HA Disney cruise cabin- to book or not to book?

Here's my story, bear with me please! I apologize if this seems like a silly question- this is all new to me. Over a month ago I was in a car accident. I have a traumatic brain injury which caused several issues one of which requires vestibular therapy to regain balance. I also have fatigue. Prior to the accident my family (11 of us) were scheduled to cruise on the Dream this July. There is no way that can happen now, my family convinced me that I need to focus on my recovery. We had already paid in full so in order to recover the balance we were told we could select another cruise in the future. We moved our cruise to July of 2016. I have no idea where I will be in my recovery by then. Doctors don't seem to have a consensus either. 12-18 months or more. I'm wondering if I should book a handicap accessible cabin. I should mention that I am not considered disabled by ssdi (too soon to even apply). I would need the cabin for the flip down shower seat and grab bars in the shower. I don't have a crystal ball (trust me I would love one at this point!) so I won't exactly know what my needs will be 15 months from now. If I make a 'quick' recovery and don't need the HA cabin I would be glad to let Disney know in advance so I could make a lateral cabin move or even drop down to a lower price point in a lower cabin category. Do I book a cabin based on my needs now or what I may/may not need in the future?

I would book for what you need now. HA staterooms can be hard to come by, and July is peak cruising season due to school vacation, so there might not be one available if you wait and request it later. HA staterooms typically have a shower, not a tub; rooms have more space for maneuvering a wheelchair as opposed to the standard long narrow stateroom.

Good luck with your recovery and enjoy your cruise!

You are right, neither you, nor anyone else has a crystal ball. Right now you have a disability and require the special amenities in a HA cabin. Better to book it now; they have limited availability. If your recovery is such that you no longer need it by next year, then you can change your cabin at a later date. Best of luck.

Definitely book based on your current needs. Since you do not know how you are doing in the future, it is better to be prepared now. As the cruise gets closer and you have an idea of where your recovery will be, make sure to take everything into consideration before switching the room.

Book based on what you need now. With TBI it is virtually impossible to know how fast or slow recovery will be. My wife has a TBI from a car crash so I can appreciate the lack of specificity you are not getting from the doctors. While frustrating they just don't know. My wife has made ten trips to WDW with TBI and when evaluating questions like this we go with the simple test of which would I regret more "getting a HA room and not needing it" or "not getting one and needing it." In my mind needing one and not having it could devastate your cruise, while having one but not needing it would most likely be a mild annoyance at most. None of this has anything to do with whether you qualified for SSDI yet. It's whether you need the assistive devices and modifications in a HA to enjoy the experience. Similarly even if you can't drive if you have balance issues or fatigue issues your doctor should be willing to get you a handicap parking permit (at least a temporary one) even though you don't qualify for SSDI. You ought not feel bad about getting a HA room.