Difficulty finding handicap cabin for 3

[c&d]

We are having difficulty finding accomadations for  3 .We travel with my sister who has a neurorologcal disability,  as we have all aged it is harder for me to assist her if she loses her balance, or other issues.  I keep running in to a road block  cabins are avail. but for only 2 person. We need a fully accessible cabin due to wheelchair and walker.  In past one cruise line has put the my husband in a cabin by self,  if I need his help he is close by.  Recently I have been looking at cruises only to be told nothing available for 3.   IMO this is discrimination toward the person who needs 2 people to assist them.    I have also noticed that people are booking HC cabins who really don't need them.   More and more folks are using electric scooter, nothing against those folks, however if  they do not need a roll in shower with all the grab bars please leave those cabins for those who need them. Anyone else had a issue booking HC cabins is dependent on a wheelchair.   I am talking about a person who mentally can not operate a scooter and we have to push the wheelchair.  

[Algebralovr]

Many lines have Accessible cabins that will fit 3, but you may need to book way early, as much as 2 years before you sail.

 

As for people with a scooter, how do you know they don’t need the grab bars in the shower?   Accessible rooms are often the only ones were the scooter will fit through the door into the room, which is required by many of the lines.  Not every line has different kinds of accessible cabin.  Some only have one type, and if you need any of the accommodations, you get them all.  As a result, you may see people you don’t think need the accessible room, but you don’t know what their condition is.

 

Most if the lines now require the passenger requesting the accessible accommodations to fill out an additional form saying why they need them. 

[c&d]

I understand what you are saying,  but very frustrating when you see someone using a scooter,  parks it and walks over and gets on a tread mill, yes a passenger did this on a cruise to Hawaii, or they park it at a electric outlet and walks away to play a slot machine.    I have also read on another thread where folks get scooter for a convenience.    It is frustrating when you travel with a person who can not walk without a walker, can not push her own wheelchair and someone has to push them.  Then you see folks who can walk but it is easier to cruise around on a scooter, then park it and walk 15-20 ft across a room.  Also read where many book the HC cabin early then if change plans they cancel the cruise,  not sure if they will need it or not.  That is frustrating, esp when you have folks who genuinely need the HC cabins and other just want it because they had a knee or  hip replacement or are up in age.  

[kokopelli-az]

19 hours ago, c&d said:

We are having difficulty finding accommodations for  3 .We travel with my sister who has a neurorologcal disability,  as we have all aged it is harder for me to assist her if she loses her balance, or other issues.  I keep running in to a road block  cabins are avail. but for only 2 person. We need a fully accessible cabin due to wheelchair and walker. 

Princess has accessible staterooms for 3.   I just did a mock booking for April 11 2021 on the Caribbean Princess and they have availability for 3 guests in an accessible mini-suite; however, the mini-suite category is not available so they will upgrade you at no cost to the next available accessible stateroom.   (screenshot attached)

 

Norwegian has accessible staterooms for 3 people.    I also did a mock booking on their website and found an accessible stateroom for 3 on the April 27 2021 sailing of the Encore and it shows one being available.   It is a Haven stateroom, so more expensive.  (screenshot attached)

 

Holland America's website allows you to select 3 people in an accessible stateroom, as does Celebrity.

 

And yes, you probably will have to book quite a ways in advance because accessible staterooms are booked and sold out well in advance of the cruise date, especially staterooms for 3.  

 

You might want to contact the cruise line (or your travel agent) you are considering and ask them to find an accessible stateroom for 3 for you.  

 

I think that Celebrity has one of the most user friendly websites as far as finding accessible staterooms.   You can check a box right away indicating you want an accessible room and it will pull up sailings with available accessible rooms.   On other websites, you have to go in manually and check each sailing to see if there are any accessible staterooms.  

 

And yes, you probably will have to book quite a ways in advance because accessible staterooms are booked and sold out well in advance of the cruise date.   Especially staterooms for 3.

 

Mock booking Princess accessible room for 3.odt Mock booking NCL accessible room for 3.odt

Edited October 28, 2019 by kokopelli-az

[meatloafsfan]

Yes, it can be tough to find wheelchair accessible cabins for 3 people on many ships. I feel your frustration as someone who travels with my elderly parents (including my mother who is a full time wheelchair user due to a stroke and needs a lot of assistance).

 

The wheelchair accessible cabin on the Caribbean Princess listed above is the only wheelchair accessible cabin for 3 on that ship (I know - I have it booked for January 2020). We also love cruising on the Carnival Pride but have to get 2 cabins on that one because the only accessible cabin for 3 is a suite.

 

Royal Caribbean's Voyager and Freedom class have 3 interior wheelchair accessible cabins on deck 9 that are great. I'm not the biggest fan of Royal Caribbean but it's often easier to book so we cruise with them occasionally.

 

Celebrity's M class ships have wheelchair accessible cabins for 3 in interior, oceanview and balcony. I don't recommend the S class ships for 3 as when we cruised in one the 3rd bed was a pull out chair that was no more than 10 inches off the ground (so it was like trying to sleep on a camp mattress on the cabin floor).

 

The Carnival Dream class has a few accessible cabins for 3 - the nicest are the accessible spa oceanview (they may be listed as ambulatory accessible due to the toilet being on an angle but they have the wide doors, the roll in shower and plenty of space).

[c&d]

meatloafsfan,   We love the pride also have ran into that issue with 3 of us.    I appreciate the comments on other lines,  only problem is we are looking a 2 specific ships as we are cruising with friends.    We will be looking at other lines,  Carnival had always been handicap friendly for us.   Found it very frustrating when I read where folks comment they book the handicap cabin then play wait and see and cancel.  Many folks are now using scooters and booking the handicap cabins for extra room for the scooter.  That is fine and dandy but when you are able to walk up a step and stand in shower or ask for a shower seat but you choose to book the cabin with a roll in shower that someone who is not mobile needs that person is unable to cruise due selfish behavior. I see this becoming a bigger issue as more and more folks with mobility issues are cruising.  

[meatloafsfan]

11 hours ago, c&d said:

meatloafsfan,   We love the pride also have ran into that issue with 3 of us.    I appreciate the comments on other lines,  only problem is we are looking a 2 specific ships as we are cruising with friends.    We will be looking at other lines,  Carnival had always been handicap friendly for us.   Found it very frustrating when I read where folks comment they book the handicap cabin then play wait and see and cancel.  Many folks are now using scooters and booking the handicap cabins for extra room for the scooter.  That is fine and dandy but when you are able to walk up a step and stand in shower or ask for a shower seat but you choose to book the cabin with a roll in shower that someone who is not mobile needs that person is unable to cruise due selfish behavior. I see this becoming a bigger issue as more and more folks with mobility issues are cruising.  

 

What ships are you looking at? Some of Carnival's Ambulatory accessible are close enough to fully accessible. I find with that cruise line it's really better to look at each cabin set up rather than just trust "It's fully accessible." 

[Longstockingpippi1]

I feel your pain. It is frustrating to see such obvious abuse of the courtesies extended to those with special needs. Recently while traveling without my special needs daughter I was dumbfounded over all those people who needed to pre board the airplane . However when the flight was over all their "aches" were gone and they were off the plane in a flash! With my daughter we get to board early, although I prefer not too (gives me extra time to change her diaper/toilet her one last time). However at the end of the flight we are the LAST ones off the plane. The flight attendant says "Wait till they bring her wheelchair up from under the aircraft". The last time we flew, by the time I got down to pick up my luggage, the workers had already taken my suitcase off the belt and stashed in on a dolly. I was frantically looking everywhere for it, and I spotted it on the bottom of a stack of suitcases! Anyway, try Princess they have lots of 3 even 4 person cabins, you can even cruise last minute as I did recently to Alaska with my daughter.  

[Splinter]

I used to travel with my parents; my mother had MS and I went as her caregiver. We were, with difficulty, able to get fully wheelchair accessible cabins on RCCL, Celebrity, HAL, and Princess. Not on Crystal, sadly (which was their favorite cruise line).  On HAL we often had a large accessible cabin in which they would set up (and have room for) a roll-away bed for me. Princess, Celebrity, RCCL, and newer HAL ships usually have a sofa bed or bunk bed for the 3rd person, so someone would need to take the upper bunk. We usually booked cruises about a year in advance.

 

[GoHuskies!]

On 10/27/2019 at 5:54 PM, c&d said:

I understand what you are saying,  but very frustrating when you see someone using a scooter,  parks it and walks over and gets on a tread mill, yes a passenger did this on a cruise to Hawaii, or they park it at a electric outlet and walks away to play a slot machine.    I have also read on another thread where folks get scooter for a convenience.    It is frustrating when you travel with a person who can not walk without a walker, can not push her own wheelchair and someone has to push them.  Then you see folks who can walk but it is easier to cruise around on a scooter, then park it and walk 15-20 ft across a room.  Also read where many book the HC cabin early then if change plans they cancel the cruise,  not sure if they will need it or not.  That is frustrating, esp when you have folks who genuinely need the HC cabins and other just want it because they had a knee or  hip replacement or are up in age.  

I hope you have become better educated about disabilities by now--if not, let me tell you that your observations may be very wrong.  I myself can walk short distances, but only with a cane or a walker (or rollator) because my balance requires me to have a third point of contact, and my diminishing strength only short walks.  At home I have a treadmill to keep up what strength I have, but to even get on and off it I must use a quad-footed cane.  Once I am on it I hold both arms of the treadmill, which is of course an impossibility walking on a cruise ship.  I need either a scooter or a wheelchair to get the distances there.  I also need grab bars way more than are offered in a standard cabin.  And I also have problems lifting my feet over the thresholds in the standard cabin bathrooms.  Are you frustrated with me?  If so, sorry.

[mexico8]

I myself have a mobility scooter that I use when I travel.   (I also use it to go to shopping malls and stores where I live).   I might appear healthy but it can be hard to tell if someone is disabled.    There are many reasons that people use a scooter - it can be asthma, heart conditions, cancer, lung problems, back pain, feet pain and on and on.    You can't tell by looking at someone for 5 minutes.   Some people with a scooter need the space for their scooters in the cabin and so that they can change the battery for the scooter.   They can't be left in hallways etc. and must be kept in the cabin.

[GUT2407]

I’m another who many think look fine. But my wheelchair most of the time let’s me look “fine” for short periods. I get so sick of judgemental people who have no idea about what is going on in my spine.