Accessibility, Suites and Dining

[FjordFiesta]

Hi all, my wife and I are new to the idea of going on a cruise, and looking for some experience/advice. My wife has a disability and is in chronic pain which means that sitting up, travelling in cars, and generally taking long journeys is extremely painful. This means we've been very limited in options for travelling and holidays. Recently 2-3 of our friends have taken cruises and after talking to them we're thinking that it may work - in as much as we can enjoy the scenery and see a bit more of the world, but without having to take bumpy car or coach journeys. We're particularly interested in Norwegian Fjord cruises, to see some of the amazing landscapes and sights - with my wife able to lie and relax on a sun lounger on a balcony, as the scenery comes to her!

 

We'd be looking at a suite, and the intention would be that rather than having to eat in the restaurants (which involves sitting up - so very painful) we would get meals brought to the room for the duration of the trip. It seems like a lot of the suites come with room service included - but is this for all meals? Would the menu be limited, or would we still have the choice of being able to get food from a number of the restaurants? My wife has some complex dietary requirements too, so we'd need to figure out if they can be catered for. 

 

I presume that suites are generally accessible since there's enough room to manoeuvre a wheelchair in them, but it seems like there aren't many suites which have a walk-in shower and a bath. We had a look at the Iona (due to be launched next spring) and even the top suites have a shower over the bath. Any recommendations for ships which have both and travel to Norway etc? We probably wouldn't be looking at trips with many complex excursions (again, because it's difficult with car journeys, so anything further than a short walk from the port would probably be challenging).

 

Any advice from others with similar experiences or needs would be hugely welcome, as being totally new to the world of cruises it seems like there's a lot to consider! :)

[spookwife]

1: Fjord cruises can be gorgeous..and cold.   lying on a lounger outside may be problematic

 

2: depending on cruise line,  yes room service is included.   Royal for instance, waives the  $7.95 fee  for room service delivery in suites and you are eligible to  choose  from the MDR menu when it is open.   keep in mind that on port days, the MDR will NOT be open for lunch for most lines,.  do not assume you can get any dietary needs taken care of however via RS and  unless you are in a Star class suite on Royal( comes with a Genie) the specialty dining venues are not included in any RS delivery.  

 

3: WRT accessibility..again,  do not assume that.   most of them have a  pretty high step to get into the bathroom. unless you actually book an accessible suite.   on Royal an Owners suite does have the separate shower, but not a Grand.  Crown Lofts have stairs.  there may be room  inside the cabin for a scooter or wheelchair but that doesn't mean you can actually get one inside the cabin due to door width.  

 

your best bet is to find a decent Travel agent and list all your needs/requirements as well as hitting the disabled cruising forum here and the  Norway Port of Calls forum to get an idea of who sails there and when.

[Essiesmom]

First, I would go to www.cruisetimetables.com and choose some ports in Norway that you would like to visit from the Ports of Call list.  It will tell you who is calling there, and their itineraries.  Are you limited as to which ports you can sail from, due to transportation issues?  You can narrow it down by departure port, too.  

   When you have narrowed it down a bit, go to the websites of the cruise lines and read what they offer.  Not all allow you to order room service from the MDR menu.  Holland America does, but on Princess, or maybe Celebrity, it is suites only.  

    Go to www.cruisedeckplans.com and look up the deck plans for the ships.  You can see from the diagrams what the bathroom layout would be.  You could book any suite on Holland America because all have wider doorways than the standard cabins.  Most other cruise lines do not.  On cruisedeckplans, you can choose your cruise line, then you ship.  You can scroll down the cabin types on the left side, and click on Handicap cabins within the various cabin types.  It will list which cabins are accessible, and if anyone has submitted photos of the cabin, there will be a little camera icon, click on it to see pics of the cabin.  Keep in mind that handicap cabins are limited in number and book up fast.  Many people report having too book well over a year in advance.  EM

[jocap]

I haven't seen Iona's plans, but if you ask about room service on the P&O UK's page on here, you should be able to find out about room service. 

Are there handicapped cabins on the ship with balconies? They are usually larger than the other cabins.

[cb at sea]

You will likely need an HC SUITE, if a suite is what you want.  That will give your wife the handbars in the bathroom, roll in shower, higher toilet, etc..  you will still have ample room for wheelchair access.  

On most ships, the bathroom itself is a STEP up from the cabin, to accommodate the drains...ships are not like houses!  If you want a flat surface into the shower, an HC cabin of some sort is what you need. 

[FjordFiesta]

Thanks all. This is really useful. Sounds like we may need to talk to P&O directly to find out the details about room service and dietary requirements. The tip about the step to the bathroom is also useful to know - although perhaps a small ramp might solve this. Will investigate. 

 

One of the biggest challenges here seems that the suites etc book up so fast - which means getting anything before Autumn 2020 is tricky. :(

[Slugsta]

Accessible cabins book up even more quickly!

[angie7911922]

Hi, I know that on Regent they have special wheelchairs accessible suites. So you would also have a more spacious bathroom where there are no steps. All there cabins have a balcony. 

For eating in the room,  it is all included. they have a 24 hour menu and then during breakfast, lunch and dinner you can order from their extensive Dining room menu. Also you could order wine or drinks by the glass during the whole day.

For dietary needs, Regent is amazing in my opinion. If you let them know beforehand if you need certain product, they will get it on-board for you. And then during the cruise, what they will do is, they will send you the preview menus the night before. Then you select what ever you like to order and they will adjust it (if possible) to you dietary needs. Even special requests can be given, just give them 24 hours to prepare those.

 

[donaldsc]

I realize that your wife is not handicapped as compared to people w more severe handicaps but there are TAs that specialize in handicapped travel and there must be some of them in the UK.  You might do a Google search and hopefully find one that can work w you.

 

DON

[Host Kat]

On ‎7‎/‎25‎/‎2019 at 5:28 AM, FjordFiesta said:

... Any advice from others with similar experiences or needs would be hugely welcome, as being totally new to the world of cruises it seems like there's a lot to consider! 🙂

 

Howdy FjordFiesta and welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Perhaps it will help for you to research our Disabled Cruise Travel forum. That is where cruisers with physical limitations share their advice & experiences.

 

Also, you might want to check out some Cruise Critic articles:

What to Expect on a Cruise: Disabled Passengers' Rights (EU)

A Beginner's Guide to Accessible Cruising

9 Best Ships for Cruisers with Disabilities

What to Expect On a Cruise: Getting Prepared for Your First Cruise

 

I sincerely hope all the information in this thread will be helpful and so glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic!

 

Hope there will be lots of happy sails in the future for you and your DW,

 

Host Kat

 

P.S. BTW, DW is Cruise Critic speak for Dear or Dearest Wife.  

 

Edited October 27, 2019 by Host Kat
Fat fingers & skinny keys!