Seabourn do not differentiate guests on the basis of disability. Seabourn is committed to providing safe, relaxed, and accessible accommodations for all persons with disabilities, to the extent that is feasible.
It is for this reason that Seabourn is honoured to be a part of Carnival Corp., which received the Society For Accessible Travel & Hospitality’s (SATH) “Access to Freedom” award.
Seabourn requires adequate time to prepare for a guest’s arrival. It is suggested that guests make every effort to contact Seabourn Access & Compliance Department and to submit a Special Requirements Information form (SRI) well in advance of the departure of their cruise and/or cruise tour.
Seabourn recommend submitting an SRI upon booking or a minimum of 45 days prior to departure.
Guests who are incapable to care for their basic needs (e.g. dressing, eating, and attending safety drills) MUST have a capable companion. The medical staff on board is not available for daily care except if an individual is hospitalised in the ship’s Medical Center. In restricted situations (either on board or ashore), Seabourn may find it essential to request the individual to make alternate travel arrangements, such as if an individual with a disability is incompetent to fulfill certain detailed safety and other measures, even when provided with appropriate mobility aids and services.
For the protection of all Seabourn guests and crew and to improve accessibility, Seabourn strongly recommend that all personal electric mobility aids meet the following criteria:
| Width: | 23″ maximum in order to be accommodated in a standard suite, unless collapsible to a width of 23″ or less |
| Weight: | 100 lbs. maximum without battery |
| Batteries: | Must be Gel or Dry Cell or AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) only |
Seabourn are aware that some people, a larger mobility scooter may be necessary. If you believe you need a larger scooter, please contact Seabourn Access & Compliance Department so that they can discuss your requirements.
For the safety of all guests and crew:
- Scooters and other mobility aids need to be stored and charged in the guest’s suite; not in hallways or elevator lobbies.
- Scooters left in hallways and elevator lobbies could limit other guests needing to travel through these areas in an emergency, predominantly other guests using mobility aids, since they would have no way of getting by a scooter left in a hallway.
Seabourn is not able to provide courtesy wheelchair assistance for any purpose other than embarkation, disembarkation, and emergency situations. Seabourn wheelchairs are not available for shore excursions or for use on board. If you will require regular use of a wheelchair, Seabourn recommend that you bring your own wheelchair with you.
For individuals using a wheelchair or scooter, accessible route maps for each ship are available by selecting the below links.
Accessible Staterooms
All Seabourn vessels have especially designed suites for guests who need mobility assistance. If you have not booked one of these accessible suites but as an alternative will be using a standard suite, you need to know about some restrictions that unfavourably influence manoeuvrability, particularly entrance into bathrooms.
For example, bathroom dimensions, thresholds, and the height of bathtubs in standard suites are frequently problematic to negotiate for guests who have limited mobility. Moreover, standard suite doors and hallways may be excessively narrow for a wheelchair or scooter to manoeuvre into and out of the suite.
Note: For safety reasons, these mobility devices must be stored and charged in the guests’ suites.
If you have booked a non-accessible suite, you should know that most suite entry doors measure 23 inches wide.
Hearing Impaired
To make the most of the cruise experience for guests who are deaf or hard of hearing, Seabourn has made the following items available:
- With advance notice, suite kits that include a visual and tactile alert for someone knocking at the door, the phone ringing, or an alarm.
- Suite televisions capable of showing closed captioning (some satellite feeds do not transmit with captioning, so this feature is available only when the signal the ship receives has captioning).
- Telephones with amplified sound for suites.
- Assistive Listening Systems with portable receivers in the show lounges to assist guests who are hard of hearing to hear the shows.
- Written safety information and a copy of the lifeboat drill safety speech.
Visually Impaired
To make the most of the cruise experience for guests who are blind or have low vision, Seabourn has made the following items available:
- Downloadable daily activities, news, and menus for guests with laptops with screen reader programs.
- With 45 days notice, large print or Braille menus describing the inspired cuisine offered across a myriad of venues, from the elegant Dining Room to the casual dining options.
- A familiarisation tour of the vessel upon arrival.
Service Animals
Seabourn only permits service animals on board, defined as those animals that are individually trained to provide assistance to an individual with a disability.
Seabourn do not permit our guests to bring pets, therapy/companion animals, and other animals that do not meet the definition of service animals. If you have any questions about whether the animal you wish to bring on board is, in fact, a service animal, you may contact our Access & Compliance Department.
Your itinerary may include ports of call that have very specific and strict requirements that need to be met prior to your service animal being allowed off of the ship. Please be sure you understand the requirements for a service animal to disembark in each port of call.
For document requirements, visit:
- Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
- Department of Agriculture website
- Hawaii Department of Agriculture website
- UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs website
A copy of the permit must be on you at all times while on the ship, and a copy should be given to the Pursers Desk on arrival. All certification and vaccination requirements are established by government authorities and not the cruise line.
To board the ship, your service animal must have current vaccinations. Records confirming the vaccination status should be provided to Seabourn Access & Compliance Department prior to your departure. Seabourn also recommend that you carry the immunization records with you in case they are required at any port of call.
If you do not have the proper documentation and proof of vaccinations for your service animal required at a port of call, or if there are local quarantine requirements, your service animal will be denied the right to leave the ship.
If your service animal is denied the right to leave the ship in a specific port of call, the staff and crew will work with you to determine what actions may be possible to allow you to visit the port without your service animal.
Please note that in your absence, you will need to provide for the care and supervision of your service animal. Except in those circumstances where your service animal has been denied disembarkation, you may not leave your service animal unattended on the vessel or in your suite at any time.
