Change the Handicap Booking Policy

[DixieCaribe]

Hello All,

I recently commented on a thread regarding booking handicap rooms. The response, I shall say, was about what I had expected.

I have a question, however, that gets to the heart of the matter.

Why doesn't Holland America have different regulations for booking a handicap room? Often it seems people come to the boards to post about how they were assigned a handicap room when they didn't need one. Often, people will reply with how they need one to go on a cruise. I do not know anyone, including myself, who would take a handicap room over a non-handicap room when they are available, simply to get a "bigger" room.

Instead of attacking others on this board for expressing simple honesty, why don't we petition Holland America and the entire cruise industry to change their booking policies regarding handicapped rooms? Personally, I think more would be achieved if we all expressed our interest in this matter to the cruise lines, instead of admonishing and rebuking members of this message board.

[vipvinny]

My brother spends his life in a wheelchair. He has had problem's finding handicapped rooms. I don't think the cruise line would want to decide who is entitled to the special room. Some people feel that obese people are hadicapped some don't. No matter how it is decided some one is sure to think it is unfair.

[cp556]

Dixie --

 

I agree with you that cruise lines should restrict the assignment of the limited HC cabins to those needing one. I'm not sure how they'd go about it, though...

 

I know at least one major cruise line has stopped accepting doctor's notes as proof that people need a certain dining time. So I have no idea how they'd be able to enforce the assignment of HC cabins...

 

Having said that, if the HC cabins have not been assigned close to sailing, I think they can join in the mix of cabins then available ...

[bepsf]

Having said that, if the HC cabins have not been assigned close to sailing, I think they can join in the mix of cabins then available ...

 

That's what I believe happens - the line wants some sort of "Proof" that you need a handicapped stateroom before they'll allow anyone to specify that stateroom upon booking a certain distance in advance of the cruise...

...but there does comes a time that they need to get that stateroom sold, just like any other - and if it's not sold and someone wants it, the line is gonna sell it to whoever shows them the money.

[arabrab]

I wonder why cruise lines aren't held to the same standard as the big hotel chains -- not that Marriott (or any of the others) always follows the rules, but at least there are rules.

[cdkempton]

If you noticed, I posted to the other recent thread about my experience. I booked a cruise in July for next April and was assigned an HC cabin. I merely chose "best available" in the FF category. We do not need an HC. Once I realized, I called HAL and told them we don't need the HC. I was told that as long as we had checked "willing to upgrade" that there would be no problem. Of course, we had checked for an upgrade. It was still nagging at me. Then I saw that the FF category was closed and we still had the HC on our booking. I called once again, after reading the comments on the CC thread afore mentioned, and after speaking with the agent, I was given a QUAR status in FF. I thanked them profusely and said that I felt so much better knowing that I wasn't perhaps keeping someone else from taking a cruise that really needed that stateroom. You are absolutely correct. There should be some questioning going on during the booking process to ascertain that the passengers need is there for an HC cabin. I can't speak for those that want to book the cabin for the "extra" space because that doesn't make any sense to me at all. Go to the Crow's Nest if you want to dance. ;)

[RuthC]

Who knows why HAL doesn't take more assertive action to see that handicap accessible cabins are reserved for those who need them. They should.

But the fact remains that they don't. So until they do it's incumbent on each of us to be our brother's (and sister's) keeper and do the right thing. You never make a mistake when you take the high road.

[bepsf]

I wonder why cruise lines aren't held to the same standard as the big hotel chains -- not that Marriott (or any of the others) always follows the rules, but at least there are rules.

 

What Standard?

What Rules?

There is no "Handicapped Room Police" making sure that HC rooms in hotels or on ships are only occupied by handicapped folks. They're not required by any authority to hold rooms empty date just in case someone shows up very last minute in a wheelchair or walker demanding one.

 

Cruiselines aren't even required to have HC rooms because as foreign flagged vessels, the US ADA doesn't apply to them.

[u4ea]

It seems the cruise line’s policies are a mystery, I agree that at some point close to sailing they will just sell the unused HC cabins. I always book a GTY. I’ve been put in HC cabins several times, and once, I got a HC assignment a few weeks before sailing, and the day of sailing at check in, I was switched OUT of a HC.

 

My guess is that they always shuffle just before sailing to make things as best they can, but they (cruise lines) are in it for the money you know.:eek:

 

I do not know anyone, including myself, who would take a handicap room over a non-handicap room when they are available, simply to get a "bigger" room.

 

That's understood now. I think you were misunderstood , and you expected a reaction, and got one. No big deal.

Have a great cruise:cool:

Mark....

[Sundagger]

Cruiselines aren't even required to have HC rooms because as foreign flagged vessels, the US ADA doesn't apply to them.

 

The US Supreme Court ruled otherwise:

 

Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd., 545 U.S. 119 (2005), was a United States Supreme Court decision that determined (in a 6-3 decision) that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies to foreign cruise ships in American waters. The case was argued February 28, 2005 and decided June 6, 2005.

 

There are many references online under "Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd." for legal publication sites. The links above are to Wikipedia, which isn't authoritative.

[Sundagger]

Who knows why HAL doesn't take more assertive action to see that handicap accessible cabins are reserved for those who need them. They should.

But the fact remains that they don't. So until they do it's incumbent on each of us to be our brother's (and sister's) keeper and do the right thing. You never make a mistake when you take the high road.

 

Unfortunately, there are medical privacy laws and regulations that prevent the most obvious and effective means of restricting assignment of accessible rooms to only those truly requiring them. It's a balancing act that the cruise lines have to go through and no one policy exists between the lines - even between the lines owned by Carnival Corp.

 

The rule of thumb for accepting assignment to an HC room is that a person not needing one should not intentionally book one prior to final payment date. There is a CC board on Disabled Cruising that presents a range of opinions and experiences.

[JLC@SD]

I think the cruise lines want to stay out of the business of determining who is eligible to book an ADA room....and who is not elibible....;)