Celebrity Solstice Handicapped experience

My wife and I took the Celebrity Solstice September 12-23 in Alaska. It was the last Alaskan cruise of the season. I had several issues with Celebrity regarding their handicapped procedures and cabins. First let me say that the cruise itself was great. Unfortunately, the issues I encountered would make me want to cruise another line.

First the cabin. We were in 3104, but I am sure 3103 has the same problem. To celebrities credit, the cabin door opens automatically so you do not have to hold the door. Outside our stateroom was a support column which limited turn radius. The major problem was the threshold into and out of the cabin. Cruises I have been on have a flat threshold to make it easier on people using scooters or wheelchairs. This cabin has a threshold the same as other cabins. When you put you key in you need to be close to the wall. after the door opens, you can not easily enter the cabin because of the threshold. I mentioned this to the customer service desk and they referred me to the hotel manager. He "contacted" engineering and was told that nothing could be done. With all the handicapped cabins aboard, I am surprised that this issue has not come up before.

Second, the tour desk. I could not get assistance on what cruises I would be able to take my scooter on. I asked several times and was told they would have to check on it. No one ever got back to me. Again, this being the last cruise I would have expected they would know these answers.

Third, The customer service desk. For some reason, transfers for disembarkation are handled by the customer service desk not the tour desk. I inquired if getting to the airport, the bus would accommodate my scooter. It took 5 days into the cruise before I could get an answer. Again, this was the last cruise of the seaon, on a ship with multiple handicapped cabins. I can not believe these issues have not come up before for this ship or line. This was my 58th cruise,although only about 10 in a handicapped cabin.

My wife and I took the Celebrity Solstice September 12-23 in Alaska. It was the last Alaskan cruise of the season. I had several issues with Celebrity regarding their handicapped procedures and cabins. First let me say that the cruise itself was great. Unfortunately, the issues I encountered would make me want to cruise another line.

 

First the cabin. We were in 3104, but I am sure 3103 has the same problem. To celebrities credit, the cabin door opens automatically so you do not have to hold the door. Outside our stateroom was a support column which limited turn radius. The major problem was the threshold into and out of the cabin. Cruises I have been on have a flat threshold to make it easier on people using scooters or wheelchairs. This cabin has a threshold the same as other cabins. When you put you key in you need to be close to the wall. after the door opens, you can not easily enter the cabin because of the threshold. I mentioned this to the customer service desk and they referred me to the hotel manager. He "contacted" engineering and was told that nothing could be done. With all the handicapped cabins aboard, I am surprised that this issue has not come up before.

 

Second, the tour desk. I could not get assistance on what cruises I would be able to take my scooter on. I asked several times and was told they would have to check on it. No one ever got back to me. Again, this being the last cruise I would have expected they would know these answers.

 

Third, The customer service desk. For some reason, transfers for disembarkation are handled by the customer service desk not the tour desk. I inquired if getting to the airport, the bus would accommodate my scooter. It took 5 days into the cruise before I could get an answer. Again, this was the last cruise of the seaon, on a ship with multiple handicapped cabins. I can not believe these issues have not come up before for this ship or line. This was my 58th cruise,although only about 10 in a handicapped cabin.

Sorry to hear of your experience with Celebrity. Cruising with a mobility scooter actually takes a lot of up front preparation in planning. It's unfortunate that you did not reach out to those on this forum for information as to how to make your cruise more enjoyable and or even to ask about the accessible cabins on the Celebrity Solstice prior to your cruise.

Regarding accessible excursions, most all cruise lines require you to contact them prior to booking any excursions as there is additional information required to be submitted in order to assess whether or not the vehicle can accommodate such equipment or if a vehicle can be obtained.

Most cruise lines need to have this information at least 10 days prior to the cruise but it's recommended that this actually be done at least 30 days prior to the cruise. Unfortunately attempting to book accessible tours after boarding is really not an option most of the time due. Though Celebrity offers accessible excursions space is limited and is often pre-booked/purchased prior to boarding making it impossible to book once on board the ship.

Celebrity clearly posts accessible excursion information on it's website . Here's the link for future reference http://www.celebritycruises.com/onboard-celebrity/cruise-activities-special-needs?cS=Footer&ICID=Cel_10Q4_web_hp_ftr_accessibility#onboard_accessible_excursions_tab/onboard-celebrity/cruise-activities-accessible-excursions%3Fsubtab=true

Celebrity also publishes an Accessible Tours Guideline on its website here's the link for future reference http://www.celebritycruises.com/media/en_US/pdf/Cel_Accessible_Tour_Info_Guidelines_Sep2010_2.pdf

Additionally accessible excursions are noted with a Wheelchair Icon when searching for excursions on Celebrity's website.

As far as transfers to/from the ship ALL cruises lines handle this through guest services when purchasing on board. Regardless of the cruise line when purchasing accessible transfers on board you will generally have to wait a few days as the ship has to contact the charter company to make certain there will be an accessible vehicle available that day . Most USA charter bus companies do not a have full fleet of accessible buses nor are they required to have all buses accessible. Again its recommended that you work with the ship's Special Needs Dept. or Access Dept.( depending on the cruise line)to book accessible transfers in advance.

Hope this information helps in planning future cruises.

Since I always travel with another person, I generally use either SuperShuttle (in San Pedro/LA) or a handicap taxi (in Seattle or SFO/Airport). If I am using SuperShuttle I always order it before I leave home, and I have never waited more than 5-10 minutes from my reservation time. In Seattle I merely have the porter drop my luggage for me near the taxi starter, or anywhere that the starter points me to, and the starter calls for the next accessible taxi. It isn't much more than paying for two cruiseline transfers. AND I always get dropped right at the checkin door at the airport, not at the bus lot like I did once when I took a bus (and it was up a hill to the terminal). They may not do this now, but I am happy with my taxi.

M.

I'm sorry (and a little surpised) to hear that you struggled with Solstice.

As a wheelchair user, thigns were fine for me last year. The tour desk was spectacularly good at helping me sort stuff out, I even got a one-to-one sit down with an advisor, who then went off to check some stuff and came back to me with answers.

It was quite a contrast with the RCCC contacts pre-cruise, who were as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

As for disembarkation, as others have said, these things are best sorted before you even set foot on the ship.

Do give X another try. I find them very good all round.

.

I am also so sorry to hear of the OP's problems. I spent 65 days on Soltice last year from Auckland to Seattle, and thankfully did not experience any of these issues. My only complaint was that the wonderful automatic door took too long to close but was probably just right for a scooter. I prefer the ones retrofitted on Azamara that can open either automatically or manually depending on which lock you use. Very convenient!

Hope your next cruise is even better.

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OP, it's unfortunate that you didn't come here before your cruise because you would have gotten a lot of help pre-cruise.

Most, if not all, cabins on every ship have a raised threshold. Being a full time scooter user, I've encountered these on every ship I've sailed. To be honest, I've not had any problem negotiating these thresholds. The only place my scooter has had problems with thresholds was on Holland America when going out to their outside decks---flipping scooter always got caught because their thresholds are so high.

Unfortunately, when it comes to excursions, it's the companies they contract with that are the main problem. But again, I think that with better planning on your part, your frustrations would have been minimal. All of us here know that cruise ship tours, regardless of cruise line, offer very few, if any, accessible tours. That's why so many of us do independent tours that we pre-arrange before we set sail.

I don't know where you were planning to go once the cruise was over, be it to the airport or to a hotel, but my best advice would have been to make your own transportation arrangements. Most buses that any cruise line uses to transport after a cruise are not accessible for those with scooters. The only line I found that have buses with lifts are the Disney Magical Express buses. I always arrange for a private transfer or take an accessible taxi, which are becoming more common.

All in all, I think you will probably experience similar things on any ship you cruise. The key is research and planning before your cruise sets sail.

I would like to add some things. We are going on b2b cruises on a solstice class ship next year. I have a thing about getting transportation so I called the hotel we're planning to stay at prior to the cruise. I explained my situation and asked if they could help me locate a transportation service that will take 2 scooters. Twice now, I've been able to make the arrangements prior to the cruise and I've been very happy with both. Just saying that pre-planning helps us.

Sorry and very surprised to hear about your troubles. My adult daughter who has a physical disability and I, spent a full month on Solstice in 2013, B2B in Australia and New Zealand. She has also sailed on the Equinox and the Eclipse. Disabled rooms are a must - her walker doesn't even fit through the door of a "normal" cabin. She cannot walk without a walker, and she also uses a wheelchair. We have zero idea what you are referring to, the problems you had with your cabin doorway and that big beam. Our cabins, all of them, on the above mentioned ships, did not have that problem at all. I'm wondering if the location of your cabin in relation to the layout of the ship was the issue, from an engineering perspective, that's the only explanation. Deck 3, right? And was that an inside cabin? Here are the accessible cabin numbers we have been in: 7145; 1538; 7139 and 1524. We always sail Aqua Class or veranda class. It is extremely easy to get in and out of the room, as well as onto the veranda - the veranda is oversized and has a smooth ramp to allow easy access. The bathroom is huge, full roll in shower, everything you would need and expect.

I am also very surprised to hear about the ShoreEx staff. My daughter and I were just on the Eclipse in the Baltic this August. We had pre-booked our excursions, but we wanted to go over them, make a few tweeks here and there, and one of the ShoreEx staff spent nearly 30 minutes with us, giving us impeccable, knowledgeable and focused service. She advised us when we would be able to handle things with only the walker, or if we would need the wheelchair due to longer distances, or if we should bring both. She was incredibly helpful. We book most of our shore excursions through Celebrity. My daughter's assistive devices are not motorized so that simplifies things quite a bit, as far as being able to store her walker and wheelchair in the luggage section of the bus. And the contracted local tour staff have always been very kind.

Another note on the shore excursions on Celebrity - because it takes us longer to get off the ship and on to the pier to catch the buses for each excursion, ShoreEx staff always allow us to leave well before our bus is called - that way, we are not caught in the crush, nor are we causing any delay.

As others have said, pre-planning is crucial to all of this - ESSENTIAL. And in your case where your assistive device is motorized, indeed, that complicates things. Our walker and wheelchair fold, and my daughter can walk up the bus stairs holding onto the handrail. We always book our transfers months in advance, reserving with car services I research on TripAdvisor. This is important as we need a van to provide the transfer in order to get her walker into the trunk. And you of course need a lift for your scooter.

The Solstice Class of Celebrity ships we have found to be outstanding regarding accessibility - I am sorry you encountered difficulties. A word to the wise, the Millennium Class ships - the public areas - are not nearly as accessible as on the Solstice Class. I have not stayed with my daughter on one, (YET - we are doing a B2B in April/May 2015 on the Infinity) but my husband and I have been on the Summit a few times. The doors in the public spaces don't all open automatically, including the bathroom doors - etc, I could elaborate, but just so you know, if you are having issues I would be wary of sailing the Millennium Class ships without researching and reaching out on this board to those that have done it, and I know lots have. I urge you to try Celebrity again, and see about a different cabin location.

BTW, my husband and I were on this cruise with you in Alaska. If you have a chance you can read my review which is noted in my signature. My daughter was not with us, so we were not in an accessible cabin.