Norwegian Epic Review

A good experience (handicapped accessible)

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Epic
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lunarj
2-5 Cruises • Age 30s

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Sail Date: Dec 2014
Cabin: Mid-Ship Inside

My mom has reduced mobility. She uses a walker most places and needs an accessible restroom. This was really her vacation, I was mostly along to take care of her, although I had a good time. It was a good experience for the most part, NCL has clearly put some thought into accessibility (although there's always room for improvement). I'm writing this review (mostly) from the perspective of someone traveling with someone with limited mobility and I hope it's helpful to other in my situation.

Getting on and off the ship in Miami was a reasonable experience. They had lines cleared for people with mobility issues and elevators in the terminal. Getting off on the way back we used the chair service they offered, it was great, we just had to wait for it. Our luggage was delivered to our room and back to the terminal. We had trouble at Miami International Airport, but that's another company and another review.

The ship was built to be accessible. There was almost nowhere on the ship mom couldn't go. The restaurants and theaters are either all on one level or have entry level seating. There aren't enough handicapped bathrooms (when are there?) and too many people use them for young children who could use the adult restrooms. The Spa is accessible, and the staff there were very helpful to mom. The biggest single problem is that, while the corridors on the "hotel" decks are nice and wide, house keeping parks the laundry/cleaning carts outside the rooms much of the day. This leaves the corridors impassible for a walker or chair. I got quite practiced at moving the carts out of mom's way, although if one of the housekeeping staff saw us they would immediately move to help.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Inside

Cabin IA

12183 is a Handicapped Accessible room. It's extra wide so you can get a walker or wheel chair in. Some people had powered scooters provided by the line, but they did not fit in the rooms and had to be taken to a central area to charge over night. The room could be converted between one full or two single beds and had all the standard amenities. There was no balcony, but I'm sure there are other accessible rooms which do for those who can afford them. The bathroom was fully accessible with bars, a shower seat, and a panic cord. It was perfectly nice for a windowless room that wouldn't hold still. The only bad part was that they had gotten the extra space from a feature of the layout midship and that put us about equidistant, and therefore as far as possible from both the fore and aft elevators. We managed, but it was trying at times, especially coming back when mom needed to lie down.

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