It is a pleasure to see USA Today giving prominence to questions about Inclusive Tourism. Once again Linda Burbank tackles a timely question with a well-researched answer. The problem remains the failure of the industry to adopt Universal Design. On cruise ships the limits of space mean that we will need to think very creatively and not just "throw square footage" at the problem.
After some conversations at this year's SATH Congress, where I am at the moment, I am intrigued by hints of upcoming improvements in ship design for our market. Meanwhile, here is the question Linda addressed:
Question: My family is taking a cruise on the Disney Wonder. My sister is disabled, and when I booked the cruise last spring, I requested an accessible room. I was assured this would not be a problem. We booked three staterooms, one of which is accessible.Last week, I received a call from Disney stating it overbooked our cruise level, and it offered us $1,000 to move to a worse level. Yesterday, Disney informed me it was unlikely my sister would receive an accessible room unless we switched to the lower level. Is there any way to ensure my sister receives an accessible stateroom at the level of service we purchased?
See the answer at When reserving a disabled-accessible room, clarity is key