Accessibility For Passengers With Disabilities
Princess has placed a high priority on making their ships as accessible as possible for travelers with disabilities. Recognizing the unique aspects of a shipboard environment, Princess is committed to ensuring that a cruise vacation is an enjoyable and comfortable experience for all passengers. Inherently, a cruise is a wonderful vacation choice for travelers with disabilities because it's easier to travel to destinations around the world and visit many different ports without experiencing typical shoreside inconveniences.
Princess has long had a commitment to accessibility and service. In 1992 they formally established Love Boat Access, a program designed to upgrade the standards and practices regarding access to many elements of the cruise experience. Starting with the introduction of Royal Princess in 1984, Princess vessels have all been designed to include staterooms for their passengers with disabilities. Love Boat Access has continued to raise the standards of cruise ship accessibility while keeping in mind the inherent constraints and special considerations of a ship at sea.
Princess was the first cruise line to employ a full-time Access Compliance Manager dedicated to monitoring and expanding on board accessibility. Princess is also taking an active role with a representative appointed to the U.S. Access Board, Passenger Vessel Access Advisory Committee, which is responsible for drafting accessibility guidelines for passenger vessels.
In 1999 Princess was honored by the National Business & Disability Council with their prestigious Valued Customer Silver Award of Honor in recognition of our program to improve shipboard access and accommodations for all passengers. Princess is the only cruise line ever to be honored by this organization, which is the leading national resource for the successful integration of persons with disabilities into the workplace and consumer marketplace.
Getting Around the Ship
Princess has designed its ships with accessibility in mind. Ramps are located around the ship, which allow wheelchairs or scooters to easily maneuver within the vessel and to cross thresholds between the inside and outside of the ship. Additionally, areas in the major public rooms of the ship have been made accessible including the beauty salon, boutiques, casino, dining rooms and restaurants, self-serve laundromats, public restrooms, lounges, and health spa and gymnasium.
The elevators are accessible with door widths of 36" to 42", Braille call buttons and audible arrival announcements.
Accessible Accommodations
Princess is proud to have led the way in wheelchair accessible cruise accommodations. The company's Grand Class ships feature a high number of wheelchair accessible staterooms. By the end of 2004, Princess will add more accessible cabins to the fleet with the delivery of new ships that are currently being designed or are under construction.
Accessible cabins are designed for wheelchair maneuverability, and include:
- Wider doorways into both the cabin and the bathroom
- Wheel-in showers
- Handheld showerheads
- Bath distress alarm
- Lowered closet railings
- Sinks and handrails within reach
- All thresholds have been removed or ramped so that wheelchairs can easily move about.Additional equipment is also available upon request such as toilet seat raisers, shower stools, bed boards and all in one kits which include TDD text telephone, visual safety/smoke alarm, door knock sensor, pillow sensor and other aids for guests with hearing loss.
On Princess' Grand Class ships, the accessible cabins are available in a variety of categories including inside, outside, balcony and mini-suites.
Going Ashore
Princess has equipped all its ships with stair climbers, and crew is always available to assist passengers using wheelchairs to embark and disembark the ship when it is berthed alongside a dock. Passengers should, however, be aware that due to tidal conditions and port facilities the ease of embarking and disembarking varies greatly.
In certain ports ships lay offshore at anchor some distance from the port. Small boats are used to transport passengers between the ship and shore.
Boating between ships and shore can be a difficult process for a passenger using a wheelchair or with limited mobility. Normally, the wheelchair must be lifted down a gangway to a platform and then transferred into the boat. The boats ferry the passengers to shore and the chair is then lifted onto the dock. The decision to ferry a guest in a wheelchair is at the sole discretion of the Captain, and the decision is made with passenger and crew safety foremost in mind.
Shore Excursions
One of the highlights of a Princess cruise is exploring the ports of call, but many countries have not made the sort of accommodations for passengers with disabilities which have become commonplace in North America. Therefore, access in many ports around the world may be limited.
Local independent companies generally operate Land tours. Princess and its tour operators make every effort to accommodate the needs of passengers with disabilities, however, there may be times when no accessible transportation exists in a port, or when a tourist site is inaccessible to passengers with limited mobility.
Princess publishes an Adventures Ashore booklet for each cruise, which includes descriptions of the shore excursions available, and the level of physical activity for each tour. If passengers are non-ambulatory, we generally recommend, for their comfort and convenience, independent transportation, which can accommodate wheelchairs and scooters. Princess' on board shore excursion staff will be glad to assist in making these arrangements.
Airline Service and Transfers
Special arrangements such as bulkhead seating, on board aircraft wheelchair storage and early boarding must be made directly with the individual air carrier. Therefore, it may be more advantageous for passengers with disabilities to book their air independently. Princess requests that passengers using wheelchairs notify their CruiseCheap.com Cruise Specialists at the time of booking, and they will do everything possible to provide wheelchair accessible transfer service. This information is especially vital in order that Princess is prepared to assist in case of an emergency.
Safety at Sea
Safety is always Princess' highest priority and it is their goal to ensure that, in the event of an emergency, all passengers are looked after. For this reason, Princess maintains a list on the bridge of those passengers who would require assistance in the event of an emergency. Each ship has a medical assistance party whose job it is in an emergency to go to the requisite cabins and assist the passengers to their muster stations.
Service Animals
Passengers traveling with service animals should be aware that the various ports of call have different regulations with particular reference to animals being taken ashore, so it is important that passengers check with their CruiseCheap.com Cruise Specialists. Passengers are also responsible for providing current health and travel documents for their service animals, as well as for feeding and hygienic needs.
Special Diets
For those passengers with particular dietary needs, Princess is pleased to offer a variety of special menus including low sodium, vegetarian, low fat, and low cholesterol. Princess requests that passengers notify their CruiseCheap.com Cruise Specialists of their dietary needs at the time of booking their cruise. Once on board passengers should make their requests directly to the Head Waiter or Maitre d'Httel.
Medical Services
A medical program is in place aboard all Princess ships which includes a staff of qualified, dedicated professionals and facilities with equipment suited to the practice of medicine in the maritime environment (see separate statement on Shipboard Medical Program).
Alaska and Canada Cruisetours
Princess' commitment to providing an accessible vacation experience extends to their land tours in Alaska and Canada. They will arrange to accommodate passengers using wheelchairs whenever possible. They have lift-equipped motor coaches and vans, and the Midnight Sun Express rail cars have been specially designed to be wheelchair accessible to the lower level, including dining and restroom facilities and open-air viewing platforms.
Princess' wilderness lodges in Alaska have been built with ADA-approved rooms, which are equipped with TDD kits including text telephone, telephone amplifiers, visual smoke detectors and door knocker sensors. The request for a TDD kit must be made at the time of booking.
Some destinations, particularly those in the more remote areas of Alaska and the Yukon, do not have fully accessible passenger facilities or vehicles, and space may be limited. The Canadian Rockies and Victoria tour programs offer limited availability of lift-equipped motor coaches, depending on tour type and departure date.
Booking A Cruise
If you do indeed require special assistance on your cruise, please do not book your cruise online. Accessible cabins are not always shown online. Please call and speak to a CruiseCheap.com Cruise Expert and we will do our best to make sure your needs are taken care of before, during and after your cruise.
