Handicapped Facilities on Celebrity Summit

My husband ambulates with a walker and will need a wheelchair to go ashore. We have booked a handicapped oceanview cabin no. 6012 on the Penthouse Deck for the Summit's April 1, 2005 cruise to the Southern Caribbean. We are told it is 381 sq. ft., which sounds quite adequate, and that it has a nicely equipped shower. Has anyone here cruised the Summit in this cabin or a similar one? Would appreciate some comments and suggestions.

Hi Luxana,

I have not cruised on the Summit, but did B2B last fall on the Millie in 6002 on Penthouse. It was a handicapped room and the bathroom was perfect for my husband. There was a pull down cusioned bench and handheld shower. I imagine the Summit will be similar, have you looked at any of the sites that show deck plans or virtual tours? They might be helpful.

Regards,

Shannon

use a motorized wheelchair and shared the cabin with a friend who also uses one. The cabin was large enough for two wheelchairs. The roll-in shower presented a problem for us. It was large, and the drop-down padded seat was at the opposite end of the shower from the hand-held shower controls. If a disabled person has help, this is not a problem. I wasn't about to ask my roommate to help me shower, and found it quite hazardous to reach the controls, especially when the ship was rocking. Do put wet towels on the seat and floor for traction, or you may slip.

Another room feature that even our room attendant wasn't aware of: The clothes rod in the closet lowers if you pull on it. I often pull my clothing off the hanger, and when I did so, the whole clothes rod swung down suddenly and landed in my lap.

We found all areas of the ship to be very accessible except for the pool. We had no desire to use the pool, so I don't know if they have some way of helping a disabled person up and down the steps. In general, the staff and crew were helpful without being patronizing.

Of the islands we visited, only St. Thomas offered a wheelchair accessible excursion. I mean they could transport a person IN a wheelchair. If you can get out of your chair, fold it up and get on a vehicle, then other options are open to you. St. Martaan, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, and St. Thomas have wheelchair accessible shopping areas in walking distance of the dock.

The worst experience we had was in Barbados. The "mall" was a 20 minute walk from the ship, and it was raining. My friend and I traveled down the concrete pier in the wind and rain, while free transport vans sped by us carrying our ablebodied fellow passengers to the shopping area. If you are able to get on the regular transport, you will avoid these problems.

If you have any further questions, post a message, and I'll check back in a couple of days.