Quick question HA Rooms

[jarudinski]

Hi there,

I have a quick question about the HA rooms,

we were looking into booking rooms for the July 2014 Dream cruise and I was browsing state rooms for several days. When I saw a Concierge room pop up I grabbed it as quick as possible and paid the deposit. Now after looking through the deck plans I noticed it was a handicap room, I did not select this as a need when looking for rooms.

Am I allowed to be in this room and what if someone who wants to go on the cruise later needs the handicap room, I hate taking it from them.

I do have slight mobility issues, as I was diagnosed with MS a few years back. Most days are good days but every now and then I have bad days where mobility is an issue, but as long as I get help from my husband or teen daughter I usually am able to manage.

And before I get criticism I did not know this was a HA room when I booked it, it just happened to be the only Concierge Room available, and I so wanted a Concierge Room.

Thanks
Julie

 

[Bear3412]

Now this is JMO.

I would only grab / book an HA room a week or so out.

If you book in advance you will be xqzytntytod. DCL could / will move you when, and if a qualified HA pax requests your cabin. You are breaking the unwritten rules by booking an HA cabin in advance, IMO.
I would flee ASAP.

That is JMO. Pax do this all the time. Of course, they normally end up in the svxrwzto, and regret it. But that's just what I heard.

If you book an HA cabin - purposely in advance, doesn't Murphy's Law apply?

I suggest you wait a week or two out to book HA cabins. Otherwise you may find yourself in a pickle. And thrown over the rail. lol. JK.
You're right, you won't be thrown, you will be held over the rail ...

This post was meant to state the obvious, yet, point out the reality too.

These HA cabins often remained unbooked for some sailings. They end up selling them to a select few. Yet others are filled with HA pax. I will let the potential non-HA pax do the math, and deal with the consequences.

Enjoy your sailing, regardless if you need an HA cabin.

I know where I stand.

 

[Tinknalli]

I see nothing wrong with your keeping this room. You have MS. It s a tough disease to deal with. You wanted concierge and a room became available and you booked it. It is not like you chose a HA room over a non HA room. You chose the only room. There are other HA rooms on the ship. Concierge is not necessary for anyone. If they move you, so be it. However, having MS I think you would have a leg to stand on if they tried to take it away from you.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Sent you a PM.

 

[mdvlprof]

You have MS, and have mobility issues. Don't feel guilty about the HA room. Fill out the special needs form saying you have mobility issues. Will guarantee the room.

 

[4HppyCamprs]

Just a side question : if they do need the room for someone and move this passenger will this passenger still retain concierge services but just be placed in a non handicap room??

 

[justmestace]

Just a side question : if they do need the room for someone and move this passenger will this passenger still retain concierge services but just be placed in a non handicap room??

Coming from someone who HAS needs....DCL will rarely move a guest out of an HA room. In other words, I've wanted to book one and they were all already taken. DCL would do nothing to get me into an HA room. All they did was offer to waitlist me. The only time I've ever heard of them moving someone was many years ago, they moved my parents from one HA room to another one that slept less people, because at the last minute a family who had booked another stateroom had a child break a leg, and they needed a room to sleep four people. DCL did call and ask if my parents would switch rooms, and of course they did....but again, that was years ago. More than ten.

So, it's very unlikely that DCL will ask the OP to change rooms. Sadly, this is what a lot of people feel is wrong with the current booking system. It used to be that if you needed an HA room, you had to call to book it, and also send in a medical form signed by your doctor. That isn't required any more, and anyone can (and do) book them online, usually because they have bigger balconies. Of course, what you gain in the balcony, you lose in the bathroom and other areas of the rooms....the roll-in showers flood the entire bathroom, there isn't a split bathroom that's handy for families, etc.

And also to answer your direct question, DCL will NOT move the OP into any other room other than the category they booked OR HIGHER. They will never move them into a lower (non-concierge) category.....unless DCL calls the OP and the OP agrees to be moved "down". If the OP were to agree to be moved down a category, then yes, I would imagine they could make sure that they still retained their concierge services, but would not get a reduction in price.

 

[NCConch]

Enjoy your room. The HA rooms are simply bigger to allow for a wheelchair to freely move about. They have special features like pull-down hanging clothes bars and roll-in showers. Unlike handicap parking spaces, they are no closer to things like the elevators. If I remember correctly, the Concierge HA rooms are at the end of the hall. The rooms are 50% bigger and I recall reading here on DIS someone posted that another passenger passed their room as they were entering and the other passenger remarked that "they must have a suite".

If you can book it without asking for it, enjoy it!

 

[justmestace]

I was looking at the deck plans for the Dream and Fantasy, and just realized that there is only ONE HA stateroom on the concierge level. ONE.

At least the Magic and Wonder have four.

 

[justmestace]

Enjoy your room. The HA rooms are simply bigger to allow for a wheelchair to freely move about. They have special features like pull-down hanging clothes bars and roll-in showers. Unlike handicap parking spaces, they are no closer to things like the elevators. If I remember correctly, the Concierge HA rooms are at the end of the hall. The rooms are 50% bigger and I recall reading here on DIS someone posted that another passenger passed their room as they were entering and the other passenger remarked that "they must have a suite".

If you can book it without asking for it, enjoy it!

I'm sure you were truly directing this to the OP, who said she has MS, and therefore has a need for an HA room, right? Because, as I just noted above, there is only one HA stateroom among all of the concierge rooms....and it would be a shame to advocate for someone to grab it without the need for it, just because it's bigger.

 

[justmestace]

Have to (kind of) chuckle.....the other day I was parked at the grocery store and I watched two women park a Smart Car in the last remaining handicap spot in front of the store. They had a placard, so no problem. But then, they proceeded to walk clear across the parking lot to the nearby strip mall.....
Apparently there must not be any HA spots over there. And obviously the smart car is so big, there's a danger of getting a door ding in a regular parking spot.

 

[gigi1313]

Now this is JMO.

I would only grab / book an HA room a week or so out.

If you book in advance you will be xqzytntytod. DCL could / will move you when, and if a qualified HA pax requests your cabin. You are breaking the unwritten rules by booking an HA cabin in advance, IMO.
I would flee ASAP.

That is JMO. Pax do this all the time. Of course, they normally end up in the svxrwzto, and regret it. But that's just what I heard.

If you book an HA cabin - purposely in advance, doesn't Murphy's Law apply?

I suggest you wait a week or two out to book HA cabins. Otherwise you may find yourself in a pickle. And thrown over the rail. lol. JK.
You're right, you won't be thrown, you will be held over the rail ...

This post was meant to state the obvious, yet, point out the reality too.

These HA cabins often remained unbooked for some sailings. They end up selling them to a select few. Yet others are filled with HA pax. I will let the potential non-HA pax do the math, and deal with the consequences.

Enjoy your sailing, regardless if you need an HA cabin.

I know where I stand.

I'm very confused by your entire post... especially by the parts I marked in red...

 

[justmestace]

I'm very confused by your entire post... especially by the parts I marked in red...

What he's saying is that on here, it's like suicide to admit you're booking a handicap room if you don't really need one. People get pretty cranky when they hear about other people doing that, going so far as to threaten to toss a person overboard for booking a handicap room if they don't need one.

Now....if there is still an HA room available a week or two before your cruise and then you book one, that's not so bad.

You could fill in the first garbled word with "flamed", "yelled at", or any number of other words.

The second one, you could say "dog house" for lack of a nicer word or words.

 

[stitchlovestink]

Due to more recent changes in the ADA laws (some in 2010 and some more recent), Disney HAD to stop asking for proof of Disability and they also had to make those cabins available online just like all the others. It is currently illegal under ADA laws to ask for proof of need or proof of a disability. Cruise ships sailing in American waters must still comply with the ADA even if they fly under a foreign flag.

So I would say that the chances of anyone getting moved out of a HC cabin are pretty much nonexistent so long as that booking party claims a 'need' for it. NOW If they were to admit they did not need it, DCL would have a better leg to stand on as far as moving them but I really doubt DCL will even ask about the need (esp if booked online). IMO, I think their view has become first come, first served.

 

[Weedy]

I feel this is like the handicapped accessible stalls in restrooms. They need to have one available for use but it's not restricted like a parking space.
For the HC cabins on the rest of the ship there are plenty of other cabins available to choose from.

 

[gigi1313]

Okay, just for "fun" I went to book a HA room... and I received this message:

Attention

You have indicated that you or a member of your party has a disability that requires the features of a wheelchair accessible stateroom. You may be required to provide written confirmation of this need.

To agree to this term, please click the "I Understand" button. Otherwise, please deselect this stateroom option.

So, it appears that they can and do ask for proof, or at least confirmation... interesting...

 

[stitchlovestink]

Okay, just for "fun" I went to book a HA room... and I received this message:

Attention

You have indicated that you or a member of your party has a disability that requires the features of a wheelchair accessible stateroom. You may be required to provide written confirmation of this need.

To agree to this term, please click the "I Understand" button. Otherwise, please deselect this stateroom option.

So, it appears that they can and do ask for proof, or at least confirmation... interesting...

But asking for confirmation and PROOF are not the same thing.

YES, Disney used to ask for written proof. However, it is no longer legal/permitted under the ADA laws. Should DCL choose to challenge someone and that person takes a legal route, DCL would lose. Personally (my opinion only) this is out there to discourage the cheaters. Cheaters as a whole are not going to be familiar with ADA laws and if challenged will back down quicker. A person with a true need, will 'probably' be familiar with what can 'be required of them'. JMHO.

 

[jarudinski]

I don't remember seeing this message, but that does not mean it wasn't there, I do tend to miss things and get confused a lot more lately, not sure if it is sue to aging or the MS. I just sent an email to my TA to see if I need a note from the neurologist to avoid issues. I don't need the wheelchair access, but it would be kind of nice to get in the shower without requiring assistance from another family member ...

 

[jarudinski]

Okay, just for "fun" I went to book a HA room... and I received this message:

Attention

You have indicated that you or a member of your party has a disability that requires the features of a wheelchair accessible stateroom. You may be required to provide written confirmation of this need.

To agree to this term, please click the "I Understand" button. Otherwise, please deselect this stateroom option.

So, it appears that they can and do ask for proof, or at least confirmation... interesting...

I went back and did see if you selected the need for an HA room that message popped up, I did not do that when I booked the room. The HA concierge room was available so I selected it without realizing it was an HA room, but I did not select that I wanted/needed an HA room. Maybe they opened the room to the general public and that is why it showed up when it hadn't before?

Julie

 

[justmestace]

Due to more recent changes in the ADA laws (some in 2010 and some more recent), Disney HAD to stop asking for proof of Disability and they also had to make those cabins available online just like all the others. It is currently illegal under ADA laws to ask for proof of need or proof of a disability. Cruise ships sailing in American waters must still comply with the ADA even if they fly under a foreign flag.

So I would say that the chances of anyone getting moved out of a HC cabin are pretty much nonexistent so long as that booking party claims a 'need' for it. NOW If they were to admit they did not need it, DCL would have a better leg to stand on as far as moving them but I really doubt DCL will even ask about the need (esp if booked online). IMO, I think their view has become first come, first served.

This brings up an interesting question.... if the ADA says you don't have to prove it, then why have a handicap parking placard or plate? And the signs say you could be fined if you don't have one.
Just an interesting contradiction.