Press Release Headlines

Special Needs Group Launches Royal Caribbean International®, Celebrity Cruises® & Azamara Club Cruises® on its Enhanced Ship Accessibility Web Portal in July

SNG to Continue to Add One Cruise Line Per Month to Portal, Featuring Comprehensive Ship Accessibility Content for Travel Agents & Consumers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — To continue "Delivering an Accessible World," Special Needs Group (SNG) is adding all accessible ships in the fleets of three Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. family members (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises) to its Web portal/accessibility content resource at www.specialneedsatsea.com/cruise-accessibility. This includes accessibility information for Royal Caribbean International's Quantum of the Seas, scheduled to begin sailing from Cape Liberty, N.J. in November 2014.

The unparalleled, comprehensive, one-stop portal, available to both travel professionals and consumers, is the most robust content resource detailing ships' accessibility features available in the cruise industry. It provides helpful information including:

  • Number of accessible staterooms
  • Accessible stateroom features
  • Food & Beverage venues accessibility
  • Recreational facilities accessibility
  • Much more

SNG will launch Royal Caribbean International on the portal on Monday, July 15; Celebrity Cruises on Monday, July 22 and Azamara Club Cruises on Monday, July 29. On Monday, Aug. 5, SNG will launch Holland America Line® on the portal. It will continue to add one cruise line per month through the end of 2013, and until all ships with accessible features utilized by the North American market have been included.

All ships in the Norwegian Cruise Line® fleet were launched on the portal in April 2013.

SNG President and CEO Andrew Garnett said, "By continuing to add ships/cruise lines to our accessibility content resource, we're reinforcing our corporate responsibility to help educate travel professionals, as well as the traveling public, that individuals with special needs have the ability to travel now more than ever before. The content that we create and provide is mainly informational as opposed to commercially-driven, allowing individuals with special needs to choose the most appropriate ship/cruise for them."

Earlier in 2013, SNG also introduced three collateral assets – Ship Accessibility Checklist™, Mobility Scooter/Power Chair Etiquette™, and Scooter/Power Chair Do's and Don'ts™ – to better assist professional travel agents to serve Americans with disabilities and special needs. These assets are available only to SNG Certified Accessible Travel Advocates™, and can be accessed at www.specialneedsgroup.com/agents.

For more information about the SNG Certified Accessible Travel Advocate program, SNG Travel Agent Affiliate Program and the SNG Resource Center, please call 1-800-513-4515 or visit www.specialneedsgroup.com/agents.

About Special Needs Group, Inc.
Special Needs Group, Inc. is the leading global provider of wheelchair rentals, scooter rentals, oxygen rentals and other special needs equipment rentals. It also offers a broad range of special needs equipment for purchase. Recommended by the world's major cruise lines for superior service and value, Special Needs Group also services guests visiting hotels, resorts, theme parks and convention centers. Special Needs Group is the only mobility and oxygen equipment supplier that is approved to deliver to all major cruise lines.

Special Needs Group is the travel industry's only total special needs travel solution. It is located at 302 NW 1st Street, Dania Beach, FL 33004. For more information, visit www.specialneedsgroup.com or call 1-800-513-4515.

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Duree Ross / Duree & Company, Inc.
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