AIDA Cruises, the German unit in the Carnival group, said people with special needs should be able to travel on the company’s ships and that it is working to lower the barriers to ensure that as many as possible could do this.
“In order to continuously optimize the barrier-free travel experience both ashore and on board, the company is constantly breaking new ground, for example with the establishment of the Expert Council under the patronage of Kristina Vogel in April 2022. The Expert Council includes, among others, people with limited walking, visual or hearing abilities, who advise the cruise company from the perspective of a wide range of guest and interest groups,” the company said in a statement.
Specially trained AIDA employees are available to guests with individual impairments for personal travel advice and almost all public areas of the AIDA ships, such as bars, restaurants, lifts, outdoor decks, public toilets and cabins are accessible without barriers and equipped with orientation signage in profile and Braille.
“A barrier-free meeting on the first day of travel ensures proper orientation on board. Here, all questions about excursions, restaurant reservations, individual assistance, equipment rental and much more are answered,” the Rostock based company said.
The barrier-free balcony and inside cabins are perfectly designed to meet the needs of guests with physical disabilities. “A wider, inward-opening automatic door, for example, ensures that the personal oasis of well-being can be reached with ease. Plenty of space for your travel wardrobe and other utensils can be found in the spacious wardrobe, whose clothes rails you can easily reach by means of a lift system,” AIDA pointed out.
The bathroom is comfortable thanks to a height-adjustable sink and a ground-level and shower with shower seat also barrier-free. “If desired, a deaf set with vibration alarm function and pager can be installed in all cabins - for haptic alarm signals, calls, wake-up calls or door signals,” the company noted.
Numerous aids can be borrowed on board, for example wheelchairs and walkers, shower stools and toilet seat raisers, mobile grab bars for the sanitary area and deaf set (signal system).
Many restaurants on board are barrier-free. The paths to and at the buffet are wide enough for wheelchair users to move around and serve themselves comfortably. Several tables are reserved near the entrance area for guests with mobility impairments up to half an hour after the restaurant opens.
All restaurants are prepared for allergies or food intolerances and guests with limited hearing are provided with reserved seating at shows where acoustic signals are amplified for hearing aids and implants with tele-coils or inductive receivers.
“AIDA's excursion program specifically identifies excursions that are suitable for guests with limited walking ability. To find the optimal shore excursion, these are divided into five levels of difficulty,” the company stated.
