Cruise ship accommodations for passengers with physical limitations due to disability or age.

The American journaL o/OccupationaL Therap)1 M eyer 0922/1977) stated that each person has an intrinsic need for balance of work, play, and rest to attain wholesome living. Play, for adults, is referred to as leisure time or avocational activities. Leisure may encompass a wide varieey of activities from sports, to gardening, to art, to travel. The U.S. Travel Data Center (1993) reported that 740 million leisure trips were completed within the United States and 45.9 million outside the country during 1993. Of those persons who chose travel as a means of leisure, 4.5 million selected a cruise ship vacation in 1993 (Cruise Lines International Association, 1995). Unfortunately, no information is available on how many of these 4.5 million passengers had physical disabilities. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA, Public Law 101-336) assures persons wi th disabilities equal access to many sociaJ areas of life, such as transportation, public accommodations, and recreation. Titles II and III of the ADA prohibit discrimination of these areas by privately owned entities and require that all areas be "readily accessible" (Commerce Clearing House, Inc., 1990, p. 15). These accommodations would allow the person to enter and use the facility with the expense for such modification the responsibility of the private entiey. Those cruise ships that are registered in foreign countries (e.g., Honduras, Panama, Liberia) do not need to comply with the ADA. For them, accommodations to improve accessibiliey are not required. Only one cruise line, Royal Caribbean, reported that it is providing accommodations in accordance with the ADA on each new ship. In addition, it has conducted sensitivity seminars in the area of disabilities with ship management and employees.