Alternative to bed for someone with arthritis on Princess

I have never seen this addressed here but I'm hoping someone might have a thought or advice. We are still trying to get my MIL and FIL to join us on one of our cruises. They cruised once and weren't completely sold. I think they would have a better time with us, because we could help them and make sure they were taking advantage of all a cruise vacation can offer.

One big problem though. My FIL has serious arthritis issues and one of the problems he had on the cruise was extreme discomfort sleeping. At home he rarely sleeps in bed, finding it much more comfortable to sleep in his recliner. It is more supportive and easier for him to get in and out of then a bed. I think they would really like to try a cruise again with us, but this is a concern for him.

He asked me yesterday if there was anyway he could get a recliner instead of a bed on the cruise. My thought is that it is impossible, but I thought I would ask here to see if anyone has any ideas.

I have not seen a recliner on Princess.

With the beds being pretty firm on all the ships it may be really hard to find anywhere that he would be comfortable.

I have not seen a recliner on Princess.

With the beds being pretty firm on all the ships it may be really hard to find anywhere that he would be comfortable.

Yes that's my concern. I would hate to convince them to come and then have him be miserable the entire time. I think the firmness of the bed would be OK if he could just be a bit more upright. Maybe lots of pillows?? He is at the point where he has told us to just take our MIL and he will stay home, but I hate to do that. I would just love to figure out a way to make it comfortable for him.

I am sure Princess does not provide any type of reclincer for passenger staterooms.

You might want to check the Disabled Cruise Travel board located here, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190 they might have some ideas for you. But if a recliner is something he can't cruise without, I would guess he will be outta luck with this one. :(

If you would think he would do well with a lot of pillows, then I'm sure Princess would accommodate! When we sailed on the Golden, I sprained my knee and had to keep it elevated. Our steward brought me "6" pillows and that did the trick. Worth a try if you think it would work:)

I am sure Princess does not provide any type of reclincer for passenger staterooms.

You might want to check the Disabled Cruise Travel board located here, http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190 they might have some ideas for you. But if a recliner is something he can't cruise without, I would guess he will be outta luck with this one. :(

Thanks Toto, that's a good idea. I will take a peak over there and see if I can get some guidance.

If you would think he would do well with a lot of pillows, then I'm sure Princess would accommodate! When we sailed on the Golden, I sprained my knee and had to keep it elevated. Our steward brought me "6" pillows and that did the trick. Worth a try if you think it would work:)

Yes they stewards on Princess seem really wonderful about special requests. I will run the idea by FIL and see what he thinks. Maybe he could try it for a few nights in their guest room where they have a couple of twin beds to get a feel for what it might be like on board. Sort of a trial run. I will even go buy him the extra pillows!

There is actually a medical supply company that Princess uses to deliver things to the ship that can be pre-ordered, but they are quite costly. I read on the disabled board about someone having a hospital bed (no joke) delivered for thier husbands use onboard another cruise line, maybe you could rent one of those handicapped recliners that lift the patient up to get out of it? Only problem is, you would have to be very careful of the type of stateroom you booked, there isn't room in most of them for something like that. Good Luck!

There is actually a medical supply company that Princess uses to deliver things to the ship that can be pre-ordered, but they are quite costly. I read on the disabled board about someone having a hospital bed (no joke) delivered for thier husbands use onboard another cruise line, maybe you could rent one of those handicapped recliners that lift the patient up to get out of it? Only problem is, you would have to be very careful of the type of stateroom you booked, there isn't room in most of them for something like that. Good Luck!

Thanks so much! That is definitely an idea to explore. I think I will give Princess a call and see what the medical company they work with might be able to offer in the way of recliners and what size stateroom we would need to book. Appreciate the great advice! :)

This may help, copied from the Princess website:

"All Princess ships have wheelchair-accessible staterooms, but we highly recommend collapsible wheelchairs, as the widths of the stateroom doors vary. You may bring your own, or you can pre-reserve a wheelchair and have it and other medical equipment delivered to the ship by contacting Special Needs at Sea at 800-513-4515 (outside the US 954-585-0575) or by visiting specialneedsatsea.com. Alternatively, you can contact CareVacations at 877-478-7827 or cruiseshipassist.com. Some areas on some ships are not wheelchair accessible."

This is the one most Cruise Lines use. I believe Princess Cruises uses it also.

http://cruiseshipassist.com/html/services.html

Diane in Music City

Both of the companies listed above will deliver a recliner to the ship. One bed will be removed from the cabin and the recliner put in its place. It is costly - about $200 for a week. Since he has arthritis does he also need a no-step bathroom? If so your only choice is an accessible room.

Both of the companies listed above will deliver a recliner to the ship. One bed will be removed from the cabin and the recliner put in its place. It is costly - about $200 for a week. Since he has arthritis does he also need a no-step bathroom? If so your only choice is an accessible room.

Another option, at least on the older Grand class ships (Grand, Golden, Star and Caribbean, not sure about Diamond or Sapphire) would be an AE minisuite. These are the aftmost cabins on the port or starboard side of the Dolphin deck and have an unusual layout for a minisuite and have a shower only. They were originally intended to be handicapped accessible staterooms but I believe they installed the standard width door that is not wide enough for a wheelchair. The beds don't make into a queen, but if your father in law is sleeping in a recliner I think it probably wouldn't matter.

Thank you all so much for your help. I called Cruise Ship Assist and they were very helpful. They do supply recliners, but unfortunately, at least according to their list Princess does not allow them, although other lines like Celebrity, RCI and NCL do. The person I spoke with advised me to call Princess and see if they would make an exception. I did talk with a very nice customer service representative at Princess this evening and he gave me the number for the Access office at Princess and said they might be able to help me. I will give them a call tomorrow and see if they can provide assistance.

As always I knew I could count on the great people here at CC to help me find an answer. I will post tomorrow and give an update on what I find out from the Access office at Princess.

Would the deck lounges work? Might be able to arrange for one to be put in your room.

I was just on the Golden for the Christmas Cruise, and I had a terrible time sleeping in the bed with my bad back. I told Henry, my room steward, and he brought me an eggcrate mattress. That really did not help much, so I asked him the next day if there was anything else, and he said he would take care of it. When I came back to the cabin that night, he had placed an additional piece of "something" on the bed, that made my bed about 5 inches higher than my sister's and it REALLY helped!!! So, I am sure that could accomodate him in someway. It would be sad for him to miss a cruise just because of the sleeping arrangements.

I have a bad back and I've found some of the balcony cabins have a chair out there that the back reclines on. I put a pillow behind my back and use a chair or the bed as a foot rest. This has worked for me on the last 4 cruises. This might be an option for him. Princess might be able to arrange to have one of these chairs in his cabin.

My husband has had to sleep on an adjustable bed at home for 15 years. We have tried many things while traveling, and here's the best solution for him so far. Not perfect, but pretty good.

There is an inflatable pillow called Mattress Genie that you leave under your mattress and inflate it at night. To avoid packing the pump, he uses his cpap machine to inflate it each night. Takes him about 3 minutes.

The MG is under the head of the bed, inflated to a comfortable level.

Then, he also has to have his legs raised. We purchased another inflatable pillow from Bed, Bath and Beyond that is smaller than the MG. This one we leave inflated and just put it on the couch during the day. We ask for an extra mattress pad on all our cruises, and then place this smaller pillow in between the mattress pads.

The results are the same sleeping position he gets in either a recliner or his adjustable bed at home.

Both these pillows pack easily in our luggage, and we've been taking them along for years.

MG is $100 for a twin size, and the smaller one is around $25.

I like the head of my bed raised, also, and this is another solution if you just want the head raised: Put both life jackets under the mattress, side by side. They provide a sturdy elevation, and I just leave them there for the whole cruise. It makes for a nice lounging position to watch TV. If I do this, then my husband leaves his MG inflated, too, so the whole queen bed is elevated at the head of the bed.

Great suggestions. If we can't get the recliner perhaps we could implement one of the ideas here. Now that I know there is a company that will provide a recliner for him on the ship, I'm still hopeful that we can make that happen. The person in the Princess Access office that I need to speak with is on vacation until Monday, so I should have an update by next week. Keep your fingers crossed for me!