Best and Worst Ships for wheelchair users

[gptraveler]

Please share your best and worst experiences with the ships you have sailed on as a person using a manual chair. Planning a first cruise for my 67 yo sister who is totally dependent on others for her care. We know we will need a fully accessible cabin and plenty of room to move her wheelchair around. We will be 3 to a room. Our budget is probably for a balcony cabin but those options go early and we are looking for a deal.

[Essiesmom]

The first thing you need to consider is finding an accessible cabin which holds three.  Cruise lines seem to think only couples need HC cabins.  I know MSC has some with a bunk for the third, and some connecting cabins.  EM

[VirginiaIsForCruisers]

I've not used a manual chair, I use an electric chair, but I'll share my thoughts.

 

I've only sailed on the NCL Jade and three Royal Caribbean Voyager class ships (Explorer, Mariner, and Navigator).

 

NCL Jade:

I was in cabin 9148 on one cruise and 9648 on another. I posted pictures of 9148 a few years ago. Stay away from 9150 and 9650. They have a large pole (looks like a stripper pole) right in the middle of the cabin. That forces the furniture to be laid out differently and cuts space, which can be rough with three people. On my first cruise, a family of three adults was in 9150 and they struggled -- the father was in an electric chair and needed full-time care, so they had to navigate the space. The cabins I stayed in were spacious and the bathroom was very easy to manage. There was a flip down bunk for a third passenger.

Pros: I loved the layout and shape of the cabin. It was pretty square. I had a desk by the bed instead of a nightstand, so I could easily plug in my phone, which I use as an alarm. I liked the finishes (I believe the Jade has been updated since I sailed on her in 2018 and 2019). Not related to cabins, but the only real part of the ship that is cut off is the forward main dining room -- it's only accessible by a single elevator. To me, that's not a big deal, because the midship main dining room is accessible via multiple elevator banks and serves the same menu.

Cons: The hallways in the cabin areas are ridiculously narrow. I struggled whenever a cleaning cart was in the hall. Heck, it was hard to get by when people would leave dirty dishes in the hall. There was only a small lounge chair, so the places to sit were limited.

 

Royal Voyager Class:

On all three ships, I've stayed in cabin 7300 (I like to know what to expect). There didn't seem to be a pull down berth, but there was a full couch.The bathroom was similar to the Jade.

Pros: There is a full sized couch and lounge chair, so seating is easy. The hallways are much wider. I could even get past housekeeping carts without issue. This also makes it easier to make the turn from the hall into the cabin.

Cons: The cabin is longer and narrower than the NCL cabins. It was hard to turn my chair around easily, but I got better with practice. I hate that the only outlets are on the desk, which is across the cabin from the bed. Not related to the cabins, but I hate that the handicapped area of the main theater on deck three is only accessible from the forward elevators. Also, the ice rink theater is only accessible from the aft elevators. That makes for a painful time getting there and getting out to both venues.

[Bloodgem]

Royal Caribbean has various ships with accessible cabins that are suitable for 3 people.

 

We are a family of 3 and need an accessible cabin with a sofa bed. These are the ships we have sailed on Adventure; Anthem; Explorer; Independence and Navigator. 

 

Space in cabins can vary, we find it helps to be adaptable. For example we have asked for coffee tables to be removed from the cabin.  

 

[Bomax2]

On 9/8/2023 at 2:31 PM, gptraveler said:

Please share your best and worst experiences with the ships you have sailed on as a person using a manual chair. Planning a first cruise for my 67 yo sister who is totally dependent on others for her care. We know we will need a fully accessible cabin and plenty of room to move her wheelchair around. We will be 3 to a room. Our budget is probably for a balcony cabin but those options go early and we are looking for a deal.

I can’t speak to the cabin situation since we have never used an accessible one, but I will say that we have taken two cruises with my husband using a rollator walker. Both on Holland America. I felt that they were very accommodating to those with walkers, wheelchairs and scooters. After we were thru security we immediately directed to a very short line for check in for special needs only. Then the wheelchair waiting area was right beside it. Boarding wheelchairs are limited, so we waited our turn. The steward arrived with a chair and there was a couple who had their own chair and they were asked to walk with us and we all rode the elevator together and then straight onto the ship. In our case we were taken straight to our room. We found that there were many, many scooters, wheelchairs and walkers on our two Holland cruises. There was a special area reserved for wheelchairs in the main theatre. I found that the guests on Holland tend to be a little older than other cruises we have taken. On a Carnival cruise sometime ago I noticed many people pushing past wheelchairs, scooters etc to get on elevators. I never saw that happen on Holland. People were always nice and allowed us to go first when my husband was using his walker on Holland. He took a fall while I was in the spa and said many people came to help, staff and guests. A staff member helped him back to his table and doctored his elbow which was bleeding. It was a little crowded in the buffet, but the wait staff was helpful finding us a table and getting our drinks for us. Many videos on YouTube you might be interested in. 

[urlaub]

It also depends how long your cruise will be. We only book acc. cabins because my husband is paraplegic and confined in a wheelchair. Our problem was on all cruise lines that the space for clothes is very limited. The room space is huge but ...So if you are three in one room and 2 weeks in a colder region the space is more than limited. Keep this in our mind.

[cinderellen]

My husband is disabled so we always book accessible cabins on Celebrity. No complaints on any of their cabins. That being said, we find their new ships, specifically the Apex, had some challenges to disabled passengers. The passage to the sunset bar merges into the running track. Unfortunately, as runners are coming around the corner, they are not expecting scooters or wheelchairs. If you are disabled and want to get in the main pool, you need to use a lift to get to the pool deck, when it’s functioning, or take the steps. There’s a few more misses but I don’t want to bore you! 

[Mlowe88]

I just booked on Quantum and they have been a pain in the but when trying to get a handicap room.  
I have spoke to 7 different departments of which none of them are properly integrated and they don’t know there right hand from their left hand.  They don’t know what they’re doing.  I have even offered to royal up to get a room that is big enough for my wheelchair since this whole thing was their fault from the beginning.  Today I got so mad I booked on Norwegian Prima and got a handicap room with no additional upsell cost.

 

BTW. Because you are legally handicap it is against the law for them to charge more for the same class room in handicap which so many cruise co. do.  Be careful of the handicap schemes and upsells.  These ships need to do better and that is the law!