tea4ular

Me again...the "kids" (our D & my H's personal care attendant) have just been assigned cabin 5144 (Oosterdam), a sweet upgrade for their guarantee booking.

Anyone have any information regarding this cabin? Pictures, balcony detail (metal vs see through), etc.

In advance I thank you all!

It is wider than it appears. I had no trouble getting my scooter or walker/rollator between the bed and the wall (the walker is as wide as a wheelchair.)

Joanie

Ok, That makes us both feel better. It would seem odd if the chair or a scooter user was unable to utilize the rest of the cabin, and the balcony!

I can hear you now...

Knock, knock...

"Hello, you don't know me, however, could I please photograph your cabin?"

(I'd be the one who says, "Sure, why not!")

Thanks again!!

Joanie - thanks for the links. I'm a bit curious, and maybe you can allay some fears...the bed seems to be placed in such a way that it creates an obstacle for a wheelchair to access the entire cabin (looks like that in both sets of photos). Is this "walkway" wide and just doesn't photograph well?

Thanks again,

tea

This morning, after learning that our trip on Carnival Splendor was canceled (which we had booked 6 months ago for a Jan. '11 sail date :(), we miraculously found a WC accessible cabin on HALs Oosterdam. My H uses an electric wheelchair so this was a requirement.

Curious if anyone here has sailed in this cabin (VD4051) & can share details, and would love to see photos if they're available. I've used the search feature here, and scoured the web but have (so far) come up empty handed.

Thanks in advance! :)

I have found that the music being piped in is often times WAY too loud. Personally I think there's enough sensory overload on a ship (people of all ages, talking, laughing, bar sounds, food service sounds, pool splashes, the ocean) that piped in music could go away and no one would notice or care.

If I want music, I'll plug in my own iPod. It's funny (as in ironic),the cruise lines say to use your headphones so as not to bother the other passengers, and yet they themselves pipe in music.

Take it away.

Can you tell us what the cost was for the BTF tour?

In 2002 we did on on a RCCI ship, that was free. I understand Carnival charges.

Thanks in advance!

No hammocks on the Serenity Deck that we saw.

Thus why I don't trust rumors!

Thanks for the info.

RC and BV - love the review so far. I was on the Splendor in Sept '09, and loved it enough to book again for Jan '11. However in Sept I (and my 2 friends) splurged on a balcony, no dice this coming trip. I especially love a balcony on a Carnival trip as I am sort of over the rowdy crowds, and as you've stated, the private balcony is a great escape. Oh well.

Can you tell me, on the serenity deck were there hammocks? There weren't in Sept, but I've heard rumors that there are now.

I'll be on the lookout for part 3!

Are the door's locked and are they heavy and hard to swing open

No the doors are not locked, but they are heavy, and sometimes the wind is intense and makes it hard to open them. Just remember those windows go to someone's cabin, so don't do anything rash, or make too much noise.

A PERFECT 'copy&paste' post! Thanks so much for the info! And re: zip lining....that 'long walk' before is good to know...and would most likely eliminate that from my 'to do' list! Although, healthier than ever, have some restrictions due to leg....I've just learned to 'live WITH it'....and know that 'what & what not' to do! There's plenty I can do....thanks again for the info...esp. about evening shows...those sound good too! And...hadn't even thought about Steakhouse....which night did you go? (since our itinerary is the same)

Also...(I keep thinking of other ?'s =) Did you ever watch the 'outdoor movies'? And....did they have the 'reggae-style' music in Lido deck for sail away? I always enjoy having a DOD and listening to the music....I get 'so in the mood' before the ship even sails!!! Some of our funniest stories are from the first few hours on the ship!

Will it help at all to know that we celebrated our mom's birthday zip lining in PV, and it was just 6 months after she had broken her hip and leg? Oh, and she was celebrating her 70th birthday? While a good workout, it was not unbearable, and the guides were terrific, helping those who needed it most with carrying gear, etc. I'd hate to see you miss out. It was amazing!

I was going to book a spa room on the Splendor but they are all in the front of the ship from what I can see on various websites. I've always stayed midship or aft balcony:). What does everyone think about the location of these cabins? I certainly don't want to spend more $$ for a cabin that is less "stable"....

We were in cabin 1011 on the Splendor. Never noticed one bit of difference (motion wise) from being on the Empress deck. Quieter, prettier decor, but no motion difference.

I recently booked a spa room on the Carnival Conquest. Are the spa rooms significantly better? What are my benefits of having this spa room?

I can't comment on Conquest, but on Dream & Splendor, the decor is somewhat nicer, the entire area is designated non-smoking, including the cabins, and on D & S it provides access to their special therapy pool, and specialized spa steam and sauna rooms.

I was issued a refund of $ on my credit card.

I started with a shareholder benefit + $ from TA. Tips, 1/2 the cost of t-pool charges and a few minor purchases were made on board, the rest refunded. Didn't "lose" one penny.

From personal experience, I found the WalMart in Kauai (Hawaii) had one of the nicest (and largest) selections of Hawaiian fabric for incredibly low prices (I purchased several yards at well under $4 a yard); best friend found cute Hawaiian sundresses for the grand-daughters, and Hawaiian shirts for the grand-sons, that were not bank breakers.

Had a medical urgency (not to be confused with emergency) that required a trip to the WalMart in Puerto Vallarta. Plus an assortment of Mexican vanilla that could not be beat.

On our last cruise, my best friend discovered she had not emptied her memory card off her camera from her last trip, went to WalMart (again in PV) where they burned her images on to a CD, and she found a sweet sale on an extra memory card.

There are many reasons to know where a name brand store is in a local port.

Both lovely things happened to my H. He's a quadriplegic and uses a wheelchair, however very independent.

On dress-up night on The Elation, he noticed a button was missing on his collar, so he went to ask the purser if they might have a small sewing kit. Purser took it one step further when she learned I was still getting dressed, she sewed the new button on his shirt for him. It was very sweet. :)

On the same ship (different trip) the elevator doors closed too quickly and literally sheared the footrest off my H's wheelchair (he was unhurt). We went to the purser and asked for some assistance. Within a few moments a man in a white jumpsuit joined us looked at the chair, looked at the footrest, and asked us to follow him. We went down into the belly of the ship to the mechanical department. There Serge (from Ukraine) welded the footrest back onto the chair. Better than new. :)

When my H graduated with his doctorate we took a family cruise to Hawaii. We hung a Lucy from Peanuts "The Doctor is IN" sign on the door and congratulations banners. Many passengers wrote messages on our signs (our family started it). Those messages were all very sweet and my H loved every one of them.

Sunday we leave to celebrate my best friend's 70th birthday. I have a sign that reads "We're with the band" to hang this time, and will add some birthday stuff too.

It's all fun.

My husband uses an electric wheelchair and is unable to transfer, like your friend. Carnival has been very (VERY) accommodating and has gone above and beyond for us.

Example, in one cabin there was just too much "extra" furniture - we called and maintenance came within 20 minutes and took any item we asked them to. On another the furnishings were "backwards" for his needs, and again maintenance sent up 2 workers with power tools and reconfigured the cabin for him. We have always needed to get an additional mattress to build the bed up for ease of transfer (because the beds are quite low), they willingly do that too.

I recommend that your friend (rather than the TA) make a call to the special needs desk, make a "friend" and get all details in her Carnival file. My husband has done very well doing just this.

Yes. Flew a beautiful box kite off the back of a ship in Alaska with my then 3 year old daughter. Still have the kite. And the daughter (she's 21 now). Most passengers were envious. It was seriously delightful. No issue with security.