RCL wheelchair cruise pics, information and opinions needed

Hi Everyone,

I am working on a new web site that will initially cover wheelchair cruising on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. It will include Port information that will be helpful to those cruising on other lines as well. I hope to give as much detail as I can about accessible staterooms on RCL ships as well as other cruise accessibility information.

This is a labor of love and I am the web designer, researcher, graphics artist and writer so be patient the site should be up and running sometime in early 2005.

I would like the following help please (I am limited to RCL to start):

1) What information about staterooms, ports, and ships would you like to see included?

2) Do you have pictures of accessible staterooms on RCL ships or other RCL ship pictures that you are willing to allow me to use on my site?

3) Do you have trip reviews of cruises on RCL with a wheelchair accessible theme that you are willing to allow me to use on my site?

4) Do you have wheelchair accessibility information about RCL ship's or Ports you can share with me?

If you would like to share any of the above with me my email address is Rtravel@aol.com

Thanks so much for your help and input.

Jean

Great idea! I will be looking forward to seeing your project get underway. I think that this should be very useful to a great many people. Kudos to you for doing this.

What I would most like to see is information on shore transportation for electric scooters and wheelchairs in ports outside of the United States.

I have the name and phone number for a ramp equipped van for two wheelchairs and 7 ambulatory persons in Puerto Vallarta:

Luis Monteon brianchicompany@hotmail.com

telephone: 322-222-0395 cell phone: 044-322-205-8265

I am attempting to get the addresses for drivers in Ensenada and Mazatlan as I understand they now have at least one ADA van in each city. If I am able to procure these, I will let you know.

The width of the corridors is also nice to know. For example, the corridors on the Legend are probably 49"-50", wide enough for a 25" wide scooter to pass the laundry carts which are constantly in the corridors. The corridors on the Brillance are probably 47"-48", not wide enough for a 25" wide scooter to pass.

Most standard cabins have 23" doors; if there are any standard cabins with doors wide enough for a 25" scooter it would be useful to know for those times when HC cabins are not available.

How is the manuverability in the Food Courts?

What areas of ship are inccessible?

Electric or manual doors? Weight of manual doors? Ease of use?

Number and location of HC restroooms? In convenient locations?

Evaluation of HC seating in main entertainment theater?

There are many other areas to cover, but this should do for starters.

Hope this is of some use for your project.

Ruth

Ruth,

Thank you so much for your input. It really helps. I will look inot the door width however I believe it is only the Non-accessible Suites that would have doors that are wider then the standard door. Also the hall ways is a great idea too.

Thanks for the Mexico input I will add that to the Ports information.

Jean

Don't know if you can use this info, but here it is if you want it:

In trying to book a handicap cabin for my brother (a leg amputee, in a wheelchair), I found out that there are only 4 handicap cabins on the Monarch of the Seas....9034,9534,2007,2057. (and that the width of the cabin doors are 23 inches)

We are not sailing until mid February, but I will try to make a note of any specific issues/problems he encounters while at the pier or on the ship, and report back to you.

I have to be honest...I've never had to deal with handicap issues before, so travelling with my brother on this trip, I'm sure, will be an eye-opening experience for me.

Mzkitty,

Does your bother have one of the handicap cabins reserved? Surely those four cabins MUST have doors wider than 23"! You will soon discover that when traveling with a scooter or wheelchair the newer ships will be more accessible (1996 or newer).

Please let us know room size and adaptations and how the general accessibility is on the Monarch after your cruise. I considered a cruise on that ship due to a fantastic price, but could not get a HC cabin and my scooter won't fit through the door on a standard cabin.

Enjoy your cruise!

Ruth

Mzkitty,

 

Does your bother have one of the handicap cabins reserved? Surely those four cabins MUST have doors wider than 23"! You will soon discover that when traveling with a scooter or wheelchair the newer ships will be more accessible (1996 or newer).

 

Please let us know room size and adaptations and how the general accessibility is on the Monarch after your cruise. I considered a cruise on that ship due to a fantastic price, but could not get a HC cabin and my scooter won't fit through the door on a standard cabin.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Ruth

There were no handicap rooms available when my brother booked his cabin. So, he is taking his regular wheelchair that he can fold up to get it in the room. He can use his crutches while moving about in the room. Its a shame because he has a really nice motorized chair that would be more more convienent to use. I have requested that he be on a waitlist in case a handicap room becomes available.

Hi I was on Navigator of the Seas. At the time I was there the lift for the pool and hot tub was not working yet a few hours later I seen staff using it for fun. St Thomas has an accessible tour but must be booked thur ship in advance. (this may change).

The upper level of the Dining Room on All Voyager class ships are earier for scooters to handle then the lower level IMO.

Ms. Kity,

Who did you book your cabin with? Have you spoken directly with the wheelchair desk at RCL -not the regular reservation desk. They can really help. 1-800-722-5472 x34492. They are open from 9-5 EST.

If you end up staying in the regular cabin discuss with the wheelchair desks what additional accessibility items can be added to the cabin to make things easier. Example riser for the toilet with bars, a bathtub chair, an extra matress on the bed to raise the height. If they have enough advance notice they will have whatever you need on the ship when you arrive.

Everyone---Thank you for your input, please keep adding.

Thanks

Jean

Ms. Kity,

Who did you book your cabin with? Have you spoken directly with the wheelchair desk at RCL -not the regular reservation desk. They can really help. 1-800-722-5472 x34492. They are open from 9-5 EST.

 

If you end up staying in the regular cabin discuss with the wheelchair desks what additional accessibility items can be added to the cabin to make things easier. Example riser for the toilet with bars, a bathtub chair, an extra matress on the bed to raise the height. If they have enough advance notice they will have whatever you need on the ship when you arrive.

 

 

Everyone---Thank you for your input, please keep adding.

Thanks

Jean

I'll try to make a long story short....I booked this group back in Aug. At the time, I didn't know my brother was even remotely interested in going, so I wasn't concerned about requesting a handicap cabin in my group allottment. So, when my brother decided to join us, I called my group specialist at RCCL and requested a handicap room and I was told there were no handicap rooms available. Then I called the special needs department (thats when I found out that there are only 4 handicap rooms on the Monarch). They told me, yes, one was available, but the price was going to be $180 more than the other inside rooms in my group booking. (If it was a 7 day cruise, that might not have been so bad, but $180 more for a 3 day cruise is a lot.) I was told that it was more expensive because it was a catagory N and that the rates had gone up. (I only had catagory L cabins left in my group allotment), So, my brother has decided to bring his regular wheelchair that can fold to get in the cabin, instead of his electric chair, and he can use his crutches while moving about inside the cabin. Since the ship is pretty much sold out, all I could get for him is a catagory L guarentee and was told that he will more than likely get an upgrade. So, I've made them understand that he is in a wheelchair, and hopefully they will give him a handicap cabin as an upgrade and it won't cost him more for it.

There is more to the story, including my sister-in-law's phobia about staying in a lower deck cabin (the handicap cabin they could have gotten is on deck 2)...LOL She would rather get a cabin higher up on the ship, than get a handicap cabin for my brother. There are two handicap cabins on deck nine, so if they can upgrade him to a handicap cabin, I'm hoping it will be one of those cabins and then they will both be happy. :)

Believe it or not....that was the short story! :D

I'm sailing on the Jewel of the Seas on Saturday. We originally booked a regular balcony cabin. Unfortunately, I was a hurricane casualty and fell off ladder and had a bimalleolar ankle fracture. It was repaired, but I still can not bear weight and spend much of the time in a wheelchair, with crutches for short distances. We still want to take the cruise, but all handicapped cabins are taken. I called the handicapped number at Royal Caribbean and requested a shower chair - I guess I'll just hop around the cabin. I'll be quite a sight getting on board with the wheelchair, walker, crutches, and cane, so I can do my physical therapy in the room. Maybe I'll get lucky and be able to walk some by the end of the cruise. I just hope I don't fall over in the shower - if they don't bring the shower chair I could try to use an upside down garbage can. Any other suggestions?

To be honest, the (non) availibility of a shower chair is not a big problem here; the size (or lack thereof) of the standard shower is. In the standard size shower, there is *no* room to put any type of a shower chair/bench. That said, a lot of people use pool chairs (sitting not lounge kind) for make shift shower chairs (in the roll-in showers in accessible cabins). But they won't fit inside your standard shower. Perhaps you could use one in the bathroom (still a step up) to do some kind of a sponge bath? I know it's not an acceptable alternative, but there truly isn't a *real* alternative to an accessible bathroom.

Candy Harrington

Benita,

I have used a shower bench in a standard shower. It filled the whole space, but by sitting facing the shower entrance, it was manageable. We had to remove it after use so my roommate could shower. Doable, but very close quarters! Hope your ankle heals quickly and have a great time on your cruise.

Ruth

MszKitty,

You might try asking the special needs desk if there is somewhere secure that an electric wheelchair could be charged and stored overnight since you do not have a cabin that will accommodate your chair. You might also ask special needs to verify that the reserved handicapped rooms are actually reserved by individuals that need them. On occasion, a handicap cabin reservation is cancelled and the cabin is accidentally put into the open inventory instead of being held by the special needs desk. Just a thought. I would be amazed if they would upgrade your brother from a standard cabin to a handicap cabin in a higher price range if there was one available when he booked and chose not to take it...but miracles can happen. Good luck.

I have had to pay a higher price for my cabin several times in order to get a handicap cabin. They only have limited numbers in the various price ranges and the different deck.

Ruth

As an alternative to small room showers. Go to the spa and use a shower there. They are larger and you can put a chair in there. , I did this once when my shower did not work. (It was repaired by the time I got back).

MszKitty,

 

You might try asking the special needs desk if there is somewhere secure that an electric wheelchair could be charged and stored overnight since you do not have a cabin that will accommodate your chair. You might also ask special needs to verify that the reserved handicapped rooms are actually reserved by individuals that need them. On occasion, a handicap cabin reservation is cancelled and the cabin is accidentally put into the open inventory instead of being held by the special needs desk. Just a thought. I would be amazed if they would upgrade your brother from a standard cabin to a handicap cabin in a higher price range if there was one available when he booked and chose not to take it...but miracles can happen. Good luck.

 

I have had to pay a higher price for my cabin several times in order to get a handicap cabin. They only have limited numbers in the various price ranges and the different deck.

 

Ruth

Ruth...you helped me more than you know. As you suggested, I called Special Needs Dept to ask about storing his motorized chair (something I hadn't thought of), but ended asking about upgrading from a regular cabin to a handicap cabin.

Here's the situation: My brother was booked in a regular cabin catagory L guarentee. They told me that there is one handicap cabin available in catagory SO (deck 9). So I asked them if they could upgrade him to that cabin. I was told that they couldn't upgrade from an inside to an outside, that they would only upgrade inside to inside, outside to outside. I still had some outside catagory H cabins left in my group allotment and the price difference from the catagory L to a catagory H is only $20 per person more. So, I switched my brother from a catagory L to a catagory H. Then, Special Needs Dept upgraded him from catagory H to the Handicap cabin (#9034) in catagory SO!

Everything has worked out perfect now! My brother has the handicap cabin and he can take his motorized chair (instead of his regular wheelchair). My sister-in-law (with the lower deck phobia...LOL) is on a higher deck. And because he is booked in a Handicap cabin, he also gets priority boarding.

Life is good!

Congratulations on things working out. I wish I could speak highly of the RCCL Special Needs Department. I called last week to see if I could switch to a handicapped cabin and was told they were all booked, but he thought one might become available and he would let me know that afternoon. Never heard from him again. I tried again today and spoke to the supervisor, who said they were booked, but he thought one might be available and he would call me before he left at 5pm. He joked about the previous representative not returning my call and said he would have to do better, since he was the boss.

You guessed it - no phone call - and the desk is now closed. Adding insult to injury, is a poster on the Meet and Mingle board for our trip said she was offered a handicapped cabin yesterday, but turned it down. After 12 cruises with RCCL, this was the first time I needed special help, but all they did was succeed in making me feel like a fool. Oh well, I'll do the best that I can.

Congratulations on things working out. I wish I could speak highly of the RCCL Special Needs Department. I called last week to see if I could switch to a handicapped cabin and was told they were all booked, but he thought one might become available and he would let me know that afternoon. Never heard from him again. I tried again today and spoke to the supervisor, who said they were booked, but he thought one might be available and he would call me before he left at 5pm. He joked about the previous representative not returning my call and said he would have to do better, since he was the boss.

You guessed it - no phone call - and the desk is now closed. Adding insult to injury, is a poster on the Meet and Mingle board for our trip said she was offered a handicapped cabin yesterday, but turned it down. After 12 cruises with RCCL, this was the first time I needed special help, but all they did was succeed in making me feel like a fool. Oh well, I'll do the best that I can.

Benita....Everything I've posted here is the short version. The more detailed versions are that this has taken me several weeks to come to the happy ending I was looking for. I have been told there are no handicap cabins left, then there was one (on deck 2), then none, then today the one I got on deck 9. When I first tried to get him the cabin, I was told I had to book it as a new cabin at the going rates, which was going to cost waaaay more. Then today, I was told all I had to do was put him in a different catagory, and they would upgrade him to the handicap cabin.

What I'm trying to say is...don't give up. It took a lot of phone calls to get what I wanted. Don't expect them to call you back....you need to keep calling them back. Just be very pleasant when you call. The cabins come and go, and its quite possible that the handicap cabin you want will become available.

Msz. Kitty, Thanks for your encouragement and you were right - perseverence pays off. I called back this morning and they had reserved a handicapped stateroom with balcony for me - he forgot to call me back last night and tell me. Oh well, best that I called again, or I never would have found out. Now I am really looking forward to this cruise. I'm bringing my crutches and walker along with the wheelchair - luckily we drive to the pier and am hoping to be able to do some walking by the end of the cruise.

Benita...

I'm glad it worked out for you. No matter who or what I'm dealing with, I am a firm believer in not waiting for the other person to call. If they haven't called back in a reasonable time, I call them. Ya know the old saying, "the squeaky wheel...":)

MszKittt and Benita,

I am so glad that things worked out for you both. I am happy that my suggetions were useful to you. I also picked up a tip from you about asking the travel agent if she has reserved a block of cabins what other categories she might have, so if a HC cabin opens up it might be possible to secure it without much added expense.

Have a great trip.

Ruth

Do they normally charge extra for handicapped cabins? I know they are bigger, but they seem to be given the same catagory as the cabins around them. We had a large balcony stateroom booked catagory D and switched to the handicapped cabin with balcony 2 decks lower, an E3. I was so delighted to get it, I would have paid a premium, but they did not charge me any extra.

Do they normally charge extra for handicapped cabins? I know they are bigger, but they seem to be given the same catagory as the cabins around them. We had a large balcony stateroom booked catagory D and switched to the handicapped cabin with balcony 2 decks lower, an E3. I was so delighted to get it, I would have paid a premium, but they did not charge me any extra.

As far as I know, they don't charge extra for the handicap cabins. The only reason my brother, intially, was going to have to pay so much more is because they were in a catagory that I did not have in my group allottment, and the rates had gone up since then, so he was going to have to pay the current rate.

Like I said, it all worked out in the end for him, so I'm happy..he's happy....everyone is happy! :D

Benita,

No, Handicap cabins are not more expensive. There are HC cabins in different areas of the ship (inside, outside, balcony, suite, etc) They are priced like the others in the same category and on the same deck. In my experience I have found that higher decks are usually more expensive than lower decks. Inside cabins are the least expensive. These HC cabins often go first.

Ruth

Getting back to the original question, I was on the Vision of the Seas to the Mexican Rivera out of LA about a year ago. I have photos and could do a short report for you. Contact me privately.

We had a great time. The handicapped cabin was huge and I could do wheelies in the shower. The balcony was double the size of the others in that catagory and you could wheel right out. There were also loads of handicapped rest rooms all around the ship.

That said - it was a nightmare getting on the elevators and impossible to wheel down the hallways as the linen carts are too wide and are out almost all the time. There are six small elevators in the center, which are almost always full in both directions. I sure learned patience.