We recently stayed in a handicap accessible balcony cabin on the Royal Princess. For those wanting to know what these cabins look like, I've got plenty of photos for you. This particular cabin is A303 on the starboard side of the ship and is designated as a BB cabin. We've also stayed in A302 on the port side and the cabin set up is exactly the same. These cabins can accommodate up to four passengers with upper berths. The bunk beds are fully recessed into the ceiling and cause no obstruction at all.
I've added a couple notes about some of the features of the cabin with corresponding pictures.
Both sides of the bed have double drawers so there is plenty of storage within reach.
Two chairs and a table are in the cabin but can be moved out of the way, if needed.
There is a nice sized enclosed closet. In one of our cabins we found the ladder to the bunk bed in the closet. The ladder kept falling towards our clothes quite often. In our other cabin, the steward had removed the ladder so it didn't get in our way.
Next to the enclosed closet is a cabinet with shelves and the safe. As we had plenty of drawer storage easily accessible next to the bed we found we rarely used these shelves.
Just like with all Princess cabins, the small refrigerator was within a cabinet.
The bathroom was spacious and having plenty of grab bars was a big plus.
The sink was a bit smaller than what we've come to expect on the Royal Princess and the storage space wasn't ideal as the shelves were high and smaller.
The bar separating the toilet from the shower could be lowered and raised as needed.
The shower had a bench that could be raised or lowered as well.
Even the shower head height was adjustable.
The back of the bathroom door had a grab bar and there were knobs for hanging clothes at two different heights.
As this was a balcony cabin they had made adjustments to make it accessible.
First, the carpeted area just inside the cabin had a gradual slope to it.
With a ramp to the balcony.
The ramp is only down when the door is completely opened. There is a piece at the bottom of the balcony door that, when closed, moves the ramp up.
When the balcony door is completely closed, the ramp's edge is folded up against the door.
While narrow like the other balconies on Royal Class ships, the balcony for this accessible BB cabin is longer than most.
The railing has a second railing attached to it. This closer railing was narrower and made it much easier to grab when trying to get up out of the balcony chairs.
The balcony is completely covered but you can see the Skywalk and the Bridge from the edge.
We were happy with the accommodations this cabin provided. Remember, if you are booking an accessible cabin with Princess you will be required to fill out paperwork to show your need for such a cabin.
Because of hubby's cerebral palsy and difficulty with mobility and the steps into the bathroom and shower in the standard cabins, we probably could have been requesting accessible cabins for all our past cruises. We never once have, wanting to leave them for someone who needs them more than he does. Even these accessible cabins in the photos were not requested by us. (We booked guarantee cabins at the very last minute and these were the cabins we were assigned to us.) However, for the first time ever we have asked for an accessible cabin for an upcoming mini suite booking. (As an FYI on minisuites - they have a tub/shower combo. As hubby's unable to climb over a tub to get into a shower, an accessible cabin was our only option.) I will be posting photos of that cabin next month.
