Before you board
Find out more about what information we require before you step on board, to make your vacation as smooth as possible.
If you require any medical or mobility equipment on board, or if you plan to bring your own, please notify us as soon as possible after booking your cruise, by completing the on board needs questionnaire on My Cunard as soon as possible after booking and no later than two weeks before you sail.
We want everyone to enjoy our ships to their full potential while staying safe. Here are some key things you need to be aware of:
Elevator sizes vary on our ships. It can be tight to fit mobility aids in and out of them. Elevators can be busy. You may encounter delays on embarkation day and when disembarking, when other guests are getting on or off around the same time. Please pay careful attention to staircases that are close to the elevators. Elevators are designed and positioned so that people can use them without assistance.
For guests traveling with mobility equipment, it is important to check you can fit into the elevators. Current elevator sizes on board are as follows (all dimensions in cm):
Queen Mary 2
Queen Victoria
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Anne
We want all guests to enjoy our world-class on board entertainment in comfort. Our entertainment venues have allocated spaces for guests watching the performances from their wheelchair or mobility scooter with seating nearby for carers or traveling companions. These are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis to full-time wheelchair users. The number of wheelchairs and mobility scooters will be reviewed and allocated the best spaces. If the theater is full, you may be required to attend an alternative show. Each ship has different arrangements for the safe storage of mobility aids during performances. Please talk to the Entertainment team on board for guidance.
All of our ships offer a pool hoist with chair (subject to a weight limit). This may need to be booked at the purser's desk with 24 hours' notice. Pool crew are trained to assist in operating the pool hoists, however cannot help guests in and out of the hoist. To safely use the hoist, you need to be able to safely transfer yourself in and out of the pool hoist chair, be assisted by your companion/carer, or bring additional personal hoisting equipment.
Any guest who is a full-time wheelchair or mobility scooter user or requires the use of their device inside their stateroom, must be booked into an accessible stateroom or selected suite that provides the space and features required to suit guest’s needs. If you tell us (on your on board needs questionnaire) that you will be bringing mobility equipment and the stateroom you have chosen is not a fully accessible stateroom or selected suite, there may be insufficient room to maneuver your mobility aid. Therefore, we may need to contact you to discuss other stateroom options.
All of our accessible staterooms feature:
Stateroom door widths are listed below. Please note that these sizes apply to the majority of staterooms, but some exceptions apply. For specific details, please contact our Customer Service Department or your Travel Advisor.
"Accessible staterooms" below are staterooms suitable for users of manual wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and other powered mobility devices.
"Non-adapted staterooms" are suitable for part-time manual wheelchair users who do not need their wheelchair to move around the room. Please note that access to the ensuite is via a raised threshold and a step is required to enter the bath/shower. Please note that we are unable to accept powered mobility devices in these staterooms, with the exception of selected suites.
Whether full-time or part-time, all wheelchair/mobility scooter users must store their device inside their stateroom or suite. They cannot be left in the corridors. Please note that crew are unable to support in moving the wheelchairs/scooters in or out of staterooms or suites.
The accessible stateroom bathrooms are wet-room style shower rooms with a flush threshold into the stateroom. They have roll-in showers that have hand rails and pull-down shower seats. There are also grab rails on both sides of the toilet; one is fixed and the other is pull-down.
Accessible stateroom baths and showers have a non-slip floor however, if required, a bath or shower mat can be requested once on board, subject to availability. Further information regarding additional mobility equipment that we can provide can be found on our mobility and medical equipment webpage.
We are unable to make any structural changes to the stateroom once you are on board, temporary or otherwise. If there is any further information that you require about the staterooms that has not been covered below, such as the location of grab rails, please do not hesitate to contact us via email at accessoffice@cunard.com.
Wheelchair accessible toilets can be located on the following decks on each ship:
For full deckplans please visit our ship pages.
While emergencies on board are rare, it's important you know what to do should one occur. All guests are required to attend their muster stations and observe safety information on in-stateroom televisions prior to departure after having embarked. In a real emergency, you should act as per the instructions shown on the safety poster on the back of your suite or stateroom door, instructions given at the muster drill, instructions given over the public address system, or those given by the ship’s company.
If you have a disability or reduced mobility which might mean that you require additional assistance in an emergency situation, you must advise us at the time of booking or as soon as the need is known. Our disability team will then collate this information and ensure that each ship has a list of guests who require extra assistance, together with their stateroom numbers, before the ship sails. Please note that anyone who is a full or part-time user of a wheelchair, mobility scooter, or other powered mobility device must be registered for evacuation chair assistance. For anyone who uses a mobility aid, we strongly recommend you register as requiring 1-to-1 assistance.
In the event of an emergency and when guests are called to their muster/assembly stations, all guest staterooms are checked and evacuated. Any guest who requires assistance getting from their stateroom to the muster/assembly station will be given the required assistance by the ship’s specially trained assistance team. Special evacuation chairs are available on all ships which will be utilised to transport guests to the muster/assembly stations if required. This assistance will be arranged by the stateroom stewards evacuating the staterooms. In the event that a guest is away from their stateroom, either on the open decks or in a public room, at the onset of an emergency, these areas are also checked and evacuated. In this event any guest requiring assistance would be taken directly to their muster station by the assistance team and a life jacket would be provided at the muster/assembly station. This assistance will be arranged by the crew members assigned to evacuate these areas. Similarly, if a guest requiring assistance presents themselves on a stairway at the onset of an emergency, this assistance will be arranged by a stairway guide. Stairway guides are present on all stairways designated as guest evacuation routes, which may include crew stairways.
Please note that in the event of an emergency, guests with restricted mobility will not be able to use the elevators (as with standard worldwide emergency procedures, elevators are not to be used in emergency situations due to the risk of becoming trapped in the event of a power failure). Please also note that in the event of an emergency, those guests using motorized wheelchairs or scooters will need to be transferred to either a regular wheelchair or evacuation chair. It is not possible for the assistance team to transport guests in motorized wheelchairs or scooters down the stairs, due to the additional weight and the subsequent risk of injury to the guest and members of the assistance team in attempting this.
We encourage all children to use our children's facilities on board. However, we do not provide one-to-one support or care. If your child requires this, then a parent or carer will need to be present at all times.
If your child has a disability or medical requirements and would like to take part in our activity program, please speak with our youth teams when you are on board. We kindly ask that you provide as much information as possible to support our youth team in caring for your child when registering your child to use the children's clubs, which you can do via My Cunard at 15 days before departure. You will also need to complete the on board needs questionnaire (also on My Cunard) as soon as possible after booking.