Royal Caribbean does not care about disabled people

[grapau27]

Not every disabled person has a traveling companion who is capable of either pushing a wheelchair or of taking a scooter in or out of a vehicle. My wife and I are in our 70s and she requires a wheelchair/scooter to get around. I do not require one but I am also not capable of pushing a wheelchair while managing our carry on luggage that is full of medical equipment and medicines. I am also no longer strong enough to take her scooter in or out of a vehicle. Special Needs at Sea leaves a rented scooter in our stateroom for her but will not bring it to the point where we get off a taxi. Therefore, we cannot cruise except with the help of cruise line or port employees who provide and push her wheelchair. There are plenty of other cruisers in the same predicament.

So sorry to hear that.

If i was nearby i would offer to help someone like yourself and your wife.

[grapau27]

Yet to go on my first cruise so can’t comment on how RC are but from my many years going to America we have experience nothing but first class almost priority treatment with our son who has spinabifida and wheelchair bound.

 

With Royal Caribbean being an American company I would expect their treatment towards people with disabilities to be exceptional but as has already been mentioned not all disabilities are that obvious.

In the UK and P&O are an example where wheelchair users are helped very well.

[topnole]

I am not sure why some posters respond to a provocative post (referring to OP) by acting like a pack of wolves.

 

Can’t comment on other posts besides mine on page 1. But given the op post it seems reasonable others want to let joe future cruiser know rcl does actually seemed to treat handicap cruisers quite well. I assume they don’t want others not in the know to get the wrong impression based off of one person venting.

[Luminated67]

I fixed your mistake for you;p

 

I honestly thought it was American..... there you go.

[topnole]

I honestly thought it was American..... there you go.

 

It is an American company. Not sure what the other poster is drinking but I’d like some.

[topnole]

One more thing to add here. Royal accessible cabins are the size of junior suites and they cost the same as regular balcony cabins. They have lofts suites with an elevator in the cabin for those who are handicap. They were ahead of the curve on handicap friendly public bathrooms etc. as well. This in no way correlates with the idea that they don’t care about elderly handicap people.

[Jana]

One more thing to add here. Royal accessible cabins are the size of junior suites and they cost the same as regular balcony cabins. They have lofts suites with an elevator in the cabin for those who are handicap. They were ahead of the curve on handicap friendly public bathrooms etc. as well. This in no way correlates with the idea that they don’t care about elderly handicap people.

 

Not only that but they have lift chairs in at least one pool and at least one hot tub so less-able guests can enjoy the same benefits as able-bodied cruisers. I am impressed with their accommodation in every way.

.

[xxoocruiser]

Not every disabled person has a traveling companion who is capable of either pushing a wheelchair or of taking a scooter in or out of a vehicle. My wife and I are in our 70s and she requires a wheelchair/scooter to get around. I do not require one but I am also not capable of pushing a wheelchair while managing our carry on luggage that is full of medical equipment and medicines. I am also no longer strong enough to take her scooter in or out of a vehicle. Special Needs at Sea leaves a rented scooter in our stateroom for her but will not bring it to the point where we get off a taxi. Therefore, we cannot cruise except with the help of cruise line or port employees who provide and push her wheelchair. There are plenty of other cruisers in the same predicament.

 

No where in my statement that you quoted did I mention having to have a travel companion traveling companion. In fact there are many disabled individuals that travel by themselves and do not require assistance from the cruise line.

 

FYI - I'm disabled and require the use of a mobility scooter 80% of the time. Additionally I cruise by myself and do not have a problem getting myself on board. But to those people who do require assistance from the cruise line than they need to plan accordingly and be prepared to wait for assistance.

 

Regarding SpecialNeedsatSeas rental scooter: if doing a pre-cruise hotel stay SpecialNeedsatSeas as well as Scootaround will deliver the scooter to the hotel. You than need to arrange accessible transportation to the port which isn't all that difficult to do. Do this all the time as I don't travel with my personal scooter. In addition SpecialNeedsat Seas has pick-up/off kiosks outside select embarkation/disembarkation terminals . All you have to do is ask SPecialNeedsatSea if your port of embarkation is one that has a kiosk outside the terminal. Your wife could than ride it on/off the ship.

 

The point of my previous post was that if you do require boarding assistance from the cruise line you need to be prepared to wait .

[Luminated67]

Sorry if this sounds like a stupid question but if you need assistance would it not be advisable to make contact with the appropriate departments within the cruise company prior to arriving to set the ball in motion regarding your needs so everything would run smoothly?

[Havingfun2010]

Not every disabled person has a traveling companion who is capable of either pushing a wheelchair or of taking a scooter in or out of a vehicle. My wife and I are in our 70s and she requires a wheelchair/scooter to get around. I do not require one but I am also not capable of pushing a wheelchair while managing our carry on luggage that is full of medical equipment and medicines. I am also no longer strong enough to take her scooter in or out of a vehicle. Special Needs at Sea leaves a rented scooter in our stateroom for her but will not bring it to the point where we get off a taxi. Therefore, we cannot cruise except with the help of cruise line or port employees who provide and push her wheelchair. There are plenty of other cruisers in the same predicament.

 

Just in case you are not award. You can buy scooters today, that weigh fully assembled less than 60lbs. Also the one I have, breaks down in 3 pieces and folds into the size of a suitcase. The heaviest piece is 33lbs, or about the weight of a carry on fully loaded. I know what you go through, but there are always a way to do it yourself.

[cruzeluver]

I notice the OP has not come back to provide any clarity or further information.

 

When your thread title is hyperbole it makes the content really questionable. If in fact that was the reply received there is no defense for that, it was inappropriate. Having said that, port personnel do not work for Royal Caribbean.

[Paulxyz2004]

It is an American company. Not sure what the other poster is drinking but I’d like some.

 

It´s tap water and you are welcome to help yourself to some.

 

You might want to share your knowledge with the people at RCCL as they don´t seem to have the same knowledge you have about the corporation and put the wrong information on their website. :rolleyes:

[susiecreamchs]

WE had an unhappy situation on our first RC cruise, but they knew how to make it right. Our daughter is in a wheelchair so we requested wheelchair assessable transportation from the airport to the ship. We waited and waited and finally after an hour and a half in the heat we finally got to the ship. Of course we got an apology from guest services and thought that was it. However, We were very surprised on our trip home to be met at the airport by someone from R C who escorted us to the first class lounge. As it turned out, our flight was delayed by a snow storm so we enjoyed the lounge for 3 hours. We are now D+, and without that experience we might have shopped around for another line. Small thing, but it showed they care about their passengers.

[topnole]

It´s tap water and you are welcome to help yourself to some.

 

You might want to share your knowledge with the people at RCCL as they don´t seem to have the same knowledge you have about the corporation and put the wrong information on their website. :rolleyes:

 

Their principal place of business is in the US and they are dual citizens as such. But for purposes of most things they are American and specifically for purposes of accessibility which is the point at hand. Try going to Liberia and see how accessible things are over there.

 

They are publicly traded in Norway and the US. They report in $ and there main currency hedge is euros. They pay US taxes as far as I can tell. The Liberian incorporation is indeed a legal distinction but it is a legal structure and that is it and was done originally b/c they used to do ship registry in Liberia. In all other practices they are an American cruise ship company who incorporated in Liberia for legal reasons.

[Paulxyz2004]

Their principal place of business is in the US and they are dual citizens as such. But for purposes of most things they are American and specifically for purposes of accessibility which is the point at hand. Try going to Liberia and see how accessible things are over there.

 

They are publicly traded in Norway and the US. They report in $ and there main currency hedge is euros. They pay US taxes as far as I can tell. The Liberian incorporation is indeed a legal distinction but it is a legal structure and that is it and was done originally b/c they used to do ship registry in Liberia. In all other practices they are an American cruise ship company who incorporated in Liberia for legal reasons.

 

As such they are a Liberian company and not an American. Case closed.

[talltree]

Ok, since some members on this thread take great pleasure in attacking me and assuming that I am an irresponsible cheap person, I would like to clarify my personal situation. I did everything possible to inform Royal Caribbean of my father's disability and still I had the experience I relayed in my original post. Whether I had my own chair or not, he still needed to be wheeled onboard by the staff as I could not do it. Whether I had a long flight (which I didn't) or not, what does that have to do with my situation? I'm not venting, I am simply relaying my experience. I get it, my father is not special, but he deserves to be treated in a dignified manner as did the other guests that were waiting out in the heat for at least an hour. Maybe a holding area inside could have been provided, I don't know, but it seems to be common sense that you do not let elderly people stay out in the heat for an extended period of time. I'm glad others had great experiences with their wheelchair assistance, but I did not. That is my experience and no one here can speak or assume anything on my behalf. Having said that, Royal Caribbean can work with the local port authorities by pointing out the flaws in their operation and suggesting changes to the way things are handled. Is it acceptable for Royal Caribbean to say oh well, we can't provide input to the port management to make improvements in dealing with persons with disabilities? I think not. When you walk in my shoes you can criticize, otherwise keep the personal attacks to yourselves. If people do not have the right to freely express their opinions without being attacked by insensitive people that can not comment on my personal situation, then what is the point of posting anything on this board.

Not all was bad, I will say that my experience with disembarkation today was excellent. I made sure I was up early so that my name was first on the list and we got off the ship at our allotted time. The person that was handling the disembarkation was excellent. No problems with disembarkation.

[topnole]

As such they are a Liberian company and not an American. Case closed.

 

Wrong again. Headquarters in America. Dual corporate citizenship legally. If you don’t understand ask a lawyer. They are both.

[topnole]

As such they are a Liberian company and not an American. Case closed.

 

And btw if this was the case they would own the entire govt and would have zero liability fon any issues. But That isn’t the case b/c they are headquartered in the US thank god.

[toyman55]

...

[toyman55]

But to make a blanket statement like that condemning an entire company for what may have been an isolated incident is both narrow minded and irresponsible. Possibly thousands were trying to check in when you were trying to board.

I don't know the situation you encountered. Did you ask the best time to try to board or did you arrive early when everyone was trying to board? Did you consider boarding later as it may have been better because most of the traffic had already been processed and more resources were available.





In any event, I hope my situation in September doesn't mirror yours, but if it does, while I may be severely irritated, I'm not going to make a global statement saying the entire company is bad.

[Ourusualbeach]

Their principal place of business is in the US and they are dual citizens as such. But for purposes of most things they are American and specifically for purposes of accessibility which is the point at hand. Try going to Liberia and see how accessible things are over there.

 

They are publicly traded in Norway and the US. They report in $ and there main currency hedge is euros. They pay US taxes as far as I can tell. The Liberian incorporation is indeed a legal distinction but it is a legal structure and that is it and was done originally b/c they used to do ship registry in Liberia. In all other practices they are an American cruise ship company who incorporated in Liberia for legal reasons.

 

It’s been a couple of years since they traded on Norway’s exchange.

 

http://www.rclcorporate.com/rcl-shareholders-vote-to-drop-oslo-stock-listing-fill-aronsons-board-vacancy/

[Expat Cruise]

Ok, since some members on this thread take great pleasure in attacking me and assuming that I am an irresponsible cheap person, I would like to clarify my personal situation.....

 

No one should be attacked here on these boards. Those who attack people are just cowards doing it hiding behind keyboards. But you have a very powerful weapon here.

 

Personal attacks are not allowed under the rules, if anyone post a personal attack or something you believe to be one just report the post to the moderator. It will be remove and then maybe people will start to respect the rules.

 

We (members) can disagree here but we cannot and should not attack each other.

[GGGrandma32]

I always wanted to know why a person needs a wheel chair getting on the ship and the next 7 days they manage without it? My wife will s disabled and we have a scooter, a wheelchair, a transport chair and crutches to walk in the ship. Instead of being dependant on others buy the tools you need. A transport chair is only $125.00

 

In San Juan I would agree need to plan better. Some of us already flying in with 3 suitcases just of medical equipment may make arrangements to leave our larger wheel chairs and scooters at home if we can walk some. Have wheelchair assist at airport and pier. Pick up scooter at kiosk at pier, use scooter everywhere onboard, disembark by wheelchair. If already bringing 3 suitcases of medical devices and some med equip must fly with this is enough. Someday may not be able to get away with a short time w/o the scooter or wheelchair that will not fit through door of cabin. But till then, We look at the situation and plan accordingly as is our responsibility It gets crazy trying to transport so much stuff on a flight. My husband can only handle so much. If we ever sail out of PR I am forewarned. I do believe it is pier staff who help at pier. RCCL crew cannot leave ship but take you inside once get to ship itself. I was told that family cannot wheel a RCCL or Pier wheelchair inside on to the ship it must be personnel. If rental scooter was picked up prior to entering ship, you can ride on as I am planning to do.

[talltree]

I always wanted to know why a person needs a wheel chair getting on the ship and the next 7 days they manage without it? My wife will s disabled and we have a scooter, a wheelchair, a transport chair and crutches to walk in the ship. Instead of being dependant on others buy the tools you need. A transport chair is only $125.00

 

I am so happy that so many people offer useless advice to me without knowing my situation. I'm glad you can rent a scooter for $125.00. Good for you. Does that help me with my father who is severely visually impaired? I think not. Do you really want someone driving around on the ship on a scooter that is visually impaired or can not walk without assistance? He can't drive a car and you want him to drive a scooter onboard. Great. My father is fiercely independent and if he needs a little help along the way, what is the issue? Again, walk in my shoes then open your big mouth.

[chengkp75]

And btw if this was the case they would own the entire govt and would have zero liability fon any issues. But That isn’t the case b/c they are headquartered in the US thank god.

 

However, while US laws apply to the corporate headquarters and the personnel there, not all apply to the corporate operations, and in particular the operation of foreign flag ships. One case that is pertinent to this thread is the SCOTUS decision in Spector v NCL, with regards to the ADA. While the court did decide that the cruise lines could not discriminate against those with disabilities, and that new ships should meet ADA accessibility requirements, older ships need only make "reasonably attainable" changes to become more ADA compliant, and that SOLAS trumped any and all concerns of ADA. Finally, and most importantly for most cruisers on foreign flag ships, and pertinent to this discussion, the court ruled that "without specific" mention of foreign flag cruise ships in the ADA, that the "internal policies and procedures" of the ship are outside the purview of the ADA. This means the number of people available to assist disabled onto the ship, the handling of service animals, the provision of hearing assistance devices or ASL translators, is entirely up to the cruise line to decide how to do this.

 

And I'm not sure what "liability for any issues" you think are covered by US law, but they are relatively few, and international maritime law prevails (as was the reason for the SCOTUS decision in Spector, noted above).

 

Just read your post regarding RCI paying US taxes. They pay taxes on the strictly US operations, i.e. those dealing with the corporate office. All revenue from foreign operations, like all the ships, is not taxed in the US. Why do you think Sen. Rockefeller has been railing about this for years?