Disney Cruise

[lunapnp]

My oldest daughter will be graduating from high school this year!!!! Woo hoo!!! She is trying to decide between a cruise or going to the parks. (We have been to the parks multiple times and have never been on a cruise!) I've told her it's her choice. My question for those that have cruised...I've heard it's very accessible. True or not? She is in a power chair. There will be a total of 5 going...me, DH, the graduate and my two 14 YOs. Should we get the handicap accessible
Room or can we get her power chair in a regular room...granted I know then we would have to get two rooms. Thanks!!

 

[mumto2]

We've never cruised either, but based on my research, we elected to book an accessible room. Our DD is ambulatory, but uses a manual chair for distances. She also has balance issues, so grab bars in the bathroom are critical. I like the idea of a seat in the shower because we don't know if / how much the motion on board will impact her. Finally, even though everyone tells us that the regular DCL cabins are huge (and I am sure they are by cruise standards), it just looks like tight quarters to maneuver a chair, or even just to store one until it is needed.

I called DCL to make our reservation, and they were great! We went through everything carefully and ended up with connecting cabins, one regular and one HA.

Congratulations on your upcoming milestone!

 

[Disneykidsdad]

Get an accessible cabin. Her chair will not fit through the regular cabin doorway and there will no room for her to maneuver in the regular cabin.

 

[lanejudy]

How old is the graduate? If she is over 18, or turns 18 during the cruise, she will NOT be allowed into Vibe with other teens. I wanted to mention that just in case the teen club is her interest. There is a loosely organized group of 18-21 year olds, but how well that works seems to vary, largely dependent upon how many in that age group are cruising. If she is 18, she will have access to any "adult" areas -- the spa, nightclubs, adult pool, etc.

H/A rooms book quickly on DCL cruises, though the newer ships do have more rooms than the classics. But many are booked well over a year in advance, so if you are thinking of June 2014, you might want to double-check that it's even a viable option. You'll also need to decide between 1 stateroom for 5 people (the HA rooms in cat. 8A on the Dream/Fantasy are fairly good sized) or 2 staterooms since there are only a couple of categories that sleep 5 in a room, but with the powerchair as well it might be tough to maneuver with that many people.

Good luck and enjoy your vacation!

 

[Mrsjvb]

My oldest daughter will be graduating from high school this year!!!! Woo hoo!!! She is trying to decide between a cruise or going to the parks. (We have been to the parks multiple times and have never been on a cruise!) I've told her it's her choice. My question for those that have cruised...I've heard it's very accessible. True or not? She is in a power chair. There will be a total of 5 going...me, DH, the graduate and my two 14 YOs. Should we get the handicap accessible
Room or can we get her power chair in a regular room...granted I know then we would have to get two rooms. Thanks!!

accessible cabin definitely. in fact many lines require it if she is non ambulatory.

 

[lunapnp]

Thanks for the info. We won't actually be sailing until fall or later. Just can't fit in into our schedule for June. (Plus price wise is much more feasible for fall!) She will turn 18 before the cruise but she's not interested in the teen clubs! Thanks for all the info!

 

[WheeledTraveler]

Everyone else is right about your absolutely needing to book an accessible cabin. That also means you probably want to book sooner rather than later if you decide on a cruise since the number of accessible cabins are far lower than the number of regular cabins.

The only real drawback to the cruise is that she wouldn't be able to get off the ship at most ports. Some are tenders (smaller boat to get to the dock). Many ports that are outside the US are also very physically inaccessible once you get into the town because they don't have to follow the ADA (and don't have their own version). I have friends who use powerchairs and have still found cruises enjoyable (none on DCL, but multiple other cruise lines both in the US and Europe). There's loads to do on the ship and I know one actually found she looked forward days where the ship was at port because she could do more when most other people were off the ship. If you cruise somewhere that is completely within the US (like some of the Alaskan cruises), there should be a way for her to get off the ship at ports because of US access laws. I've never cruised (I use both a manual wheelchair and a powerchair), but I'm definitely considering doing an Alaskan cruise at some point because it would be the easiest way for me to see Alaska. I wouldn't do that in the autumn, though (I also wouldn't do it on DCL because they don't go everywhere I want to go.)

 

[Mmketeer]

I have cruised several times and 9 times on Disney and I am telling you right now that is an amazing and very affordable vacation compared to a land package at Disney World. Add in how much it would cost for room service, soda, all your meals and the fact that you get to go to out of the country destinations and your not even required to have a passport, a cruise wins hands down in my book.

I lurk this forum due to hubbies type 1 diabetes for tips and tricks from others here. So, I don't normally post here and I don't have a family member in a wheelchair. However, I do know someone that rented a scooter and had it delivered to the Disney Dream and they had a great experience with all of it. They let Guest Services keep the scooter for them as it was too tight in the cabin. However, if you request a back of the ship cabin I have seen them out in the hall. I wouldn't do it, but their is a little indent on some decks that you can park it behind.

That being said, I have to agree with the DisneyKidsDad that said you should request an accessible stateroom if it will make onboard life easier for you. They are limited to how many they have on each ship so don't hesitate on requesting one, do it ASAP. You can book DCL up to two years in advance and people do, so availability can get very limited for these stateroom types very fast.

One of the benefits of the accessible staterooms is the larger balconies, the extra space in the rooms themselves so you won't feel as crowded and the roll in shower.

Their are elevators so getting around the ship will be easy and the only port I can think of that has a tender that most ships sail too is Grand Cayman. Otherwise, it won't be fun but their is a kind of a steep solid floor ramp to get on and off the ship. So you can roll on and off.

You can't ask for a better crew, they will be so accommodating for you and assist you with any needs you may have including dining. The only downside to sailing DCL, is that you will compare everything back to this and DCL is really hard to beat. The only thing I have found that can come close is Royal Caribbean.

But, don't take my words for it! Check out the DCL forum here, their are folks that have cruised DCL way more than I have with all kinds of different needs and the fellow boarders are always happy to answer questions just like here.

Unique to DCL...Door decorations and FE's.
Enjoy and happy sailings!