The Carnival Sensation is a large ship vessel with 10 decks, 1,026 staterooms, 14 elevators and a passenger capacity of 2,052. It's a beautiful ship complete with a casino, 4 restaurants, a pizzeria, ice cream parlor, dance clubs, a sushi bar, showrooms, a library, a pool and even a waterworks water entertainment for kids, not to mention shops and entertainment programs for you to enjoy. Though it sounds very enticing and fun, the question that comes to mind for wheelchair users is, but is this all accessible?
According to the Americans with Disability Act, a public facility must have an accessible route(s), ramps or lifts, and it must have elevators, along with accessible platforms that have space allowance for wheelchairs to easily maneuver through. The bathrooms must have handrails and a door way that is wide enough to fit wheelchairs and/or scooters fit through. The small luxury of having easy access to limited spaces and tight rooms is sometimes taken for granted by able-bodied individuals. But for wheelchair users and disabled individuals, it is a major life challenge. Having these needs met is not only a necessity, it is a God send. Being a wheelchair user myself and have recently debarked from the Carnival Sensation, I will answer this question for you.
the Embarkation Route - Let's start off with the essential step of all; the embarkation route from the port of call into the Sensation. Upon arriving at the cruise terminal, after checking in and having my luggage tended, I was directed to a VIP Area right next to the sliding door into the entrance ramp. When my zone was called, I went into the sliding doors and into an elevator to go up to the docking floor. The ramp into the ship was quite steep; however, there were officials waiting to assist me. With the help of two ship officials, the steep ramp was pretty much effortless.
Doors, Walkways, and Automatic Doors - The doorway from the embarkation ramp into the Empress Deck (Deck 7 and docking floor) was up to standard. I was able to get through with no problems. There were two main elevators in the lounge area and four others in the gangway. The main elevators led to each deck and their staterooms while the elevators in the gangway have the same function, but were also a route to a section of a dining room. The Lido Deck (Pool Deck and Buffet Deck) is the busiest deck on board. It has lounge chairs, a pool, a stage and two different buffet serving areas with chairs and tables. There are a lot of lounge chairs, but none of them were in the way. The pathway was clear and even has enough turn around space for wheelchairs or scooters to zip right through. If somehow a lounge chair found its way in front of you, there are so many ship staff that can easily move it out of the way for you. From the pool area, there is a double door into another buffet area called "the Sea View Grill." The double doors are automatic. The minute your wheelchairs reach the door, wahla! They Open! No waiting for someone to hold the door open. Right above the Lido is the Verandah Deck which has a ramp that leads up the Water Works Deck and what I call the Observing Deck. Again, this deck has lounge chairs, but they are neatly lined up to make an accessible pathway so you can soak up the sun and a see a close up view of the ocean.
Public Bathrooms - Need a bathroom break? No worries. The public bathrooms are equipped with a push button to automatically open the door. The bathrooms are large for easy access and the handicap stall is accessible with a large turn around space. The sink is easy to reach and the toilet is at a low level to match wheelchair seats. The stall has wide doors and handrails. You'll never have to worry about bathroom breaks on this ship.
the Stateroom - This part of the cruise starts with you. When you book your cruise, you must tell the agent that you are traveling with a wheelchair and will need special accommodations. The cruise agent will assign you to a special room that has been modified. They will also have you fill out a special needs form so they know how to accommodate you. The door to the room is widened for wheelchair access. The door to bathroom is also widened and has handrails for the toilet and shower. The shower is a roll in shower and comes with a shower chair. Because these staterooms are fairly tiny, the bathroom does not have a turnaround space. Your wheelchair however will be able to go directly in front of the toilet and you will be able to access the shower and sink directly from the front of your chair. I stayed in this particular room for four days and ran into no problems.
the Sports/Sun Deck - Although there is an elevator that takes you to this deck, this is the only part of the ship that has no access for wheelchairs. This deck has a running track and a mini golf course. Because it is the very top deck of the ship, it does have a direct hit of the sun. But that doesn't mean the other decks don't have sunlight. If you ask me, I personally have no use for this deck, so I didn't even bother worrying about it.
So from a first person's point of view, the answer is yes! The Carnival Sensation is very much accessible for wheelchair users. Not only is the ship accessible, the staff on the ship is willing and will take every chance they get to help you. Whether it's shoving that unwanted lounge chair out of your way or reaching a cup from the counter or putting food on your plate, they will come running when they hear you or when they see that you clearly need help. This is a peace of mind that both you and I will have when cruising on the Carnival Sensation Cruise Ship.
Sources:
http://www.carnival.com/cms/fun/ships/carnival_sensation/default.aspx?shipCode=SE
http://cruises.continental.com/shipdetail.do?tab=ship&c=1&v=46&i=&d=null&d2=null&includealumnirates=&includeseniorrates=&dsc=&state=&zipcode=
http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm#4.5
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