Partially Adapted Cabins

I have CP with a left side hemiplegia and I am a partial wheelchair user. When I have stayed in hotels or when I did a cruise on Independence of the Seas I have had a fully accessible

Wet room on cruise ship

accommodation because I require the use of a wet room.  Because of the nature of my disability I cannot use a bath.  
I have often wondered why I have rarely found accommodation that is partially adapted for people like myself who do not require the extra room needed to manouvre a wheelchair but need the facilities of a wet room.  
I believe that if cruise lines put a few of these cabins on each of their ships it would be a welcomed addition.  It was by pure chance that I have discovered that P&O's Arcadia has 12 partially adapted cabins and they are:  

C1, C2, C194, C203, E95, E96, G11, G12, G74, G81, G82 & G100.  

Again I have to wonder why someone like P&O did not consider putting a few partially adapted cabins on Britannia.  I have to ask the question again who do companies like P&O consult when it come to deciding what is required when it comes to adaptions for passengers with disabilities.  I assume that they may ask OT's (Occupational Therapists).  
I have had dealings with OT's over many years and have found some to be excellent while others are complete rubbish.  I believe the best people that they could consult would be disabled people because we can often find something that an able bodied person may miss.  


 

Cremation Certificate!

Last Friday I received a letter from P&O saying that I could scatter Mum's ashes at sea and for a while I was overjoyed and then I read the letter again.  The letter said I needed the cremation certificate to be able to take the ashes.  Suddenly I felt that everything was going wrong; this couldn't be happening. I contacted the funeral director immediately to see if he had the certificate but unfortunately he told me that Mum's vicar had it.
My problems just got a whole lot worse.  My Mum's vicar believes that he buried all of Mum's ashes and not just some.  He refused to bury some as he said her spirit would not be whole.  What utter nonsense they are ashes and are symbolic.  So my brother and I decided to get them seperated with the help of the funeral director.  After speaking with Simon (funeral director) again he said there was a slim chance that the crematorium may give a duplicate certificate but we would have to give a bit of a sob story.  If that was our only way go for it.
All day I have been preparing myself that I may not be able to scatter her ashes at sea and was thinking about where I could scatter them here.  I checked my email inbox tonight and I had an email from Simon saying that he has got me a duplicate copy of the cremation certficate I am so happy I can now take her ashes with me.

Just 2% (37) of Cabins on Britannia are Accessible

In 2008 cruising became a lifeline for me to have a holiday in the sun when I could no longer fly and cruising has been my chosen holiday of choice since.  All my P&O cruises have been in standard cabins as I can manage with a shower and my wheelchair (folded) fits inside my cabin.
A couple of years ago for reasons of health and safety P&O changed their policy regarding which cabins could be booked if you are an electric wheelchair or mobility scooter user.  Cabins that can be booked are accessible cabins and selected mini suites and suites.

Disabled cabin on Britannia

On Britannia there are 1,837 cabins of which 37 are accessible cabins that is just 2%.  If someone uses a folding manual or electric wheelchair and it fits their weight and size restrictions then they can book a standard cabin.
I am not a fan of mobility scooters because of the beeping, honking and the swearing I have suffered while being followed along a pavement and witnessed at other times.  Some of these scooters can do up to 8mph.  I have witnessed a lady in 3 inch heels get off her scooter and dance the night away but used her mobility scooter when it suited her.  I do have friends who genuinely have a need to use one and that is fine with me but the misuse by people who are just too lazy to walk and see a scooter as an alternative form of transport need shooting. 

The policy that was introduced by P&O and I believe it is not a blanket policy that covers other cruise lines.  Last October I was on RCI's Independence of the Seas and it was obvious that there were scooter users booked into standard cabins.  At times it was very difficult to walk down a corridor with my walker because of scooters left outside cabins which meant it was difficult to pass without closing my walker.  I was also aware that house keeping also found it difficult to manoeuvre around the scooters.
I can understand why P&O do not want scooters parked in corridors because they are a hazard to other people.  However, my opinion is that if a scooter fits the height and weight restrictions that have been set my P&O for electric and manual folding wheelchairs then I can't see why they cannot be included enabling users to book a standard cabin.
The other solution is that P&O should have more accessible cabins on their ships.  I do not know the percentage of people with mobility problems or disabilities that cruise but I would imagine it is fairly high.  I would have hoped that P&O would have considered this when building Britannia.

Accessible cabins on Britannia:
Suites:
B626 & B627

Superior Deluxe Balcony:
B426 & B427

Balcony Cabins (without sofa):
B429, B430, C440, C441, C446 & C447 (HA grade)
C301, C302, C303, C304, D301, D302, D303, D304 (HB grade)
B709, B719, C720, C726, D732, D733, F724, F725 (HD grade)
A110 (HF grade)

Inside Cabins:
C514, C515, D314, D315, D320, D321 (PB grade)
C723, C729, D730, D731 (PD grade)

The Cookery Club Update for Disabled Passengers

How disappointed I am with P&O is an understatement.  I really thought they tried hard to make all activities onboard their ships available to all passengers whether abled or disabled but apparently not.  In my earlier post "Britannia's Cookery Club"  I had said that I believed after studying photographs of the work stations that none had been adapted for use for disabled people.  
My cruise agent has reported back to me after spending a couple of days onboard Britannia and has confirmed that The Cookery Club does not have an adapted work station.  
I am lost for words.  My agent did say that they would probably try to help people with mobility problems but that is unrealistic. 

Anyone who lives with someone who is in a wheelchair or who uses a perching stool will know that you need a rise and fall unit or a work surface with space underneath so that you can wheel under or sit up close if using a stool. If I were to contact them about attending a class I wouldn't be suprised if they quoted health and safety at me for not allowing me to attend or as a resaon for not having an adapted station. 
I often wonder who P&O engage to come onto their ships and advise them on equipment and adaptions that are currently available for people with disabilities or mobility issues.  I have heard that often it is advisors that are able bodied and have never spent one day in a wheelchair, on crutches or used a scooter and so actually do not know the challenges we face on a day to day basis.  
My friends often joke that I would make a great mystery shopper, Someone needs to do it.  

Mum's Final Journey

As you may know my mum Muriel passed away in September 2014 after a short illness.  It was decided after the funeral to divide her ashes so that some were buried with my Dads ashes in her local

Mum at The Connaught Hotel 2013

churchyard and the rest I have taken back with me to Norfolk.  
Mum was born and raised near the coast and my family has a strong connection with the RNLI.  When Mum stayed with me she was at her happiest sitting watching the sea.  Then from nowhere it came to me to see if it was possible to have ashes scattered at sea while on the cruise ship.  Mum loved travel, she loved the sea and she loved to hear about our cruises so it seemed perfect.  I had read that it was possible to scatter ashes with P&O but it was at the discretion of the captain.  I thought the best person to ask to contact P&O was our cruise agent Susan and got onto it straight away.  At first they were very positive about helping me and after a week or so later they didn't seem so keen giving the excuse the Captain Brown was too busy with Britannia to give an answer.  At this point I was feeling very down as it felt it was the right thing to do with her ashes.  My agent said she would tackle someone while

Captain Pembridge

visiting the ship this week.  That raised my hopes.  This morning I received a letter from P&O to say that the alternate captain on Britannia Captain David Pembridge had confirmed that he is willing to assist me onboard during the scattering of the ashes and that I will receive a copy of the details of the service shortly.  They have also said that a member of the team will be available at the cruise terminal to assist us through the embarkation procedures.   Suddenly I feel a whole weight has lifted off my shoulders.  I just need to get a copy of the cremation certificate to show the ship.  They have even asked what date I want to do the scattering and I have said while the ship is in the Canary Islands.
I feel at last her journey is finally coming to an end and she would be more than happy with my choices.

Britannia's Cookery Club

I have often found myself to be the person that seems to ask the awkward questions that no one else wants to ask.  One of the reasons for booking this cruise was The Cookery Club.  Cooking is my blood my Dad was a chef in the navy and I had been cooking with him since the age around 4.  
The Cookery Club is

P&O's Cookery Club

led by TV chef James Martin with classes taught by the Cookery Club team who have been hand selected and trained by James himself.   Classes start from £45pp to £100pp
There are 19 classes being held while we are on the cruise and taught by the team.  The classes include perfect pasta, James Martins desserts, Portuguese street food, Atul Kochhar's sindhu favourites, Spanish tapas and modern gastropub.  There will also be family classes on offer.
On special cruises there will be classes led by James Martin, Atul Kochhar, master patissier Eric Lanlard and Marco Pierre White and many other well known chefs.  
I know I shouldn't but the first thing that often comes to mind is "is it available to disabled  people?"  So often activities are not available to us with a disabilities and often their excuse is health and safety.  It is starting to get boring and it can make you feel like a second rate citizen.
I have gone back to P&O's website to look at the information for the Cookery Club although it says everyone is welcome I have not found anything to say that there is adapted stations or that people with disabilities are welcome.  I have also looked at the few photographs that are around and there dosen't appear to be any adapted stations in the Cookery Club.
This totally saddens and angers me as I am a bit of a foodie and am a pretty damn good cook/baker if I say so myself and would have loved the chance to have a class with a

My kitchen

professional chef, but I fear that won't happen.  
I have an adapted kitchen with a rise and fall unit which is L-shape and houses a sink and hob.  It allows me to cook and be independent but also means that other members of my family can use it.  They are either electric or manual and cost £3,000-£6,ooo this is pocket money to a cruise line like P&O who have just spent £473 million on building Britannia.  My cruise agent has the opportunity to stay on Britannia for a couple of nights and I have asked her to find out if the Cookery Club has facilities for disabled cruisers or not.  If they do then I will amend my post.  I will update when I hear back from my agent.

A Couple of New Additions

Picture made of cotton reels

Over the last few days I have been updating my page "Cruising-A Alternative Way To Travel".  It is based on my personal experiences and knowledge that I have gained since I started cruising in 2008.  I have stayed in both adapted and non-adapted cabins and I hope that my ramblings maybe of some use to someone.
I have also added a new page "Accessibility Around Cruise Ships" this based on my personal experiences I have had.  The page also contains facts about different cruise ships that I feel maybe of use.  These facts are the sort of things I like to know before I book my cruises.  If there is something that you think maybe of interest to other disabled cruisers please contact me.

Please Visit My Sister Blog "Teapots and Pearls"

If you have 5 minutes please visit my sister blog "Teapots and Pearls".  This is a blog that shows the more airy faerie side of my personality.  It is about the things that I enjoy doing in my spare time and they are cruising (when funds allow) and finding the ultimate afternoon tea and much much more.....

Teapot and Pearls