Handicapped Rooms

[hopecpa]

I want to take my parents on an Alaska Cruise this summer and was wondering if the HC rooms have enough room for 2 motorized chairs. I will probably rent 2 motorized chairs for both of them. My father needs one and my mother uses a walker but with all the walking I think it would be best for her to have a scooter as well as she can't walk long distances.

 

If they don't I will have to get 2 HC rooms close to each other and keep one of them in my room.

 

Also, do the HC rooms come in all categories?

[kyriecat]

Do you know what cruiseline you are looking at taking? Most cruiselines don't have an HC cabin available in every type. They will have some insides, outsides, and balconies, but limited quantities. Most ships have subcategories within a type (like H, I, J, K that are interiors in different locations). There won't be an HC cabin for each subcategory. The newer ships tend to have larger HC cabins than older ones so they might be large enough for two scooters. Some people have posted that the beds can be rearranged into two twins and pushed against the walls rather than pushed together into a queen to get more space. It also depends on what size scooters. I've seen some small scooters and some really big ones that were more like golf carts.

[Shebbieal]

You mentioned you want to go to Alaska this coming summer, better decide and book fast because h/c rooms are few and Alaska books quick.

 

Since you ask a lot of questions it might be better for you to book with a t/a that specialiiizes in h/c travel.

 

Sherry

[EileenN]

We went to Alaska this past July on the NCL Pearl deck 10 aft in a handicapped cabin that held three. My daughter had a wheelchair and walker and i had a scooter and we had sufficient room. It was very doable and with the aft cabin we had great views. It was a catagory AF. We booked it again on the Jewel for the repo cruise in April 2010. Loved it.

[BarbJ52]

The newer ships tend to have larger HC cabins than older ones so they might be large enough for two scooters.

 

While this is often the case, there are other times when 2 cabins seem to have been combined to create the HC cabin providing much more space than found on some newer ships. We've been in a couple that were very spacious. Inside cabin 4517 on Jewel of the Seas (sister ship, Radiance will be in Alaska this summer) could EASILY accommodate two large scooters with room to spare. However, our HC Aquaclass balcony cabin on Celebrity Solstice (not going to Alaska, but new last year) was much smaller and would probably not provide room for more than 1 scooter.

 

If you could let us know which ships you are considering, there may be some of us who could provide more accurate information.

[kyriecat]

I used the term "might" because I don't know every ship's HC cabins. I know on Royal Caribbean, the HC balcony cabins on Majesty and Sovereign (since been sold) were barely large enough for a single wheelchair. I don't know how someone with a large scooter could manage. Rhapsody, newer than Majesty and Sovereign, had a fairly spacious HC ocean view cabin (2602), but I wouldn't want to put 2 scooters in it. It was more than adequate for a single wheelchair. Radiance, even newer than Rhapsody, had an extremely spacious ocean view cabin (4008) that could probably accommodate 2 scooters if the beds weren't pushed together into the middle of the room. It would also depend on the size of the scooters.

 

For 2010, RC only has Rhapsody and Radiance in Alaska. Of those two, Radiance could probably hold 2 scooters in the HC cabin. However, Radiance is only making northbound and southbound cruises from Vancouver to Seward and vice versa. Some people don't want to take a one-way cruise due to logistics and air fare concerns. Rhapsody is doing a round-trip cruise from Seattle.

 

If the OP has an idea of ship or cruiseline, it would narrow things down. It looks like Carnival has 1 ship, Royal Caribbean has 2 ships, Princess has 7 ships, Holland America has 6 ships, Norwegian has 2 ships, Celebrity has 3 ships, Radission has 1 ship, and Silversea has 1 ship all doing various AK intineraries during summer 2010. There are plenty of AK itineraries and cabin options available, but HC cabins are limited so it's usually best to book as soon as possible.

[TrinaP1204]

While this is often the case, there are other times when 2 cabins seem to have been combined to create the HC cabin providing much more space than found on some newer ships. We've been in a couple that were very spacious. Inside cabin 4517 on Jewel of the Seas (sister ship, Radiance will be in Alaska this summer) could EASILY accommodate two large scooters with room to spare. However, our HC Aquaclass balcony cabin on Celebrity Solstice (not going to Alaska, but new last year) was much smaller and would probably not provide room for more than 1 scooter.

 

If you could let us know which ships you are considering, there may be some of us who could provide more accurate information.

 

We had 4517 on Radiance, as you mentioned, the sister ship and I would agree, two scooters could maneuver in this room.

 

Will your parents be the one two people in that room? That is also a factor. We had three people in our room, with one of them on the pull out bed. It was a little cramped. But if it is just the two of them, it should be fine.

[Oceanwench]

HAL Vista ships - Noordam, Zuiderdam, Oosterdam and Westerdam, have some big balcony cabins all the way forward. We stayed in 5001 aboard the Noordam, and it was big enough for two motorized chairs.

[TomB001]

We went to Alaska in Aug 2009 on the Radiance of the seas. We booked a HC Junior Suite (1028) and it would have easily handled 2 electric chairs. We only had one in there but there was plenty of room left over (make sure you bring a power strip). It was a very nice HC room. Walk in closet, large bathroom, door to cabin automatically opened when you inserted the key and had a button inside to open it when exiting. It was very close to the elevator and the hallway outside the cabin was wider than normal so there was plenty of room for the wheelchair to move around.

[aruvqan]

door to cabin automatically opened when you inserted the key and had a button inside to open it when exiting..

Very nice detail!

 

It is amazing how many people do not realize how difficult getting through a door can be in a chair! I actually had to take a previous jobs Human Resources person, put her into my chair and tell her to get into the building, and then give her my crutches and tell her to repeat, with a little plastic grocery bag before she understood that the building was darn near impossible for a HP to access without help. She dang near broke the glass on the building with the can of soda in the bag when it whacked the door :D and she also didn't understand what the problem was with using the handicapped bathroom as storage for stuff 'because you can still walk in and get to the toilet'

[PegIra]

We have 5001 on the Zuiderdam in April. We heard it is large, just wondering if anyone has any pictures of this accessible room, or one like it on another HAL ship.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Peg

[Arwenmark]

Very nice detail!

 

It is amazing how many people do not realize how difficult getting through a door can be in a chair! I actually had to take a previous jobs Human Resources person, put her into my chair and tell her to get into the building, and then give her my crutches and tell her to repeat, with a little plastic grocery bag before she understood that the building was darn near impossible for a HP to access without help. She dang near broke the glass on the building with the can of soda in the bag when it whacked the door :D and she also didn't understand what the problem was with using the handicapped bathroom as storage for stuff 'because you can still walk in and get to the toilet'

 

So exactly what happened after the demonstration? and I hope the threatened lawsuit. LOL

 

It should be mandatory for the executives of EVERY company to use a wheelchair, without an assistant and use the facilities as they would if an employee or patron.

[aruvqan]

So exactly what happened after the demonstration? and I hope the threatened lawsuit. LOL

 

It should be mandatory for the executives of EVERY company to use a wheelchair, without an assistant and use the facilities as they would if an employee or patron.

I got to telecommute without argument =) They actually created a position for me specifically!

[Arwenmark]

I got to telecommute without argument =) They actually created a position for me specifically!

 

I am glad they accomodated you. It is too bad that many who need accomodation are afraid to ask for it, even though in most cases they are entitled to it. My sister teaches and she cannot sit of stand for long periods of time, so the college bought her a desk that raises and lowers and can follow her around the room, she also has to spend her break time laying flat on the floor.

 

It is great fun to take her out anywhere one time she laid flat on the floor in CVS pharmacy, had fun trying to explain that one. LOL

[paml]

We stayed in RCCL Explorer 9553 and that would not accomodate 2 wheelchairs. On the RCCL Jewel 7612 and the size of the room was great, even enough room for us to add in a hospital bed from an outside medical vendor. The balcony didn't have the greatest view because of the hump rooms and the roof to the smaller life boats, but decent enough. 8th or 9th floor would be better. No room for wheelchairs on the balcony except straight thru the door.

 

If you reserve 2 rooms, you will have to pay 100% of 2 for the second room.

[bots99]

My last three experiences on Carnival in modified rooms have been very disappointing. The cruises themselves were fantastic, the rooms were not. All were inside doubles. One of the biggest problems is I have yet to locate a source with accurate info on the layout & configuration of specific rooms. Even my PVP seems to be at a loss. Anyone know of a good website with this info?

[bots99]

Great modified room. Carnival Destiny 9102 (4F). The room is huge! We had 2 adults with twin beds, a child in a full size crib, a full couch, 3 big closets and still a ton of floor space for us to get around, stash the wheelchair & let the kid play & run. The bathroom was fantastic, not as modern as some of the newer ships, but shower seat, grab bars & lots of storage.

[gail811]

Here are pictures of a balcony handicap accessible cabin on Carnival Spirit. I took them on my Alaska cruise because I was planning to take my sister on a future cruise and knew she would need one. The balcony to this cabin is extra long and may serve as a parking area for the chairs. Click on the picture to see the rest of the album.

 

 

I ended up booking on the Legend, same layout as the Spirit. Here are a few pictures of the balcony on the Legend.

 

 

[bots99]

Wow - great balcony!