Star Princess ADA Obstructed

[GuardCruisers]

Just booked a "waitlist" ADA cabin on the Star, Oceanview obstructed.  We are #1 on the waitlist, with a complimentary upgrade to another ADA cabin if one comes available.  May 19 sailing date.

 

We are taking my sister with us, so need a cabin that sleeps a 3rd passenger.

 

Is anyone familiar with how this cabin would lay out?  If we get what we "booked" we are likely in Emerald 301-304.

 

Thank you in advance for any help.

 

 

[Essiesmom]

Those are HC cabins, but they are not cabins for more than two.  I could not find any HC cabins for more than two on this ship.  EM  

[montgomeryfamily]

There are two inside cabins which will accommodate 3 people--twin beds and a sleeper sofa.  There are also some balcony cabins which will accommodate 3 or 4 people with upper berths.  I'm not aware of any obstructed oceanview cabins which will hold more than two, although it is possible 303 and 304 might have upper berths--I'd check to find out in advance.  Those inside cabins are very nice--you might want to see if you can get one of those instead.

[Essiesmom]

I see those insides...They are huge cabins, I stayed in one on Diamond Princess.  I'm not seeing the balconies, though.  EM

[GuardCruisers]

13 hours ago, montgomeryfamily said:

There are two inside cabins which will accommodate 3 people--twin beds and a sleeper sofa.  There are also some balcony cabins which will accommodate 3 or 4 people with upper berths.  I'm not aware of any obstructed oceanview cabins which will hold more than two, although it is possible 303 and 304 might have upper berths--I'd check to find out in advance.  Those inside cabins are very nice--you might want to see if you can get one of those instead.

The inside ADA cabins are all sold out and "closed out" according to Princess.  It was one of their bookers who put us in midship, lower level outside obstructed ADA for 3 people.  Looking at the deck plans, only E301-304 qualify for that description.  Who knows!

[montgomeryfamily]

We actually stayed in one of the obstructed oceanview staterooms during a cruise about four years ago--I don't remember which one, only that it was on the port side.  The cabin we stayed in would only hold two people as there were no upper berths and no sleeper sofa.  It is possible that one or two of the others would hold more than two people, but you may want to confirm that with Princess.

 

We have a cruise booked on the Star Princess in C303 and that stateroom has upper berths.  I understand the C304 has upper berths too. 

 

I thought you were waitlisted for the obstructed oceanview cabins.  That usually means the cabins currently have someone booked in them.  So those obstructed oceanview should also be sold out and "closed out" too.    Since it is after final payment for your cruise, it is unlikely that those obstructed view staterooms will become available if they are not already available.  Are there accessible balcony cabins currently available in which you could be placed?  I don't know who you are talking with, but if it were me, I would follow up with Princess.  I wouldn't want to book airfare only to find out we couldn't go on the cruise because no accessible cabin was available.

[GuardCruisers]

All was revealed with a follow-up call to Princess this morning!  Found a WONDERFULLY delightful who took the time to listen to what we were looking for and what we did on Saturday.  Then she made a couple of calls, got someone upgraded who didn't have more than 2 in a room and confirmed us into the largest of the ADA rooms (interior this time, better for us)  short of being in a suite.  All for $600+ less than my original arrangements.  Woo-hoo!  Countdown clock may begin!

[Essiesmom]

Are you in one of the two big ones on Emerald deck?  EM

[GuardCruisers]

We are.

[montgomeryfamily]

Congratulations, you will be very happy with the inside room you have.  Of course, it won't matter soon since the ship will be transferred out of the Princess fleet, but we have been careful not to advertise the room number or to praise it too highly for concern that able bodied will book the room to give themselves a free "upgrade".  So we urge your discretion. 

 

I am so glad you found someone at Princess who would make the effort to actually help you with your issue.  I was concerned about your situation.

[GuardCruisers]

The initial discussions with Princess were actually very reassuring.  We have been very fortunate to always get an accessible cabin for the scooter or wheel chair we have to travel with, but have read many posts by folks who have not gotten them and then the stories of what appear to be able-bodied people using the ADA cabins "just for the space", since the cruise lines were precluded by HIPPA of inquiring too much about their situation/disability.  

 

When I called Princess on Saturday, one two different occasions in the call I had to agree / attest that someone in our group had a legitimate mobility issue or somehow medically needed the ADA room.  I had to acknowledge this clearly and loudly on the phone.  The young man explained that now staff do, if they find people using the rooms that do not have a medical reason to be using it, that they can remove them from the room, reassign it, etc.

 

Not sure if all of that is true, but I did have to make certain statements while I was on the phone with them.  Kudos to Princess if they are able to take such action.  Maybe they wait until the ship is in international waters!!!???

[Essiesmom]

This is E714 on Diamond Princess.  I am not HC but I booked about 5 weeks out for a B2B to Alaska, an inside gty.  Apparently this was the only inside they had open for both weeks.  Real shame I was sailing solo.  This the entry alcove, door is to left:  Pictures are from 2010, so I would hope thay have updated the TVs...

 

 

Looking the other way from doorway, door to right is bathroom:

 

 

 

The track in the ceiling at one time had a curtain to pull between the bed and sitting areas.  There was still some evidence of velcro...

 

The pullout sofa was only intended to sleep one

 

 

Note the 'wet bar'...This really was a suite without a balcony...

 

 

The night stands were 32" and 42" wide.  If you split the beds and put both stands together, you would really have good turning area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 26, 2019 by Essiesmom

[montgomeryfamily]

All that Princess requires is an attestation statement which can be made by a TA or made online by checking a box.  A person who wanted the stateroom could check the box without a second thought or a TA can make the false attestation for the passengers that book through them in order to get them an "upgrade".    Princess requires that passengers booked in wheelchair accessible rooms fill out a special needs form with the mobility needs described as well as other needs.  However, Princess rarely follows up on this.   Two different times we ourselves have been side by side (many wheelchair accessible cabins are bunched together in twos on each side on various decks) with another couple that appeared to have no mobility or other disabilities--in both cases they told us that their travel agent had arranged for the complimentary "upgrade" (and no guarantee was involved in either case).  So I don't really believe that Princess ever checks on passengers to determine actual need for these rooms or removes passengers who clearly should not be in those rooms.

 

Indeed, as Essiesmom has shown in her post above, Princess puts people in wheelchair accessible rooms who have no disability to fill guarantees and often does this even before final payment.  The room is not noted as being occupied by someone who is not disabled, so if someone comes along who has a disability such that they need the features of a wheelchair accessible stateroom, that stateroom occupied by the able bodied person just shows as occupied and not available--then when you request Princess check to confirm, the answer is always "they wouldn't be in the room if they didn't need it".

 

I know that the latter happens because we have had it to happen to us on more than once.   One time, we wanted to book a window suite and there is only one wheelchair accessible window suite (and the only wheelchair accessible suite on the entire ship).  We were booking a a  little over a year in advance.  The w/c window suite was occupied and I asked Princess just to confirm that the passengers who were occupying actually needed the accessible features because we had read on Cruise Critic how some people booked that room (and even promoted booking that room) because it was larger than the other window suites.  Princess refused--giving us the line "they wouldn't be in the room if they didn't need it".  We waitlisted for that room and booked a balcony (this cruise was to celebrate a special occasion). 

 

On the roll call, about two months out just after final payment, someone posted that they took a paid upgrade to that wheelchair accessible window suite (from an obstructed oceanview).  I was furious and contacted Princess, where I was told that the reason the suite was available is that the original occupants had taken an upgrade to a Vista Suite.  None of the Vista Suites are wheelchair accessible--so clearly the original window suite occupants did NOT need the accessible features of the window suite.  In addition, Princess "apologized" for overlooking our waitlist, but would not move the able bodied passengers they allowed to take the suite even by giving them an upgrade to a higher level suite or moving other window suite cabin occupants to a higher level suite (and there were some left) and moving the wheelchair accessible window suite passengers to one of the regular window suites.  So no action to back up their words of apology-not even an offer of shipboard credit (for which we did not ask because we wanted the cabin, not money)  So Princess talks a good game, but unless you find someone like you found with Princess who is actually willing to take some action, you find it is just talk.  We now book Celebrity wheelchair accessible suites or Royal Caribbean wheelchair accessible suites for special occasions. 

 

Essiesmom,  I know you mean well posting the photos, but my experience on this board shows that photos like you posted are often misused by able bodied who want to give themselves an upgrade and scheme to take these rooms.  So this is why we try not to publicly advertise the few special wheelchair accessible rooms which are on some of the ships. 

[GuardCruisers]

Montgomeryfamily, I would have been furious as well.  If it wasn't for the scooter and the room it takes, we could do standard cabins.  Cruise lines don't allow them to be stored in the hallway, so..........

 

For folks with mmobility issues, the grab bars are nice as well, but let's face it.  I am able-bodied and I use the grab bars when the ship moves!

 

So, while we attempt to book the ADA cabins for the space for the scooter, if they upgraded us to a non-ADA mini-suite or suite that had a bit of extra room, that would work for us.  Or, worst case, we would find some way to make it all fit.  

[Essiesmom]

Just to note that when I found my cabin had been assigned, and looked it up to find that it was HC, I contacted my TA and she said Princess knew that I didn't need it but it was all that was available in that time frame.  And pictures such as I posted - indeed, those pictures - are freely available on cruisedeckplans.com.  EM

[montgomeryfamily]

Essiesmom, I understood that your cabin assignment was a guarantee and I believe you are blameless in staying in this cabin.  I'm sorry if it in any way sounded like I was saying that your staying in this cabin was wrongdoing on your part.  I realize that Princess and other cruise lines often assign guarantees to wheelchair accessible cabins and for those who receive the assignment, especially after final payment, I usually believe and post that they should keep the cabin because the cruise line will probably just assign it to someone else if  they refuse to take it. 

 

I realize there are photos of the special wheelchair accessible cabins out there, but I just don't want to make anything easier for people who have the scheme to give themselves an "upgrade" by staying in these cabins when they don't have a need via "onestop shopping" for info and photos on Cruise Critic. (And I believe there are people out there who have such schemes based on posts they have made on Cruise Critic).  Plus my understanding is that one has to know the cabin number in order to look up photos on cruisedeckplans.com.  (by special wheelchair accessible cabins, I mean those which have some special features that regular wheelchair accessible cabins don't have).  I've sent emails of photos of these types of wheelchair accessible cabins to disabled cruisers but I try to be careful about posting them.