Carnival Accessible Cabins for Full-Time Wheelchair User?

[Quampapetet]

One of my friends is in a wheelchair full-time, so she needs a fully accessible cruise cabin. She went on Carnival (I'm not sure which ship) a few years ago and her so-called accessible cabin was a nightmare. She couldn't even get into the bathroom! She had to wash her hair down in the spa - and PAY for it! She had to wash up using a sink.

 

Carnival said their paperwork said that she told them her wheelchair was 16" wide. Uhm, SHE isn't even just 16" wide! They screwed up, but apparently wouldn't even own up to it (making her pay to get her hair washed and all).

 

So, she is very wary of going on Carnival again, but that's the line our group is going on this coming year. She really wants to go because of the ports, but she hasn't booked yet due to her cabin concerns. This is for a seven-night cruise.

 

If you have been on Carnival in an accessible cabin, please tell me about your experiences so I can relay them to her. I do hope she comes, but obviously not if she can't have her basic needs met (i.e. bathroom).

 

We're going on the Carnival Glory ship.

 

Thank you! :)

[uppitycats]

One of my friends is in a wheelchair full-time, so she needs a fully accessible cruise cabin. She went on Carnival (I'm not sure which ship) a few years ago and her so-called accessible cabin was a nightmare. She couldn't even get into the bathroom! She had to wash her hair down in the spa - and PAY for it! She had to wash up using a sink.

 

Carnival said their paperwork said that she told them her wheelchair was 16" wide. Uhm, SHE isn't even just 16" wide! They screwed up, but apparently wouldn't even own up to it (making her pay to get her hair washed and all).

 

So, she is very wary of going on Carnival again, but that's the line our group is going on this coming year. She really wants to go because of the ports, but she hasn't booked yet due to her cabin concerns. This is for a seven-night cruise.

 

If you have been on Carnival in an accessible cabin, please tell me about your experiences so I can relay them to her. I do hope she comes, but obviously not if she can't have her basic needs met (i.e. bathroom).

 

We're going on the Carnival Glory ship.

 

Thank you! :)

 

She needs to make sure that she has a "fully accessible cabin", and not a "modified" cabin. I am not familiar with the Glory ship, but some cruise lines are offering "modified" cabins for people that don't need the fully accessible features..which it sounds like what she had in that cruise.

 

When I was last on a Carnival ship and in a fully accessible cabin, the doors were indeed sufficiently wide for a regular manual wheelchair, there was no threshhold into the bathroom, and the bathroom had a roll-in shower with a drop down shower seat, a raised toilet, and a raised sink that I could roll up to, with my chair.

 

The only way I'm comfortable with making arrangments for disability issues, whether it's on a cruise ship or hotel or wherever, is to call, and call again, and talk to the highest level of staff I can get to (like manager, etc.,) to be SURE that what I need will be what is there when I get there. And call again..and maybe again, if I'm not satisfied or comfortable. Take names of people you talked with, ask specific questions: "how wide is the doorway into the bathroom? is there a roll-in shower in the cabin? Is there a raised toilet?' or whatever her specific needs are. And get their answers in writing.

 

I hope it works out for you.

[cusyl]

I had a fully accessible cabin on the Legend and it had the roll in shower with the seat and plenty of room in the cabin to store the scooter and turn around with it.

[Quampapetet]

Thanks to both of you!

 

We do have a different TA this time, since the group leader is now a TA, so that will help, I'm sure, as I know the ones from before were pretty incompetent.

 

I will make sure she and the TA request a "fully accessible cabin" and make sure it is that and not a "modified" cabin (which is a great idea, so that the fully accessible ones are saved for those who need the extra room for their wheelchairs to move around, but not a good idea if they mix the two up!).

[etoile]

My goodness, what a nightmare your friend had! I would have taken it as high as possible within Carnival. That is just NOT acceptable...the special needs dept should know very well that 16" is a totally unrealistic wheelchair width. Even airline wheelchairs aren't that skinny, I believe they have standard 18" seats!

[MotoRacer598]

I got stuck with a modified cabin once. Couldn't turn my chair around in the room without having to go into the bathroom or out into the hallway. It did have a roll in shower though. I have only cruised Carnival since i've been in a chair and haven't had any issues. Even took me thru the employee elevator and thru the kitchen to get onto the dance floor

[tea4ular]

My husband uses an electric wheelchair and is unable to transfer, like your friend. Carnival has been very (VERY) accommodating and has gone above and beyond for us.

 

Example, in one cabin there was just too much "extra" furniture - we called and maintenance came within 20 minutes and took any item we asked them to. On another the furnishings were "backwards" for his needs, and again maintenance sent up 2 workers with power tools and reconfigured the cabin for him. We have always needed to get an additional mattress to build the bed up for ease of transfer (because the beds are quite low), they willingly do that too.

 

I recommend that your friend (rather than the TA) make a call to the special needs desk, make a "friend" and get all details in her Carnival file. My husband has done very well doing just this.

[leoandhugh]

With older ships, and with Carnival in particular, you have to be aware of the difference between a "modified" accessible cabin and a real, fully accessible one. On several of the older Carnival ships and even on HAL, there are so-called "modified" which still have lips up into the bathroom, unramped access to balconies, and inadequate room to turn a wheelchair around in either the cabin or the bathroom. This is an area where you should spend time, ask questions and do your homework BEFORE booking rather than finding out too late what you have to contend with. We have found it best to make sure that the special needs folks are fully aware of our needs as told to them by us, rather than have them guess or assume:)

[Quampapetet]

Thanks, everyone! I'm not sure if she talked to them last time or if the TA did, though the way she said it, it sounded like she did. Yeah, 16" is far too small for sure! :)

 

I let her know the differences between the two cabins. I think she is still thinking about whether or not she should book. Hopefully she will, though, if they have any fully-accessible cabins left. (I think booking is slow, since I was able to get an oft-sought cabin the other day, so that should help.)

[TrikeRider]

The problem I found with Carnival is that their accessible cabins are located in, what I feel, are not the most desirable area on the ship. In addition, the brand new Dream only has 3 accessible balcony cabins.

[leoandhugh]

When Carnival builds a new ship like Dream with only 3 accessible balconied cabins, as an amputee who uses a scooter and needs such a cabin, I get one message from Carnival, loud and clear "Not Wanted"!!!:( And that's ok by me because Carnivore would never be my first -or second - choice.:)

[Quampapetet]

Wow, that is terrible that they only put three accessible balcony cabins on the whole ship!!!! :-(

 

Yeah, it isn't my first choice (I've seen the photos...), but Royal Caribbean didn't have anything with the ports the leader wanted to do this year. And I'm excited about these ports, it is the reason I'm going, so I'll deal with the ugly ship, hehe.

 

Obviously, it is not my friend's first choice either, due to the problems she had previously. I haven't heard back from her since I sent the info.; I don't think she has decided to book yet or not.

[uppitycats]

Unfortunately many handicap accessible rooms, not just on cruise ships, are in less-than-desireable locations, and certainly don't include the "high end" accommodations, like suites and such. We're an "afterthought", a "we have to comply with these silly regs so lets see which are the least desireable cabins and modify them" thought.

 

But then I suspect we can all relate stories of "handicap accessible bathrooms" that aren't, handicap-accessible parking slots at the far end of the lot farthest from the door, handicap-accessible entrances at the back of the building past the garbage cans and into the freight elevator, and so on.

 

I'm not at all suggesting that we should just settle for what we've "been given"...but sometimes that's the reality if we want to get somewhere, or do something.

[rascalrider]

I learned the difference between Carnival's w/c modified and fully accessible cabins earlier this year on a 49-day cruise! The cabin was postage-stamp size with a wide entry door and a proper handicap bathroom. The only place to park my scooter was in the bathroom or blocking the entry door. I could turn the scooter by jockeying 6-8 times.

 

There were two tiny closets with four drawers taking up the lower half of one of them, no shelves and half-depth desk surface with the safe and hair-dryer cubbies taking up the other half. It was a challenge, but two of us managed to survive the tight quarters.

 

My friend chose the cabin because it was a "spa" cabin, but we were denied the spa amenities because we did not pay the extra price for the privileges.

 

It pays to look at the deck plans and see the size of the w/c cabins depicted on it. If it is no larger than the standard cabins on the deck plan, do not expect it to be larger when you enter it! It was obvious that our travel agent did not realize the difference either. The best bet is to double check with the special needs department.

 

I hope your friend finds a suitable cabin and can enjoy the cruise with your group!

[Chacooe]

Thanks, everyone! I'm not sure if she talked to them last time or if the TA did, though the way she said it, it sounded like she did. Yeah, 16" is far too small for sure! :)

 

I let her know the differences between the two cabins. I think she is still thinking about whether or not she should book. Hopefully she will, though, if they have any fully-accessible cabins left. (I think booking is slow, since I was able to get an oft-sought cabin the other day, so that should help.)

 

Ask her if she got any forms from Carnival to fill out. I know that I have and on them you have to state how wide your chair is and etc. If she did not get these forms, chances are your TA did not ask for a handicapped room or there could have been a chance they were all booked. In the past many non-disabled would take those rooms because they were bigger for the same price, but now Carnival makes you ask for them, they are no longer advertised like they used to be and you have to fill out these forms that they send you. They will also have someone from the Special Needs office call her to verify all the information. This happened to me on both of my cruises and I have already filled out the forms for my January cruise.

 

It may be a good idea that after your cruise is booked to call the Special Needs Department and verify that the cabin she is assigned is a handicapped cabin. Hope this helps.

[Chacooe]

Thanks, everyone! I'm not sure if she talked to them last time or if the TA did, though the way she said it, it sounded like she did. Yeah, 16" is far too small for sure! :)

 

I let her know the differences between the two cabins. I think she is still thinking about whether or not she should book. Hopefully she will, though, if they have any fully-accessible cabins left. (I think booking is slow, since I was able to get an oft-sought cabin the other day, so that should help.)

 

Ask her if she got any forms from Carnival to fill out. I know that I have and on them you have to state how wide your chair is and etc. If she did not get these forms, chances are your TA did not ask for a handicapped room or there could have been a chance they were all booked. In the past many non-disabled would take those rooms because they were bigger for the same price, but now Carnival makes you ask for them, they are no longer advertised like they used to be and you have to fill out these forms that they send you. They will also have someone from the Special Needs office call her to verify all the information. This happened to me on both of my cruises and I have already filled out the forms for my January cruise.

 

It may be a good idea that after your cruise is booked to call the Special Needs Department and verify that the cabin she is assigned is a handicapped cabin. Hope this helps.

[JNCRUISEBUMS]

I was on the Conquest and my travel agent made sure I got a fully accessible cabin and it was terrific. Inside, huge bathroom! Good luck and Bon Voyage!!!!!!

[Quampapetet]

I learned the difference between Carnival's w/c modified and fully accessible cabins earlier this year on a 49-day cruise! The cabin was postage-stamp size with a wide entry door and a proper handicap bathroom. The only place to park my scooter was in the bathroom or blocking the entry door. I could turn the scooter by jockeying 6-8 times.

 

Wow, that's a LONG cruise!!!! :eek: Especially to be in a too-small cabin! Glad you were able to deal with it, though - and that you had a real accessible bathroom!

 

It pays to look at the deck plans and see the size of the w/c cabins depicted on it. If it is no larger than the standard cabins on the deck plan, do not expect it to be larger when you enter it! It was obvious that our travel agent did not realize the difference either. The best bet is to double check with the special needs department.

 

That's a good idea. Carnival doesn't have accessible rooms marked on their maps, so I guess you would have to know the specific room number first in order to check.

[Quampapetet]

Ask her if she got any forms from Carnival to fill out. I know that I have and on them you have to state how wide your chair is and etc. If she did not get these forms, chances are your TA did not ask for a handicapped room or there could have been a chance they were all booked.

 

She did tell them the width of her chair and all, though they got it messed up in their computers (had it as 16", which is far too small).

 

It may be a good idea that after your cruise is booked to call the Special Needs Department and verify that the cabin she is assigned is a handicapped cabin. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks. I don't know if she is going to come on the cruise or not, but if she books, I'm sure she will do all of this to be sure she isn't stuck in a non-fully accessible cabin again.

Edited September 20, 2009 by Quampapetet

[Sue Do-Over]

Carnival deck plans DO show the handicapped/accessible rooms. On the Glory there are pairs of mostly interior cabins near the elevators and way at the bow/stern. Go to Explore/Ships/Deck Plans, not the images shown while booking.

 

Surprised that any were really far from elevators -- in an emergency, it would take a long time to evacuate. On the other hand, those cabins may have been the easiest to retrofit or modify.

 

Would be great if every cabin had the option to improve access... that is, have shelves or desktops that fold away to allow more room to park walkers and scooters, or just allow more floor space, there wouldn't be as much advantage for a fully-accessible unit.

[twinbee]

I am full time wheelchair user and was on the Breeze in November. I was not happy with the location of our wheelchair accessible balcony cabin. It was way foward, very far from the nearest elevators. I don't understand why they put the accessible balcony cabins there. Everyday I had problems getting to and from my cabin due to the hallways being blocked by service carts.

[hn7609]

I find the carts are a problem no matter where my cabin is. I always get by though.

 

On a side note....were you able to utilize the balcony with the wheelchair? I'm on the Liberty in July with an accessible balcony cabin and I can't find anyone who can tell me if I will be able to get out on the balcony in the chair.

[SpencerNY1]

I am now a full-time wheelchair user and loyal Caribbean seems the best. There is no modified cabin. They are either fully accessible or not and you can book them online without any issues. The access department contact you ahead of time for all the required needs. They even have a chart showing the rooms that have grab bars on the left or right they will even go as far as ensuring pre-or post-hotel reservations to your specifications

 

 

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[SpencerNY1]

I find the carts are a problem no matter where my cabin is. I always get by though.

 

 

 

On a side note....were you able to utilize the balcony with the wheelchair? I'm on the Liberty in July with an accessible balcony cabin and I can't find anyone who can tell me if I will be able to get out on the balcony in the chair.

 

 

I know somebody that was on and you will not have a problem the balconies are twice as wide and the chairs are off to one side.

 

 

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[Gr8estNana]

Haven't been yet, but going in 30 days! Carnival was GREAT to us...even upgrading us to a better cabin to ensure that we got a FULLY handicapped accessible room with roll-in shower and extra 'turn around' space! After we come back, I'll post our experience and let you know how it went :)