Accessibility Assistance
Accessibility Mission Statement:
Norwegian Cruise Line is committed to providing inclusivity and access to world-class vacation experiences by continuously improving and applying the most updated accessibility standards to exceed our guests’ expectations.
Important Information for Guests with Special Needs
The fun and excitement of Freestyle cruising should be enjoyed by everyone. That's why we are committed to providing all of our guests the freedom of choice to cruise your way.
Our team of Accessibility Coordinators have experience in furthering Norwegian Cruise Line's mission to provide a safe and accessible cruise experience for all guests with special requirements, to the best of our ability and feasible extent.
The Accessibility Coordinators will contact you prior to your cruise as soon as we receive your
Special Accessibility Coordinators Before and During Your Cruise
Norwegian Cruise Line has a dedicated team of experienced travel professionals specifically trained to assist guests with disabilities and special needs, before, during and even after your cruise.
The Access Desk
Within our Reservations Department, an exclusive team of experienced professionals operate to help facilitate your travel. After receiving your
A member of the Access Desk will speak with you about each and every aspect of your cruise, from transportation to and from the vessel, your stateroom, shore excursions and any other expectation or need that you may have.
Onboard
Once you have boarded, you will be met by staff who will have all of the information that you conveyed to Norwegian Cruise Line either directly or through your travel professional. Staff will be available throughout your cruise to see to your needs. Norwegian Cruise Line has Access Officers who will be the primary point person working to make sure all your needs are met. Norwegian Cruise Line also has a centralized internal corporate resolution staff to assist the Access Officer, available by telephone 24 hours a day.
To get more information or request accessibility assistance on your upcoming cruise, fill out the
Advance Notice Needed
Whatever your special requirements are, Norwegian Cruise Line will do whatever it reasonably can to accommodate you. But we do need adequate time to prepare for your arrival. Please make every effort to contact our Access Desk well in advance of your cruise – at least 90 days for interpreters and 45 days for all other requirements.
The more information that we have concerning any special requirement you may have, the more prepared we are to meet your needs during your cruise. What works well for others may not meet your requirements. You'll have a much more enjoyable cruise experience if you tell us what you need. We will work with you to try to meet all your reasonable needs for your cruise, but due to the nature of travel on a passenger cruise vessel, if advance notice is not given, Norwegian Cruise Line may not be able to provide you with what you need.
In limited situations (either on board or ashore), we may find it necessary to ask you to make alternative travel arrangements, such as if a disabled guest is unable to satisfy certain specified safety and other criteria, even when provided with appropriate auxiliary aid and services. Guests who are unable to care for their basic needs (e.g. dressing, eating, and attending safety drills) MUST have a capable traveling companion. It is essential that we be notified of any special medical, physical, or other requirement you may have as soon as possible, including whether you intend to bring a scooter with you.
Pre-arranging for special assistance helps travel proceed more smoothly. Assistance is arranged for at the time of booking upon identification of your specific service request.
To get more information or request accessibility assistance on your upcoming cruise, fill out the
Guests with Mobility Disabilities
For guests who cannot walk on their own, a wheelchair, scooter or walker may be the primary mobility assistance aid for getting on and off the ship. Norwegian Cruise Line has a limited supply of wheelchairs onboard. In order to accommodate our guests, Norwegian Cruise Line wheelchairs are reserved exclusively for embarkation and disembarkation situations. The limited supply of wheelchairs onboard are available for emergency rental arrangements and are on a first come first serve basis.
Wheelchair accessible staterooms are available on all our ships. We recommend you book well in advance as possible as availability is limited. Accessible staterooms offer wider door frames, roll in showers, shower benches, high-rise toilets and handrails in shower and toilet area.
Motorized wheelchairs and scooters are allowed in our accessible staterooms provided that they are powered by gel-cell batteries and the chargers must be adaptable to 110 volts. Should you choose a stateroom that has not been designated as accessible, you will need to bring a collapsible wheelchair, or if you have a motorized wheelchair or scooter, the width must not exceed 26 inches to enter the stateroom door. All scooters and wheelchairs MUST be stored in the stateroom. Due to the safety and escape way requirements established by SOLAS regulations, they cannot be stored in the hallways, stairways, or any other public area. Beach wheelchairs can be rented for use on Norwegian Cruise Line's private island.
Guests who require the regular use of a wheelchair/scooter or other mobility device are encouraged to bring their own or rent from our preferred vendor, Scootaround, if they are sailing from a U.S. port.
Please visit Scootaround’s website or call 1-888-441-7575. Scootaround’s team of trained professionals can review the different rental options available based on your accommodations and find the one that best suits your needs. As a preferred vendor, they have unique access to deliver your equipment on board Norwegian cruise ships.
Scootaround provides a wide range of cruise mobility rentals and accessibility solutions, including scooters, wheelchairs, powerchairs, and oxygen concentrators.
Amenities and Services include:
- A limited number of wheelchair accessible staterooms with grab bars in the bathrooms, raised beds, adjustable hanging rods in the closets, shower seats, extra wide doors for easy access
- Wheelchair rental available for use on the vessels
- All Norwegian Cruise Line ships have pool lifts
- All Norwegian Cruise Line ships have accessible restrooms in a variety of public spaces
- Accessible transportation to and from the vessel can be arranged in advance for all US destinations with 15 day advance notice provided to the Access Desk
- The Access Desk can provide specific and up to date information on the accessibility of shore excursions prior to your cruise
Assistance On & Off Ship
Guests requesting wheelchair assistance on and off the ship during embarkation / disembarkation, must be able to enter and exit the terminal without assistance.
Assistance onto the ship at embarkation
Norwegian Cruise Line crew cannot exit the terminal, therefore guests cannot be picked up at the drop-off area/curb. Guests must enter the terminal before they can be provided wheelchair assistance. Guests are taken to the check-in area and then up the ramp to board the ship, but cannot be taken all the way to their stateroom.
Assistance off the ship at disembarkation
Announcements will be made onboard to advise guests to meet at a specific location, where they will wait for crew members with wheelchairs, to arrive and assist them to the security/check-out area. Guests are dropped off at the check-out area. Guests will need to make their own way out of the terminal to the curb.
Ship Transfers and Shore Excursions Facilities
Ship Transfers & Tenders
Guests must be aware that certain vessel transfers, such as tendering and gangways, may not be fully accessible to wheelchairs or scooters at the time that they desire or that they cannot go ashore at all. When a ship is unable to dock, guests are taken ashore on smaller boats called tenders. Guests may need to utilize steps or a stair case to access the tender and to re-board the ship. Some guests with limited mobility may find it difficult to embark or disembark the ship at certain times while at dock or while tendering.
Note: We are unable to provide assistance from the ship to tender and/or from tender to shore for guests with scooters and/or wheelchairs that weigh a combined 100 lbs. Guests tendering to Great Stirrup Cay may be exempt from this. Mobility devices must be able to fold in order to be accommodated onboard the tender.
Papeete, Fiji does not have ADA lifts or Medi-vans that can accommodate guests that are full-time wheelchair users, to and from the airport in addition to Shore Excursion transportation. If you are a full-time wheelchair user, please fill out the Accessibility & Medical questionnaire and be as detailed as possible so we can try to accommodate your needs.
Please see Tender List here
Shore Excursions
Some shore excursion facilities may not be fully accessible to guests with mobility challenges. Although we endeavor to make sure that companies based in the United States provide accessible shore excursions, we cannot guarantee that all are able to provide facilities that are accessible to persons with disabilities. Moreover, shore excursions in foreign ports can present challenges to disabled guests. For detailed, up-to-date information on accessibility issues involving shore excursions, we recommend that you contact our Shore Excursion team experts at 1-866-625-1167 or visit our website.
To get more information or request accessibility assistance on your upcoming cruise, fill out the
Guests who Are Deaf or Have Low Hearing
At Norwegian Cruise Line, we will attempt to provide our Deaf or Low Hearing guests with an enjoyable cruise, which means making every attempt to make the technology available to assist Deaf and Low Hearing guests during your Freestyle cruise experience. We strongly encourage Deaf or Low Hearing guests to contact the Access Desk prior to cruising so that your specific needs can be discussed prior to your cruise. Many different options are available prior to the cruise and needs vary from guest to guest.
Amenities and Services include:
- Embarkation day meeting with staff member who will see to your accessibility needs during the cruise
- The Sky, Sun and Pride of America have staterooms that are hard wired for Deaf and Low Hearing guests which includes a visual-tactile alert system to alert you if there is knocking at the door, telephone ringing, alarm ringing or smoke detection
- On those vessels where rooms have not been hardwired, a portable kit is available upon request in your stateroom that includes a visual-tactile alert system to alert you if there is knocking at the door, telephone ringing, alarm ringing or smoke detection
- Individual and/or group emergency drills for all Deaf or Low Hearing guests upon request
- Pagers are available upon request on all Norwegian Cruise Line vessels to alert Deaf or Low Hearing Guests to vessel announcements and a manual for same can be provided in advance
- Assistive listening devices are available on many vessels in the main theatre through the Guest Service Desk
- Closed-captioned televisions are available for your state room
- Closed-captioned movies are available on the ‘New Movie Release’ channel. A DVD player may be requested if a guest wishes to bring their own DVD movies from home
- Sign language interpreting services may be provided for Deaf guests if that is their primary means of communication. A request for sign language interpreting, only on sailings that depart from and/or return to a port in the United States, can be made with the Access Desk through the
Accessibility & Medical Questionnaire , no later than 90 days prior to sailing. Requests are subject to a number of considerations, including but not limited to, the availability of interpreters and cabin space. A request for an interpreter with less than 90 days’ notice may still be granted but cannot be guaranteed - TTY Phones are available onboard all ships except Norwegian Spirit that use handy phones and text messaging. The guest can request that the phone in their room be replaced with a TTY phone and this will enable them to communicate with the Guest Services Desk staff by teletype
To get more information or request accessibility assistance on your upcoming cruise, fill out the
Guests who are Blind or Have Low Vision
At Norwegian Cruise Line, we will attempt to provide our Blind or Low Vision guests with an enjoyable cruise, which means providing personal, customized service to make your cruise fun, safe and happy.
Amenities and Services Available include:
- Embarkation day meeting with staff member who will see to your accessibility needs during the cruise
- A vessel orientation tour is available upon request
- Braille / tactile signage
- Service animals allowed onboard and must be arranged through the Access Desk prior to the cruise
To get more information or request accessibility assistance on your upcoming cruise, fill out the
Service Animals
Norwegian Cruise Line accepts service dogs that are trained to perform a specific task. A service dog may be needed for many different conditions, which would be acceptable under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines.
In accordance with the ADA, Norwegian Cruise Line does NOT accept “Emotional Support” dogs as service dogs, they CANNOT sail.
- Guests must provide copies of the dog’s current vaccination records that show all shots are up-to-date (including Rabies), as well as a USDA or International Health certificate
- Guests are responsible for checking with all ports of call for any special requirements they may have. Guests are responsible for bringing all food, medication and life jacket for the dog
- A relief sand box will be provided
All guests traveling with service animals must book at least two weeks in advance to allow enough time to check with each port of call and provide Norwegian Cruise Line with all required documentation.
*Please note, while we accept service dogs that are trained to perform a specific task onboard our ships, due to local restrictions and requirements, not all ports of call may allow you to go ashore.
*Please note, due to government requirements and restrictions, guests embarking or disembarking the ship in an Icelandic port are unable to fly into or out of Iceland with a service animal unless they fulfill certain quarantine conditions upon arrival to Iceland. If your itinerary includes a visit to an Icelandic port of call, not embarking or disembarking, you will be able to sail with your service animal but you will not be able to go ashore while in port.
For more information on document requirements, visit:
- U.S Department of Agriculture
- Hawaii Department of Agriculture
- UK Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
To get more information or request accessibility assistance on your upcoming cruise, fill out the
Dietary Requirements
Special Medical, Allergy and Diabetes
Guests with special medical diets and/or food allergies should contact the Access Desk to discuss Norwegian Cruise Line's policies and procedures concerning special diets and your specific allergies prior to your cruise. Because the vessels are supplied all over the world, it may be easier to meet your specific food allergy requirements in some countries, but very difficult in others. Special dietary requests should be submitted at least 45 days prior to sailing. Any requests inside 45 days cannot be guaranteed. We can arrange to have no sugar and low sodium meals for guests with those specific medical dietary restrictions upon request. Refrigerators are available upon request for storing insulin.
PLEASE NOTE: Kosher Dining is not handled through the Access Desk. Click here for more information.
To get more information or request accessibility assistance on your upcoming cruise, fill out the
Medical Needs
Dialysis
Guests requiring continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis are welcome to board all vessels. However, Norwegian Cruise Line does not have the ability to assist or administer hemo-dialysis treatments. Those guests using peritoneal dialysis should have all solutions and equipment needed to perform the dialysis delivered to the vessel on the day of sailing at least two hours prior to sailing. Please contact the Access desk prior to the cruise for more information on Norwegian Cruise Line's policies and procedures.
Oxygen
The ship is not equipped to provide guests with these services other than on an emergency basis in the Ship's Medical Center. For security and safety reasons, we have selected Scootaround as the only outside vendors that we will permit to deliver oxygen supplies to the ship. We believe they will meet your on board respiratory needs.
However, you are also welcome, to bring your own oxygen and/or oxygen equipment from your home. Please contact the Access & Compliance Department prior to sailing if you will require oxygen while on your cruise. Please note that liquid oxygen is not permitted on any Norwegian Cruise Line vessel.
For additional details on the prearranged rental program for oxygen equipment and other medical equipment, please contact our exclusive supplier and authorized vendor. For the safety and security of everyone, oxygen and/or oxygen equipment deliveries will not be accepted from any other company other than Scootaround.
Pregnancy
Norwegian Cruise Line will not accept guests who will have entered their 24th week of pregnancy by the time their travel with Norwegian Cruise Line concludes. Norwegian Cruise Line will not be responsible or liable for any complications of pregnancy which arise or occur during the cruise.
Other Needs AndAdditional Assistance
Norwegian Cruise Line welcomes guests with medical, emotional or any other challenge to Freestyle cruising. If you have a need that has not been discussed, we encourage you to contact us at the Access Desk regarding your special requirements or requests and our policies and procedures.
Children with Disabilities
Children with disabilities are welcome on all Norwegian Cruise Line vessels. Please contact the Access Desk to discuss Norwegian Cruise Line's policies and procedures regarding children with disabilities and how we can assist you in making your child's cruising experience safe, fun and comfortable.
Cognitive, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Guests with cognitive, intellectual and development disabilities such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease are encouraged to contact the Access Desk to discuss your cruise. Upon request, every effort will be made to meet your cruising special requirements, including:
- Boarding and disembarkation assistance
Website Accessibility Statement
General
At Norwegian Cruise Line (“NCL”), we are committed to facilitating and improving the accessibility and usability of our Website, www.ncl.com (the “Website”), ensuring that our Website services and content are accessible to persons with disabilities including, but not limited to, users of screen reader technology. To accomplish this, NCL has partnered with UsableNet Inc. (“UsableNet”), a leading web accessibility consultant, by implementing technology that will enable and maintain accessibility in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which also brings the Website into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The initial accessibility work has been completed (where testing has been performed both with automatic accessibility testing tools and users of screen readers to identify issues) and remediation has been applied. UsableNet will continue to monitor the Website and make accessibility updates when needed. Users can “Enable Accessibility” via the link at the top of the site navigation and always get the accessibility enabled enhancements ensuring equal access to all features and functions.
Disclaimer
Please be aware that our efforts to maintain accessibility and usability are ongoing. While we strive to make the Website as accessible as possible, some issues may be encountered by different assistive technology as the range of assistive technology is wide and varied. We appreciate your understanding.
Contact Us
If, at any time, you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular web page on the Website, please contact us by email at accessdesk@ncl.com or by phone at the number below. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page and nature of the issue in your email and/or phone call, and we will make all reasonable efforts to make that web page or the information contained therein accessible for you.