Crown Princess wheelchair access advice & advice with kids?

About to book a med. cruise for my parent's 50th anniversary. I use a wheelchair & have 2 kids, 9 & 11 (at time of sail). I think we'll need 2 rooms just for the 4 of us. We are trying to decide between Caribe 301 or Riviera 303, both accessible rooms. I'm leaning toward Caribe, I think rooms/balcony are bigger. I'm just afraid it may be noisy/busy location with stairs/elevator & laundry across the hall.

Also, will kids be kept busy? I read somewhere that the kids club has limited hours. :o

We just got back from a Disney cruise...kids were so entertained, my husband & I had a few hours a day to ourselves!

Any advice for room choice, kids activities & wheelchair accessibility tips on board/excursions would be fantastic!

TIA!

About to book a med. cruise for my parent's 50th anniversary. I use a wheelchair & have 2 kids, 9 & 11 (at time of sail). I think we'll need 2 rooms just for the 4 of us. We are trying to decide between Caribe 301 or Riviera 303, both accessible rooms. I'm leaning toward Caribe, I think rooms/balcony are bigger. I'm just afraid it may be noisy/busy location with stairs/elevator & laundry across the hall.

Also, will kids be kept busy? I read somewhere that the kids club has limited hours. :o

We just got back from a Disney cruise...kids were so entertained, my husband & I had a few hours a day to ourselves!

Any advice for room choice, kids activities & wheelchair accessibility tips on board/excursions would be fantastic!

TIA!

Princess is not like Disney when it comes to children's activities. Having said that, our little ones love the children's program at Princess.

The Children programs at Princess opens at 9 AM and close for lunch. Then they open after lunch and close for dinner. They reopen after dinner until I believe 10 pm. On gala nights, they do have pizza night out. When they would normally close for dinner, you may check in the little ones at section of the buffet and they will feed them pizza and take them back up to the club after dinner.

You should not have any problems with the use of a wheelchair on board the ship. The only issue that may arise is the use of the elevators during peak times.

As far as excursions, please browse through the excursions at the Princess' WEB site. It clearly defines which ones are listed as wheelchair accessible.

For more specific questions regarding disability issues, there is a section here on CC where you may get better answers.

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=190

C301 like all balcony cabins on that deck has a larger balcony than those on other other decks.

Hi Lootsie,

The last two years we were in C304 on the Crown and had zero noise issues from the hall, elevators, etc. It's a quite convenient location. DH uses a mobility scooter and we had plenty of room to park it and not feel cramped at all. The balcony is huge!

Karen

Haven't been on Crown - but as far as excursions go, a lot not designated "wheelchair accessible" - or even that state they're not suitable - might still be doable depending on what your capabilities are...if you can do a standing transfer or if you can walk a couple of steps with assistance, it opens up a lot more than just the 'chair-friendly' excursions offered...whether you use a folding chair or rigid - if you use a manual - can also make a difference.

Often it's possible to work out who the tour operators are - and contact them independently prior to your cruise to find out whether they can accomodate you (have done this a few times...I'm a chair user who can walk a little with support & think most of the excursions we've done through Princess have been "unsuitable for those with mobility issues"). Shore Ex staff have always been pretty helpful about sussing stuff out too...but obviously that has to wait 'till you're on board.

Thanks everyone for getting back to me so quickly. I'm heading out shortly to meet with our TA to book the cruise. I feel better after reading your responses! BTW...I use a manual chair & can't stand, but my husband piggybacks me whenever there are stairs. Maybe that'll allow us to participate in more excursions. I'll definitely look into it. Thanks again!

C301 is a quad cabin and if you are not going to put the kids in with you, I would leave it for someone who does need a HC cabin for 3/4. They are hard to find. EM

We had accessible cabins B304 on the Emerald last year and C304 on the Star this year, and they were great. We both require mobility scooters, and we were able to park both of them in the cabin and still have no problem moving around.

We had no issues with noise from the elevator lobby at all, and it was very convenient to have the 'straight shot' into the cabin from the hallway.

The bathroom is easy to negotiate - no steps - and a fold-down shower chair is affixed to the wall. Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks everyone for getting back to me so quickly. I'm heading out shortly to meet with our TA to book the cruise. I feel better after reading your responses! BTW...I use a manual chair & can't stand, but my husband piggybacks me whenever there are stairs. Maybe that'll allow us to participate in more excursions. I'll definitely look into it. Thanks again!

Many of the bus excursions that are not labeled wheelchair accessible may be suitable if you have a folding manual chair and someone to push it and if you can climb up and down steps in and out of the bus (with your husband's assistance). Getting on and off the bus is possibly you biggest issue with most of the "Easy" non-wheelchair-accessible excursions.

In fact, you can do some of the excursions in a chair being pushed that my wife (who has walking difficulties but does not use a wheelchair) could not do - since you could handle longer distances as long as the distances are suitable for a wheelchair.

Many of the streets and sidewalks in Europe are cobblestone and not very friendly to wheelchairs. You will need a chair with large wheels to use there - not a transfer chair with small wheels.

I recommend you book the Princess excursions you think would work in advance and then talk with the people at the Shore Excursions desk about each excursion as soon as you board the ship. They are generally knowledgeable about the specific access requirements for each excursion, and they will send a message to the tour operator if they don't know.

Make sure the Shore Excursions desk know your limitations. If you are able to go on some of the non-wheelchair-accessible bus tours, they will reserve the front two seats for you and your husband. Depending on the ship, they may also send your excursion stickers to your cabin the night before instead of having you pick them up on the day of the excursion. They do this so they can put mobility impaired people on different buses and reserve the front seats for the specific mobility impaired people.

Also make sure the Shore Excursions desk knows that there are four in you party and the names and cabin numbers of the others so that they can make sure you are on the same bus on an excursion. Normally, you get the same bus by showing up at the same time. However, if they send you stickers in advance, they will need to send them for your entire party.

You will need to decide if the two children are mature enough to go around the ship on their own. You will need to tell the staff at the children's program whether they are allowed to sign themselves in and out or whether they need to wait for you to get them. You may decide they are mature enough to go around the ship on their own - as long as they stay together. No one else can decide that, since it depends on their maturity and responsibility - not just on their age.

If you think they are mature enough to have their own cabin, you would be a lot more comfortable with them in an inside cabin across the hall from your cabin. You may need to book one adult in each cabin, but you can change the sleeping arrangements however you want. You can get cards from Passenger Services that allow you to access both cabins. Make sure to tell your travel agent "no upgrades". You don't want to be upgraded out of your accessible cabin, and you don't want your children to be upgraded to a cabin in another part of the ship.

You can also remove or limit charging privileges from their cruise cards if you want. Talk to Passenger Services as soon as you board. If they drink sodas - and if you want them to get sodas on their own when you're not with them -- then you may want to purchase the Soda and More package for them. That way, they would be able to order sodas without having charging privileges.

C301 is a quad cabin and if you are not going to put the kids in with you, I would leave it for someone who does need a HC cabin for 3/4. They are hard to find. EM

Wow! I had no idea it was listed as a quad cabin. Looking at the deck plans I see that it is but I don't understand why....

We were automagically upgraded one time to that cabin from an inside forward cabin. It was an amazing upgrade and obviously nobody had booked the cabin who actually needed it or else Princess wouldn't have moved us there. It was a great HC cabin with lots of room but we never noticed anything that would indicate it was a quad cabin. Perhaps there are beds in the ceiling that we simply didn't notice.

We've sailed a couple of times with our son who is a high-functioning quadriplegic (although he only likes inside HC cabins) so we were quite surprised (but very pleased) with this upgrade and happy to be able to check out and evaluate the accessibility of the cabin. There was a small fold-down ramp that let one go out onto the balcony and, being a Caribe deck cabin and an HC cabin the balcony was very good sized. The cabin is about 1.5 times as wide as a normal balcony cabin and, of course, that meant that the extra deep Caribe balcony was also about 1.5 times as wide as normal.

Thanks everyone for getting back to me so quickly. I'm heading out shortly to meet with our TA to book the cruise. I feel better after reading your responses! BTW...I use a manual chair & can't stand, but my husband piggybacks me whenever there are stairs. Maybe that'll allow us to participate in more excursions. I'll definitely look into it. Thanks again!

Had many staterooms near the stairs/elevators/laundry etc.

Never had any issues with noise.

Princess staterooms are pretty soundproof. IMO

Wow! I had no idea it was listed as a quad cabin. Looking at the deck plans I see that it is but I don't understand why....

 

We were automagically upgraded one time to that cabin from an inside forward cabin. It was an amazing upgrade and obviously nobody had booked the cabin who actually needed it or else Princess wouldn't have moved us there. It was a great HC cabin with lots of room but we never noticed anything that would indicate it was a quad cabin. Perhaps there are beds in the ceiling that we simply didn't notice.

 

We've sailed a couple of times with our son who is a high-functioning quadriplegic (although he only likes inside HC cabins) so we were quite surprised (but very pleased) with this upgrade and happy to be able to check out and evaluate the accessibility of the cabin. There was a small fold-down ramp that let one go out onto the balcony and, being a Caribe deck cabin and an HC cabin the balcony was very good sized. The cabin is about 1.5 times as wide as a normal balcony cabin and, of course, that meant that the extra deep Caribe balcony was also about 1.5 times as wide as normal.

How difficult is it likely to be trying to open the balcony door with 1 hand while holding onto a Rollator with the other hand please? I am unsteady without support and travelling solo.

Had many staterooms near the stairs/elevators/laundry etc.

Never had any issues with noise.

Princess staterooms are pretty soundproof. IMO

I agree with this. I was afraid at first to be near elevators/staircases but now choose cabins in this location. Never had an issue.

C301 is a quad cabin and if you are not going to put the kids in with you, I would leave it for someone who does need a HC cabin for 3/4. They are hard to find. EM

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I do believe I need this room. Ideally, my family of 4 would stay in one cabin, especially because it's a 14 day cruise. However, I've read, & our TA confirmed, that when the room is set up for 3 or 4 people, it prevents wheelchair access for the rest of the cabin. I cannot stand or walk at all. So, as a mom & someone paying a lot of money for the stateroom & premium balcony, I want to access the entire cabin & balcony at all times, including when beds are set up. So, to make sure my kids and I are as safe, comfortable & independent as possible, we've decided to book 2 rooms beside each other. My husband & one child in one room & myself and our other child in the accessible room. It's not ideal, but it'll work & I'm sure it'll be an amazing vacation!

I agree with this. I was afraid at first to be near elevators/staircases but now choose cabins in this location. Never had an issue.

Great to hear! Thanks!

Princess is not like Disney when it comes to children's activities. Having said that, our little ones love the children's program at Princess.

 

The Children programs at Princess opens at 9 AM and close for lunch. Then they open after lunch and close for dinner. They reopen after dinner until I believe 10 pm. On gala nights, they do have pizza night out. When they would normally close for dinner, you may check in the little ones at section of the buffet and they will feed them pizza and take them back up to the club after dinner.

 

You should not have any problems with the use of a wheelchair on board the ship. The only issue that may arise is the use of the elevators during peak times.

 

As far as excursions, please browse through the excursions at the Princess' WEB site. It clearly defines which ones are listed as wheelchair accessible.

 

For more specific questions regarding disability issues, there is a section here on CC where you may get better answers.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=190

Super helpful! I'll check out the link. Thanks so much!

Hi Lootsie,

 

The last two years we were in C304 on the Crown and had zero noise issues from the hall, elevators, etc. It's a quite convenient location. DH uses a mobility scooter and we had plenty of room to park it and not feel cramped at all. The balcony is huge!

 

Karen

Yay! The only problem now is how long we have to wait! :)

Thanks!

Many of the bus excursions that are not labeled wheelchair accessible may be suitable if you have a folding manual chair and someone to push it and if you can climb up and down steps in and out of the bus (with your husband's assistance). Getting on and off the bus is possibly you biggest issue with most of the "Easy" non-wheelchair-accessible excursions.

 

In fact, you can do some of the excursions in a chair being pushed that my wife (who has walking difficulties but does not use a wheelchair) could not do - since you could handle longer distances as long as the distances are suitable for a wheelchair.

 

Many of the streets and sidewalks in Europe are cobblestone and not very friendly to wheelchairs. You will need a chair with large wheels to use there - not a transfer chair with small wheels.

 

I recommend you book the Princess excursions you think would work in advance and then talk with the people at the Shore Excursions desk about each excursion as soon as you board the ship. They are generally knowledgeable about the specific access requirements for each excursion, and they will send a message to the tour operator if they don't know.

 

Make sure the Shore Excursions desk know your limitations. If you are able to go on some of the non-wheelchair-accessible bus tours, they will reserve the front two seats for you and your husband. Depending on the ship, they may also send your excursion stickers to your cabin the night before instead of having you pick them up on the day of the excursion. They do this so they can put mobility impaired people on different buses and reserve the front seats for the specific mobility impaired people.

 

Also make sure the Shore Excursions desk knows that there are four in you party and the names and cabin numbers of the others so that they can make sure you are on the same bus on an excursion. Normally, you get the same bus by showing up at the same time. However, if they send you stickers in advance, they will need to send them for your entire party.

 

You will need to decide if the two children are mature enough to go around the ship on their own. You will need to tell the staff at the children's program whether they are allowed to sign themselves in and out or whether they need to wait for you to get them. You may decide they are mature enough to go around the ship on their own - as long as they stay together. No one else can decide that, since it depends on their maturity and responsibility - not just on their age.

 

If you think they are mature enough to have their own cabin, you would be a lot more comfortable with them in an inside cabin across the hall from your cabin. You may need to book one adult in each cabin, but you can change the sleeping arrangements however you want. You can get cards from Passenger Services that allow you to access both cabins. Make sure to tell your travel agent "no upgrades". You don't want to be upgraded out of your accessible cabin, and you don't want your children to be upgraded to a cabin in another part of the ship.

 

You can also remove or limit charging privileges from their cruise cards if you want. Talk to Passenger Services as soon as you board. If they drink sodas - and if you want them to get sodas on their own when you're not with them -- then you may want to purchase the Soda and More package for them. That way, they would be able to order sodas without having charging privileges.

I appreciate all the information you provided. You brought up a lot of issues I hadn't thought about it. Thank you!!! There is NO WAY I'd be comfortable with the kids in their own room, but I think I would give them signing in/out privileges at the kids' club. I will also notify our TA in the morning re: no upgrades. Thanks again!

There is plenty of space in a HC cabin for the WC/scooter to get to the balcony. Not in a regular balcony, though. Go to:

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/Crown-Princess

Choose your cabin category and Click on HC cabins and it will show you pictures of several cabins.

Cruisedeckplans is a pay site to view most pictures, but they make they pictures of HC cabins free. Just click on the pictures to enlarge them. The uppers for the kids will be above the twin/king just like in regular balcony cabins. EM

Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I do believe I need this room. Ideally, my family of 4 would stay in one cabin, especially because it's a 14 day cruise. However, I've read, & our TA confirmed, that when the room is set up for 3 or 4 people, it prevents wheelchair access for the rest of the cabin. I cannot stand or walk at all. So, as a mom & someone paying a lot of money for the stateroom & premium balcony, I want to access the entire cabin & balcony at all times, including when beds are set up. So, to make sure my kids and I are as safe, comfortable & independent as possible, we've decided to book 2 rooms beside each other. My husband & one child in one room & myself and our other child in the accessible room. It's not ideal, but it'll work & I'm sure it'll be an amazing vacation!

We stayed in C302 a few years back. Here's a photo of the cabin with the bunks down. You can see there is plenty of room to maneuver with a wheelchair.

Last Sea Day-Disembarkation 058 by Richard, on Flickr

Had many staterooms near the stairs/elevators/laundry etc.

Never had any issues with noise.

Princess staterooms are pretty soundproof. IMO

Not the cabins behind the art gallery, especially on the Ruby. the paintings weren't secured right, and banged against the walls of our cabin on the plaza deck. After many complaints to guest services, they moved us to a different deck and gave us $100 nonrefundable OBC to spend in one day.

On 3/28/2017 at 7:20 AM, luvteaching said:

Hi Lootsie,

 

The last two years we were in C304 on the Crown and had zero noise issues from the hall, elevators, etc. It's a quite convenient location. DH uses a mobility scooter and we had plenty of room to park it and not feel cramped at all. The balcony is huge!

 

Karen

Would you happen to have pictures of this cabin ? I am staying in it on an upcoming cruise...

4 hours ago, amscene1 said:

Would you happen to have pictures of this cabin ? I am staying in it on an upcoming cruise...

Hi amscene1, 

I do have pictures and here they are. Karen

39 minutes ago, luvteaching said:

Hi amscene1, 

 

I do have pictures and here they are. Karen

Wow,  I appreciate you taking time and doing that. We sail feb 15th 2019 for 10 nights. 

I wonder if if they did any upgrading to it in the refit!

You may aalso be limited to ports which need a tender. If you need assistance with a scooter or walker, they may not let you off the ship