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knon24
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We're getting married in October 2018 and we've decided we want to cruise for our honeymoon. My fiancé is a quad and completely wheelchair bound. How early do we need to book to ensure a wheelchair accessible room? I think we are hoping to cruise with Royal Caribbean.

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Many who require the features of an accessible cabin book at least a year in advance. If it's a popular and or popular itinerary I book the minute the schedule is release which can 1.5 to 2 years in advance. Than I continuously check for price drops within the category booked and request the price reduction if one appears. Most cruise lines will honor price reductions up the day before the final payment period. RCCL does.

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While it is certainly true that accessible cabins go quickly, don't panic. I booked DH and myself into an accessible ccabin barely a month before we sailed by being flexible as to itinerary and port. Then we booked a nice accessible cabin last November for a cruise we took 2 weeks ago. So if you are dead set on (for example) a cruise starting the day after your wedding from a specific port, you may be too late. But if you are willing to fly to different ports and maybe spend a few days in a land hotel before starting your cruise (which would let your fiance recover from travel stress anyway), I bet you can find something you will enjoy.

 

Also, watch out for "modified accessible" cabins. If you get offered one of those, be sure to pin the rep down on exactly how it is modified - it may not have an accessible shower, for instance, or may not have enough room for a wheelchair, much less any additional equipment he needs. They work fine for some people but I'd be willing to bet they would not be adequate for you two.

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We're getting married in October 2018 and we've decided we want to cruise for our honeymoon. My fiancé is a quad and completely wheelchair bound. How early do we need to book to ensure a wheelchair accessible room? I think we are hoping to cruise with Royal Caribbean.

 

Congrats on your upcoming nuptials. You should be OK with timing, but I would start checking now. If nothing else, find a cruise with the dates and itineraries you like that has a cabin you want, and put a deposit. Double check to make sure the deposit is fully refundable (which it should be). Then you're not fully committed and at least have something on hold.

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In refereance to Mamasylvia's (Post #6 ) stating " Also, watch out for modified accessible cabins" It's important to note that only Holland America and Carnival have some "modified accessible cabins" . Both also have fully accessible cabins.

 

Royal Caribbean, Celebrity as well as Princess ships have only fully accessible cabins.

 

Regarding ship selection, the rule of thumb is the newer the build the better the overall accessibility.

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We're getting married in October 2018 and we've decided we want to cruise for our honeymoon. My fiancé is a quad and completely wheelchair bound. How early do we need to book to ensure a wheelchair accessible room? I think we are hoping to cruise with Royal Caribbean.

 

We just got off Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas and had an accessible stateroom, which was booked a year in advance. Our stateroom, #1528, was huge and very accessible. On our itinerary the ship offered shore excursions on buses that could accommodate full-time wheelchair users.

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While it is certainly true that accessible cabins go quickly, don't panic. I booked DH and myself into an accessible ccabin barely a month before we sailed by being flexible as to itinerary and port. Then we booked a nice accessible cabin last November for a cruise we took 2 weeks ago. So if you are dead set on (for example) a cruise starting the day after your wedding from a specific port, you may be too late. But if you are willing to fly to different ports and maybe spend a few days in a land hotel before starting your cruise (which would let your fiance recover from travel stress anyway), I bet you can find something you will enjoy.

 

Also, watch out for "modified accessible" cabins. If you get offered one of those, be sure to pin the rep down on exactly how it is modified - it may not have an accessible shower, for instance, or may not have enough room for a wheelchair, much less any additional equipment he needs. They work fine for some people but I'd be willing to bet they would not be adequate for you two.

 

Thanks so much! Very helpful! I will look around at different ports and itineraries.

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We just got off Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas and had an accessible stateroom, which was booked a year in advance. Our stateroom, #1528, was huge and very accessible. On our itinerary the ship offered shore excursions on buses that could accommodate full-time wheelchair users.

 

Those pictures are great. Thanks for sharing! Did you enjoy the Serenade?

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Only been cruising a short time but learned alot in that time period. Carnival is very confusing with their "modified" cabins, BEWARE. Even after stating quite clearly I needed a fully accessible cabin, I was placed in a modified room. When I found this out, they were great in correcting their mistake! You will need to fill out paperwork that they look over.

 

NCL on the other hand is really hard to book, you have to book far out and they don't really follow through on the paperwork end. Two weeks ago, while reserving a cabin the agent told me 'If a non handicapped person requests the room they have to give it to them.' They can't deny the person for fear of pissing customers off. I about fell off my chair!!!!! Can't wait to use up my Cruise Next certificates and be done with them!!!

 

RCCL and Carnival have helped me out and been generous with the booking ;). Good luck, and try Princess also, I've yet to sail them but every time I do a search, there are rooms available.

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Those pictures are great. Thanks for sharing! Did you enjoy the Serenade?

 

We did enjoy the Serenade. This is the second time we've been on her. She's going into dry dock this fall so she should be extra spiffy after that.

 

 

Also as a note, if you do book a cruise with Royal Caribbean and want to take any wheelchair accessible shore excursions through the ship, book them on-line (through your reservation on their website) ahead of time. We already had prebooked ours and when I looked at the list of shore excursions while on board, there was not one that was designated as being for full-time wheelchair users. I believe they have to know how many are booked for these types of shore excursions ahead of time so they can secure the proper vehicle.

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Thanks for all the advice! We're booked on Harmony of the Seas for November 2018! I'm glad I asked and listened because our options had dwindled considerably for early November from the first time I looked to today.

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I have only cruised twice, but both times, the advice I got on here made such a huge difference in my enjoyment of the cruse! Because other cruisers were so generous with their experiences, I knew what to expect and what to look for and what to avoid. I am a BIG Cruise Critic fan!

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BOOK ASAP!!!! We have a YOUTUBE channel all about cruising with a focus on cruising with disabilities and we always book our Handicap Accessible cabins at least a year in advance. At times we have 2-4 booked at the same time!! LOL

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As the others have said, and I paraphrase: "Book as early as you can, check to see if it's a modified accessible cabin (on HAL and Carnival), don't panic if you waited for a while, be flexible." I would like to add call the cruise line, get a Planner, They have many more tools available for them to do quick searches etc.

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Personally, I prefer to do my own searches. It's easy enough to check the mass-market line websites and see what cruises are available for a particular route or time, and the cruise line reps have their own agenda and it isn't necessarily my benefit. ;) Doing it myself probably takes longer but picking the cruise is half the fun! Royal's website let me indicate I needed an accessible cabin and pick the exact room, Norwegian didn't so I had to call them to make the booking. (I don't use a TA, I did the first time and I had to go through her for everything and didn't get any benefits from using her. Second time I did it myself and making changes was MUCH easier. I might feel differently if I had a great TA like some members here do, but I didn't.)

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Carnival has recently redefined their accessible cabin categories to make things clearer.

 

Fully Accessible Cabins (FAC): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with highly limited mobility, who require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter or other similar assistive devices. Fully Accessible Cabins contain accessible elements including turning space, accessible routes throughout the stateroom and an accessible bathroom. Additionally, the bathrooms contain grab bars and shower seats.

 

Fully Accessible Cabins - Single Side Approach (FAC-SSA): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with highly limited or no mobility, who require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter or other similar assistive devices. Fully Accessible Cabins - Single Side Approach are a type of FAC that provide an accessible route and clear floor space on only one side of the bed, in staterooms configured to provide only one bed. In a stateroom configured to provide two beds, the clear floor space will be between the beds, with one side of each bed getting an accessible route. Additionally, these staterooms have an accessible bathroom that contains grab bars and shower seats.

 

 

Ambulatory Accessible Cabins (AAC): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with mobility limitations, who do not require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter, or other similar assistive devices. For example, Ambulatory Accessible Cabins are ideal for guests who only use an assistive device (like a cane or a walker) for traversing longer distances, and who may benefit from certain accessible features like grab bars, to assist with balance.

 

 

https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs.aspx

 

 

They've also created better deckplans that show accessible routes and washrooms.

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Carnival has recently redefined their accessible cabin categories to make things clearer.

 

Fully Accessible Cabins (FAC): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with highly limited mobility, who require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter or other similar assistive devices. Fully Accessible Cabins contain accessible elements including turning space, accessible routes throughout the stateroom and an accessible bathroom. Additionally, the bathrooms contain grab bars and shower seats.

 

Fully Accessible Cabins - Single Side Approach (FAC-SSA): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with highly limited or no mobility, who require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter or other similar assistive devices. Fully Accessible Cabins - Single Side Approach are a type of FAC that provide an accessible route and clear floor space on only one side of the bed, in staterooms configured to provide only one bed. In a stateroom configured to provide two beds, the clear floor space will be between the beds, with one side of each bed getting an accessible route. Additionally, these staterooms have an accessible bathroom that contains grab bars and shower seats.

 

 

Ambulatory Accessible Cabins (AAC): These staterooms are designed for use by guests with mobility limitations, who do not require the regular use of a wheelchair, scooter, or other similar assistive devices. For example, Ambulatory Accessible Cabins are ideal for guests who only use an assistive device (like a cane or a walker) for traversing longer distances, and who may benefit from certain accessible features like grab bars, to assist with balance.

 

 

https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs.aspx

 

 

They've also created better deckplans that show accessible routes and washrooms.

 

Sadly Carnival Cruise Lines did not make these changes out of its concern for the disabled traveler and or attempting to be proactive in meeting the needs of the disabled traveler. In fact these changes would probably never have occur if it wasn't for the fact that the Department of Justice brought a lawsuit against Carnival Corporation specific to Carnival Cruises and Holland America

 

These changes were a result of the landmark settlement that occurred back on July 23, 2015, in which the United States and Carnival Corporation entered into a Settlement Agreement resolving an investigation into numerous complaints conducted by the United States under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 

 

A bigggggggggg THANK YOU goes out to the individuals who are not afraid to file a complaint with the USA Department if something's appears to be in violation of Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was Margaret Mead that was first quoted as saying "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."

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For unique itineraries (like transatlantics) we book the day bookings open for the cruise. For our weekly Alaska itinerary from Seattle on a relatively large ship there were still Accessible cabins up to three weeks prior to sailing. In general for the run of the mill weekly itineraries any time before final payment may be OK if not picky about exact date. Once final payment date is past it is possible for HA cabins to get assigned to guarantee bookings for non-handicap passengers so they can disappear fast.

 

We took an upsell to a HAL Signature Suite that was "ambulatory" accessible even though my wife is pretty much 100% wheelchair user now because we knew that size cabin was somewhat up-sized as an accessible and the wheelchair would fit.

 

We really liked the accessible features on RCCL and the Radiance class ships like Serenade and Brilliance. The door openers were are huge help and we missed that on HAL.

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xxoocruiser,

 

You NEVER cease to amaze me with your knowledge, and practical advice!

 

Thank you for your kind words.Not everyone shares your sentient as there is an individual on this forum that believes I'm a troll that gives out inaccurate information. Oh well everyone's entitled to their own opinion after all that's what makes life interesting.

 

Know that I always look forward to reading your contribution on this forum !

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Thank you for your kind words.Not everyone shares your sentient as there is an individual on this forum that believes I'm a troll that gives out inaccurate information. Oh well everyone's entitled to their own opinion after all that's what makes life interesting.

 

Know that I always look forward to reading your contribution on this forum !

xxoocruiser - I value your opinion and knowledge of the ins and outs of cruising.

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