- Background Information
We were a group of 4 adults, 3 had cruised before, one was a new cruiser. The cruise was booked partly as a celebration -- my niece graduated from university with a Masters in Geology, and my brother and his wife are both retiring next year. I just went along for the ride, having wanted to visit Hawaii for the past 40 years!
As a disabled traveller, I'd had considerable contact with both the Shore Excursions department and the Special Needs department, and both seemed efficient and reassuring -- I felt I'd covered all possible issues, and made sure that the holiday would go smoothly.
Cabin 7141 was advertised and sold as an accessible cabin - but it is too small to be accessible to wheelchair or scooter users. There is no space to get the wheelchair next to the bed for transfers, and barely enough space for turning. There is no seating for the other passenger in the cabin, other than the desk chair, and while that is being used, the wheelchair user can't move anywhere. The main door is heavy and difficult to open, and the catch was very stiff - we had to be careful to make sure the door was shut, because most times it didn't lock properly. The balcony seems quite small, and has no privacy because it is exposed to lift users through a transparent panel at the end, where cabins on other decks have solid panels and so more privacy. The bathroom is huge, though because there is no 'lip' to the shower it floods every time someone takes a shower. We requested a rubber mat for safety, but were refused 'on health and safety grounds'! There was a shower stool, but because it wasn't fixed, it was difficult to use when the ship was moving a lot.