width of cabin doors on RCCL's Monarch of the Sea

[Laurie M]

Does anyone know what the width of a typical cabin door is on RCCL's Monarch of the Seas?
I have a group of 50 friends and family members going on cruise in Feb and my brother, a leg amputee, wants to join us, but there are no handicap rooms available.

He says his motorized wheel chair has a wheel span of 24 inches.

Does anyone know if that will fit thru a regular cabin door? Also, if the chair doesn't fit thru the door, once he's inside he could use crutches, but could he leave the chair outside the door in the hallway?

On another note....Something that bothers me: I was told there are only THREE handicap cabins on the Monarch. Shouldn't there be more than that?

[KLD]

The Monarch is an older ship which usually means fewer accessible cabins. These cabins do tend to book up very far in advance. According to my resource the Monarch of the Seas has four accessible cabins: two outside numbers 9034, 9534 and two inside numbers2007, 2057. Also all areas are accessible but the swimming pool, upper level of the Wind Jammer café and the Champagne bar. There is an accessible public restroom near the Purser's office with a 36" door and emergency call button.

You cannot leave your wheelchair or scooter out in the hallway. It is a fire hazard, and also blocks the hall for other passengers, esp. other wheelchair users. Keep in mind that there will be a narrow bathroom door also, and usually a 4-6 inch step into the bathroom.

Not sure of the door width, but many are less than 24 inches. The best way to find out is to contact the RCCL Special Needs Department. You can reach them at this number:

RCCL Special Services, Alex or Charles
800 722-5472, X34492

Post Edited (10-25-04 20:41)

[Laurie M]

Once inside the cabin, my brother can use his crutches so there's no problem with the step up to the bathroom. His biggest concern is, if he can't get his wheelchair IN the cabin, what can he do with it? I understand about not leaving it in the hallway as it could pose a safety hazard.

I will be calling RCCL tomorrow. Thank you for your input.

[Laurie M]

KLD....

Thanks for the info on the handicap cabin for my brother. I called RCCL today and, lo & behold, there was ONE handicap cabin available (#2007). So, they allocated that cabin to my group booking so my brother can have it. Now the problem is that cabin is going for $170 more than the price of the other inside cabins. (Not because its a handicap cabin, but that it wasn't allocated to my group back when I made the original booking, so its being sold at the currant rate.)

And...btw...I found out that the width of the cabin doors are 23 inches. (my brothers wheelchair is 24 inches!)

[KLD]

Sounds like you lucked out. The additional cost will be well worth it for your brother.

[Harry Martin]

I sent a note directly to Laurie, but for future reference, here are links to photo galleries of Cabin 2007 on the Monarch:



Cabin 2007 photos:

http://www.cruise-forums.com/gallery/view.php?id=1645


Monarch of the Sea photos:

http://www.cruise-forums.com/gallery/view.php?id=1647

Harry

[Laurie M]

Thanks Harry...I got your email.

Looking back at my posts, I noticed that I didn't post an update to the handicap cabin for my brother:


As it turned out, my brother was able to get a handicap cabin for our cruise on the Monarch on 2/18/05....cabin #9034, (which I'm sure must be very similar to #2007). And to make a long story short, I was able to get it for him at a much better rate than we were originally quoted. Its only costing him $40 more for the handicap cabin instead of $170 more.

He's happy! ... I'm happy for him!....Everyone is happy! .... And looking forward to our family & friends cruise!