Handicap Rooms?

[novie]

Could someone please give me some information on the handicap rooms?

DH's mother and two sisters are interested in taking their first cruise, going to Alaska. One of the three is in a wheelchair 60% of the time (age) and another of the three has MS and uses a walker 90% of the time.

 

1. Are there handicap rooms that will accommodate 3 people?

2. Are there balcony handicap rooms?

3. Is is better to get one room for 2 people and put the 3rd person in a room by themself? (Space?, comfort?, price?)

 

Thanks for any advice that you can give me.

 

Novie

[chrysalis]

my suggestion would be a mini-suite (with balcony)....it would have 2 twin sized beds and a sofa bed...and would give the 3 of you plenty of room and a larger bathroom.

[cruiser12]

I can not answer for Princess But I will say this, the handcap cabins are wonderful for those who are in a wheelchair. The wheelcahir can go right into the bath room for one. The closet are set up for handy reaching. The cabin has to be large enough for the wheelchair to make a 360 degree turn any where in the cabin. There are handicap cabins for three/four. Ask your agent to check to see which ones can hold three/four passangers. We have been in many handicapped cabins and they are all different. Sometimes they are larger then some suites. Yes they have inside, outside with a window,and some with a balcony. You just have to check it out. oh something else remember there is just one bathroom for the three/four of you. but to save on cost third and fourth person does not pay full price. It can be split three /four ways. When getting off the ship at the different ports, they will help you down the gang way. But no tendering with wheelchair. Good luck and enjoy your cruise. I have been on 20 cruises 21 coming up in April. 19 have been in hancapped cabins. Hubby in a wheelcahir. It is the only way to take a vacation.

[cherylandtk]

It really depends on the ship--the minisuite is a good option if you are on a ship with HC mini-suites. At this point only the Crown will have them, if I remember correctly. (AND if not I know someone will correct me in a few minutes:) )

 

The Sapphire does have triple occupancy balcony cabins, which are the more economical way to go. Otherwise, you would need two cabins, and would pay the cost of nearly 4 persons, for the three to travel.

[mississauga]

Could someone please give me some information on the handicap rooms?

DH's mother and two sisters are interested in taking their first cruise, going to Alaska. One of the three is in a wheelchair 60% of the time (age) and another of the three has MS and uses a walker 90% of the time.

 

1. Are there handicap rooms that will accommodate 3 people?

2. Are there balcony handicap rooms?

3. Is is better to get one room for 2 people and put the 3rd person in a room by themself? (Space?, comfort?, price?)

 

Thanks for any advice that you can give me.

 

Novie

 

 

Yes there are balcony handicap rooms and they are very large...the size of a large hotel room and are larger than a mini-suite. I'm not sure if Princess allows for a third person or not but it certainly has the room to put in a third bed or sofa bed. It is large enough to be very comfortable for 3 people. The bathroom is large enough to accomodate a wheelchair and the shower has a flip down seat so one can take a shower sitting down.

[Tmeister]

Handicapped cabins on the Grand Princess were twice the size of a standard inside cabin. Plenty of room for a double bed, very large bathroom with roomy shower, no lip to divide it from the rest of the bathroom. There was a sitting area with a sofa in the other half of the room. I'm not sure whether it was a pullout sofa, but it could have been.

[chrysalis]

It really depends on the ship--the minisuite is a good option if you are on a ship with HC mini-suites. At this point only the Crown will have them, if I remember correctly. (AND if not I know someone will correct me in a few minutes:) )

 

The Sapphire does have triple occupancy balcony cabins, which are the more economical way to go. Otherwise, you would need two cabins, and would pay the cost of nearly 4 persons, for the three to travel.

 

yes....stand corrected....take a look at deck plans for Sea and Sun....Baja deck...and note some minis designated for handicapped. That is why I suggested it in the first place :)

[cjh]

Very few handicap cabins are for more then 2 people.

[DeltaOne]

Could someone please give me some information on the handicap rooms?

A power wheelchair (and maybe a manual chair) will not fit through the door of a regular room. (The door is too narrow, plus there's a one inch lip to cross over.) Getting a handicap room is a must for someone that's in a chair 100% of the time.

[Jayne315]

Here are some pictures that might help you that I found on the internet.....

http://community.webshots.com/album/335620449CAskIA

[cherylandtk]

Chrysalis--Thanks for keeping me (and everyone else) updated--I know much less about those two ships and its good to know they have the HC minis. Grand Class ships all have slightly different HC capacity and locations, which is a great surprise to most. It was even stated on a recent HC accessability thread that there are NO minis currently with HC access--obviously in error. Thanks for the info--I do stand corrected.

[montgomeryfamily]

Novie, as others have posted, the entrance doorways of standard staterooms (except for some suites) and the bathroom doorways in those staterooms are not wide enough for a wheelchair to pass through. A walker must be turned sideways to get through. In addition, although you can request a shower chair, there is a step up to the bathroom on standard staterooms which may be an obstacle. The wheelchair accessible staterooms have no steps, have roll-in showers with built in shower seats and safety/assist bars for the shower and toilet.

 

Also, the ships are large, even the Sun class, and there is a lot of walking just to go to the dining room and theatre, something that may be quite difficult for someone who uses a walker. So you should consider renting a scooter for the lady that uses the walker and perhaps even for the lady in the wheelchair if it is not a power wheelchair. Most scooters are too wide to go through the doorway of standard cabins. So it really seems that you should consider a wheelchair accessible (handicapped) stateroom for them.

 

I understand why you would like a balcony for them for their trip to Alaska. Not only is this a great way to experience Alaska, it also will allow them to step outside the room on the balcony and watch the scenery without having to make the trip up on the deck. Unfortunately, there are few Princess ships with wheelchair accessible staterooms with a balcony that which will accommodate three people and there are limited such staterooms on the ships that do have them.

 

The following Princess ships are cruising to Alaska in 2006: Regal, Dawn, Sun, Sapphire, Diamond, Island and Coral

 

The Regal has no handicapped staterooms with balconies.

 

The Sun and Dawn are Sun class ships. They have ONE handicapped minisuite (AC) and it will accommodate three people. There are NO other handicapped staterooms with balconies on the ship.

 

(Chrysalis, the deck plan in the Alaska 2006 brochures shows only one handicapped minisuite--if yours shows more than one, would you please report the stateroom numbers as that would be helpful. I know from personal experience that last year the Dawn had only one handicapped minisuite and no handicapped balconies as we tried to book this wheelchair accessible stateroom on the Dawn for one of their early year 2005 Caribbean sailings in Sept. 2004 and that handicapped minisuite was booked on every single sailing from January through the repositioning of the ship to Alaska--there were no other wheelchair accessible staterooms with balconies on the entire ship. So if Princess has modified another stateroom, we and others would be interested in that information.)

 

The Sapphire and Diamond are a type of Grand class ship (although slightly different from the other Grand class ships). There are no wheelchair accessible minisuites on any of the current Grand Class ships. The new Crown will have four, but it isn't in service yet and when it does go into service this year, it will not be sailing to Alaska.

 

Sapphire and Diamond have four handicapped balconies that will accommodate three people.

 

(Cherylandtk, if what you read on the recent thread discussing accessibility issues was a post by me indicating lack of handicapped minisuites, my statement was that none of the GRAND class ships have wheelchair accessible minisuites and that the Crown will be the first to have them. Since the thread was only concerning the Crown, which is a Grand class ship, I only discussed the accessible staterooms with balconies on the Grand class ships and did not include the Sun class ships like the Sun and Dawn. If it was my posts you remember, you can go back and reread them to confirm what I'm saying. Sorry if this caused confusion as that wasn't my intent. But it is not an error that there are no wheelchair accessible minisuites on any of the Grand class ships except for the new Crown.)

 

The Coral and Island have no handicapped minisuites. While there are some handicapped staterooms with balconies, none will accommodate three people.

 

Trying to book three people in a wheelchair accessible stateroom that isn't posted as accommodating three people may not be possible. When we have tried to do this, we have not been able to do so. There are several problems as to why. First, there could be capacity limitations on the sailing. But more likely it is because the sofa does not make a bed (which we have found on in several staterooms we have been in) and bringing in a roll-away blocks the floor space such that a wheelchair or walker can't be maneuvered around the stateroom when it is folded out. Plus, if these ladies are elderly, none of them may want or be able to to sleep on a roll-away.

 

Also, since Princess allows able bodied persons to book wheelchair accessible staterooms before final payment, there is likely limited, if any, availabilty at this point. So you will likely have to be flexible with the sailing dates.

 

I suggest that you also post your questions on the disabled forum of this board. You can obtain advice not only on room selection, but also on shore excursions and other matters.

 

Frankly, my suggestion to you for these ladies is to consider booking them on a Celebrity ship for their Alaska cruise. Celebrity has several wheelchair accessible staterooms with balconies in several categories, including regular balcony and Concierge Class staterooms and suites, especially on the M class ships. Celebrity also has established a Special Needs Department that passengers and TAs can directly contact--Princess does not. The Celebrity Special Needs Department controls the booking of wheelchair accessible staterooms and doesn't permit able bodied passengers to book until after final payment.

[DEL67]

I can tell you from experience that Princess will not allow you to book 3 in a handicapped cabin unless it is marked as a triple and that they have very few handicap triples of any type on any of their ships. That's why we have been unable to sail on Princess until our upcoming trip next month. And we can only do so now because my sister is accompanying us so my daughter will have a cabin mate. Note: We have found HAL and RCCL to be more accomodating about handicap triples,

[TravelnAl]

. .......But no tendering with wheelchair. .......

 

This is not rue. I personally have seen whellchairs taken on a tender in Alaska (6/05).

[S&M in Pgh]

Cannot speak for the Alaskan cruises and excursions. I have had a handicap room on a Grand Class ship. We had a BA class balcony cabin. Roomy enough for a wheelchair (I walk with cane and a leg brace). Ramp into the bathroom, wheel in shower, and a ramp to and from the balcony.

 

No pullout for a third person in our cabin, but some of the other handicap cabins show on the floor plans as having accomodations for a third person.

 

As far as I know, only the Grand Class (Grand, Golden, Star, Diamond and Saphire) have handicap balcony cabins. Not sure about the Dawn or Regal, but if memory serves (and that is not often) they do not.

 

I would check with your TA.

 

Mike

[McCutie]

Well now that is good to know. The cruise to Alaska has tendering. All of the cruises I have been on do not allow it. I do suggest to everyone to continue to check this out when taking any cruise when there is tendering. McCuties mom cruiser12

[cjh]

Well now that is good to know. The cruise to Alaska has tendering. All of the cruises I have been on do not allow it. I do suggest to everyone to continue to check this out when taking any cruise when there is tendering. McCuties mom cruiser12

 

 

My girls have tendered in the Caribbean and never had a problem, they just rolled their chairs on the tender.

[sacway]

We had D732 on the Golden and attach a few pix. This mini-suite cabin has a couch with a hide-a-bed but this blocks access to the very large balcony when opened. D733 is a mirror image, and the Grand has these two also. Your TA or Princess should be able to provide you with exact measurements to confirm whether your wheelchair or other equipment will maneuver without too much difficulty.

[Splinter]

The Island has a few wheelchair accessible cabins for 3, but the third person is usually in a bunk bed which is not accessible except for the very agile and limber (my 83 year old father managed it though). We did see someone else with a roll-away in a cabin identical to ours, so this might be an option. A single person in a cabin is very expensive, so it would be significantly cheaper to either have that person also bring a roommate (2 cabins for 2) or figure out a way to get an accessible cabin for 3 with a roll-away.

 

I would also recommend considering renting scooters for the two disabled ladies. A walker can be quite unstable with any seas, and with all the long distances and carpet it is VERY difficult to push a manual wheelchair yourself on a cruise ship. You would need an accessible cabin to accomodate the scooters, and a power bar would be required as well for enough outlets for charging them at night.

 

Accessible cabins often book up months or even years in advance, so you need to book immediately for this summer...it may already be too late.

[montgomeryfamily]

Wow, Splinter, I hope I'm as agile as your dad when I'm 83. :)

 

It appears from the deck plans on the Island that I have that the wheelchair accesssible balcony staterooms don't accommodate three people. Were you talking about lower category wheelchair accessible staterooms on the Island or wheelchair accessible balcony staterooms? Perhaps my deck plans aren't the most current.

 

The OP was wanting wheelchair accessible balcony staterooms, but may have to settle for lower category wheelchair accessible staterooms, if even that is available at this time, if the OP chooses to stay with Princes.

[Splinter]

No balcony, obstructed view. Cabins E507 and E506 on the Island.

[arabrab]

I know we're not allowed to mention specific TA's on the board, but I was wondering if there was any agency that specialized in disabled cruise travelling?

[cherylandtk]

Yes, there are, google the appropriate words to find both agencies and support groups with directories.

[Splinter]

Come on over to the Disabled Cruise forum on this site for tons of information.

 

We don't find the need to use a specialty disabilities travel agency. We know what to look for, and direct the TA we use very specifically in our needs. We have booked through AAA and with a number of other agents over the years. If you get to know your cruise lines and do a little research on the ships, you don't need a specialist really. There are several disabilities travel discussion boards where you can get a lot of good information on travel, both cruising and otherwise.

[RodneyG]

We as a family of 3 were give a handicapped persons cabin on the Diamond Princess - we never asked for it nor realised we had one or that it was substantially different to any other until some way into the cruise.(first cruise ever)

 

It was a balcony cabin on BAJA deck , B301 and there are pics of it here.

 

http://www.rodg.fotopic.net/p24935210.html

http://www.rodg.fotopic.net/p24935381.html

http://www.rodg.fotopic.net/p24935246.html

http://www.rodg.fotopic.net/p24935316.html

 

There were few handicapped people on board and they all seemed to have been catered for in terms of accomodation , some in wheelchairs , some with scooters and some with Zimmer frames so it seems there are quite a few cabins like this?

The cabin is huge , way bigger than any other and could have easily fitted a 3rd bed , this was a 3/4 person cabin and the 3rd person , my 9 yr old daughter had a bunk that came down from the ceiling.

The bathroom is massive with a fold down seat in the shower and has an emergency help call facility/chord - a nice touch

The only fly in the ointment is the shower has no lip and the whole bathroom floor tends to flood if you arent careful with directing the showerhead or with the curtains. The access to the balcony had ramps inside and out and the cabin was right by the elevators (which was great , easy access and there was no noise etc)

 

In respect of access thru the ship and getting ashore/tendering , I was VERY impressed with the lengths Diamond has gone to to facilitate less than able folk. There were always wheelchair lifts on embarkation debarkation and many crew members to give a hand.

As it so happened , I had quite a big operation on the ball of my foot onboard very early in the 19 day cruise and was to some extent disabled (/done without anaesthetic , no wheelchair tho , but crutches and the inability to put much weight on the foot) and really did make use of the facilities and space the cabin offered especially the bathroom where I would not have been able to stand in a small stall.