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Handicapped room - pros and cons?


Alsmez

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I was just browsing sea + scanner to see if there were any "good" rooms available in our cabin category for our Equinox cruise in February and spotted room 1026, a C3 room on the starboard side. It's a handicapped room and therefore 50% wider than a regular room according to the room info post on this site. It's also a floor up from our original room and closer to the elevators, so I decided to snag it. However, I'm wondering if having a handicapped room is asking for trouble - i.e., will we be asked/forced to give it up if a handicapped person needs it? I don't mind giving it up for someone who needs it, but I would at least like to have some control over where the new room would be, etc. Anyone have any experience with this?

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I was just browsing sea + scanner to see if there were any "good" rooms available in our cabin category for our Equinox cruise in February and spotted room 1026, a C3 room on the starboard side. It's a handicapped room and therefore 50% wider than a regular room according to the room info post on this site. It's also a floor up from our original room and closer to the elevators, so I decided to snag it. However, I'm wondering if having a handicapped room is asking for trouble - i.e., will we be asked/forced to give it up if a handicapped person needs it? I don't mind giving it up for someone who needs it, but I would at least like to have some control over where the new room would be, etc. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

This may not be what you want to hear but it is really wrong of you to snag this cabin for the extra space. It is naive to justify this by saying you are willing to be bumped for a handicapped person because the cruiseline will assume you are handicapped if booking this cabin and should be asking you to fill out a form describing the nature of your special needs. Meanwhile you are depriving someone who needs that room of handicapped accomodations. Be grateful you are able bodied, can cruise concierge class rather than selfishly ask if you are asking for trouble. What you are doing is causing trouble for the handicapped. If the cabin is still poem just a few weeks before sailing then try to snag it if you must

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I was just browsing sea + scanner to see if there were any "good" rooms available in our cabin category for our Equinox cruise in February and spotted room 1026, a C3 room on the starboard side. It's a handicapped room and therefore 50% wider than a regular room according to the room info post on this site. It's also a floor up from our original room and closer to the elevators, so I decided to snag it. However, I'm wondering if having a handicapped room is asking for trouble - i.e., will we be asked/forced to give it up if a handicapped person needs it? I don't mind giving it up for someone who needs it, but I would at least like to have some control over where the new room would be, etc. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

Well, I have experience with handicap cabins because I need such a cabin if I'm going to cruise at all. Because there are usually fewer than 20 on any given cruise ship (and the older the ship the fewer there are), I generally have to book cruise and cabin 8 months or more "out" from sail date to ensure that I get one..or I can't cruise. So I'm not able to "choose"...I'm "stuck with" whatever is available.

 

You may -- or may not -- be asked to move. If you are, it would be to a cabin in that same category (but "regular", meaning having less space, and a step up into the shower, meaning you won't flood your room every time you shower, which happens often in a handicap-accessible cabin. Or you may get a cabin with a tub.)

 

Generally, though, even if you do "flag" your reservation to indicate that you'd be willing to move, it is highly unlikely that you'll be asked to.

 

There is a law that has been passed just today to restrict cruise lines from booking these cabins to non-handicapped individuals like yourself..but if you really are committed to "snagging" this, you might call and see if it's available.

 

Now, if this were 60 days or less from when the cruise was to set sail, it wouldn't be an issue. If the cabin were still available, you could grab it without guilt.

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I'm wondering if having a handicapped room is asking for trouble - i.e., will we be asked/forced to give it up if a handicapped person needs it? I don't mind giving it up for someone who needs it, but I would at least like to have some control over where the new room would be, etc. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

If you are not handicapped, yes, up to a certain time, I believe you can be asked to prove your need for the accessible room. If you really want to hand pick your room, to avoid losing that control, just pick another room and stick with it. As you are waiting to see if you are indeed asked to change, the "good" rooms are going....going .....

 

Obviously a lot depends on how far out you are booking. After final payment is due, I might feel less guilty. But personally the extra width and the arrangement in the bathroom wouldn't be worth ithe "snag" to me.

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So inappropriate to bok a HC Cabin if not needed . Since you are obviously do not require handicap accomodations and the cruise is still four months out, it was totally inconsiderate of you to book this cabin. Now of course if it's was a few weeks from sailing it would be acceptable to have snagged the cabin.

 

By the way I am a person that needs a handicap cabin. Before becoming disabled I would never have been so inconsiderate to book a HC cabin. Hope you never actually need a HC cabin at some point in your life and unable to book it because some ablebody person wanted the extra space. The extra space is for the scooter, wheelchair and other equipment that one being disabled has to travel with and use daily.

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While the cabin is larger, it's set up for wheelchair access....so it will have lots of empty space, grab bars, etc....that go along with what disabled folks need.

 

We've been given HC rooms in hotels without needing or requesting them...I find them uncomfortable, since it's not really FOR able-bodied folks!

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So inappropriate to bok a HC Cabin if not needed . Since you are obviously do not require handicap accomodations and the cruise is still four months out, it was totally inconsiderate of you to book this cabin. Now of course if it's was a few weeks from sailing it would be acceptable to have snagged the cabin.

 

By the way I am a person that needs a handicap cabin. Before becoming disabled I would never have been so inconsiderate to book a HC cabin. Hope you never actually need a HC cabin at some point in your life and unable to book it because some ablebody person wanted the extra space. The extra space is for the scooter, wheelchair and other equipment that one being disabled has to travel with and use daily.

 

Okay - sorry to have offended. I (naively) assumed that X would allow anyone to book these cabins to ensure a full ship but would move people if necessary to accommodate handicapped passengers. I also figured that since we're close to final payment and this cruise has been close to sold out for a while, most people's plans would be fairly set. I'll change my reservation back right away!

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Can you tell us more about this new law? When does it go into effect? Do you have a link to the reading of this new law?

 

 

There is a law that has been passed just today to restrict cruise lines from booking these cabins to non-handicapped individuals like yourself..but if you really are committed to "snagging" this, you might call and see if it's available.

 

Now, if this were 60 days or less from when the cruise was to set sail, it wouldn't be an issue. If the cabin were still available, you could grab it without guilt.

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Okay - sorry to have offended. I (naively) assumed that X would allow anyone to book these cabins to ensure a full ship but would move people if necessary to accommodate handicapped passengers. I also figured that since we're close to final payment and this cruise has been close to sold out for a while, most people's plans would be fairly set. I'll change my reservation back right away!

As the spouse of a Parkinson's sufferer who requires a handicap cabin, we thank you :)

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I think most folks who end up booked in an accessible cabin for various reasons would be willing to give that cabin up if a person with a disability needed it.

 

But, here's the problem. Say that person with a disability is interested in a particular cruise and looks at cabin availability. If they are all booked, it is very unlikely they would even think about contacting the cruise line and asking them to survey passengers in those cabin to see if they have a disability. And just as unlikely that the cruise line would be willing or able to check it out.

 

In the past, many have thought it was fair game after final payment date. However, with the new policies concerning price reductions, it is even more important to not book those cabins so that a person with a disability has a chance to wait for the prices to drop if they so choose. No longer can they book well in advance and be able to get price breaks.

 

I wish the cruise lines would not open those cabins up until 30 days before sailing.

 

Until then, the best advice is to simply not book a HC cabin and that way you know for sure you are not depriving someone who need it.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

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I'm disabled and use a mobility scooter. I recently booked an accessible cabin on Eclipse and I had to fill out a document about my disability, the devices I use and if I require anything supplied by the cruise line such as a shower chair. It has to be faxed in no less than 30 days before the cruise. If you don't fax it in, you could lose the cabin. So yes, you do have to prove, in a way, that you actually NEED the cabin and aren't booking it just for the space. Of course, people could always lie on the form---but Karma is a witch with a B instead of a W.

 

BTW, if an able bodied person books an accessible cabin way out from the sail date, that cabin is out of inventory, period. Even if someone with a REAL need for that cabin calls and asks for it, the booking agents at X only see that it's booked-----there's no indication of who booked it or if they're disabled. The real disabled person is out of luck.

 

Those of us with disabilities have never said that a cruise line can't ever book those cabins, all we ask is that they're not booked more than 60 days out, after final payment. If the cabins are still out there, then have at it.

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A few years back my hubby and I were upgraded to a Handicapped Junior Suite on Royal Caribbean. Neither of us are handicapped but we figured that since it wasn't booked the upgrade fairy decided to treat us. The room was as large as a Grand Suite and the balcony was double the size. The only part that took me a while to get used to was the door that opened automatically when you inserted your room key. The extra space made a 2 week cruise very enjoyable.

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I agree that HC rooms should be for those who need them, and applaud X for requiring a Special Needs form be filled out.

 

It read to me that the OP poster was not only NOT looking to "take" a HC cabin away from someone, but sensitive to that fact!! Kudos to you :)!

 

However there is a point at which X feels that it is time for an unbooked cabin to go into the available pool. Which seems to be the case here as the OP saw it on sea scanner.

 

It does X no good to sail with an empty cabin so, here's my question: when is it okay to "snag" one of the HC open rooms (meaning close to sailing date, not meaning pretending you need it) ?

 

btw - for those who need some assistance, but not a full-out HC room, X's Special Needs dept is very helpful. I'll be traveling in less than two weeks :D with 2 BFFs. One just had a hip replacement and is still using a cane. X is providing a shower stool and a raised toilet seat. There are also wheelchair porters available at embarkation and disembarkation so she won't have to stand in line.

 

Sara

 

This may not be what you want to hear but it is really wrong of you to snag this cabin for the extra space. It is naive to justify this by saying you are willing to be bumped for a handicapped person because the cruiseline will assume you are handicapped if booking this cabin and should be asking you to fill out a form describing the nature of your special needs. Meanwhile you are depriving someone who needs that room of handicapped accomodations. Be grateful you are able bodied, can cruise concierge class rather than selfishly ask if you are asking for trouble. What you are doing is causing trouble for the handicapped. If the cabin is still poem just a few weeks before sailing then try to snag it if you must

 

Okay - sorry to have offended. I (naively) assumed that X would allow anyone to book these cabins to ensure a full ship but would move people if necessary to accommodate handicapped passengers. I also figured that since we're close to final payment and this cruise has been close to sold out for a while, most people's plans would be fairly set. I'll change my reservation back right away!
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Okay - sorry to have offended. I (naively) assumed that X would allow anyone to book these cabins to ensure a full ship but would move people if necessary to accommodate handicapped passengers. I also figured that since we're close to final payment and this cruise has been close to sold out for a while, most people's plans would be fairly set. I'll change my reservation back right away!

 

Yes, Able bodied people booking HC cabins really offends us that need them to be able to cruise. Able bodied people are very "naive" when it comes to disabled issues. No cruise line moves AB out of HC cabins. Until Final Payment booking of Handicapped cabins are on the honor system. Which means if you don't need the HC cabin DON'T book one.

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We booked an inside guarantee for a Nov. 17 mini on Eclipse and 2 weeks ago they gave us an inside handicapped room. I thot it was odd as we never requested this and obviously with 30 days left to sailing they had a reason for doing this. We doing a b2b and moving up to a hump C2 on the 20th. It's not even the same floor so who knows what X is up to. I just hope no one thinks that we requested this.

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We have just booked two cabins for our next cruise (On IOS) however one of the cabins is for my MIL who is disabled.

 

We were lucky enough to get two cabins opposite each other but for the disabled one we had to prove that we were entitled to use of the disabled cabin. There is a form that has to be completed and returned to the TA/Cruise line confirming the disability.

 

It was intimated that if you booked one of these you would basically have no rights if a disabled person came along, you would be moved even if it was to a smaller or lesser graded cabin.

 

I would show no sympathy to anyone who tried to abuse this facility to the detriment of the disabled passenger who then has to struggle in another type of cabin

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I agree that HC rooms should be for those who need them, and applaud X for requiring a Special Needs form be filled out.

 

It read to me that the OP poster was not only NOT looking to "take" a HC cabin away from someone, but sensitive to that fact!! Kudos to you :)!

 

However there is a point at which X feels that it is time for an unbooked cabin to go into the available pool. Which seems to be the case here as the OP saw it on sea scanner.

 

It does X no good to sail with an empty cabin so, here's my question: when is it okay to "snag" one of the HC open rooms (meaning close to sailing date, not meaning pretending you need it) ?

 

btw - for those who need some assistance, but not a full-out HC room, X's Special Needs dept is very helpful. I'll be traveling in less than two weeks :D with 2 BFFs. One just had a hip replacement and is still using a cane. X is providing a shower stool and a raised toilet seat. There are also wheelchair porters available at embarkation and disembarkation so she won't have to stand in line.

 

Sara

 

I think that if cruise lines held HC cabins until final payment is due, generally 60 days "out" from sailing, and then released them to be booked..

 

or assigned them to those that booked a "cabin guarantee" when they assign such cabins (again, that's usually 60 days or less from time of sailing), that would satisfy at least some of us in the disabled community.

 

And of course it would be nice if there were more such cabins, in more categories! But that's probably wishful thinking.

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Okay - sorry to have offended. I (naively) assumed that X would allow anyone to book these cabins to ensure a full ship but would move people if necessary to accommodate handicapped passengers. !

 

and what happens if a handicapped person wants to book, but the ship is full and you have the HC cabin?

 

Then that handicapped person must go without his cruise.

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I have a friend who has MS and is in a wheelchair - they were considering cruising with us so we asked X open an option for a cabin for her. Here in Germany X insisted on a Doctors Certificate BEFORE even requesting such a cabin in Miami. This annoyed my friend to such an extent that she decided not to come cruising. This wasn't because she wasn't willing to comply once they were sure to get one of those cabin - she just wasn't willing to get harressed before hand especially knowing that in the US fellow passengers are certainly not hassased in the same way.

 

So consider yourselves lucky you only have to comply with the the letter sometime during the booking process.

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We were one booked into a handicapped cabin by our TA. We asked for a switch --- partly because we knew we shouldn't be keeping it from a handicapped person, but it also had some drawbacks. The shower was wheel-in, and all reports online were that it flooded the bathroom every time. Also, there was no sofa or chair in the cabin (as there was in all the non-handicapped cabins) to allow for wheelchair mobility, but we would rather have a sitting area than more room. Anyway, to the OP, sometimes you are better off in a regular cabin, ethics aside.

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I have a friend who has MS and is in a wheelchair - they were considering cruising with us so we asked X open an option for a cabin for her. Here in Germany X insisted on a Doctors Certificate BEFORE even requesting such a cabin in Miami. This annoyed my friend to such an extent that she decided not to come cruising. This wasn't because she wasn't willing to comply once they were sure to get one of those cabin - she just wasn't willing to get harressed before hand especially knowing that in the US fellow passengers are certainly not hassased in the same way.

 

So consider yourselves lucky you only have to comply with the the letter sometime during the booking process.

 

I actually wouldn't mind if they DID hassle me before I could book a handicap-accessible cabin! I know it's against the law as it is now written, but I'm fine with telling them that I need a wheelchair for mobility, and fine with getting a doctor's letter to back that up. In fact, when I've cruised on NCL, Carnival and Hurtigruten, I have in fact had to provide those before they would confirm my reservation. I've not cruised on Celebrity so don't know their policy, though.

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We were one booked into a handicapped cabin by our TA. We asked for a switch --- partly because we knew we shouldn't be keeping it from a handicapped person, but it also had some drawbacks. The shower was wheel-in, and all reports online were that it flooded the bathroom every time. Also, there was no sofa or chair in the cabin (as there was in all the non-handicapped cabins) to allow for wheelchair mobility, but we would rather have a sitting area than more room. Anyway, to the OP, sometimes you are better off in a regular cabin, ethics aside.

 

 

 

That's just not true.

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