Before I went on my first cruise in October of 2018 for my grandpa’s birthday, I had always wanted to go on a cruise to the Bahamas (which I visit multiple times a year now), but never knew if cruise ships were truly accessible. Now, they’re one of my favorite travel methods!
If you have a disability and have been wondering, “what are some pre-cruise must dos for those with disabilities?” please keep reading because I am going to share some tips that I’ve learned, that have helped me make cruises far less stressful and more enjoyable!
Needing an accessible stateroom? Book ASAP
This is probably my most important tip. If you know you’re going to need an accessible stateroom, I recommend booking ASAP because cruise ships have a very limited inventory of these types of rooms onboard.
Some ships have less inventory than others. For example, the Carnival Liberty has fewer accessible staterooms than one of their newest ships, the Carnival Mardi Gras. Depending on one’s sail date, these rooms may sell out within the first few months of the itinerary becoming available. So if you can, book your sailing as soon as you know where you want to go and when in order to ensure an accessible cabin is available!
3 Different Types of Accessible Cabins
There are 3 different categories of accessible cabins available:
Fully accessible — This is the stateroom I always try to book as a wheelchair user because it has no lisps or curbs that I have to maneuver and although I am able to walk some while holding onto something, I cannot do it safely. With this room, I can go everywhere in my wheelchair! I can even make a full turn and I don’t have to take my wheels off to get in and out of the door.
Ambulatory accessible — This cabin is not wheelchair friendly. By this I mean that it has lisps and curbs one must maneuver and if they have a balcony, in order to get out on said balcony, those booking this particular cabin must step up a small lisp to go out into the space and step down the small lisp when they wish to reenter their room. In order to get into the bathroom and the shower, there are small lisps as well.
This cabin has grab bars in the bathroom and a shower chair that can be requested. It also has a pull cord for emergencies. I would not recommend this stateroom category if someone is not ambulatory due to the room not being 100% accessible.
Fully accessible single sided — I don’t have personal experience with this particular cabin type so I am not going to go into much detail. However, upon further research, this cabin has more floor space on one side of the room near the bed. Again, I’m only going by research that I’ve found. Maybe one day I will have the opportunity to stay in this cabin category so I can write about it!
Contact the Access Department
This is one “must do” that I find really important, especially if you have any special dietary needs or if you need to have anything specific in your stateroom that relates to your disability / condition such as a sharpe container or distilled water for feeding tube feedings. I recommend doing this beforehand so the cruise line you’re sailing with can note it in your file for the crew members onboard. That way, the things you need will already be in your stateroom before you board.
Contacting the access department also applies to any dietary needs you have such as allergies. By telling the cruise line about this ahead of time, they will again, put the request in your file for the crew onboard to be aware of. You don’t have to do this beforehand but for me personally, it takes some of the stress away that comes along with embarkation day.
If you don’t want to contact the access department beforehand in regard to dietary needs, you can also go to the main dining room once onboard and ask to speak with the Maître D’, who oversees the waitstaff. The Maître D’ will notate what you tell them so that on the first night of dinner, your waiter or waitress will be aware of your needs. They are usually very accommodating and you shouldn’t have any issues if you decide to let them know onboard instead of calling ahead of time.
Check Excursion Accessibility
If you’re interested in doing any cruise sponsored shore excursions when you go to the different stops on your itinerary, I strongly recommend researching whether or not the excursions you’re interested in are wheelchair friendly before boarding. The activities that are accessible will say so in the description, as well as have an icon that displays wheelchair accessibility.
Cruise sponsored shore excursions are activities that you book through the cruise line. You take their transportation and if you’re delayed getting back to the ship before departure, the ship will wait. If you use a mobility aid and wait until you’re in port to find shore excursions (there are plenty!) then you take a chance of the activities being advertised as accessible when they really aren’t.
Due to the possibility of being misinformed about accessible excursions, it would definitely be a good idea to research beforehand before boarding or you could even go to the ‘shore excursion’ desk once onboard and inquire about activities that are available if you are a wheelchair user!
Conclusion
If you have a disability and use an aid such as a wheelchair or walker, it is 100% possible for you to go on a cruise and have a great time! These tips are some that I’ve learned along the way that have helped make my experience less stressful and I hope you find them helpful!