Obstructed Handicapped on Sea Princess -- 2 questions

[kusscate]

Long story, but my father-in-law has finally decided to go for obstructed-view cabins on the Sea Princess for the family to Alaska in July. (Yes, I would like to pay to upgrade but am not allowed.) We were way at the front of the ship last year on the same cruise and we were terribly sick so I am scared of getting that kind of cabin again.

My questions:

Are we better off with an HH or G waitlist, a GG guarantee, or the one GG cabin that is available, which is D326?

D326 is a handicapped cabin, and that's fine, except the deck plan says the beds cannot be confgured as a queen. Does anyone know if that is true?

Thanks!

[uppitycats]

Long story, but my father-in-law has finally decided to go for obstructed-view cabins on the Sea Princess for the family to Alaska in July. (Yes, I would like to pay to upgrade but am not allowed.) We were way at the front of the ship last year on the same cruise and we were terribly sick so I am scared of getting that kind of cabin again.

My questions:

Are we better off with an HH or G waitlist, a GG guarantee, or the one GG cabin that is available, which is D326?

D326 is a handicapped cabin, and that's fine, except the deck plan says the beds cannot be confgured as a queen. Does anyone know if that is true?

Thanks!

 

Is anyone in your family handicapped? Otherwise, why would you even consider booking a handicap-accessible cabin? They're in very short supply, and once booked, unavailable to anyone who actually needs such a cabin. No, the beds in that particular cabin cannot be configured as a queen. They're designed for a disabled person and their caregiver --who may or may not be a spouse, or otherwise intimate with the person who needs the cabin.

[montgomeryfamily]

I agree with Uppitycat. If one of the passengers in the cabin is not disabled, then you should not be booking that cabin. If the passenger is disabled, then you have limited choices as to what you can book--there are NO oceanview handicapped cabins, only the few obstructed view cabins. (Those of us who require a cabin where the wheelchair can get into the doorway of the room and into the bathroom know that you have to settle for one of the few handicapped cabins on the ship--for us there are no guarantees, no upgrades, and no real views unless you can book and pay for one of the few wheelchair accessible balcony staterooms on the ship .)

 

And no, the beds cannot be configured as a queen--we have stayed in that particular cabin and know this from experience. In addition, the lifeboat does obstruct the window.

[kusscate]

ACTUALLY, before you chastise me, what I did not mention is that I told our TA that if someone needs the cabin, they absolutely can have it! I do not even sit in the handicapped seats on the train (and I am not a chair hog either). He said he told Princess, and they told him most handicapped people don't book this late because they KNOW these cabins are in short supply. And he also told me these cabins are NOT reserved for handicapped. It's all first come first served.

But you answered my question. The only reason I was looking at it was because it is closer to midship.

My my.

[mercede70]

Handicap acc. rooms will be given to anyone who books a cruise, but if you are not HC, then the room will be given away and you will be re-located prior to boarding if it is needed by someone HC. It depends on the room, but the twins can always be made into a queen, and some have overhead bunks in the room, others do not.

[Umbarger]

ACTUALLY, before you chastise me, what I did not mention is that I told our TA that if someone needs the cabin, they absolutely can have it! I do not even sit in the handicapped seats on the train (and I am not a chair hog either). He said he told Princess, and they told him most handicapped people don't book this late because they KNOW these cabins are in short supply. And he also told me these cabins are NOT reserved for handicapped. It's all first come first served.

But you answered my question. The only reason I was looking at it was because it is closer to midship.

My my.

 

Posts like yours make me see red because of the incorrect information your TA/Princess is telling you.

 

As for being 'late' the cruise doesn't go out for 4 months. Plenty of time for a person in a wheelchair to book that cabin. Handicapped cabins are usually only released to the general public about a month before sailing. That is 'late'.

 

They are not reserved for the handicapped? First come first served? That is just plain crazy. Handicapped cabins have special modifications for people in wheelchairs. The door way is wider so a wheelchair can fit thru the door. The bathroom is bigger so a wheelchair can access it. There is a shower seat so a person who can not stand can shower. There are emergency cords in the cabin in case a handicapped person falls and cant get up. The peek hole in the door is lowered so a person in a wheelchair can look out. Even the closet bar is only four feet from the ground so a wheelchair person can reach it. Handicapped cabins are in restricted inventory. Once booked you need to fill out a medical form telling the size of your wheelchair, scooter, your medical issues, if you use oxygen etc.

 

You don't sit in handicapped places on the train. Why? Because it is wrong and reserved for handicapped. Therefore, booking a handicapped cabin is the same thing, wrong and reserved for the handicapped. Thank you for remembering people who are less fortunate than you and leave handicapped facilities (whatever they may be) for those who are disabled.

 

My my is right! :eek:

[Umbarger]

Handicap acc. rooms will be given to anyone who books a cruise, but if you are not HC, then the room will be given away and you will be re-located prior to boarding if it is needed by someone HC. It depends on the room, but the twins can always be made into a queen, and some have overhead bunks in the room, others do not.

 

Sorry, Mercede70 but you are incorrect. Handicapped cabins are in restricted inventory. Only at about a month before the cruise are any unoccupied handicapped cabins "given to anyone". Also, once the cabin is booked it is unavailable and out of the cabin inventory. Therefore it is unable to be booked by a disabled person. The cruise line DOES NOT relocate able bodied people prior to boarding if a handicapped person needs it. Believe me I've tried this.

[leoandhugh]

Kusscate, what your TA told you is absolutely not true - that if someone who really needs it, they can have it. How would your TA even know if someone else really needed an accessible cabin? And once the cabin has been booked, it is removed from Princess' available cabins. Those of us who are disabled know only too well the misinformation given out by some TAs just to get your business while a handicapped potential cruiser can't even book a cabin. We know from experience that we have to book months in advance to get one of the few accessible cabins if we are to cruise at all:mad: