Accessibility for All at Seas

  ACCESSIBILITY FOR ALL

DID YOU KNOW… That 12% of Americans with disabilities have taken a cruise in the last 5 years, while 10% of the general U.S. population has taken a cruise in the last 3 years. That means travelers with disabilities enjoy cruising at an even greater rate than those without! 

Sources: Study by the Open Doors Organization and U.S. Travel Association 

               Cruise Lines International Association

Royal Caribbean International® believes the best vacations come without limitations. They are committed to providing the most accessible cruise vacation experience to guests with disabilities and special needs. That’s why they strive to meet the needs of every guest, by outfitting their ships with a wide variety of features designed to give access to all*, including guests who have:      

• Mobility disabilities 
• Hearing disabilities 
• Visual disabilities 
• Other disabilities including children with disabilities
• People of short stature 
• Individuals with cognitive, intellectual and development disabilities

Every year, thousands of guests with disabilities and special needs sail on Royal Caribbean International. Wherever our ships can go, you can, too – on a cruise designed to wow and accommodate you.

*Activities and amenities vary by ship

PLANNING AHEAD 

While we don’t require information about the type or extent of your disability, the more information you can share with us about your specific needs, the better we are able to assist you. We encourage you to notify us of your needs at the time of booking, however to guarantee availability of specific equipment or services, please provide at least: 

• 60 days notice if you need sign language interpreting services 
• 30 days notice if you need special equipment or services  to accommodate your disability 

If the cruise line does not receive enough advance notice, they will make reasonable efforts to provide requested equipment or services, but they do not guarantee they will be provided.

AUTISM FRIENDLY CERTIFICATION

Autism on the Seas certifies Royal Caribbean with an Autism Friendly Certification for their efforts to ensure their products and services are accessible for inclusion and participation by the autism and developmental disability community. 

Autism Friendly Certification includes achievement in up to seven areas, such as cruise line staff training, youth program services, pre-vacation planning and services, dining and dietary needs, disability accommodations, guest satisfaction and feedback, and support for “Cruises with Autism on the Seas Staff.” There are four levels of certification, each progressing with increased levels of staff training. 

Families with autism sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Autism Friendly Certified ships can be confident that Royal Caribbean has autism friendly products and services that will help accommodate family members with autism. 

They offer Autism friendly films; toys; activities and a tv station that is geared to Autism. But this channel is only available on the following classes of ships – Quantum; Oasis; Freedom; Voyager and Radiance. 

Their staff are required to have a 4-year degree or equivalent education and have at least 3-5 years of experience working with Autism teens and children.

CONTACT US WITH YOUR SPECIAL NEEDS    

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Ship Size Does Matter - Now More Than Ever

	vs.
Length=1184 feet    Capacity=5518		Length=361 feet     Capacity=128

(Updated 10/19/2021)

What's Your Preference?

Do you prefer the large ocean-going ships, the more initiate river cruise ships, or something in between?  Now more than ever, factoring in the concerns around health safety as cruising resumes,  ship type and size is one of the key factors in vacation planning.

On the left is Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas and on the right is Avalon Waterways Artistry II. Just to give you an additional sense of scale, the first cruise ship we went on in the 80s was Carnival Celebration which weighed in around 37,500 GTs. At the time, that was one of the largest vessels in Carnival Cruise Line's fleet. The Symphony is over 6 times heavier (228,081 GT) than the Celebration and Artistry II weighing in at a fraction  of either vessel (2022 GT).

Ocean-going Ships Come In Many Sizes

In our post last year, Size Does Matter - They Come In Many Sizes, we showed a picture of Oasis of the Seas next to Grandeur of the Seas.  We also compared Oasis-class ships with the Eifel Tower, Statue of Liberty, and Boeing 747 airplanes to give you a sense of scale.

Ocean-going vessels have continued to get larger over time.  For passengers seeking new innovations at sea, this was good news, because the larger the canvas, the more diverse the onboard actives can be. Of course, the larger the ship, the higher the price tag, but with increased capacity, there are more passengers to share the weekly cost of operation.   Wait times for embarkation and other activities can fluctuate with ship size, but most lines have found measures to overcome the increased capacity.

River Cruise Ship Size

Traditional European size river cruise vessels are about the same size (excluding the double-wide AMA vessels).  Some might be slightly longer (like the Viking River longboats) but they are built to sail under centuries’ old bridges and squeeze between 12-meter-wide locks. The Avalon Waterways Artistry II shown here has a capacity of 128 passengers and 37 crew.  

Ship Size and COVID-19

As we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 cruise suspensions, passengers will need to consider several factors when planning their next travel adventure.   Are they comfortable on a ship that holds 5000 passengers or would one that holds 150 passengers be more appealing to them?   Of course, capacities will be reduced, per the guidelines that CLIA is recommending to member cruise lines, but the proportional differences remain the same.

Another consideration will be the size of the ship and available space for social distancing.   On one of the large cruise ships, there's a lot more public areas that can be utilized, allowing for greater social distancing.   With smaller capacity, even things like the theater can have protocols implemented to accommodate the new guidelines.

The larger the ship, the more area that needs to be kept sanitary by the crew.  Conversely, with smaller footprint, the more likely that public areas will have been used and surfaces exposed to potential germs.

Of course, this is nothing new as cruise lines have always taken measures to keep their passengers and crew safe as possible by implementing vessel sanitation.   I'd be more comfortable on a ship than on a plane for example as ships are constantly cleaning, while a plane is only cleaned once they get to their destination.

Ocean-going vessels will have increased medical capacity onboard, based on the CLIA guidelines. River cruise ships may not have additional staff, but they can pull into the next town should additional care be needed, while the cruise ship might need to wait for a helicopter or Coast Guard vessel to provide additional aide.   Size of vessels constrict the amount of space utilized for any purpose.

Summary

One important take away is that size is just one factor when planning your cruise vacation, but it is an important one. Take advantage of the expertise among cruise specialists in deciding the right ship for you and your traveling partners. The last thing you'd want would be to be expecting a ship the size of Grandeur of the Seas and step out of your cab to find Oasis of the Seas in front of you at the pier. 

No matter what size you are looking for, you'll find a ship in one of the cruise line's fleets that meets your needs. They come in many sizes, shapes, and with many different attractions. Personally, the fun is in selecting the ship you want to try next and enjoying everything it has to offer once you start your cruise vacation.

 

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Coming Out of Hibernation

Bear Emerging from Hibernation With Cubs                                 Reuters/Denis Balibouse

(Updated 10/6/2021)

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a bear?

Why am I asking that question in a cruise blog?  It struck me, when I started writing this post, that our lives are about to parallel that of a bear coming out of hibernation from a long winter's nap.  We've been cut off from others, we are cautiously coming out from our safe hiding place, and are longing for a new beginning as we emerge.

What have you missed the most during your COVID-19 hibernation?  For many, it's been the lack of interaction with others, or visiting your usual hangouts (churches, schools, restaurants, bars, stores, etc.).  For the avid cruiser, they missed the sea, and everything associated with cruising.

As the bear emerges, they are cautious, not knowing what dangers may be lurking outside safe haven.  Slowly, they adventure further and eventually return to some normal activities.

There are differences of course between bears hibernating and our forced isolation.  Bears do this every year, they expect it, and build up supplies to last them thru the winter.   We on the other hand, did not expect it, were caught short of essential supplies, and hopefully, this isn't a repeatable situation.

What are cruisers expecting as they emerge from hibernation?   Here's what a recent CLIA survey discovered:

What is Your Desired Cruise Experience 

• Cruisers want to experience the full cruise experience but are willing to compromise once they are ready to cruise 
• Most likely cruises to be selected is the “traditional” 7 to 10-day cruise with multiple destinations 
• Second most popular is a short cruise with limited destinations, a perfect cruise type to resume operations 
• As of June 2020, one out of 3 cruisers likely to cruise again, was willing to cruise within six months, thus the end of year, another 46% within a year

What is the Cruiser's Mindset 

• Cruisers are not waiting for a vaccine before committing to cruising 
• It will be safe to cruise once a vaccine becomes available scores at the lowest level of all protocols expected 
• Cruisers are disciplined and are willing to follow the protocols to ensure a safe cruising experience for them, other passengers and crew members 
• 93% are willing to wear a mask 
• 92% will follow a social distancing 
• 88% will take a COVID-19 test prior to embarking 
• 87% support daily temperature checks

Anticipate Change

If you've never cruised before, you have no basis for comparison, so everything will seem just right.  However, for those that have cruised before, we anticipate things will be different when you come out of hibernation.  Here are a few changes we anticipate:

• Sanitation has always been important, so you won't see much change there, except perhaps in frequency of cleaning.
• Closer monitoring of hand-washing stations at restaurant entrances.
• Screening for illness at embarkation and throughout the cruise
• It won't be as crowded, which most people will like.
• Dining will be spread out - table size or capacity will be reduced.
• Buffets won't be self-serve (if they aren't eliminated completely, at least initially).
• Some services, such as pools and spas may be closed or have limited capacity.
• Entertainment will be impacted by social distancing - reservations will probably be needed.
• You won't have to shave - since everyone will have a mask on - who's going to know.
• Shore excursions will have limited capacity and probably won't have food included.

This isn't an exhaustive list, but we think it's representative of the kinds of changes that will be noticeable.    There will be behind the scenes changes, such as improved filtering, which you won't notice but will be happy it's been implemented.

The cruise industry is best equipped to deal with these safety implementations, since they've historically had similar measures in place.   

Update - The Current Experience

Since cruising has resumed this past summer, cruisers are experiencing ships at 50% or lower capacity, crew very eager to serve,  and all that they loved cruising for to still be possible.  Masks are in use when safe distancing isn't possible, but other than that, things appear to be better than normal.  Cruise lines have reported higher satisfaction rates than pre-Covid.

"I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by"                              ~Sea Fever, John Masefield

 

Click the banner above for the latest cruise promotions

 

Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.

Choose Cruise Month (click for mini-series)

Connect With Us On

    
    

Sign-up for Exclusive Email Offers

I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us every Wednesday afternoon at 4 PM Eastern for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat