New rules for wheelchair users

[sandancer]

Just been told by the future cruise desk on Iona that if you are bringing a wheelchair with you, you can only book an adapted cabin in future. I explained that we have a further 3 cruises booked and her response was to tell us to contact our TA as we would be refused boarding. Apparently it’s now Maritime Law and comes into force this April. We are stunned to say the least. Anyone else heard anything about this.? 

[Selbourne]

If true (let’s hope that the lady on Iona has misunderstood), this would be extremely bad news on several fronts. People like yourselves, who can presumably use a standard cabin and fold the wheelchair inside the cabin when not needed, would suddenly find your choice of cabins reduced by about 95%, and those of us who can only cruise in an adapted cabin due to full time wheelchair use or the need to store a scooter inside will suddenly have a load more ‘competition’ to secure the relatively few adapted cabins. 
 

Two of the four P&O cruises that we’ve been on over the last year were booked after balance due date at considerable savings and a policy change such as this would make that nigh on impossible. Let’s hope that this isn’t true. In our case, if we can’t get an adapted cabin we simply cannot cruise. 

[daiB]

4 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

If true (let’s hope that the lady on Iona has misunderstood), this would be extremely bad news on several fronts. People like yourselves, who can presumably use a standard cabin and fold the wheelchair inside the cabin when not needed, would suddenly find your choice of cabins reduced by about 95%, and those of us who can only cruise in an adapted cabin due to full time wheelchair use or the need to store a scooter inside will suddenly have a load more ‘competition’ to secure the relatively few adapted cabins. 
 

Two of the four P&O cruises that we’ve been on over the last year were booked after balance due date at considerable savings and a policy change such as this would make that nigh on impossible. Let’s hope that this isn’t true. In our case, if we can’t get an adapted cabin we simply cannot cruise. 

I would hope this is a misunderstanding on behalf of the Iona staff. If it were true then there would have been far more publicity about it.  Wouldn’t there. ????

[daiB]

32 minutes ago, sandancer said:

Just been told by the future cruise desk on Iona that if you are bringing a wheelchair with you, you can only book an adapted cabin in future. I explained that we have a further 3 cruises booked and her response was to tell us to contact our TA as we would be refused boarding. Apparently it’s now Maritime Law and comes into force this April. We are stunned to say the least. Anyone else heard anything about this.? 

Hi from north of the river, this is what the P&O website says and it looks new.

 

Any guest who is a full-time wheelchair or mobility scooter user or requires the use of their device inside their cabin, must be booked into an accessible cabin, selected Suites or Mini-suites that provide the space and features required to suit guest’s needs. If you tell us (on your on-board needs questionnaire) that you will be bringing mobility equipment and the cabin you have chosen is not a fully accessible cabin or selected Suite or Mini-suite, there may be insufficient room to manoeuvre your mobility aid. Therefore, we may need to contact you to discuss other cabin options.

 

This is defiantly a change and refers to those who need to move around the cabin using their chair. Perhaps this is what the sales person has seen and has got it wrong?? However if you need the chair in the cabin you would need an adapted cabin anyway.

 

Dai

[sandancer]

Exactly my thoughts. I asked her why this has never been brought up before as we have completed assistance forms for all 3 cruises. I thought maybe it only applied to motorised wheelchairs but my husband was sitting right in front of her in his folding wheelchair. We told her that he can move around the cabin without the chair. The chair or rollator (we bring both) are essential for moving around the ship. 

Edited March 14 by sandancer

[Selbourne]

22 minutes ago, daiB said:

I would hope this is a misunderstanding on behalf of the Iona staff. If it were true then there would have been far more publicity about it.  Wouldn’t there. ????

Yes, I would think so too, especially given how far out cruises are sold and if the change is effective from April.

 

The extract you have posted makes it clear that the need for an accessible cabin would only apply to a manual wheelchair user if they need to use it to move around within the cabin. If this is not the case (which I believe may be @sandancer situation) then an accessible cabin is not required. That would not be a policy change as far as I know.
 

Might be worth a repeat visit to the future cruise desk with the extract from the website, stressing that the wheelchair is not needed within the cabin. 

[sandancer]

Our very efficient travel agent has replied and is sure the agent is incorrect. Not going to bother now with another new booking. As long as we are able to carry on with our existing bookings we will be satisfied. We will want something in

writing from P&O confirming that we will not be refused boarding. 
The agent swears this is not an action taken by P&O but a new maritime law. 

[solentsam]

hi yes I agree with the other posters on here accessible cabins are for those who need a wheelchair to move around the cabin. I have just re-booked this week for 2025 after our Iona cruise has been cancelled due a refit. I told the P&0 lady we are bringing a wheel chair for my wife and she asked if we need an accessible cabin I said no a standard cabin would be fine. she ask all the questions does your wheelchair fold up Yes.  does she need it to move around the the cabin so I said no she only needs it to walk longer distances. so Ok then we can book a standard cabin. no mention of any new laws.

Edited March 14 by solentsam

[sandancer]

If it is only a folding wheelchair then you should be fine. If, like us you also have a rollator which is the same size as the wheelchair then a de luxe cabin is the least size we can manage comfortably. 
We were refused by the P&O agent to book anything other than an adapted cabin. Perhaps some training is in order. 

Edited March 14 by sandancer

[daiB]

16 minutes ago, solentsam said:

hi yes I agree with the other posters on here accessible cabins are for those who need a wheelchair to move around the cabin. I have just re-booked this week for 2025 after our Iona cruise has been cancelled due a refit. I told the P&0 lady we are bringing a wheel chair for my wife and she asked if we need an accessible cabin I said no a standard cabin would be fine. she ask all the questions does your wheelchair fold up Yes.  does she need it to move around the the cabin so I said no she only needs it to walk longer distances. so Ok then we can book a standard cabin. no mention of any new laws.

That sound exactly right the Iona lady needs retraining. 

[solentsam]

Just a quick add to the conversation with P&O she did say I need to check if a evacuation chair is available because will need one she checked then said thats OK for us. so that may be the change in the laws that only a certain number are available for each ship.

[TigerB]

1 hour ago, daiB said:

Hi from north of the river, this is what the P&O website says and it looks new.

 

Any guest who is a full-time wheelchair or mobility scooter user or requires the use of their device inside their cabin, must be booked into an accessible cabin, selected Suites or Mini-suites that provide the space and features required to suit guest’s needs. If you tell us (on your on-board needs questionnaire) that you will be bringing mobility equipment and the cabin you have chosen is not a fully accessible cabin or selected Suite or Mini-suite, there may be insufficient room to manoeuvre your mobility aid. Therefore, we may need to contact you to discuss other cabin options.

 

This is defiantly a change and refers to those who need to move around the cabin using their chair. Perhaps this is what the sales person has seen and has got it wrong?? However if you need the chair in the cabin you would need an adapted cabin anyway.

 

Dai

 

To the best of my recollection, this statement, or a version of it, was first published in 2022, after Iona had been sailing for about a year, and they discovered that the accessible inside cabins were not suitable for all wheelchair and scooter users; thus they reclassified them, and the same cabins on the yet to sail Arvia, as partially accessible.  Around the same time were were contacted directly by P&O to tell us that the inside cabin we had booked on Arvia for January 2023 would not be suitable for our lass's power chair; we were given the opportunity to cancel or pay a lot more for a bigger cabin. Undeterred, I requested the specifications of the cabin, with the most relevant measurements being those of the entrance, the bathroom, and between the bed and the walls or fixed furniture.

 

I take issue with P&O still stating carte blanche that the partially accessible cabins are only suitable for manual mobility equipment, without clarifying that, under certain circumstances, they are fine for power chairs and some small mobility scooters. Each time we have booked such a cabin we go through the same rigmarole of receiving an email to say it's not suitable for us, and giving us the option to book another cabin, and me emailing them back to say, "oh yes it is".

 

 

To reassure those who are considering booking a partially accessible cabin on Iona or Arvia, and have a power chair or small scooter, and can offer this information...

The mains doors and bathroom doors are exactly the same size as with fully accessible cabins.

The bathrooms are exactly the same size and of the same layout as those in fully accessible cabins.

Our lass's power chair is 62cm wide and, with the footrest down, is 82cm long. Providing we have the bed in a queen configuration, she has no problem whatsoever moving it around the cabin, or, with forward and backward movements only, between either side of the bed and the walls.

 

 

[TigerB]

24 minutes ago, sandancer said:

If it is only a folding wheelchair then you should be fine. If, like us you also have a rollator which is the same size as the wheelchair then a de luxe cabin is the least size we can manage comfortably. 
We were refused by the P&O agent to book anything other than an adapted cabin. Perhaps some training is in order. 

 

As per my last post, and photos I have previously published, you could probably get away with a partially accessible cabin, providing the rollator isn't really wide.

Yes, the agent you spoke to misadvised you.

[TigerB]

9 minutes ago, solentsam said:

Just a quick add to the conversation with P&O she did say I need to check if a evacuation chair is available because will need one she checked then said thats OK for us. so that may be the change in the laws that only a certain number are available for each ship.

 

That shouldn't come in to it. Many users of partially accessible cabins may be able to get around them okay, but may not be able to use stairs at all. Therefore, at least one evacuation chair should be assigned to a group of cabins that will also include partially accessible ones.  So, the agent you had dealings with was also probably insufficiently trained.

[solentsam]

10 minutes ago, TigerB said:

That shouldn't come in to it. Many users of partially accessible cabins may be able to get around them okay, but may not be able to use stairs at all. Therefore, at least one evacuation chair should be assigned to a group of cabins that will also include partially accessible ones.  So, the agent you had dealings with was also probably insufficiently trained.

The original poster was talking about standard cabins, so was I. so i agree with you but what about all the standard cabin users who may use a wheelchair and not handle stairs?

Edited March 14 by solentsam

[TigerB]

14 minutes ago, solentsam said:

The original poster was talking about standard cabins, so was I. so i agree with you but what about all the standard cabin users who may use a wheelchair and not handle stairs?

 

Sorry, I misunderstood. 

I'm not sure.  I would hazard a guess that the evacuation chairs would be located near to blocks of accessible cabins, but I can't see any reason why, when required, they cannot be moved to anywhere on the ship; they do have wheels on them.

It would be unfair if anyone was told they could not have a specific cabin because an evacuation chair may not be available.

 

[solentsam]

12 minutes ago, TigerB said:

Sorry, I misunderstood. 

I'm not sure.  I would hazard a guess that the evacuation chairs would be located near to blocks of accessible cabins, but I can't see any reason why, when required, they cannot be moved to anywhere on the ship; they do have wheels on them.

It would be unfair if anyone was told they could not have a specific cabin because an evacuation chair may not be availab

I think the same as you, but what if new rules "heath and safety" say you can have only so many on each deck to use them. I dont know just putting it out there.

[grapau27]

18 minutes ago, TigerB said:

 

Sorry, I misunderstood. 

I'm not sure.  I would hazard a guess that the evacuation chairs would be located near to blocks of accessible cabins, but I can't see any reason why, when required, they cannot be moved to anywhere on the ship; they do have wheels on them.

It would be unfair if anyone was told they could not have a specific cabin because an evacuation chair may not be available.

 

When booking our last few P&O cruises my TA specifically asked if we had any disabilities.

On Iona in November and January I came across a few wheelchairs left outside cabins on a regular basis.

We took Pauline's late mam with us on 6 cruises with her wheelchair and can empathise with those in wheelchairs.

We had 1 accessible cabin and 1 Grand Suite on Royal Caribbean and had 4 superior deluxe cabins on P&O when we took her late mam.

One of our church congregation is considering getting a scooter for her husband and was asking Pauline about P&O rules about them last Sunday.

Edited March 14 by grapau27

[purplesea]

I haven't seen or heard anything about this. Mum has a manual folding wheelchair and we are due to sail on Arvia on Easter Sunday, 31st March.

[StopTheWorld]

We booked our first P&O cruise a few months ago and my husband has mobility issues. Not yet in a wheelchair of his own but he does use 2 sticks and uses a wheelchair at the airport and cruise terminal as he can’t walk very far. Anyway, when we were booking we were asked specifically if he would need evacuation assistance - I replied he would. I was told that the ship could only accept a finite number of passengers who would require assistance on board. This makes sense as they have a limited number of evac chairs and staff to assist. 
There’s maybe a bit of confusion about this rule? Or it’s maybe been interpreted into require-evacuation-assistance = adapted room. 
 

[Selbourne]

3 hours ago, sandancer said:

We were refused by the P&O agent to book anything other than an adapted cabin. Perhaps some training is in order. 

I think it would be worth going back to the agent and letting them know that they are giving out incorrect information. They are going to be placing people who don’t have a genuine need for an adapted cabin into one. As well as depriving those with a genuine need for one, P&O conditions make it clear that somebody who books an adapted cabin but doesn’t have a genuine need for one risks their booking being cancelled!

[Harryjacobs]

Talk on a faceache page was that its because of wheelchairs left outside in corridors as there is little room in standard cabins to house said wheelchair.  The parked wheelchairs in the corridor then becomes a hazard in an emergency as its partially blocking an escape route.  

Dunno how true that is but sounds plausible.

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Harryjacobs said:

Talk on a faceache page was that its because of wheelchairs left outside in corridors as there is little room in standard cabins to house said wheelchair.  The parked wheelchairs in the corridor then becomes a hazard in an emergency as its partially blocking an escape route.  

Dunno how true that is but sounds plausible.

It’s certainly true that it is not permitted to leave wheelchairs or buggies outside cabins, for the reason that you state. This is why scooter users have to book an accessible cabin (or larger cabin that can accommodate them) even if their disability doesn’t really warrant one. However, having used normal cabins back when my wife was a part time wheelchair user, it is possible to stow them inside the cabin, albeit a squeeze. I’m sure that the lady on Iona was misinformed, at least I sincerely hope that she is because accessible cabins really should be held for those with a genuine need for one. 

[9265359]

19 hours ago, sandancer said:

Just been told by the future cruise desk on Iona that if you are bringing a wheelchair with you, you can only book an adapted cabin in future. 

 

18 hours ago, daiB said:

Hi from north of the river, this is what the P&O website says and it looks new.

 

Any guest who is a full-time wheelchair or mobility scooter user or requires the use of their device inside their cabin, must be booked into an accessible cabin, selected Suites or Mini-suites that provide the space and features required to suit guest’s needs.

 

I suppose it depends on the definition of a "full-time wheelchair user" (the use in the cabin is an 'or' statement not an 'and' statement).

 

Do many people take a wheelchair onboard and only occasionally use it?

[Josy1953]

33 minutes ago, 9265359 said:

 

 

I suppose it depends on the definition of a "full-time wheelchair user" (the use in the cabin is an 'or' statement not an 'and' statement).

 

Do many people take a wheelchair onboard and only occasionally use it?

Some people do have health issues that necessitate using their wheelchairs on someday but not others depending how they feel.  I worked with a man who had MS and some days he could manage with a walking stick or crutches but other days he used a wheelchair, as the disease progressed he had to use the wheelchair more frequently.