? on finding handicapped rooms on Carnivals website

[idkanything]

I'm trying to find/book a room on the carnival website, but I can't find anywhere to indicate I need a wheelchair accessible cabin. Is there some special page or box or something I'm missing? I'll call Monday, but I was hoping to see what was available and pricing. The other lines websites seem to all have areas to specify this, so I'm sure I'm just missing something on Carnivals.

Thanks!

[phillyrose]

If you are looking for an inside room, the category is 4j. Hopefully, someone else can fill in the details but my husband & I booked one for a cruise two weeks ago. The understanding was is any handicapped person needs one, we'd been assigned a new cabin equal to or better than this category.

 

The bathroom was hugh with a sit in shower. Two twins beds along one wall allowed extra floor space.

 

Hope this helps you out.

Best,

Phillyrose

[drosphot]

Maps of all ships and HC accessibility are here:

 

http://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs.aspx

[idkanything]

Thank you both for the comments! I was able to find the category and the maps of the decks, my struggle is how to indicate that I need one on the online booking process when you are going through the pages selecting cabins/rates etc.

 

I guess if you need a handicapped room, they just make you call. No biggie, its not like I'm in that much of a hurry. Besides, that will let me rethink my spur of the moment impulse to book one today, if I could have, I probably would have.

 

Thanks again :)

[springs741]

I don't know how experienced you are with Carnival but may I share some information with you? My mother needs a handicap room. She can walk some but can not step up.

 

Some of Carnivals rooms are modified and some are fully accessible. Be sure you verify that the stateroom you need meets yours needs.

 

While phillyrose is correct that most 4J's are handicapped, that designation has to do with the level of stateroom not it's handicapped status. Moms room on the Triumph was a 4E .

 

Also there is no where online to limit your cabin selections to handicap. If a handicap is available it will be shown.

 

When I was planning for Mom I just googled Carnival Triumph handicapped rooms. It took me to another site and I was able to find what I needed.

Edited October 4, 2015 by springs741
additional info

[idkanything]

I don't know how experienced you are with Carnival but may I share some information with you? My mother needs a handicap room. She can walk some but can not step up.

 

Some of Carnivals rooms are modified and some are fully accessible. Be sure you verify that the stateroom you need meets yours needs.

 

While phillyrose is correct that most 4J's are handicapped, that designation has to do with the level of stateroom not it's handicapped status. Moms room on the Triumph was a 4E .

 

Also there is no where online to limit your cabin selections to handicap. If a handicap is available it will be shown.

 

When I was planning for Mom I just googled Carnival Triumph handicapped rooms. It took me to another site and I was able to find what I needed.

 

This is exactly the information I was looking for! I'll just get a list of the ones from the deck plans and then keep trying till I find one. It just seems like a little more work, that's all.

 

Thank you for the information on the cabin category. I do indeed need a fully accessible room for my daughters electric wheelchair. I'll make sure I double check anything before I book. It almost sounds like I'll be better off just calling tomorrow.

[Beth C]

This is the one area Carnival is lacking in their online bookings... the other major cruises lines make life soooooo much easier with being able to check off that little wheelchair icon and eliminate any sailings that don't have availability.

 

Unfortunately the only option is to call and rhyme off a bunch of cruises and cabin categories and get them to search for you if you don't happen to get lucky and have one come up online yourself. Call directly to the access department rather than the main booking people though, they can sometimes "magically" make one appear!

 

Google your ship name accessible cabins and there's a site which lists all the accessible for every ship, whether they're modified or fully accessible and any limitations (i.e. a bunch of cabins on one carnival ship (can't remember which) have 5" lips into the bathroom!?!?)

Edited October 4, 2015 by Beth C

[isaiahsnana]

I travel with a scooter and find that if I want any selection of rooms I must book as soon as the cruises open up. I cannot wait at all. There are very few handicapped rooms and some are taken up very quickly (like it or not) by folks who don't need them but they notice that this room is much larger and so they always book them. Getting someone removed from one of those rooms is very difficult.

[Gtownmom]

If you haven't found what you are looking for yet... This shows all handicap info by ship class... http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/cruise_control/EMB_guest_specials_requirements.aspx

[BananaAnna]

When booking online thru Carnival, only up to 10 cabins will show at once even though there may be lots and lots available. Calling in should give you access to all of them.

[meatloafsfan]

Call Carnival.

 

Because their accessible cabins come up with their regular inventory, people who don't require them book them all the time.

 

Special Needs can bump a person from an accessible cabin if they don't need it and you do (or in this case, your mother does).

 

And don't talk to just "anyone". When you get through, tell that person you need an accessible cabin and would like to speak with the special needs department. They are the ones who can and will find you an accessible stateroom.

[idkanything]

Thank you all, I'm calling them this morning!

[Hawaiifrank]

It's my understanding that Carnival is only allowed to book the accessable cabins to an able-bodied person after final payment date OR if it is the LAST cabin in that catagory. Obviously, if a ship is nearly sold out before final payment, most of the accessable rooms will be gone too.

 

I recently requested a 4J (inside with a window overlooking a public walkway) on the Carnival Freedom. Only one 4J cabin was offered, not the usual list of up to 10. It wasn't identified as an accessable cabin at that point. Only after I'd selected it and moved on to the deposit page did I find out it was an accessable cabin.

 

Even then, it didn't specifically say the cabin was "accessable". Instead the description listed the bathroom grab bars, level access to the shower, wider doors and a few other features that made me suspect the fact that it was an accessable cabin. Also, there was a check-box for me to mark that indicated that I would be willing to relenquish this cabin if it was needed by someone who required these features.

 

I would never request an accessable cabin just to get a roomier cabin. I did accept the cabin because it was offered as the only choice for the cabin type I was looking for. We are ready and willing to switch to an equivalent (there are no more 4J cabins available) or to a higher catagory cabin if someone with a need requests my cabin. I'll admit I like the idea of an upgrade if we do have to move, so go ahead and call. There may be an accessable cabin sold to an able-bodied passenger that is hoping to get an upgrade. :D

[Beth C]

I'm willing to bet a lot of these 4J cabins are booked with exactly this hope in mind. Unfortunately for those of us who require the accessible cabins this makes the whole cruise planning process much more difficult and have to spend hours on the phone with carnival hunting down cabins.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Beth C

[Hawaiifrank]

I'm willing to bet a lot of these 4J cabins are booked with exactly this hope in mind. Unfortunately for those of us who require the accessible cabins this makes the whole cruise planning process much more difficult and have to spend hours on the phone with carnival hunting down cabins.

 

The 4J catagory does NOT mean it's an accessable cabin. With the CCL cabin types, a "4J" means that it has a window on the public walkway at the very front of the ship. A 4K is a cabin with a door that opens to a view of the side of the lifeboat.

 

An accessable cabin can be ANY catagory--it is accessable by virtue of the features available, ie wider door, no step up to the bathroom or shower, handholds, etc. Accessable cabins are available in many catagories, the same catagory designations as regular cabins.

 

As I mentioned above, accessable cabins are held back until final payment or until they are the last of the catagory, that's what I've read anyway. The one time I specifically ask for an accessable cabin for my invalid father-in-law cruising with us on NCL, I received it. I don't know if they bumped someone or if it was unreserved at that point, but we had no problems getting one. We did book about a year out though.

 

Accessible cabins should be for people who need them, but you can't expect the cruise line to leave them empty if no one needs them. At some point they have to offer them to anyone. They SAY they will bump the able-bodied to accommodate a mobility-challenged passenger. Call the cruiseline's special needs department not the general reservation number.

[meatloafsfan]

The 4J catagory does NOT mean it's an accessable cabin. With the CCL cabin types, a "4J" means that it has a window on the public walkway at the very front of the ship. A 4K is a cabin with a door that opens to a view of the side of the lifeboat.

 

An accessable cabin can be ANY catagory--it is accessable by virtue of the features available, ie wider door, no step up to the bathroom or shower, handholds, etc. Accessable cabins are available in many catagories, the same catagory designations as regular cabins.

 

As I mentioned above, accessable cabins are held back until final payment or until they are the last of the catagory, that's what I've read anyway. The one time I specifically ask for an accessable cabin for my invalid father-in-law cruising with us on NCL, I received it. I don't know if they bumped someone or if it was unreserved at that point, but we had no problems getting one. We did book about a year out though.

 

Accessible cabins should be for people who need them, but you can't expect the cruise line to leave them empty if no one needs them. At some point they have to offer them to anyone. They SAY they will bump the able-bodied to accommodate a mobility-challenged passenger. Call the cruiseline's special needs department not the general reservation number.

 

sorry Frank but that's not the way it works on Carnival. Lots of times I'm searching for a cabin on Carnival for an itinerary that's just come out and the accessible cabins often seem to pop up first (4Ks on the Spirit class are bad for this - it's like they want to sell 4205, 4202 and 4203 first).

 

And although they "say" they will bump, if you don't talk to the right person, you wouldn't know that. When I was just getting into cruising and didn't really know how everything worked, I received an offer for a Premier cruise through the casino. I called and asked if there were any accessible cabins available and was told no. There was no checking to see if anyone was in one who didn't need it, it was just "No.".

 

And maybe I'm mean spirited but there are times when I see that people have booked an accessible for the extra space and say things like, "well, if I have to move, I hope they upgrade me to a balcony." - secretly, I hope those people get bumped to an oceanview on 1 or 2 that is right at the very front of the ship and a cabin that is less desirable.

 

It's one thing to book the cabin between final payment and the cruise, but some people book them a year in advance (and other cabins are available) with the hope they'll get bumped up. It vexes me.:cool:

[joe r2]

I'm trying to find/book a room on the carnival website, but I can't find anywhere to indicate I need a wheelchair accessible cabin. Is there some special page or box or something I'm missing? I'll call Monday, but I was hoping to see what was available and pricing. The other lines websites seem to all have areas to specify this, so I'm sure I'm just missing something on Carnivals.

Thanks!

 

 

you will need to call, they do not have tons of handicap cabins

[idkanything]

Just wanted to post an update. I did indeed call the main carnival number and asked to be transferred to the special needs department. They were only open from 8 - 5, so I called today and spoke to someone who was totally able to help me. She looked to see the prices, the rooms that were available and was able to help me understand exactly what each room was like. I ended up booking room 10204 on the Magic on May 7th 2016 at a really good price. She did tell me that all of the sailings I was looking at (late April through early June) had wheelchair accessible cabins, and as a matter of fact, I had my pick of a few different ones. I really expected them to tell me there was one room, and take or leave it. Pleasantly surprised! Perhaps they really are holding the wheelchair rooms till the end now?

 

Anyway, thank you all for the advice. It turned out perfect to wait and just call.

Edited October 6, 2015 by idkanything

[Hawaiifrank]

I recall a post in the Disabled Cruising sub-forum, I think, that mentioned a lawsuit against Carnival a few yrs ago relating to the number of accessable cabins and how they booked them. I'll post a link if I can find it.

 

The short of it was that Carnival must provide more cabins and must not offer nor accept bookings for these cabins until after final payment date, unless it's the last one in the catagory. It took affect within the last year or so.

[Hawaiifrank]

Here ya go, the post about the cruiseline's ADA compliance regarding accessable cabins:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=35115645