handicap rooms

[prymsu]

I have noticed that these rooms do seem to have larger balconies. How can you book one of these? Is it possible to book one when no one in your party is handicapped? Just curious.

 

[imgoingtodisney]

DH was also interested in the answer to this.

 

[kellyb2000]

We had an inside handicapped state room and it was much bigger than the other inside rooms. Neither of us are/were handicapped. We didn't plan it that way and I don't think our travel agent did either, it just kind of happened. I'm sure that if a family that truly needed it would have booked, we would have been bumped out. Not sure if you can intentionally get one if your not.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by prymsu
I have noticed that these rooms do seem to have larger balconies. How can you book one of these? Is it possible to book one when no one in your party is handicapped? Just curious.

We had a handicapped room, one of the kids that was supposed to sail with us was in a wheelchair....the verandah was very big, there was a table, 4 chairs and 2 recliners out there plus still room to move around....I did cancel the young man that was supposed to be sailing with us and I told them on the phone that if they needed that room to just bump us out and they said that once we were booked in there they would not bump you out, it would not be available if a handicapped person did want to book. I did notice the lady a few doors down was in a wheelchair and it must not have fit in the room because she kept it out in the hall...I was talking to her and she had just hurt her leg a week before the cruise so she had not tried to book the handicapped room...

 

[SueM in MN]

I have been told that you need a signed doctor's letter indicating a need in order to book the handicapped rooms. If there is no one who needs the room booked on a cruise, they will assign it to someone else rather than leaving it empty, but a person without a disability can't book it ahead of time.
For someone with a wheelchair or ecv, the extra room in the handicapped cabin is a necessity, not a luxury. The regular verandas are not big enough for a wheelchair to go out on. The room is larger so that someone who needs a wheelchair to get around can use the wheelchair in the room. Some people can't move without a wheelchair, so if the handicapped room is not available, they can't go on the cruise (even if there are lots of other cabins empty).

once we were booked in there they would not bump you out, it would not be available if a handicapped person did want to book.

There are times when someone who has a need for the room cancels out. I think if the cancellation came early enough, it is possible they would re-assign your party to another room. It might also have to do with how full the cruise is. It wouldn't be good business (or fair) to have empty cabins and at the same time be turning away potential customers in wheelchairs.

 

[aprilgail2]

They did have empty cabins when we called to cancel the boy who needed it and they asked us if we wanted to be reassigned or just keep the handicaped room....so we had said to keep it unless someone else neeed it and that is when they said they wouldn't change us.....It worked out well anyway since there were bars in the shower and the toilet and my 73 year old mom came with us and could sure use the bars in the bathroom. A friend of mine took the Disney cruise with her elderly mom who has trouble standing from a sitting position and the Dr gave them a note saying they needed the handbars in the toilet and shower and they gave them a handicapped room...so they are not just for people in wheelchairs...

 

[SueM in MN]

so we had said to keep it unless someone else neeed it and that is when they said they wouldn't change us

So they would have reassigned it if you had said to do that. They might have figured that you were hoping that the original person in a wheelchair might be able to join you anyway or that someone in your party would need the features of the room. Whatever, it sounds like you made good use of the room.

I didn't meant to say that the handicapped rooms are only for use by people in wheelchairs, so if that is how I was understood, I'm sorry. The wheelchair accessible rooms have some features that might be necessary for someone who has mobility problems, weakness or is unsteady. I just meant to point out that the handicapped room is necessary for some people with wheelchairs. Someone who can't move around without a wheelchair can't go on a cruise if the wheelchair accessible room is not available.

I don't know if the cruise has different levels of disabled access, but the resorts have some rooms that just have the grab bars and raised toilets and other rooms that are fully wheelchair accessible with roll in showers. If someone needs the grab bars and other features, it's important to their safety to have them, whether it means a handicapped friendly room or a totally wheelchair accessible room.