In a handicap cabin, but dont need it.

[jonthomas]

Our O rep, got the last B5, French Balcony cabin for us on the Vista sailing for May 1, 2025.

 

We dont need a handicap cabin and feel guilty having one. I am watching the B5 category to see if another french balcony becomes available, but that cat and the one above it B4 is waitlisted, so not likely to come up. 

 

Any thoughts?

[LHT28]

It is  2 yrs away

anything can happen

🍷🥤

[jonthomas]

will keep watching it...

 

anyone in a handicap cabin and didnt need it? 

just doesnt feel right to be in it when someone else may really need it..

[Cruzin Terri]

In looking at that sailing there are plenty of other categories available.  However if you want B5 it is waitlisted.  

As for myself, we ended up with a handicapped cabin on another cruise line once and all I can say is “never again”.

If I were you and you could afford a higher category, I would go for it while they are available.

Terri

[jonthomas]

oh wow...please tell me why never again...

 

now the nearest available is quite a bit more expensive.....

 

I needed to get this done when I first booked...O rep said, handicap mostly like regular....

 

what about people who may need a handicap and we are occupying it...you would think O would not have given it to us without reason....

[LHT28]

 

book another category that is open   & relax

[jonthomas]

much more expensive....2000 pp CAD more....

 

the whole idea booking when it first came out is to get lowest rate...now it has all gone up, as it should...

 

maybe O will need handicap cabin for someone else....

 

anyone have that happen to them?

[Cruzin Terri]

34 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

oh wow...please tell me why never again...

 

now the nearest available is quite a bit more expensive.....

 

I needed to get this done when I first booked...O rep said, handicap mostly like regular....

 

what about people who may need a handicap and we are occupying it...you would think O would not have given it to us without reason....

The handicapped room has a roll in shower that shares the space with he toilet.  No curtain in between.  Now if this is on the Vista, maybe they have made improvements but we do not know because we have not seen any pictures.  However, the ship was built in Fincantieri and that is the way they build the HC cabins. The sink is lower and there are ramps in the room.

O does not care who they sell the cabin to.  If your TA booked it, they sell it. You actually believed the O Rep.  They will sell you anything.   

if you cannot afford the extra money, then cancel or book another sailing. I, for one, would not accept a Handicapped Cabin.  Once burned was enough.

Also, rather than deal with O directly, transfer your booking to a TA and have them work for you.

You may be able to get a better deal.  Do that soon.  You only have 30 days to transfer the booking.

Terri

[jonthomas]

yes I will cancel the sailing...

 

thank you for the description...

 

 

[FetaCheese]

In my opinion, O will likely move or upgrade you to another regular cabin, if a HC cabin is needed.

[jonthomas]

maybe should wait and offer to pay for an upgrade...it is two years away...

 

but I agree with the advice given here, NO way to sail in a handicap unless you need it....

[pinotlover]

Two years is a long time. Lots of opportunities to change cabins, within your cabin category, will occur between now and particularly shortly after the final payment due date. Have patience. Your need to do anything now is ZERO!

[jonthomas]

thank you for your advice...yes will just keep watching...

 

thank you for the description also...no one should take a handicap cabin and deprive someone that really needs it...I am surprised it was so easily given to us, instead of just being put on a wait list for a B5....

[Cruzin Terri]

2 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

thank you for your advice...yes will just keep watching...

 

thank you for the description also...no one should take a handicap cabin and deprive someone that really needs it...I am surprised it was so easily given to us, instead of just being put on a wait list for a B5....

Get yourself a Travel Agent now.  Transfer the booking. they will work for you, not for O.  Do it immediately. All the above are opinions.  If the cruise sells out, you are stuck in that cabin.  I would not leave it to chance.  You MAY get an upgrade or you MAY NOT.  

Terri

Edited April 29, 2023 by Cruzin Terri

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

thank you for your advice...yes will just keep watching...

 

thank you for the description also...no one should take a handicap cabin and deprive someone that really needs it...I am surprised it was so easily given to us, instead of just being put on a wait list for a B5....

Did you book this  as part of  a sale?

 If you were waitlisted  you would not get the sale price

[jonthomas]

yes did that right after booking it with the O rep. 

 

Will appraise the TA  of the situation, but really dont think anything will be done about it, but I could be wrong, it has happened many times before...lol....

[jonthomas]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

Did you book this  as part of  a sale?

 If you were waitlisted  you would not get the sale price

 no sale...booked it when it first came out...

[LHT28]

1 minute ago, jonthomas said:

 no sale...booked it when it first came out...

Why not waitlisty  for another  B5 cabin 

or just sit back & wait  for  a non h/c to come available

Book another category

Cancel the cruise

 I booked a B3  less than 2 wks I got a B5  when I saw one open up I called my TA

 

You have 2 yrs  to watch for openings

[jonthomas]

I just let the TA know to let O know, if anyone needs the handicap cabin.

I am not allowed to waitlist a different cabin in the same cat, I already pursued that. You can only waitlist for a different category. 

Yes will watch for openings, but now the two bottom ones are waitlisted. 

[Pearl64]

We had the same issue when bookings on Vista first opened. We were assigned an HC which we do not need. That was awhile ago. Just in the past month I noticed there were openings in the B5s. I asked my TA to see if we could get a regular cabin. She was able to do that. Our cruise is this August. I am sure after final payment you may find changes. I agree with the waitlist for a regular B5 cabin. Just keep watching it. No need to panic yet.

[jonthomas]

Will keep watching and hope that with time something will come up. The b5 are much coveted, now having a lengthy wait list, b4 has a wait list as well. Maybe once the Vista sails  people will not like the French balcony. Not likely to happen. 

With two years away, a promo may come up and give us a chance to maybe rebook.

Although that too is unlikely with a new ship.

[jonthomas]

The Allura is also coming out.

The Vista won't be the new kid on the block.

 

In any case two years is a long time, anything can happen. I'm glad I put this topic up, as there are others that have been part of this experience and were able to tell me that no way will I want to keep this cabin for myself.

[rbtan]

7 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Our O rep, got the last B5, French Balcony cabin for us on the Vista sailing for May 1, 2025.

 

We dont need a handicap cabin and feel guilty having one. I am watching the B5 category to see if another french balcony becomes available, but that cat and the one above it B4 is waitlisted, so not likely to come up. 

 

Any thoughts?

I would keep it. This happened with us on Cunard in 2012. The cabin was nearly 400 sq. ft. compared to 260 sq ft. If they need it you will be moved.

[TERRIER1]

If O needs the cabin for a handicapped person than they will move you to another cabin. I had the same situation since it was the last cabin left. I told them I was not handicapped and they responded if they need it we would be moved. Unfortunately I had to cancel the cruise so I never experienced the cabin.

[bob brown]

I am in an HC cabin on the Insignia ATW, for the second time.  Both times, it was the only ‘G’ category available when I booked it.  I told ‘O’ that I didn’t need it, but they weren’t concerned.

I also told them I would be happy to be “bumped” to another if someone later needed it, but that never happened.

On other cruise lines, they explicitly state that you must have need to book those, and hold them until maybe 30 days prior to sailing, and even then tell you you will be moved, if someone with need books later.

 

On the ‘R’ class ships, the HC  ‘G’ category cabins are about 50% larger than standard, to allow manoevering space for wheelchairs, and do have roll-in showers, with a curtain instead of a door to separate from the toilet and sink.

They have a larger, and lower sink, and a tilting mirror behind sink.  Wheelchair users can thus get close to sink.  As a result, there is no storage shelves below sink, nor a storage behind mirror, so we hang a shoe bag on the inside of the bathroom door to hold toiletries.

 

The shower also has a fold down seat. The shower area does have a drain surrounding it, but a lot of water splashes out over the entire bathroom floor, unless you are very careful. You still need to wipe the floor after showering.

There is an emergency call pull cord, as well as an extension phone on the wall.

 

Other deficiencies are only a single chair  instead of a sofa (plus a stool under desk/vanity), 

a smaller television, and poorly designed closet sliding doors that easily jam up.

 

On the plus side, the location (of cabin 4034) is ideal…dead center of the ship, close to everything.