Assigned a handicapped accessible cabin though not handicapped

We booked a GTY balcony on the Jewel and were assigned a handicapped-accessible cabin on deck 9, even though neither my wife nor I is handicapped.

I read a review of this same cabin on CC but it was by someone who used a wheelchair.

Has this happened to anyone else?

I like the idea that the cabin is 50% larger than normal and is close to the elevators/stairs, but I wonder if there are any features that we would not like.

Also, I feel kind of bad taking a cabin that might be needed by someone who has a disability. Is there the possibility, since it's a GTY, that NCL might still change our cabin if it's needed by someone else?

There was a couple assigned a handicapped cabin on our last cruise and once they got on the ship they tried to move them out to get someone who "needed it more" in. I would not feel bad. The line knows what they've done and its their problem if someone needs it.

Enjoy your spacious cabin, they are biiiiig.

We booked a GTY balcony on the Jewel and were assigned a handicapped-accessible cabin on deck 9, even though neither my wife nor I is handicapped.

 

I read a review of this same cabin on CC but it was by someone who used a wheelchair.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

 

I like the idea that the cabin is 50% larger than normal and is close to the elevators/stairs, but I wonder if there are any features that we would not like.

 

Also, I feel kind of bad taking a cabin that might be needed by someone who has a disability. Is there the possibility, since it's a GTY, that NCL might still change our cabin if it's needed by someone else?

We were assigned an HC cabin our first time when we booked a GTY and we didn't care for it, primarily because the shower allowed the water to flow into the bathroom and from there into the cabin soaking the carpet, so we won't book a GTY again to prevent being assigned that category cabin. With that said, if they have assigned it to you that means that it is unlikely at this stage to be taken by someone that needs it (and if someone did need it then yes, they could re-assign you).

Don't fret. If NCL needs it, even up to the boarding day, it will switch you automatically I am sure. You may not know anything until you show up to check in....

I have to use these type of cabins due to my wife. The space is nice, adds to the cost by a few hundred dollars, but well worth it, even if you do not need it due to the increase size. Due to size, it is like having a mini suite in size, but at balcony cost.

Regarding features you may not like. Only thing that comes to mind is a wheelchair roll in shower. Water can, and often goes past the drains in the floor and wet the bathroom floor. It is a little pain at times, but does not aways happen.

Hope you get to keep it and enjoy the extra space at least.

My in-laws require a HC stateroom. They had a mid-ship Balcony HC on deck 10 on the DAWN. It was essentially two balcony staterooms renovated into a single Balcony HC. The price was the same as the other mid-ship balconys. The balcony itself had a raised floor made of diamond plate steel, not really pretty. But it was twice the length of any other balconys . They loved the room.

We had SE penthouse 10000 forward. Comparitively large. The inlaws HC balcony stateroom was almost as large. Though not nearly as fancy.

They had to sign a chit that stated they required a HC stateroom, or they may have been moved out.

Believe me if NCL needs the cabin for someone with special needs they will move you

I stayed in a aft penthouse suite that was for a person with special needs. I was upgraded to this and did not ask for this cabin. It did have a different configuration(obviously) and seemed more roomy than my other aft ph.

I thought i might be moved before I sailed but I guess no one needed the cabin

Enjoy!!

Depending on who I travel with we get a HC cabin. In regard to the shower....

ask for extra large towels. Roll them up and put them around the other side of the floor drain. If water goes past the drain the towels will stop it from going any further. Works all the time. Just let your room steward know to always leave three extra large towels.

Harriet

Do these accessible cabins have the standard shower heads that are in all the cabins or do they have the hand-held shower heads?

Thanks

This is one of the best wins when deciding to book a guarantee cabin. Short of a balcony upgrade, now you have a room twice as big. They give them out when they don't need them for handicapped passengers.

HC showers can leak out. So....

We roll up towels, just outside the bathroom. Treat it like a camp shower. Take quick showers, don't turn water on full blast, turn water off while lathering. Isn't a big issue anymore.

Other option - take showers at gym.

Shower heads can be hand-held, but they don't have to be.

We were assigned a HC cabin on the EPIC for a B2B Med/Transatlantic cruise (20 days). I kept asking to move to a regular balcony room since we didn't need it. I felt terrible and guilty if I was taking this from someone who needed it.

They assured me repeatedly that they would move me elsewhere if necessary but never did. So we enjoyed the extra space. I don't remember any problems with the shower. At first it was hard to find the light switches and we had a lot of laughs with that!

Once we called NCL with the intention of booking a balcony and were offered a family suite for only a little more money. Had no idea it was a handicapped suite until we got a letter which I think stated the possibility of a move. I was concerned and called our PCC who told me it was very unlikely, and if the cabin was needed that we would only be moved to our category or above. So, no moving us from a suite to an inside if that was the only thing available.

You have booked a guarantee balcony, so IF you would get moved, it would have to be to a balcony or above. I have seen several threads similar to this and I don't recall any reports of being moved.

Those cabins are not going to sail empty. If you don't take it, someone else will. We loved the handicapped suite by the way. It was huge and we had no problems with water on the floor.

When we were initially assigned a cabin like this I too was worried about what would happen if somebody who needed it tried to book. NCL assured me they had a plan for that; however my cabin # never came up as available with bookings so I hope people who do need these cabins know to call.

Anyway, it was the worst cabin we ever had on any ship.

It's not that much bigger. The configuration is such that one of the beds folds down over the top 1/3 of the two beds pushed together to make a double. That means you can't prop a pillow up to sit up in bed because there a gap between you & the wall because of the folded away bunk.

Also the door opens into the main part of the cabin. There is no narrow passage on a "standard" configuration so whenever somebody passes by they can see everything. My husband sleeps later than I do on vacation so I always had to wait until the passage way was clear before I opened the door, least the whole cruise saw him in his boxers.

They are not kidding about the bathrooms leaking. The whole bathroom is flat so you can roll into the shower. There's no lip on the door & no barriers in the bathroom at all. From the perspective of a person in a wheelchair it's wonderful.

Unfortunately, you shower, the ship moves & the water flows right out under the door into the carpet in the main cabin area. It was always soaked & squishy. Just thinking about the amount of mold which must develop there grosses me out to no end. They brought us this giant industrial fan to dry the carpet. It was very loud, probably took up 1/10th of the available floor space in the cabin but most importantly it did not work! :eek: The carpet was always squishy. . .I mean you set your foot down & water puddled up. Yuck. They did bring us extra towels every day to act as a barrier but they didn't work.

I always said if I ever sailed in another cabin like that I would pack or buy some sort of a rubbermaid barrier to block the door. Even as I am typing this I am grossing myself out thinking about the mold that must be under those carpets.

One positive, the cabin was located near the blue lagoon which was really convenient.

We booked a GTY balcony on the Jewel and were assigned a handicapped-accessible cabin on deck 9, even though neither my wife nor I is handicapped.

 

I read a review of this same cabin on CC but it was by someone who used a wheelchair.

 

Has this happened to anyone else?

 

I like the idea that the cabin is 50% larger than normal and is close to the elevators/stairs, but I wonder if there are any features that we would not like.

 

Also, I feel kind of bad taking a cabin that might be needed by someone who has a disability. Is there the possibility, since it's a GTY, that NCL might still change our cabin if it's needed by someone else?

yes, it is possible, but for now, be happy. The handicapped cabins are so much larger. i think Trisha's experience and not liking it is a little unusual, but there are always drawbacks to everything.

?.., but I wonder if there are any features that we would not like....else?

I have cruised with my sister who is a paraplegic.. Having stayed with her in an inside, balcony, and mini suite categories, here are some additional features that an able bodied person might not like:

In a balcony or mini suite...there will be a ramp in the room to get outside to balcony. The balcony door opens by pressing a button.

The shelving and drawers are a bit different...there will be open spaces under the shelves....so a wheelchair can fit.

I found the shower scary when the ship was moving...sometimes I needed the grab bars.

Having been used to shower doors, I disliked the big wraparound shower curtain.

The mirror in the bathroom might be angled down if the previous passenger was in a wheelchair....there is a handle that adjusts the mirror up or down and at angles. The sink in the bathroom is not set in a vanity...it juts out from the wall (so a wheelchair can fit under it). The toilet is HC but I liked that because I am tall.

Since most are near an elevator...it is a high traffic area... Which is noisier.

There may be an adjustable bottom pole/rung in the closet storage. The rung can be set at different heights.

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Those are the only features I could think of based on my able bodied experience.

Coka

The AC Handicapped cabins we've sampled on various NCL cruises have not been double in size compared to regular balcony rooms. Using example of the Jewel Class (Pearl, Jewel and Gem) ships. In this example on decks 9 and 10, 3 regular sized balcony cabins located adjacent to stairs/elevators are turned into 2 cabins on each side of the ship.

The entry door is no threshold and at least 3 feet wide, compared to other entry ways. The bathroom door is also at least 3 feet wide, these are ADA standards and allow the passageway of a wheelchair or walker. The bathrooms are also large enough for storage of said WC when not immediately needed.

Much has been said about the bathroom with the no threshold, roll-in type shower. There are actually rectangular floor drains that surround the shower area, good sturdy grab bars on 2 sides and 2 grab bars around the raised toilet...not as low to the ground.

The shower head is hand held but can also be arranged in a stationary position. A shower curtain can be used and plenty of toweling available.

I choose not to shower when the ship is underway, or at least when seas are choppy. There is a roll-in sink, rather than a vanity, and definitely less storage space for toiletries. A roll-up cosmetics bag works well using door hooks instead.

Mirror is adjustable, as are the closet rods, and you'll find climate control, room light and a few other switches set a bit lower, in deference to seated passengers. Call bell in bathroom and near berths.

Trish's experience with sideways OBS AC cabin on deck 8 is not the same as room conformation and experiences on decks 9 and 10 of most NCL AC balcony cabins. IMHO those rooms convenient to Blue Lagoon, or in some cases, O'Sheehan's, work best with an "L" shape bed setup...much more private.

There is a ramp out to the balcony, and you may receive slightly less furniture, in the way of tables, chairs and sofas/loveseats, but this can be discussed with your room steward if you are not needing the large turning circle areas and so forth that HC persons require.

There are only a handful of handicapped cabins per ship, and some ships, (NCL Spirit comes to mind), have even less than others. As long as the Guarantees can be given to the less able-bodied as needed, then I would consider myself fortunate to appreciate the difference :cool:

Thanks everybody for the input. We will know in 3 more weeks if we like the cabin or not if they let us keep it. I will try to remember to report back here on what we think.

I also was upgraded from inside to HC outside, OK cabin and told NCL, I didn't need this cabin and they said take it! I assume if they need it, I will be moved! Sail in 18 days!

My husband and I booked The Sun last year 30 days or so before sailaway, and we got a handicapped inside room by chance. It was the biggest inside I have ever seen, HUGE shower and bathroom, and tons of space. No leaking in the shower either. Maybe it depends on your ship? I would book it again in a heartbeat, although I know that there are people who definitely need them.

We just got back from our cruise, and I'm happy to report that our HC cabin on the Jewel was a very positive experience. We had #9150. It was right by the aft stairs/elevator so very handy to the rear of the ship. No noticeable noise.

The cabin was about 50% larger than the standard balcony room. The bathroom was very large. We had no problems with the shower. It had a curtain but the drain ran all the way under the curtain, and along with the regular floor drain, caught all the water. The commode was probably a little higher than normal and the sink was larger with a longer faucet.

There was plenty of storage and it was nice to have the extra room to move around.

The balcony was wider too. It had a metal treadplate floor above the regular floor to make the transition from cabin to balcony level. There was a portable ramp for the balcony stored behind the couch, but we never used it, of course.

If you are ever offered such a cabin on a GTY, by all means take it.

I stayed in a handicapped aft suite

I was told by ncl if they needed the cabin they would move me but it would be to same cabin level or higher

NCL would definitely move you if they needed the cabin

Don't feel bad because if they don't move you they don't ned the cabin

I have been assigned a HC cabin by chance. Didn't like it. Wouldn't want to do it again. Bathroom felt too much like being in a hospital and no bathtub. No thanks.