins and Modified HC Cabins. The Modified HC cabins are just standard size cabins within the specific catagory that have had the entry door and the bathroom door widen. Thus the reason some are smaller than others.

Following copied directly from Carnival's website:

Wheelchair Users

Our ships have specially-designed cabins for guests using wheelchairs. We have two classifications of cabins:

Modified Cabins: these cabins have been modified from our standard cabins to include wider entry doorways. The cabin entry measures approximately 29". The cabin bathroom entry ranges from 22" to 29", with a lip ranging from 3.5" to 8" into the bathroom. These cabins are reserved for our guests who use a wheelchair for distance or guests with limited mobility.

Fully accessible cabins: these cabins have an approximately 32" entry doorway into the cabin and cabin’s bathroom. There are no lips into the bathroom. They have roll-in showers with fold-down shower seats. Additionally, there is a full turnaround space of approximately 60" x 60" in the cabin and as well as in cabin’s bathroom. These cabins are reserved for our guests who use a wheelchair, have limited or no mobility, or guests who use motorized scooters.

We have stayed in the HAL SS HC cabins on the Oosterdam and Zuiderdam. See pictures for SS8068 on "Joanie's HAL Staterooms/Cabins Pages" at http://joanjett2000.topcities.com/HAL/. Plenty of space. Ramp to balcony. Rollin shower. There is even a "911" button by the bed which gets a very quick response from the operator inquiring on the nature of the problem.

I have cruised on NCL twice and use a WC fulltime and I am looking for my next cruise (FEB 2010)

I am looking at differnent lines to find the cruise I want and I am looking for any comments good or bad on say RCCL,Celebrity & Princess.

 

Room Size, Bathrooms,Balcony access??

 

Thanks

My sister & I were on the Allure in Sept. & she used a scooter, we were in cabin 10172 a handicap room & it was almost suite size, so it was a pleasant surprise at how big it was. The bathroom was huge, shower area had a seat, hand held showerhead & access to balony was WC accessible. So any handicap cabin on this ship is great. Linda:o

My husband and I saled on Celebrity Consellation last September. My husband is a full time manual wheelchair user and our cabin was a ocean verander cabin and was wonderful very spacious, bathroom was huge.

Will definetly book again.

My first cruise was a few weeks ago on the Eclipse. I was blown away by the space and layout of our Oceanview veranda stateroom. I've stayed in accessible hotel rooms that were smaller and more cramped than our stateroom.

 

Here's a few snaps of our room. In hindsight I should have taken more detailed photos. Next time.

 

 

 

We were recently on Celebrity's updated Summit in HC, aft cabin 7212. It looks very similar to the pictured cabin although there is a separate ramp for both sides of the huge balcony and the bathroom looks like it is a bit bigger, but was not updated. There is a door bell, but no automatic door opener. The cabin sleeps three, the third on a sofa bed. As mentioned, the balcony is huge with a table for two inaddition to two loungers with foot stools. (I'm sure that you could get more chairs if you had a third passenger booked.) This cabin also qualifies for the expanded room service breakfast menu which was one of the best things about the whole cruise. We booked this trip six weeks before sailling and there were several accessible cabins to choose from.

There is a list of all of the accessible cabins, their sizes and door dimensions on all of Celebrity's ships on their website.

I am a full time manual wheelchair user, and recently sailed on Freedom of the Seas in an accessible balcony stateroom. It was very roomy with a ramp out to the balcony. The bathroom was fully accessible, except for the fact that I found the sink to be very high. Workable, but a lower one would have been better. FOS accessible cabins do not have automatic doors, at least ours didn't.

Interesting that Freedom did not have door opener. I am now wondering about Mariner. My wife is right side hemiplegic so only has one arm (and leg) to push/peddle wheelchair so to get out of the cabin is really difficult to grab door handle and backup at the same time. The door opener on Serenade was her favorite feature allowing her to come & go as she pleased. We were glad the cabin attendant shows us the switches on the opener itself to allow door to remain open. Wondering if the prior mention of issue was a problem in that switch.

Our only gripe with RCI is no suites above Junior Suite which gets none of the "real" benefits of a suite - such as Concierge Lounge access. Priority boarding we already get due to the wheelchair and bathrobes aren't that big a deal - both C&A Platinum level and above features we will have after next cruise anyway. If Grand Suites and above have no-stepup and a wide enough cabin door we could make do with a regular one but would miss the door opener a bit.

We spend very little time in the cabin except for sleeping, dressing, and bathing.

If we had an inside cabin we would spend very little time there too. It's sort of a self-fulfilling statement. We do spend a LOT of time on our balcony. Our cruise wish list is to do Baltic Sea in Summer and in that case we would consider an inside for darkness at night.

I'm not sure about Mariner, but I was on Adventure (sister ship to Mariner) last week. My mom had an accessible oceanview cabin (2320) that did not have the switch for opening the door. I thought I had read previously that only Radiance class ships have the openers.

The new ships Oasis & Allure each have a loft suite that is accessible. Look at the deck plans - deck 17 cabin 1742. Those are the only RC ships that I know about with a full accessible suite.

Jewel of the Seas HC cabin - yes has auto door button

Allure of the Seas HC cabin- no auto door button

Vision of the Seas HC cabin - no auto door button

We are looking at taking this cruise in 2013. Our cabin options are 6103 or 6109 for a balcony or 6012 or 6004 for a ocean view. Has any one been in any of these? Our daughter is a full time wheelchair user and since we will be flying on US carries we will be taking her power chair and manual chair.

Are there lips to the balcony or is there a ramp? Are the doors push button? Standard questions about bathrooms and maneuverability also please. Anything else that would help us make a decision regarding the rooms would be great.

Thank you,

Robyn

(We've done the Panama Canal on Princess and want to try something else for our next trip.)

We are looking at taking this cruise in 2013. Our cabin options are 6103 or 6109 for a balcony or 6012 or 6004 for a ocean view. Has any one been in any of these? Our daughter is a full time wheelchair user and since we will be flying on US carries we will be taking her power chair and manual chair.

 

Are there lips to the balcony or is there a ramp? Are the doors push button? Standard questions about bathrooms and maneuverability also please. Anything else that would help us make a decision regarding the rooms would be great.

 

Thank you,

Robyn

 

(We've done the Panama Canal on Princess and want to try something else for our next trip.)

Did you check Celebrity's Website ? Here's the link http://www.celebritycruises.com/explore/ships/detail.do?shipCode=IN#staterooms/explore/ships/staterooms.do%3FshipCode=IN