Scooter/Wheelchair question

[NightRN]

As I've been checking out the different ships, I've noticed that not very many rooms have the wheelchair symbol. What exactly does that symbol mean? My mother-in-law has an electric scooter and a wheelchair. Will both of them fit in those rooms or just the wheelchair? Is it extra room in the room itself or just a roll-in shower? Are there handicapped-accessible suites or are the suites big enough on their own? Is there enough room in a suite for us to wheel her to the door, assist her to the bed and then fold up the wheelchair and put it somewhere, if we can't get a handicapped-accessible room? If it makes a difference, here are the options we're looking at

 

Celebrity Infinity -

Sky Suite or Royal Suite

 

Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony or Jr. Suite

 

Princess-

Mini-suite with Balcony

 

Also, you can call me paranoid if you want, if my mother-in-law is sitting on the balcony by herself, and the ship rocks from the waves, is there a possibility that she'll go over the edge in her wheelchair? :eek:

[DEL67]

HC cabins vary by ship and not all lines designate HC cabins with a wheelchair symbol. For example NCL uses a square and Celebrity uses a funny triangle. However, a wheelchair symbol should indicate that it is a HC cabin. Some ships have HC suites, but they are relatively rare.

 

Most HC cabins have :

 

- Wider doors (cabin and bathroom)

- More room than standard cabins

- Larger bathrooms with safety bars, roll-in showers, shower seats and

roll under sinks

In addition, HC balconies are ramped.

 

We take both my husband's power chair and his manual one and there has been room for both in all the HC cabins we have had.

 

We have been in HC outside cabins on the Infinity and Serenade; Our cabin on the Infinity (6005) was huge. In fact, the cabin steward said that it was as big as some suites. The one on the Serenade was just adequate, but the bathroom was larger.

 

A regular suite may have the space you need, but unless her scooter is very narrow, she will not be able to get it through the door. Even if she can walk with assistance, this could be dangerous if the water gets rough. In addition, she would need to step up to access the bathroom, there would not be any safety bars and you would need to request a shower seat. If you have a balcony, she would not be able to access the balcony in her wheelchair. Note:The balcony railings are fairly high so She should be fine on a balcony even if the ship rocks if her wheelchair is locked.

 

It can work. Iin fact we sometimes took regular cabins when my husband could walk a few steps with assistance, but it takes a lot more effort and care on your part. I would not suggest it.

[Splinter]

Don't assume anything. Many ships designate "accessible" rooms because they have a wider door, but have tubs or stall showers with just an extra grab bar and very limited room to maneuver a wheelchair. HAL has a number of these, as does Cunard. You have to communicate with the individual cruise line to see what features they offer, or at least check some of the on-line resources that describe cabin features (such as this one):

 

http://access-able.com/dbase/cruise.cfm

 

Once the ADA regulations for cruise ships are finalized, I suspect you will find many of these "accessible" cabins are no longer designated as accessible, or there may be two designations ("accessible" and ADA compliant, for example).

 

The same is true for hotel rooms. We have a list of questions we use whenever we make reservations so we don't forget to ask anything that is critical for us. This includes:

 

Is there a roll-in shower?

Is there any lip or step to the bathroom or from the bathroom into the shower?

Is it a platform bed or a regular bed with space underneath (we have to have a regular bed due to our lift design)? How much space (inches) are there underneath?

How high is the toilet seat?

How high is the bed?

Must you sit side-ways to the sink, or is there knee room underneath?

Is there insulation on the pipes under the sink?

How wide is the opening of the door to the hallway? To the bathroom?

 

You get the idea...

[cjh]

When and where do you want to cruise to?

 

No, your MIL can't roll of the ship in a balcony room.

[CaptData]

Also choose newer ships for better accessibility. When you do select a room phone the cruise line and check with the Special Dept. They will tell you if the bathrrom has roll in shower and roll on balcony. Then tell them the name of your agent. Phone your agent immediately and book.

[NightRN]

Well, my mother-in-law decided to go with Celebrity. We'll be leaving on 4/23/06 on the ship Summit to Hawaii. Our room numbers are

 

/#: Concierge Class Cabins 7212 (handicapped accessible) / 7197

They look like they're pretty close together when I looked on Celebrity's website. Hers is at the back of the ship. Thanks for all the reassurances that she won't roll off. I know it probably sounded silly :rolleyes:, but I would hate to have to make that phone call to my husband.

Me: "Honey, I seem to have lost your mother."

My husband: "Lost my mother? What do you mean you lost my mother? You're on a ship. How far can she go?"

Me: "Don't worry. They're diving in after her now."

[CaptData]

Hi, I'm doing this same ship and route on 15 Jan. I use scooter and wheelchair too. I have 3021 which is an accessible inside cabin. If you wish I can send you pics of my cabin to help a little. If there is not enough room you can have some furniture removed. I have done this on the Massdam. It is my first time with Celebrity.

[Hebe]

NightRN

 

We have been in 7212 for 3 cruises and will be in that room again next year. She will have no problems -- large doors, roll-in shower with drop down seat if needed, balcony ramp, wider room so you can get past the bed in a chair. Enought room to get into the bed from a wheelchair on either side. The only negative is the closet is smaller since it is equiped with a pull down rack system.

 

No problem with her rolling off the balcony. The back rail is about 4 feet high and the penthouse is underneath you so you are not right over the water. I think once you see her balcony - you will be sending all your time there.

 

Deb

[NightRN]

Thanks so much for the specifics Deb. I really appreciate hearing it from someone who has been in there. I'm going to show your post to her. She'll be so happy!:D

[Hebe]

NightRN

 

Email me at hebeeast@aol.com. I got pictures of the room and balcony that I can send to you. I think once she see the room -- she will be very happy.

 

Deb

[daju22]

Hello NightRN,

 

I found this picture of the stern balcony cabins. The lowest deck is the penthouse cabins. Next deck up is the one with cabin 7212. It is the fourth cabin from the left. As you can see it is much wider than the other cabins. The railing is very high and will not allow your mom in law to roll off!!

 

http://www.feebleminds-gifs.com/anifishbar.gif

 

We will have this cabin for the first time on our upcoming cruise. Will let you know how our scooter and wheelchair fit. Can't wait for Hawaii!

 

 

Have a super cruise!

[daju22]

Hello NightRN,

 

I found this picture of the stern balcony cabins. The lowest deck is the penthouse cabins. Next deck up is the one with cabin 7212. It is the fourth cabin from the left. As you can see it is much wider than the other cabins. The railing is very high and will not allow your mom in law to roll off!!

 

http://www.feebleminds-gifs.com/anifishbar.gif

 

 

We will have this cabin for the first time on our upcoming cruise. Will let you know how our scooter and wheelchair fit. Can't wait for Hawaii!

 

 

Have a super cruise!

[NightRN]

I clicked on your link, but all I got was blue fish going across the screen. Is there anything else?

[daju22]

I clicked on your link, but all I got was blue fish going across the screen. Is there anything else?

 

I am so sorry! I didn't check the link. Here's the correct one. Maybe we'll see alot of fish from this balcony too!:o

 

http://www.cruise-forums.com/gallery...s/294/7587.jpg

[NightRN]

Wow! It really is RIGHT at the back of the ship! I guess at the back of my mind I thought if we looked down we would see another deck. It looks like we really will be seeing some blue fish. :D Thanks again!

[Hebe]

You will see another deck -- the penthouse. That 6th floor penthouse balcony area extents out about 15 feet from yours. Hard to see on the picture.

 

You will have no trouble parking a wheelchair and scooter in the room. The coach in 7212 is smaller giving extra room to the side of the bed. You can also have them remove the little table in front of the coach to give you more room if you like.

[catmommy]

As I've been checking out the different ships, I've noticed that not very many rooms have the wheelchair symbol. What exactly does that symbol mean? My mother-in-law has an electric scooter and a wheelchair. Will both of them fit in those rooms or just the wheelchair? Is it extra room in the room itself or just a roll-in shower? Are there handicapped-accessible suites or are the suites big enough on their own? Is there enough room in a suite for us to wheel her to the door, assist her to the bed and then fold up the wheelchair and put it somewhere, if we can't get a handicapped-accessible room? If it makes a difference, here are the options we're looking at

 

[snip]

 

Also, you can call me paranoid if you want, if my mother-in-law is sitting on the balcony by herself, and the ship rocks from the waves, is there a possibility that she'll go over the edge in her wheelchair? :eek:

 

Another thing to consider is if the cruiseline will allow you to keep the scooter or wheelchair in the hall if you do not have an HC cabin.

 

Many are cracking down since having the wheelchair makes it harder for scooter users and the room stewards to move their carts.

 

We had an HC cabin on the Voyager and I thought it was great. There was a roll in shower, grab bars all over, a phone in the bathroom and emergency call buttons in the living space and bathroom. The closet also had a pull down bar so you could get to your clothes from a seated position.

 

There was room from my MIL's scooter and her fold up walker.

 

The door was wide enought for the scooter and there was no "lip" on the doors for the room or the bathroom. Water from the shower did spill over but not out of control.

 

Also there were automatic doors all over the ship so when my MIL decided to venture off on her own she did not need any help.

 

The railings are very high all over the ship so I doubt you could fall in by accident.

 

Good Luck!

Caroline

[arabrab]

The other thing about wheelchairs and scooters in the hall is that it makes it very hard for people IN wheelchairs to get by, or for people who need to to use the railings for stability to use them. I'm hoping that the new regulations will require the cruiselines to keep the corridors clear AND require a lot more truly accessible cabins. Given the disproportionate number of cruisers who are disabled they've really been behind the curve on this one.

 

Cheers,

Barb