Mobility challenged not the same as handicapped??

This has been a wonderfully informative thread. Thank you for all the input. it has been a great help to me. One suggestion I would make to cruise lines re the special needs form to be completed before embarkation. A question to those who have booked an accessible state room but are not wheelchair bound but need the accessible facilities 'would they be willing to give up their accessible cabin to a totally wheelchair bound person if another cabin could be found on the ship to suit their needs'. I would and would prefer that from the off.

 

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Why would a person who isn't wheelchair bound but requires the features of an accessible ( i.e. Zero threshold bathroom entrance, zero threshold shower, fold down shower seat, grab bars in shower as well a by the toilet , raise toilet) have to give up the room for someone who is wheelchair bound ? What you fail to understand is that accessible cabins are not solely designed for the use of someone that is fully wheelchair bound. Most people , whether they're wheelchair bound or not, book an accessible cabin because they require one or more of the features contained in an accessible cabin. If another cabin would have met their needs the individual probably would have considered that option when booking.

If the ship is embarking from a USA, than the law that went into effect on 1/1/2012 by the Department of Transportation states that anyone with a mobility disability or a disability that requires the use of the accessible features that are provided in the cabin can book and accessible cabin. The USA Federal Law does NOT state that accessible cabins must only be booked by wheelchair bound individuals.

...................... Most people , whether they're wheelchair bound or not, book an accessible cabin because they require one or more of the features contained in an accessible cabin. If another cabin would have met their needs the individual probably would have considered that option when booking. .................

I think we're all at risk of a violent agreement on this thread

Wheelchair use doesn't automatically translate to needing an adapted cabin - I'm a case in point and (for the time being) take a normal but larger cabin with room for the chair. On the flip side, there are innumrable less obvious maladies that mean an individual absolutely must have one or more of the attributes of a special cabin. We can all concur on that, surely?

I do have a bit of a bee in my bonnet though about the (hopefully) very rare individuals who work the system to get more floor space to the detriment of people who have a definate need and end up unable to get on a particular sailing.

One example from my own experience - I wheeled past a HC cabin to see exiting it two very generously sized gals who each had a mobility scooter. Later that sea day there was an "around the world" buffet cooking session in one of the main public areas which as might be expected, was very well attended. My missus had to go and get me a plate of goodies, which is pretty much the norm. As for the two big gals, well the scooters were parked up and they had no problem barging and elbowing their way around to pile it high on the plates. Repeatedly. Am I being judgemental? I suspect so. Maybe if the lines were to provide somewhere to store scooters and other larger mobility equipment the pair of them would have been able to manage in a standard cabin.

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I much rather have them parked in the cabins.

we were on one cruise where a guy had a really big scooter, not sure if it was a rental but he was mad that they could not get his scooter thru the door to his cabin

he did not have a accessible cabin booked, not sure why or if there was a mixup, I did talk to him one time during the cruise, he had I think had some unexpected surgery, so he may have had his cabin booked for some time, then much closer in he needed the scooter and maybe he'd rented one too large

anyway, I did see him on his feet a few times, and often people with scooters can walk short distances, but standing for periods is tough, this is what my wife deals with, she even fell in the Terminal in Charleston a couple years ago!

we are cruising in a few weeks sans scooter, sans wheel chair but the ship is smaller, room is large, not accessible, and she is having a shot in her ankle a few days before sailing...... She will be wheelchaired on and off the ship though. Otherwise, we'll take our time. At least this time I hope to be more mobile myself. My back was so out of whack we had to fight each other for the scooter sometimes in May this year.

I have had some med proceedures to help me out. They don't recommend surgery on her ankle because of other issues though. We do have three cruises next year, two short ones on carnival with a standard outside, and one long one on the Oasis, we did an accessible cabin there, the size of the ship, length of cruise were determinant for us. We will do a scooter rental on that one as we did FOS.

The bigger and newer ships seem to have more accessible rooms, and also better designed rooms too, taking into consideration powerchair and scooter space in the rooms.

In making our decisions for next year, we did have to rule out some cruises because the type of accessible cabins that were available, the size of them or location on the ship for the dates. My wife is just now preparing to big her vacation for next year. In some ways is sux to have to plan this far ahead and in others it seems to be a blessing in disguise!

^^ I thought you were not allowed to leave scooters parked in hallways because of SOLAS regulations? I was really surprised, after reading all the posts here, when our steward said he could ask the captain for special permission for me to leave my chair outside the cabin to save me folding it to get it in and out (I'd not have done anyway, in case it was borrowed or stolen, but I worked out very quickly how much of an obstruction the cleaning carts pose, and wouldn't have wanted my chair to pose the same)

As far as booking accessible rooms go - I simply can't afford them. Until such time as I find myself a partner (or can convince a friend that they'd like to come on a cruise with me...) I'm always going to be the third person. It is a lot more difficult physically due to doors, bathroom threshold, etc., but much cheaper sharing even a mini suite with my parents than it is for me to have a HA cabin and then have to pay the single supplement as well... our next cruise I'd have been looking at something in the area of $3.5k for an inside HA cabin for a 2 week cruise, vs $850 as 3rd person in a mini. But I'm lucky I can still manage the few steps out of my chair for that to be an option.

^^ I thought you were not allowed to leave scooters parked in hallways because of SOLAS regulations? I was really surprised, after reading all the posts here, when our steward said he could ask the captain for special permission for me to leave my chair outside the cabin to save me folding it to get it in and out (I'd not have done anyway, in case it was borrowed or stolen, but I worked out very quickly how much of an obstruction the cleaning carts pose, and wouldn't have wanted my chair to pose the same) You are right, it is because of regulations. Perhaps they had some "out of the way" space that they would have been able to put your chair. I'm with you, though, I wouldn't chance it.

 

As far as booking accessible rooms go - I simply can't afford them. Until such time as I find myself a partner (or can convince a friend that they'd like to come on a cruise with me...) I'm always going to be the third person. It is a lot more difficult physically due to doors, bathroom threshold, etc., but much cheaper sharing even a mini suite with my parents than it is for me to have a HA cabin and then have to pay the single supplement as well... our next cruise I'd have been looking at something in the area of $3.5k for an inside HA cabin for a 2 week cruise, vs $850 as 3rd person in a mini. But I'm lucky I can still manage the few steps out of my chair for that to be an option.

Are there not HA suites? Just because it is accessible, doesn't mean that everyone in the cabin has to need those features. Your parents could, of course, be in a HA mini suite (for example) and you would still be paying the 3rd person rate. I suppose the availability on that would all depend on what line you are sailing.

I believe there are some, but they seem pretty limited, even compared with regular HA cabins. Cruises we were looking at that suited us in terms of sailing date and itinerary were with Princess - as far as I could make out from deck plans, there is single accessible mini on each (already booked) and inside accessible cabins only twin share rather than triple or quad. May well be different on other lines, and something we'll look at down the track.

This has been a wonderfully informative thread. A question to those who have booked an accessible state room but are not wheelchair bound but need the accessible facilities 'would they be willing to give up their accessible cabin to a totally wheelchair bound person if another cabin could be found on the ship to suit their needs'.

The reason my son needs an accessible stateroom is because he has an above-knee amputation of one leg. He needs the walk-in shower, the bathroom with no step up for access, the grab bars, and the shower seat.

While it is possible for a shower stool to be supplied and maybe he could bring temporary grab bars (but not if he has to fly internationally), I am not aware of any cruise line that provides either bathrooms without a step up or a walk-in shower, except in accessible cabins. Therefore, I don't think the option applies.

It is just as difficult to find an accessible cabin for him as it is for someone in a wheelchair. Booking early is the only option.

Interesting reading.

I'm just off a cruise, wheelchair bound, booked 3 weeks before departure, no accessible rooms left, booked a normal room with a shower chair.

Had a ball.