It would be so helpful if cruiselines were to have wider doorways into cabins on newbuilds and retrofitted ships. Many people with mobility devices could then use a regular cabin without having to reserve a handicapped cabin. It also would be much safer for all passengers if safety grab bars were to be put in every bathroom onboard a passenger ship.
Public bathrooms on ships need to have power doors or no doors to the outside passageways. A no doors approach is very well implemented in hotels, casinos, and public buildings in Las Vegas, NV. If one is in a chair or on a scooter, one cannot open a door which opens outward, and if the door opens inward, one cannot get out of the bathroom. A handicapped person is at the mercy of fellow passengers for access and egress.
The combings on passenger ships need to be flatter, smoother, or more gradual, as it is extremely difficult to negotiate these in a chair, while trying to hold a heavy door open.
Dining rooms need to have an area to park wheelchairs/scooters so they are not left "outside" in an unsecure manner, or there needs to be some tables where passengers in chairs/scooters can stay in them while dining.
It would be helpful to have one larger handicapped only elevator in each elevator bank, as it is most difficult to get on an elevator while traveling with a mobility device due to able bodied passengers jamming them and pushing around handicapped passengers.
Thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns on this matter.
Elaine Wightman