Tips to Help Disabled Passengers Find The Perfect Cruise

Accessibility on cruise ships: The advantages of a cruising holiday |
Cruising tips | Cabin features

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• If the ship does not have any specially equipped cabins, book the best outside cabin in your price range or choose another ship. However, be careful as you may find that even cruise brochures that state that a ship has ‘wheelchair accessible’ cabins fail to say whether the wheelchair will fit through the bathroom door, or whether there is a ‘lip’ at the door. Check whether the wheelchair can fit into the shower area. Get your travel agent to check, and recheck the details. Do not take ‘I think so’ as an answer. Get specific measurements.
  
  
• Choose a cabin close to an elevator. Not all elevators go to all decks, so check the deck plan carefully. Smaller and older vessels may not even have elevators, making access to even the dining room difficult.
  
  
• Cabins located amidships are less affected by vessel motion, so choose something in the middle of the ship if you are concerned about possible rough seas.
  
  
• The larger (and therefore more expensive) the cabin, the more room you will have to manoeuvre in. This is particularly important in the bathroom.
  
  
• If your budget allows, pick a cabin with a bath rather than just a shower, because there will be considerably more room, especially if you can’t stand comfortably.
  
  
• Make sure that the cabin you booked is so stated on the final passenger ticket contract. Also make sure that the contract specifically states that if, for any reason, the cabin is not available, that you will get a full refund and transportation back home as well as a refund on any hotel bills incurred.
  
  
• Meals in some ships may be served in your cabin, on special request – an advantage should you wish to avoid dressing for every meal. But few ships have enough space in the cabin for dining tables.
  
  
• Take your own wheelchair with you, as ships carry only a limited number of wheelchairs; these are provided for emergency hospital use only. An alternative is to rent an electric wheelchair, which can be delivered to the ship on your sailing date.
  
  
• If you live near the port of embarkation, arrange to visit the ship yourself to check its suitability (most cruise lines will be helpful in this regard).
  
  
• Elevators are a constant source of difficulty for wheelchair passengers. Often the control buttons, especially those for upper decks, are too high to reach.
  
  
• Advise the cruise line of the need for proper transfer facilities, in particular buses or vans with wheelchair ramps or hydraulic lifts.
  
  
• Hand-carry medical records and let the cruise line know your specific medical situation.
  
  
• Once on board, notify the Reception Desk that help may be needed in an emergency.

Accessibility: Boarding Your Cruise Ship

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The actual boarding can pose problems. If you embark at ground level, the gangway to the ship may be level or inclined. It will depend on the embarkation deck of the ship and/or the tide in the port.

Alternatively, you may be required to embark from an upper level of a terminal, in which case the gangway could well be of the floating loading-bridge type, like those used at major airports. Some have flat floors; others may have raised lips spaced every two or three feet (awkward to negotiate in a wheelchair, especially if the gangway is made steeper by a rising tide).

Tendering Ashore

Cruise lines should (but don’t always) provide an anchor emblem in brochures for those ports of call where a ship will be at anchor instead of alongside. If the ship is at anchor, the crew will lower you and your wheelchair into a waiting tender (ship-to-shore launch) and then, after a short boat-ride, lift you out again onto a rigged gangway or integral platform. If the sea is calm, this manoeuvre proceeds uneventfully; if the sea is choppy, it could vary from exciting to harrowing.

This type of embarkation is rare except in a busy port with several ships all sailing the same day. Holland America Line is one of the few companies to make shore tenders accessible to wheelchair passengers, with a special boarding ramp and scissor lift so that wheelchair passengers can see out of the shore tender’s windows.

Cruising for the Hearing Impaired

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Difficulties include hearing announcements on the public address system; using the telephone; and poor acoustics in key areas such as boarding shore tenders.

Take a spare battery for your hearing aid. More new ships have cabins specially fitted with coloured signs to help those who are hearing impaired.

Using Your Wheelchair on Your Cruise

If you have limited mobility, use a collapsible wheelchair (which could be rented from specialist providers at your port of embarkation if you don’t want to bring your own). By limited mobility, we mean a person able to get out of the wheelchair and step over a sill or walk with a cane, crutches, or other walking device.

Remember to ask questions before you make a booking. Call us on 01756 706541 or e-mail us to discuss your personal requirements. Examples:

• Does the cruise line’s travel insurance (with a cancellation/trip interruption) cover you for any injuries while you are aboard ship?
  
• Are any public rooms or public decks aboard the ship inaccessible to wheelchairs (for instance, it is sometimes difficult to obtain access to outdoor decks)?
  
• Will you be guaranteed a good viewing place in the main showroom from where you can see the shows if seated in a wheelchair?
  
• If you need a collapsible wheelchair, can this be provided by the cruise line?
  
• Do passengers have to sign a medical release?
  
• Do passengers need a doctor’s note to qualify for a cabin for the physically challenged?
  
• Are the ship’s tenders accessible to wheelchairs?
  
• How do you get from your cabin to the lifeboats (which may be up or down several decks) in an emergency if the elevators are out of action?

Berlitz Guide © Apa Publications 2008