Accessible Cabins on Princess

[Speedyguy36]

Hi , I am a first time cruiser, and I am going to be going on a cruise in February on the Caribbean Princess, I am in a wheelchair , and would like to know what the cabins are like (thar are wheelchair accessible), are their showers made so I can just wheel in with my chair, or even crawl in. , I am really looking forward to the cruise, but would like that bit of information if anyone can message me back and let me know , that would be wonderful.

[Host Walt]

Hi , I am a first time cruiser, and I am going to be going on a cruise in February on the Caribbean Princess, I am in a wheelchair , and would like to know what the cabins are like (thar are wheelchair accessible), are their showers made so I can just wheel in with my chair, or even crawl in. , I am really looking forward to the cruise, but would like that bit of information if anyone can message me back and let me know , that would be wonderful.

 

I suggest that you ask your Travel Agent for specific information about your cabin, if it has been assigned already. If not be sure to describe all of your concerns to him/her as soon as possible.

 

Another suggestion is to call Princess directly at 1-800-774-6237.

[Pam in CA]

If you are booked in a HC cabin, the bathroom is quite large and the shower is open so you can wheel in. The shower is hand-held. There's no lip to either the bathroom or the shower.

[timetravler]

The HC cabins have wider doors and the whole cabin is bigger then regular cabins. The closet area is a built in type and not like the regular cabin closets. The bathroom is big enough for a wheelchair which you can roll right into the shower. They are very nice cabins. But I found out some IDIOTS book HC cabins because of their size yet they are not in a wheelchair.:mad: They lie when they are asked if they are in a wheelchair. Then when boarding they request a wheelchair which they put in their cabin and never use. On my last cruise on the Royal One so called couple were dancing and walking all over the ship. Never did see either one of them in a wheel chair. Another couple, same thing. They hiked on a shore excursion which was a difficult hike. Never saw them use a wheel chair either. Princess needs to do something about this somehow as each ship have few HC cabins and abusing them is really bad. Very glad you were able to get a HC cabin for your needs.:)

[caribill]

The HC cabins have wider doors and the whole cabin is bigger then regular cabins. The closet area is a built in type and not like the regular cabin closets. The bathroom is big enough for a wheelchair which you can roll right into the shower. They are very nice cabins. But I found out some IDIOTS book HC cabins because of their size yet they are not in a wheelchair.:mad: They lie when they are asked if they are in a wheelchair. Then when boarding they request a wheelchair which they put in their cabin and never use. On my last cruise on the Royal One so called couple were dancing and walking all over the ship. Never did see either one of them in a wheel chair. Another couple, same thing. They hiked on a shore excursion which was a difficult hike. Never saw them use a wheel chair either. Princess needs to do something about this somehow as each ship have few HC cabins and abusing them is really bad. Very glad you were able to get a HC cabin for your needs.:)

 

Can't do that. Princess does not supply wheelchairs except for onboard emergency use.

[skynight]

If you supply your ship and cabin no. you should be able to locate photos of the cabin on CC. This should be helpful for you. Almost all public areas of the ships I'v been on are wheelchair accessible.

[RotaryMike]

Hi , I am a first time cruiser, and I am going to be going on a cruise in February on the Caribbean Princess, I am in a wheelchair , and would like to know what the cabins are like (thar are wheelchair accessible), are their showers made so I can just wheel in with my chair, or even crawl in. , I am really looking forward to the cruise, but would like that bit of information if anyone can message me back and let me know , that would be wonderful.

 

Did you book thru Princess, if so and you told them of your need for the wheelchair accessible shower, they should have tried to book a HC cabin for you. What cabin # are you in (some of us might have details on that cabin) , look at the Caribbean Princess deck plans and you might be able to tell - from the size of the cabin.

[RickEk]

The HC cabins have wider doors and the whole cabin is bigger then regular cabins. The closet area is a built in type and not like the regular cabin closets. The bathroom is big enough for a wheelchair which you can roll right into the shower. They are very nice cabins. But I found out some IDIOTS book HC cabins because of their size yet they are not in a wheelchair.:mad: They lie when they are asked if they are in a wheelchair. Then when boarding they request a wheelchair which they put in their cabin and never use. On my last cruise on the Royal One so called couple were dancing and walking all over the ship. Never did see either one of them in a wheel chair. Another couple, same thing. They hiked on a shore excursion which was a difficult hike. Never saw them use a wheel chair either. Princess needs to do something about this somehow as each ship have few HC cabins and abusing them is really bad. Very glad you were able to get a HC cabin for your needs.:)

 

Princess DOES do something about this issue... from what I understand, passengers or travel agents have to attest that they have a mobility issue and need the accessible cabin. If Princess finds that the cabin was purchased fraudulently, they can move them to another cabin or even deny boarding.

 

On the other hand, it is quite possible that the folks that you saw were upgraded to that cabin. That has happened to us. If the cabins are not filled, Princess will upgrade other folks into those cabins.

[pablo222]

Hi , I am a first time cruiser, and I am going to be going on a cruise in February on the Caribbean Princess, I am in a wheelchair , and would like to know what the cabins are like (thar are wheelchair accessible), are their showers made so I can just wheel in with my chair, or even crawl in. , I am really looking forward to the cruise, but would like that bit of information if anyone can message me back and let me know , that would be wonderful.

I had a handicapped cabin on Grand Princess. It was an inside, but much bigger than a standard inside. The bathroom was quite large. The shower was in one corner. Two walls of the shower were the bathroom walls. To make a complete square, there was a long narrow drain in an 'L' shape, with a curtain above. It was designed to roll into, then pull the curtain across two sides, making a square shower. No thresholds or bumps anywhere in the cabin. There is also a lift available to help you get in and out of one of the pools. If you ask, the lift will be set up for your entire cruise. For the main show lounge -- you can entire on either side of the ship. It is up a flight of 8-10 stairs. Just go to the middle of the ship, in front of the elevators, and there is a ramp that bypasses the stairs. There are reserved spots for wheelchairs at the back of the showlounge -- enter on deck 7. Many wheel chairs/scooters also enter on deck six which has a flat area of about 15 rows of seats before the first riser. Before anyone flames me -- we booked an inside guarantee, and shortly before sailing princess assigned us a cabin. It happened to be handicapped.

[Ron the Rev]

Another thing is if you book a HC stateroom, make sure you have your booking marked "no upgrade" so that you don't get moved from it.

[timetravler]

I do know that you can get a HC cabin via a upgrade, that is true. But one of the couples I mentioned actually book a HC cabin every time and they cruise often. They don't post their cabin number because of that.

Also you can get a wheelchair upon boarding if you claim it's a emergency. They just don't hand them out to whoever asks because they don't have enough to go around.

Guess my pet peeve is some abuse the system and will not be honest about needing a HC cabin. That makes it very difficult for those that truly need them. I have a friend in a wheelchair who has had to book regular cabins in hopes that a HC cabin would open up sometime before the cruise. So far he has been lucky.

[Thrak]

Hi , I am a first time cruiser, and I am going to be going on a cruise in February on the Caribbean Princess, I am in a wheelchair , and would like to know what the cabins are like (thar are wheelchair accessible), are their showers made so I can just wheel in with my chair, or even crawl in. , I am really looking forward to the cruise, but would like that bit of information if anyone can message me back and let me know , that would be wonderful.

 

My son is a disabled vet - functional quad. He was fine in the wheelchair rooms on Princess. I wish there was a push pad to open the doors but, other than that, it was fine. The doors did have lever handles rather than knobs so that worked.

 

There is congestion in the hallways when the steward's carts are there but they are quick to move them out of the way for you. My wife or I moved some of them and the stewards were quick to apologize.

 

The bathrooms on both Sea Princess and Star Princess were full roll-in bathrooms with a shower area where he used his shower chair. The toilets accommodated the same chair for roll-over use.

 

Staff bent over backwards to be of assistance and "most" of the other passengers were excellent about the elevators. (When things were really busy and the elevators were packed my wife and I would just take the stairs while he rode the elevator.)

 

When we disembarked at port stops there were always a couple of strong young men to assist with the steep gangway. Sometimes it was steeper than others depending on the tide level but they were always there to help him both up and down. It was greatly appreciated.

 

There was really no problem at all for my son and his wheelchair.

 

Note: He took the push chair rather than his electric. My wife and I were often available to push but not always.

[Treven]

Another thing is if you book a HC stateroom, make sure you have your booking marked "no upgrade" so that you don't get moved from it.

When I booked an accessible cabin on my first cruise I thought everything was all set, then my TA called me and said I'd been upgraded. Upon checking I discovered the new cabin wasn't an accessible cabin. Fortunately my TA was able to get my original cabin back, and we discovered she hadn't checked the no upgrade box. Since then we make sure that box is checked! It's too bad that the cruise lines don't upgrade from one accessible cabin to another :-(, but guess I can't have everything. In an ideal world, I would have booked a HC balcony to begin with.

 

I agree with the previous poster about the big roll-in bathroom and then the shower. The curtain for the shower was quite convenient.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Treven

[CharlesOK]

To the OP, take a look at your booking on the CP. We are booked in HC cabin due to my wife's HC scooter. There appear to be several HC cabins available on each sailing. For the folks who seem to be concerned that others may be in a HC cabin wrongly, PLEASE accept that all HC people are not just in a wheelchair. Most cabins below the suite level are so small that it is nearly impossible to accommodate 2 people and a scooter. Scooters have to be in the cabin at night to charge and without a scooter my wife who has had 5 hip replacements and a knee replacement could not go. HC cabins are just that HC cabins and many times they are needed by folk who are not in wheelchairs. Some cruise lines have gone to a modified cabin which does not have such a large shower, but does have room for a scooter. We usually plan at least 12 to 15 months in advance to make sure we get enough room for her scooter.

[PurpleHays]

We were "bumped" from a mini to an accessible cabin on our last cruise. It was larger than I expected with a huge balcony. It was also right by the elevators so that there wasn't really any hall to travel down. The only drawback was that there was very little counter space in the bathroom and the bathroom light switch was outside the bathroom. DH has to turn on the light when he goes in, so he woke me up quite a few times. Take a night light. Other than that, it was an awesome cabin and I wish I could have that much space every time.

[rkmw]

if you do a booking on the princess site you get this message if trying to book a HC cabin

 

IMPORTANT NOTICE: ATTESTATION OF NEED FOR ACCESSIBLE CABIN

 

 

I attest that I or another person traveling in the same cabin have a recognized disability that alters a major life function and requires the use of a mobility device and the use of the accessible features provided in the wheelchair accessible cabin. Please be advised Princess is required to investigate the potential misuse of accessible cabins where there is good cause to believe such cabins have been purchased fraudulently. Princess will take appropriate action against someone who has reserved or purchased such a cabin fraudulently. Action may include but is not limited to removal from the cabin to a non accessible accommodation up to denial of boarding.

Upon completion of your booking, please contact the Access Office at accessoffice@princesscruises.com to confirm your special needs.

[dorisis]

My husband uses a small electric scooter. He can walk short distances but he has a note from his doctor staing his need for a handicaped cabin. Our TA usually marks the booking no upgrade although we could handle a full suite as long as it has a separate shower.