Agent Newsletter – Nov./Dec. 2010

 

Travel agents assisting their special needs vacationers and slow walkers can now book wheelchair rentals and scooter rentals for passengers’ cruises online through Special Needs Group’s new internet booking tool. The new online booking tool enables travel agents to book equipment 24 hours a day / 7 days a week – whenever the travel agent works. Additionally, when travel agents order the equipment through Special Needs Group’s travel agent portal – Starboard – their commission tracks back directly to the agent.

Travel Agents may choose from a variety of scooters, accommodating travelers weighing up to 500 pounds or wheelchairs, accommodating travelers weighting up to 750 pounds. Once booked online, the equipment gets delivered directly to the traveler’s cruise ship stateroom. Passengers receive everyday low rates when making reservations through the website. The payment gives assurance that the equipment will be available upon arrival. Transactions are quick, easy and safe.

"Our goal is always to help passengers enjoy the full benefits of their trip experience without barriers and without hassles," says Andrew Garnett, founder and CEO of Special Needs Group. We hope the simplicity and ease of booking equipment online contributes to that goal."  
 

CRUISE SHIP SPOTLIGHT: ALLURE OF THE SEAS 

Royal Caribbean International’s (RCI) Allure of the Seas joined her sister ship, Oasis of the Seas, last month at Port Everglades. Allure is more than 1,100 feet long, 215 feet wide and sixteen passenger decks high. The size of Allure may sound daunting, but as she is also one of the most accessible ships, people with disabilities and slow walkers needing scooters and wheelchairs will have an easy time navigating around.

 

We toured Allure in November and had the opportunity to view first hand her accessible features. Allure offers 46 accessible staterooms. The staterooms include wider stateroom and bathroom doorways, five-foot turning radius areas, lowered closet rods, lowered safe, lowered vanity and open bed frames. The bathrooms in the staterooms have a roll-in shower, grab bars, raised toilet, fold-down shower bench, hand-held shower heard and lowered sink. Accessible staterooms are distributed throughout the decks, ensuring ample choices for location and category. Additionally, of the 46 accessible staterooms on the Allure, 33 have balconies; eight with Central Park or Boardwalk views. Read More.