Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,328 reviews

Wheelchair Access Notes - Excellent and recommended

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Queen Mary 2 (QM2)
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WheelchairTravelNotes
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Jul 2017
Cabin: Oceanview
Traveled with children

This review refers to the wheelchair access only on this cruise ship, for service and other reviews please see other reviewers' comments.

This review refers to a wheelchair accessible cabin (stateroom). The rooms that are not identified as wheelchair accessible are definitely not going to work for you if you use a wheelchair. The doors are too narrow to accept a standard wheelchair. Do not consider for a moment travelling on the Queen Mary without booking an accessible room if you are unable to stand or walk. Having said that there are 32 accessible staterooms on board of different grades, ranging from interior twin staterooms to a stately (and very expensive) suite. So, you should be able to find something that suits your needs and budget. The staterooms are spread over Deck 10 (3 rooms), 9 (2), 8 (6), 6 (8), 5 (10) and deck 4 (3). There is a detailed layout plan available on the Cunard website which indicates which staterooms are accessible. Accessible rooms must be booked by phone rather than on-line, and no accessible rooms have doors to an adjoining cabin.

BOARDING: We boarded at Brooklyn. Access was via a long gangway with a very manageable slope. I imagine the slope for the very last section is dependent on the tide. The last gangway into the ship has a steep descent – some may find it safer to navigate it in reverse. Cunard staff are on hand to assist.

Cabin Review

Oceanview

STATEROOM: Our room was an accessible stateroom in the EF category. It was small but adequately sized to get around. There was a built in desk, bedside lockers, a small table and two chairs. We asked for one chair to be removed (which was done promptly) and this gave enough space to maneuver the wheelchair around, despite the fact that we had four suitcases as well. There was a built-in wardrobe and shelving unit. The wardrobe hang rails could be pulled down to enable a wheelchair user to reach them. The shelves included a safe which was easily accessible. The room can be configured as two twins, or a single king. We chose to have ours configured as a king. In this arrangement, there is not enough space for a wheelchair on either side of the bed so you have to get on at the foot of the bed. The bed height was very comfortable and presented no problems in transferring. The lights can be turned off from a switch by the bed. My wife and daughter had a separate (non-accessible) stateroom configured as two twins. In this arrangement there would be enough space between the beds for a wheelchair.

The en-suite bathroom was quite large with plenty of space to turn around. The toilet had a pull down grab bar and hand rails on the wall. There was enough space to perform a 90 to 180 degree transfer without difficulty. The roll-in shower had a built in, fold down, shower seat at a fixed height about the same as the wheelchair cushion height. There were grab bars on the wall, and a fold down grab bar beside the seat. The shower controls were easy to reach from the seat, and the water pressure and temperature were regulated to ensure they didn’t get too hot. I found the shower more comfortable and easier to manage than many I have encountered on land!

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