Handicap boarding procedures

We cruised as a party of 4 with my grandmother who had limited mobility. They separated our party, and allowed one member of our group to accompany her through priority check in and boarding while the others of us had to wait in the standard check in line. I understood why, because people do take advantage for priority boarding, but it was a bit of an inconvenience for them to get to hurry through and then have to just go sit and wait for us. Yes, they could have continued on without us, but my grandmother insisted on waiting for us so that we could experience the beginning of vacation together! I will probably purchase FTTF next time so that those of us who weren't allowed to accompany her will have an alternate reason to be whisked through a faster line as well.

They have changed boarding procedures. Now, those who previously boarded in the "Special Needs " group board with their normal boarding zone. No more priority boarding for handicapped.

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My DH has mobility issues. We notify Special Needs but when we get to the terminal we let the first CCL employee we see know he needs boarding wheelchair assistance. A staff member will assist with a wheelchair belonging to the cruise line. They will take he and I to a table for check-in and then to an area to wait our turn for assisted boarding. We've found it not to be any faster to board than unassisted. There are normally a limited number of wheelchairs and staff from the ship as pushers ... BUT ... we don't complain because without the help boarding and disembarking he wouldn't be able to cruise.:) Tip your pusher :D

This.... In galveston the wheelchairs will go through the priority line. Only those in the cabin will go with the person. Everyone needs to have their own boarding pass and documents. There are places you can wait after check-in right before going through security for everyone else to get checked in

Special Needs at Sea is awesome. My mother uses a power chair and my father is 84 years old. On our cruise this past summer, we got to the terminal. My mother had her own manual wheelchair and we had requested one for my father for boarding. They were whisked to a separate line and up a separate elevator and were pushed on board before the Diamond people. We rented a power chair from SNAS for my mom, and it was charged up and waiting in her cabin. The cruise line will help you out a lot. If anyone in your party uses a CPAP machine, the line will also provide distilled water for it.

Regarding the step into the bathroom: it is not at all like getting into a car. I have been able to drive since March but I'm still not cleared to get into a tub and have been practicing a LOT in physical therapy to step over 8" barriers (specifically because of the lip to get onto the balcony.) Do not assume that any task is connected to the car thing; cars are really supportive and cushioned and there a gazillion things to hold onto and honestly it's more like "falling with style" than anything else.

Anyway, at least get a modified accessible stateroom. You can do well on a cruise without going onto the balcony, but risking a fall every time you have to pee is completely not OK.

Our experience from April on the Pride. We had Faster to the Fun. Went in the doorway for FTTF and found told them we had requested wheelchairs (we had two in our party requiring them). They brought them and stayed with us through check in. Then took us to the waiting area and dropped us off there taking the wheelchairs with them. Then we waited until almost the entire room was boarded for the wheelchairs to come back for our party. We did not go up the main ramp, but were boarded through the lower level of the ship and onto the elevators up to the Atrium deck 3. At that point two of us went up to our cabins and got the mobility scooters for our party and brought them down to the atrium. That was how it worked for us. Both our people walk with canes, one with bad knees and one with Parkinson's. We had a regular cabin not handicapped and the scooter fit (barely) through the doorway. One had a regular scooter, one the next larger one. (Pride Go Go, and Pride Victory as I recall)

At check-in, I've seen port staff pulling folks out of the regular line if they have a cane or crutches or a walker. They are escorted to the special checkin area and get assisted boarding as quickly as wheelchairs become available.

I can speak from personal experience that this is true. On our spring Vista cruise, I was on crutches for the cruise. As I crutched up to the terminal, a porter saw me, and came running over with a wheelchair. From there, we were expedited through the terminal. I did not get to keep the wheelchair on the ship, but we did borrow one for a few days. NOTE--our whole party (2 cabins) was expedited, not just me. Perhaps because 4 of the 6 of us were Platinum?

Be Aware--that if you do board in this manner, you will bypass the embarkation photo. For us, that photo is always a must-have! So, we opted to take one on the pool deck once onboard.

Also, for the muster drill, a crew member approached me after seeing me crutches, and took down my name/cabin # so that they could be aware that I would need assistance in the event of an emergency. They also allowed me to take the elevator after the drill was over.

All of this happened without me needing to contact Special Needs.

CeleBrat

Question for those who have used scooters and wheelchairs before. How do you get off in port? They obviously don't fit down the normal way you walk off. Just curious because my aunt will have a scooter when we go in March.

Question for those who have used scooters and wheelchairs before. How do you get off in port? They obviously don't fit down the normal way you walk off. Just curious because my aunt will have a scooter when we go in March.

We were on the Conquest last week. Son was in a wheelchair. We used the usual gangway. Carnival personnel pushed them on and off each time.

We did have an incident at HMC but I think it was just isolated.

We did notify Special Needs before the cruise

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Question for those who have used scooters and wheelchairs before. How do you get off in port? They obviously don't fit down the normal way you walk off. Just curious because my aunt will have a scooter when we go in March.

DH just rides his scooter off the ship. We have never had any issues, except people who start down the gangway and then suddenly decide that they need to stop and be in the way ;p

At check-in, I've seen port staff pulling folks out of the regular line if they have a cane or crutches or a walker. They are escorted to the special checkin area and get assisted boarding as quickly as wheelchairs become available.

"become available" is the key here since there are normally only 3 or so pushers on any given day and you must wait your turn. :)

NOTE--our whole party (2 cabins) was expedited, not just me. Perhaps because 4 of the 6 of us were Platinum?

CeleBrat

Yes because they normally only allow one person to accompany the pusher/wheelchair onto the ship.

Regarding someone with a handicap that cannot stand for long .......

On ships where muster drill is held out on the deck you can go to guest services as soon as you board and ask about the alternative location for muster for handicapped. It's held inside and they can sit. Again, one person can accompany the handicapped person.

This is one reason I have my TA notify Special Needs thatDH needs assistance just to be sure we're on a "list" as verification.