kitty2boys

You asked who told me that. I told you. Given the information you have provided, I will ask for a supervisor the next time.

I did miss that point, but hold the same belief. They might have enough elevators to evacuate able persons, but walkers and wheelchairs take up space in elevators. There were to enough elevators to handle the crowds in non-emergency settings. Do the regulations allow them to factor in the steps.

Generally speaking all standard cruise ship cabin doorways are only 23" wide. The cruiselines are not required under ADA to have ALL cabin doorways accessible width. With regards to elevators even if the ship is permanently based in the U.S. ADA Law does not mandate the number of elevators rather it only mandates that a least one elevator is large enough to accommodate a wheelchair.

 

Who told you that having a walker or wheelchair does not qualify a person passenger to book a handicap accessible room? If you are unable to walk without the use of walker than under the US Federal Law stated below provided that the ship is embarking from a USA Port you are eligible to book an accessible cabin due to the fact you have a mobility disability requires the features of an accessible cabin as you need to have a entry door and bathroom door that is of accessible width to allow for safe usage of a walker.

 

As a result of the United States Supreme Court Rules on Spector et. al. VS Norwegian Cruise Lines. a Federal Law under the Department of Transportation ( commonly referred to as DOT) became effective on January 1, 2012 that requires that the the cruise lines have to verify that the person occupying the cabin has a medical or physical need to book the cabin . Though this new regulation came about in 2010/2011, the cruise lines were granted until January 1, 2012 to completely comply with these new regulations. Because of this new law Cruise lines have also had to reclassify its HC cabins. Some of the key points to this new law are:

 

(g) To prevent fraud in the assignment of accessible cabins (e.g., attempts by individuals who do not have disabilities to reserve accessible cabins because they have greater space, you—

(1) Must inquire of persons seeking to reserve such cabins whether the individual (or an individual for whom the cabin is being reserved) has a mobility disability or a disability that requires the use of the accessible features that are provided in the cabin.

(2) May require a written attestation from the individual that accessible cabin is for a person who has a mobility disability or a disability that requires the use of the accessible features that are provided in the cabin.

 

Under this law the only time it's acceptable for an able body person to book an HC cabin is after the final payment period has past and any unsold HC cabins are than open to the general public for booking.

I was told this by a Princess agent who also said that we could call back a day or two before the cruise to see if there still was a h/c room available. She did not mention any of the information noted in your response. My husband could have obtained a doctor's statement attesting to his need to use the walker if she had only mentioned it. I rather think that there were was more need than spaces available.

One would think so, but on the Royal, the center staircase was eliminated (actually, it is there, but for staff use only), so people who might walk, use elevators. Only two of the four rear elevators go down to deck 5 for the back dining room. Princess may have computed the number of elevators by the number of passengers, but they appear not to have taken the design of the ship into account.

What are the best ships for persons using walkers or wheelchairs? We just got off the Royal Princess and the cabin doors and corridors are too narrow, and there was not enough elevators. Using a walked does not qualify a passenger for a handicapped room. Have all of the new ships and remodeled ships made it difficult for passengers with physical challenges?

We are booked on the Vantage Castles of the Rhine and Danube (Budapest to Amsterdam) beginning on November 4. Does anyone have insight into weather at that time of year or suggestions for outerwear (winter coats? boots?, etc.)