Int. Cruise Clients
Like Us on Facebook
Follow Us on Twitter
Instagram
Follow Us on Pinterest
Watch Us on YouTubeAccessible Cruises on Cunard Line
Cunard Line Cruises for Guests with Special Needs
Cunard cruises offers accommodations for guests with disabilities. It is important to advise of the disability when making the booking so that the ship is aware of the situation and will be able to help in the event of an emergency.
Please note that in the event of an emergency, passengers with restricted mobility will not be able to use the elevators (as with standard worldwide emergency procedures, elevators are not to be used in emergency situations). Please also note that in the event of an emergency, those passengers using motorized wheelchairs or scooters will need to be transferred to either a regular wheelchair or evacuation chair. It is not possible for the Cunard staff to transport passengers in motorized wheelchairs or scooters down the stairs, due to the additional weight and the subsequent risk of injury to the passenger and staff attempting this.
Accessible Staterooms
Fully accessible cabins are available on board all Cunard ships and some suites are also suitable for wheelchair users as the cabin door is wider and the bathroom offers a larger floor space. Accessible cabins feature wide doorways into the cabin and bathroom, lower placed sinks and hand rails, as well as sufficient floor space for wheelchair maneuverability. All accessible balcony cabins feature ramped access to the balcony. The bathrooms in all accessible cabins are wet room style shower rooms with a flush threshold into the cabin and grab rails for shower and toilet as well as a pull down shower chair.
Guests with electric wheelchairs or mobility scooters must occupy a fully accessible cabin. Should you wish to travel in a non-adapted cabin or if no accessible cabins are available at the time of booking, you are welcome instead to bring a collapsible wheelchair which will store safely in any cabin on board our ships. Please note that a standard cabin doorway will be too narrow to pass through in a mobility scooter or wheelchair and access to the en-suite is via a raised threshold. If your cabin has a bath with shower, you will need to step into the bath to use the shower.
If you will be bringing a wheelchair with you it is essential that you provide Cunard with the accurate dimensions of your wheelchair or mobility scooter in advance.
For additional details on prearranged mobility equipment rentals, please contact:
- Phone: 888-494-7303
Excursions
Accommodations are available on select shore excursions. However, ports that are only available by tender would not be suitable for those confined to a wheelchair or similar equipment. Tours labelled as 'limited activity' are suitable for guests with reduced mobility provided that your wheelchair or scooter can be collapsed and can be stored in the coach's hold. Please note, you or your companion, are responsible for collapsing the wheelchair or scooter and placing it on to the coach. You must also be able to climb the steps onto the coach.
Generally minibuses are used on Caribbean excursions. The size will range from port to port and some may have high steps to negotiate. Please be aware that scooters/ wheelchairs or cannot be stored if minibuses as they offer no storage facilities. In US mainland ports of call, the tours are likely to use coaches and your wheelchair or scooter can be stored within the hold providing it is collapsible. Each excursion will be described in the Tour Description.
Oxygen Usage
Liquid oxygen can be carried on board Cunard ships, as long as it is provided in a cryogenic flask or pressurized cylinder and if it is arranged through Cunard’s approved vendor Omega Oxygen. They can be contacted at info@omegaoxygen.com to arrange this.
Please note that the ship's Medical Center cannot refill oxygen or supply cylinders. The only oxygen cylinders available on board are for emergency use only. Guests are responsible for renting / supplying enough equipment and supplies to last the entire cruise. It is likely only one cylinder can be stored in your cabin and the remainder elsewhere.
Due to changes to the supply of NHS oxygen cylinders and concentrators, it is our understanding that oxygen cylinders may no longer be provided under an NHS prescription for your cruise. These supply changes may affect your ability to take your concentrator abroad.
Visual Impairments
On all Cunard ships, cabin guides and safety information can be available in large print and braille on board. If a braille menu is required please contact Cunard at least 4 weeks in advance of your cruise. For large print large print menus please speak to your restaurant manager who can arrange this for you.
Service Animals
Cunard Line welcome assistance dogs on all their vessels, however due to current DEFRA requirements dogs are unable to disembark at any port of call. Cunard Line has a DEFRA license on Southampton to Southampton cruises and transatlantic crossings on Queen Mary 2 and so are unable to accept an assistance dog on a fly cruise. Guests travelling with an assistance dog must notify Cunard advance by completing a medical and mobility questionnaire. Cunard holds a license for all Southampton to Southampton voyages and transatlantic crossings on Queen Mary 2.
As the DEFRA requirements are different from other forms of travel it is essential owners understand the conditions that the dog must travel under. Only assistance dogs that are fully trained for this purpose are accepted. All assistance Dogs are carried free of charge. An assistance dog will have been specifically trained to complete the task required typically by one of the following organizations:
- Guide dogs for the Blind Association
- Dogs for the Disabled
- Support dogs
- Canine Partners for Independence
- Hearing Dogs Association
All owners must carry their dog's identification card, or similar, with them at all times in case local authorities require proof. Emotional support dogs or any other animal are not permitted to travel.
Guests with an assistance dog are not required to travel with a companion provided that they are able to travel without assistance. Crew members are not able to assist guests with personal needs. Guests sailing who are not able to travel independently may be refused unaccompanied travel on future sailings. All service dogs must wear a harness, or vest at all times when not in the stateroom. Small and large canine life jackets are available on each Cunard vessel. The relevant life jacket will be placed in your stateroom alongside your own.
It is the responsibility of all guests traveling with a service dog to obtain the necessary certifications, inoculations and immigration authorizations including but not limited to pet passports and obtaining tapeworm treatment 24 — 120 hours prior to arrival into Southampton. Should the tapeworm treatment not be carried out or the documentation is incorrect your dog may be placed into quarantine on your return to Southampton. Should your chosen itinerary be of 2/3 or 4 nights in duration, the tapeworm treatment can be carried out on the morning of embarkation by an authorized veterinarian and your dog is able to disembark at EU ports of call.
Cunard does not offer the services of an onboard veterinarian.
Service dogs are welcome on full world cruises, if you are embarking and disembarking in Southampton and providing your embarkation and disembarkation point is in Southampton, you have researched which countries fall within the DEFRA guidelines and checked the various countries' individual regulations. However service dogs are not permitted on partial world cruise segments. if you are only doing a sector of a world cruise, we would be unable to allow your dog on board.
Accommodations for guests with special needs can vary by cruise line and by ship and changes can be made at any time without notice. It is important that you advise your agent at the time of booking about any disabilities or special requirements that you may have so that your needs can be assessed accordingly.
