Sailing With Disabilities on the Disney
Cruise Line – Shipboard Fun
All areas of the Disney cruise line
our handicap accessible and meet ADA standards. With few exceptions disabled
guests have full access to all areas of the ship. Disney does its best to make
as much as possible available to everyone. But at times that is just not
possible.
Restaurants, shops, lounges,
theaters and other areas either our handicap accessible from the main entrance
or have an alternative entrance. Theaters have assigned locations for
wheelchairs with seating for guests accompanying those in wheelchairs in great
locations throughout the theater. In the restaurants they assign you a table
with easy access for your wheelchair or ECV and make sure to remove the
appropriate chairs to accommodate you. Lounges/bars also have alternative access
the main entrance will not accommodate a wheelchair and accommodations will be
made to serve it. The pools have accessibility lifts to assist those in
wheelchairs getting out of the pools.
All of the hallways/walkways can
accommodate a wheelchair or ECV. There are specially designed handicap accessible
cabins in all categories on the ship. These cabins have wider doors with no
thresholds to make it easier for a wheelchair or ECV to enter. The cabins are
slightly larger with the furniture spaced walkways for easier movement. The bathrooms
have “walk-in” showers and handicap adapted toilets. This sink and towel
holders are also at a lower level making it easier for a wheelchair-bound
person to reach items they need. There are also extra electrical outlets in
these rooms for charging things such as ECVs. If you need to bring medical
equipment let Disney know ahead of time. Ask about extension cords for your use
and ask them to hold number of cords you require. (There is a refundable
deposit required for each cord.) They only have a limited number of power cords
available to “borrow”. Call and check the policy about bringing your own power
cord(s) as that has changed several times in the last couple of years. At this
time a standard power cord is acceptable but a power strip/bar is not.
Even the tours of the ship can be
adapted to accommodate those with mobility issues. For example the “Art of the
Theme Ship Tour” (this tour is a walking tour of the entire ship) was adapted
for us because walking stairs was hard for us. The tour guide would lead the
group down the stairs while we took the lift (elevator) to the next deck where
we would meet up with them. The same would be done for somebody in a wheelchair
or ECV.
If you have an allergy to a food
item tell the Disney Cruise Line before you sail and then remind them again
your first night. Tell your server what items you are allergic to and your
server will check your order for those items. They will go above and beyond to
make sure that you are not exposed to the item you are allergic to. For severe
allergies they will even have you look at the menu the day before an order your
meal ahead of time so that they can double check with the chef to make sure it’s
safe. We even had them tracking us down at night if they found out an item we
ordered for the next night had something we were allergic to.
Disney Cruise Line Kids Club is open
for all with some limitations. If you’re special needs child requires one on
one supervision DCL cannot accommodate. If your special needs child is in
diapers DCL cannot accommodate. If you have a special needs teenager that
functions at a lower level they cannot go in with the younger kids. If you have
a younger child that functions at a higher level they cannot go in with the
older kids. There are some minor exceptions to this rule but in general this
rule is held firm.
Before you get angry at this and say
but my ”child” is 20 but functions as a 10-year-old why can’t they go into the Kids
Club consider this. A disabled person may function at a 10-year-old level but
their body is 20 years old and their body responds as a 20-year-old. Add to
this they may not understand what they are feeling at times and how to moderate
their behavior. This can inadvertently put a young vulnerable child at risk. Even
though you know your child is not a risk Disney has to err on the side of
caution and protect ALL the children in their care. On the other side of the
coin the “normal” children may taunt or tease your special needs child causing
them great stress. Neither option is acceptable.
Disney’s Castaway Cay is as handicap
accessible as the ship. Starting off with the fact the ship pulls up directly
to the dock and you walk right off the ship onto shore. No tendering (riding in
a small from the big ship to shore) means that people in wheelchairs and ECV’s
can roll right onto shore enjoy the fun. There are paved walkways that make
moving from area to area easy for wheelchairs and ECV’s. There are also a
limited number of speech/sand wheelchairs available free to use on Castaway
Cay.
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