As someone who cruises with a young-adult daughter who uses a wheelchair, the current elevator situation on
Disney Cruise Line ships is already a negative on each cruise. The prospect of needing to take two elevators to reach certain decks on the
Disney Treasure is unacceptable.
We face two primary issues with the elevators. First, they are incredibly small. Approximately 75% of the time, there isn't enough space in an arriving elevator to accommodate a wheelchair. Second, elevators can be extremely slow during peak times. It can take 20 minutes or more to get an elevator with enough room for a wheelchair. This may not seem like a long time, but these delays accumulate throughout the day and become a significant inconvenience over the course of a week.
Adding to these challenges, people often cut in line in front of wheelchair users. We've countless times been the first to arrive at an elevator and press the button, only to have people rush in ahead of us when the doors open. This constant struggle is mentally draining, especially for simple tasks like moving between decks 3 and 4 on the classic ships, where stairs are readily available for those who can use them.
The impact of these elevator issues extends beyond a small group. Many passengers have mobility challenges and depend on elevators, and many existing customers will be in this boat someday, since the reality is that 80% of people with disabilities were not born with them.
The potential need to use two elevators to get to the adult areas on the Disney Treasure is a pretty big deal in our situation and a consideration that makes us hesitant to book a cruise on this new ship (as well as the diminished adult experience). Forcing passengers to take two elevators to reach certain decks is a poorly thought-out design flaw when you can't at least call those specific elevators. Disney's failure to address this by installing smart elevators, which could group passengers traveling to the same destination, is inexcusable.