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Handicap Cabins Carnival?


ripjerry95

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Hi- We would be doing our 5th cruise and traveling with my in laws who would be on their second cruise. This time the in laws would need a handicap cabin. My mother in law is now wheelchair bound. We would need a cabin that had a roll in shower with a seat if possible, the ability for her to get into the bathroom without a step or threshold and if possible a grab bar to get in and out of bed. The grab bar we can manage without. But the bathroom is the most important factor. Does Carnival offer those types of staterooms. From the deck plans all that is listed in the key on the side is handicap accessible but does not say anything else. Are there balcony cabins with what we need? Are handicap cabins more money? Would I be better off calling Carnival and getting the information from them? Thanks

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I have sailed once with carnival on the fantasy one of the oldest ships. They have two types of cabins; fully accessible and modified accessible. The modified accessible cabin we had was OK but I would not choose it again. There was a step up into the bathroom which by the end of the cruise was difficult. When we arrived in the room I almost cried. My scooter did fit through the door but with the beds set up against one wall there was no place to put the scooter. We had a wonderful steward who quickly rearranged the room putting the beds in an L set-up. This gave us enough room for the scooter. My other problem was the bed was too low as I cannot stand if my knees are above my hips. He added a second mattress to my bed and I was OK. The shower had a stool and there were ample grab bars in the bath. The bed had no rails but I don't need that. Our room was ocean view and the fantasy being a very old ship had balconies only on the suites. If I cruise Carnival again I will go on a newer ship and get a fully accessible room. The staff were outstanding and our fellow cruisers routinely got out of the elevators when they saw anyone with a wheelchair or scooter waiting to go to another floor. Overall I would cruise with Carnival again but only if I could reserve a fully accessible cabin. The price you pay will be the same as a standard cabin in the same category. Not every category has accessible cabins but there will be some insides, some obstructed ov, regular ov and balcony cabins to choose from. They fill early and must be booked through their special needs desk.

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The Modified Accessible Cabins on Carnival are no larger than a basic cabin within the catagory chosen. The DO NOT have a wheelchair accessibile bathroom with a zero threshold ( no lip) roll-in shower. The only thing modified about these cabins is that they have extra grab bars and a shower seat.

 

When making reservations you need to be very clear to the Carnival Rep or your TA that you need a FULLY ACCESSIBLE CABIN. The Carnival Reps have a tendency to omit that it's a only modified cabin that's why you need to be very specific of your needs. Carnival's web site has denoted all Modified Cabins and Fully Accessibile cabins on it's deck plans located on the website.

 

FYI- Because there are so few Fully Accessible Cabins relative to the selection of standard cabins most of us who need an Accessible cabin must book at least a year in advance.

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  • 1 month later...
Hi- We would be doing our 5th cruise and traveling with my in laws who would be on their second cruise. This time the in laws would need a handicap cabin. My mother in law is now wheelchair bound. We would need a cabin that had a roll in shower with a seat if possible, the ability for her to get into the bathroom without a step or threshold and if possible a grab bar to get in and out of bed. The grab bar we can manage without. But the bathroom is the most important factor. Does Carnival offer those types of staterooms. From the deck plans all that is listed in the key on the side is handicap accessible but does not say anything else. Are there balcony cabins with what we need? Are handicap cabins more money? Would I be better off calling Carnival and getting the information from them? Thanks

 

Call special needs at 1-800-438-6744 ext 70025. Tell them your mother-in-law needs a wheelchair accessible cabin. Stress the wheelchair part. Tell them she needs an accessible bathroom. There are two kinds of HC cabins modified and wheelchair accessible. Modified IS NOT wheelchair accessible. The special needs department blocks the wheelchair cabins so they can't be booked. They show up as sold but they have control over them. Good luck and have a great cruise.

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Í've been on 2 Carnival ships, in *fully* accessible handicap cabins. The bathrooms were very large, with no lip, and a person in a wheelchair can move directly into the shower area. There is a drop down shower seat, lots of grab bars, and room for an assistant, if necessary. There was a raised toilet (and again, lots of grab bars), no cabinets under the sink (so a person in a chair can move directly under the sink) and again, room for someone to assist if necessary. There is an emergency cord in the bathroom to pull to call for help, and another by the bed.

 

There is no grab bar by the bed, however.

 

We had a balconey room on one cruise. I wouldn't book it again (unless of course it was the only handicap accessible room available) as the sliding doors to get on/off it were not manageable by a person (me) in a wheelchair, and I spend time in the cabin alone.

 

HC cabins are not any more expensive than regular cabins in the same category. A hypothetical example: If a regular cabin in a category c sells for $2,000 / person, a handicap cabin also in a category C would sell also for $2,000.

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We just got off the Fascination and did not realize that they had given us a modified cabin. NEVER AGAIN! The cabin had a threshold that my husbands scooter would not roll over and he had to physically lift it over each time he went in or out.

 

Also, it was the same size as an ordinary cabin, so no room to move around or park the scooter.

 

I was not told that it was a modified and not a fully accessible H/C cabin.

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We had a fully accessible Ocean View on the Sensation and it had no lip into the bathroom. It had plenty of room for my scooter, but then again once I was on the ship, the ship was small enough that I didn't have to use it that often. I had more issues with using the scooter outside of the room, which is another reason I didn't use it too much during the cruise.

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On my last cruise on the Pride I had a reg. balcony cabin. My 2 teenage Gr kids were with me and were able to get my scooter in and out of the cabin but it was a real squeeze and hard to get it parked once in the cabin. This time I have a modified cabin. I am able to walk short distances so getting into bathroom and onto balcony shouldn't be a problem - can use my cane. My concern is I was told I'd have no trouble getting scooter in and out of the room or parking in room because there was no sofa and fewer closets. I am traveling with an older relative who is totally mobile and gets around fine, but she would not be able to drive scooter in and out of room any better than I can. Reading these posts about modified cabin really has me worried now.:confused: Am I going to have problems getting scooter in and out and will there be room to park inside cabin?

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On my last cruise on the Pride I had a reg. balcony cabin. My 2 teenage Gr kids were with me and were able to get my scooter in and out of the cabin but it was a real squeeze and hard to get it parked once in the cabin. This time I have a modified cabin. I am able to walk short distances so getting into bathroom and onto balcony shouldn't be a problem - can use my cane. My concern is I was told I'd have no trouble getting scooter in and out of the room or parking in room because there was no sofa and fewer closets. I am traveling with an older relative who is totally mobile and gets around fine, but she would not be able to drive scooter in and out of room any better than I can. Reading these posts about modified cabin really has me worried now.:confused: Am I going to have problems getting scooter in and out and will there be room to park inside cabin?

 

As others have already stated a Modified Cabin is no larger than the Standard cabin in that catagory. For example if you booked a Modified Balcony Cabin it is the same interior size as a Standard Balcony cabin . The bathroom is also the same size as a standard bathroom but it has a grabs bars and a shower seat. The bathroom has a step up into it and the shower also has a 4"-5" lip. It is not a zero threshold bathroom entry or shower.

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