In a handicap cabin, but dont need it.

[Woofa]

I have been very hesitant to post in this thread but finally...

I hope that this post will not ignite anyone and that they would first read prior posts of mine and realize I try to have common sense and feelings for others.

 

First let me say that I feel horrible that you had such an experience latitude 22.  Everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect regardless of whether they have a disability.

 

Second let me say that after 125 posts I can tell you I honestly don't know the Oceania policy regarding special cabins for those with a disability requiring a wheelchair or other similar.

This is certainly Oceania's fault as they are not very good at communicating with all of us.

What I seem to believe is that Oceania does provide cabins, at least on some levels which afford greater access for those in need.

I also believe, at least in the OP's case that the particular cabin they reserved (through no knowledge of their own) was the last unreserved cabin in that class.

 

Here is where I don't follow the logic of some of these posts.

Certainly if you are uncomfortable staying in a Handicap Accessible cabin you can cancel. Almost certainly as well this will not ensure the cabin goes to someone with a handicap but rather to the first person on the waiting list.

Here is my main question.

Why does anyone feel that Oceania, or any other business should not sell a cabin, when it is the last one available in its class, and someone is ready to rent it?

They have held the cabin as long as is reasonable.

If a non handicap person has to make a reservation within one hour to get a cabin in a particular class on a particular cruise which is highly in demand then why should not a handicap person be required to do the same?  

Does everyone feel that by virtue of having a handicap you should be able to reserve this room weeks later if no other handicap person decides to reserve it first?  Even while numerous non handicap people join the waitlist?  And if no one needing the cabin applies should they hold it until final payment?  Even leave it empty if no interest at sailing?

 

I have to tell you that over my life of knowing people with a wide variety of handicaps, both friends and family, I don't believe that is the treatment they want or expect.

What I believe I have learned they want is to even the playing field as much as possible so that they can have similar experiences to those without handicaps.

 

Of course I believe that if someone requiring a special cabin called to reserve a room when there were multiple open rooms they should be assigned to that cabin.  I would go even further and say that if a person became handicapped after making the reservation I would like to see the cruise line check and if such a cabin was reserved by someone without a verified need then they should ask if the person would switch cabins. (This deal could be sweetened by some OBC or other perk.)

I don't believe that they could or should force someone to give up that cabin if they booked it in such a way as I described above.

However I also believe that while a small percentage of people out there might try and get a handicap cabin because it is roomier, I honestly believe that percentage is small.

 

It has not been my intention to prolong this thread or get people angry against me for what I consider to be a reasonable take on this situation.  I hope most of you will find it so and that until we get more specific information from Oceania (maybe never,) we can each decide for ourselves if we want that cabin but not ridicule or ostracize those that disagree with us.

 

 

[jonthomas]

Thank you for your thoughtful comments.

If those of us who do not need an accessible cabin, refuse to take them, it would make them more available to those that do.

But first you have to be clear at time of booking  that even if that is the last cabin in the cat, you will not take it. 

That is where I made my mistake. I didn't pay attention to the type of cabin I was given. 

Lesson learned.

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Woofa said:

Why does anyone feel that Oceania, or any other business should not sell a cabin, when it is the last one available in its class, and someone is ready to rent it?

They have held the cabin as long as is reasonable

 

I think the issue is  that the cabin was assigned  when bookings opened   for that  cruise  more than 2 yrs away in 2025

 

My Opinion  they did not hold the cabin  any longer than a few hours  so not a reasonable  amount of time   to give  any person that requires  the h.c cabin to reserve it

Holding until  4 months from sailing seems reasonable to me   then if no one in need requests it  then open it up  GTY & W/l or   for rent

 

Some lines  do not have H/C  cabins in their online inventory    they are held back   & pax have to request a h/c  cabin

 

 

 

[latitude 22]

12 hours ago, Woofa said:

I have been very hesitant to post in this thread but finally...

I hope that this post will not ignite anyone and that they would first read prior posts of mine and realize I try to have common sense and feelings for others.

 

First let me say that I feel horrible that you had such an experience latitude 22.  Everyone should be treated with courtesy and respect regardless of whether they have a disability.

 

Second let me say that after 125 posts I can tell you I honestly don't know the Oceania policy regarding special cabins for those with a disability requiring a wheelchair or other similar.

This is certainly Oceania's fault as they are not very good at communicating with all of us.

What I seem to believe is that Oceania does provide cabins, at least on some levels which afford greater access for those in need.

I also believe, at least in the OP's case that the particular cabin they reserved (through no knowledge of their own) was the last unreserved cabin in that class.

 

Here is where I don't follow the logic of some of these posts.

Certainly if you are uncomfortable staying in a Handicap Accessible cabin you can cancel. Almost certainly as well this will not ensure the cabin goes to someone with a handicap but rather to the first person on the waiting list.

Here is my main question.

Why does anyone feel that Oceania, or any other business should not sell a cabin, when it is the last one available in its class, and someone is ready to rent it?

They have held the cabin as long as is reasonable.

If a non handicap person has to make a reservation within one hour to get a cabin in a particular class on a particular cruise which is highly in demand then why should not a handicap person be required to do the same?  

Does everyone feel that by virtue of having a handicap you should be able to reserve this room weeks later if no other handicap person decides to reserve it first?  Even while numerous non handicap people join the waitlist?  And if no one needing the cabin applies should they hold it until final payment?  Even leave it empty if no interest at sailing?

 

I have to tell you that over my life of knowing people with a wide variety of handicaps, both friends and family, I don't believe that is the treatment they want or expect.

What I believe I have learned they want is to even the playing field as much as possible so that they can have similar experiences to those without handicaps.

 

Of course I believe that if someone requiring a special cabin called to reserve a room when there were multiple open rooms they should be assigned to that cabin.  I would go even further and say that if a person became handicapped after making the reservation I would like to see the cruise line check and if such a cabin was reserved by someone without a verified need then they should ask if the person would switch cabins. (This deal could be sweetened by some OBC or other perk.)

I don't believe that they could or should force someone to give up that cabin if they booked it in such a way as I described above.

However I also believe that while a small percentage of people out there might try and get a handicap cabin because it is roomier, I honestly believe that percentage is small.

 

It has not been my intention to prolong this thread or get people angry against me for what I consider to be a reasonable take on this situation.  I hope most of you will find it so and that until we get more specific information from Oceania (maybe never,) we can each decide for ourselves if we want that cabin but not ridicule or ostracize those that disagree with us.

 

 

 

 

I will respond again later.

 

I think you have some very valid statements based on the perceptions of able bodied person.  

 

LHT28.  gave a great summary, so please take a look at that 

 

[Woofa]

11 hours ago, LHT28 said:

I think the issue is  that the cabin was assigned  when bookings opened   for that  cruise  more than 2 yrs away in 2025

 

My Opinion  they did not hold the cabin  any longer than a few hours  so not a reasonable  amount of time   to give  any person that requires  the h.c cabin to reserve it

Holding until  4 months from sailing seems reasonable to me   then if no one in need requests it  then open it up  GTY & W/l or   for rent

 

Some lines  do not have H/C  cabins in their online inventory    they are held back   & pax have to request a h/c  cabin

 

 

 

My impression, which may be wrong, is that this was the last cabin available in its categorie.  And that further OP was assigned this by Oceania as such.

Agree with your thoughts here.

Look, in a perfect world I would like it if every cabin was Handicap Accessible.  I would also like every bathroom on land to be handicap accessible individual restrooms for one.  Maybe some day we will get there but for now we can just keep working towards that.

[sunlover12]

My take on all of this is that Oceania will not hesitate to sell that accessible cabin if that is the only one available in that cabin category. The cruise industry is a business and that’s just how it is. If a non-handicap person doesn’t want to be in that cabin, book another category. 

We once rented an apartment for a one year lease in the downtown area of a large US city where the housing market was tight. The only apartment they had available was an accessible one. We would have preferred not to be in that one but we took it and the apartment complex did not hesitate to rent it to us. 

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Woofa said:

My impression, which may be wrong, is that this was the last cabin available in its categorie.  And that further OP was assigned this by Oceania as such.

 

Yes that is  what JONTHOMAS  said  but it was  when the new bookings opened   but  they never looked  at the cabin assigned until later

 Most people would check  the location of the cabin assignment  when they get it ...I know I do as I like to know  where  I am sleeping

 

their cruise is May 1st 2025   

 

 Opening day  must be  a nightmare  for TA's  & O staff    hundreds of people wanting the same cabin or cabin Category 

 

[latitude 22]

2 hours ago, sunlover12 said:

My take on all of this is that Oceania will not hesitate to sell that accessible cabin if that is the only one available in that cabin category. The cruise industry is a business and that’s just how it is. If a non-handicap person doesn’t want to be in that cabin, book another category. 

We once rented an apartment for a one year lease in the downtown area of a large US city where the housing market was tight. The only apartment they had available was an accessible one. We would have preferred not to be in that one but we took it and the apartment complex did not hesitate to rent it to us. 

 

oh that is so sad that it was out of inventory for a whole year, but honestly I’m not surprised with that. 

It is a daily challenge to receiving just the basics ….

parking at a grocery store to get food to eat can be impossible, people leave carts in the cross hatch so i can’t open the door, the delivery trucks block the curb ramps in front of businesses.

 

i can be waiting for an elevator and people will cut me off or run in front of me to get in instead of 1st come 1st serve and i end up have to wait and we know how long elevators can take. 

 

Accesing medicines such Hydroxchloroquine to keep my disease under control so i can get out of bed was hoarded by almost every medical establishment and healthy person because they thought it would cure covid. Lupus and RA patients who are the only people it helps were left to suffer debilitating affects for almost a year before there wasn’t enough consistent stock while able bodied people just threw it away when they realized it wouldn’t work for them

 

That’s just a few of the basics, I’ve got a list that’s pages long.

 

Then there is Travel which we are discussing here

this is considered not a basic life need, but an extra and is soooo hard to advocate for because many 

companies would prefer you don’t travel with them for obvious reasons they just won’t say it, but they will make it difficult, 

 

I don’t believe in entitlement I just want a more equal playing field so a business

can make a profit but at the sametime they make every effort with checks and balances that 

accessible cabins go to the people that need them. 

[jonthomas]

As an update.

 

I was able to speak to someone in Customer service. 

 

She was able to do what the O rep said could not be done. 

 

She put us on the wait list in the same category that we are in, B5 and sent a notice to our TA to that effect.

I am grateful for that and hope that in the two years a regular cabin in that cat comes up.

 

As an aside, I was quite surprised at the number of emails I have gotten from people who say they would be very happy to be in an accessible cabin even though they dont need it, since it is almost twice the size.

 

Guess nothing should surprise me. 

 

 

 

 

[pinotlover]

42 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

 

Guess nothing should surprise me. 

 

 

 

 

Or that people make the reservation deposit/payment without first reading the invoice ! 

 

Or don’t listen to CD announcements, Destination Services announcements, or ever read the Currents while onboard.

 

Little indeed should surprise people anymore.

 

I’m happy this worked out well for you. You should have little problem finding a cabin that opens up.

Edited May 8, 2023 by pinotlover