There is an informative ongoing discussion on cabin access on cruise ships at Cruise Critic. You can find it here.
The first entry begins with a case that we see all too often -- the very case that Universal Design would solve -- a shortage of approriate-sized rooms (and the "Black Market" demand for "the Big Rooms".)
It has been a matter of great frustration to those of us who are disabled or who have disabled persons sailing with us to be told when we attempt to book a sailing that no accessible staterooms are available because all the accessible cabins are already booked.Yet on the cruise line, roll call, and other board forums, we read posts by able bodied passengers who indicate they have booked an accessible stateroom. Some aren't aware that it is a handicapped accessible stateroom until after it is booked or assigned while others brag at being able to snag the "big" cabin. Most of those posters say that they know they would have to move if the stateroom is needed by a disabled passenger and/or that they would willingly move in such an instance.
We all know that the cruise lines claim that they hold these cabins for disabled passengers and don't release them until close to sailing, but we know that some cruise lines don't do that or are inconsistent in how they handle this. All cruise lines also claim they will move an able bodied person from the stateroom if a disabled person needs it, but we also know that this rarely happens.
The problem is that once the stateroom is booked, the cruise line shows that it is sold and removes it from their inventory. So if a disabled person calls to book that stateroom, the response is usually that it is not available. It is usually not noted anywhere that the stateroom is occupied by able bodied passengers. It is also difficult to persuade the cruise line to check with the passengers who have booked to determine if the passengers are able bodied or need the accessible stateroom.
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Posted by rollingrains at June 28, 2006 07:30 PM