Transport Chair vs Wheelchair

I will be doing a 17-day Hawaiian cruise with my Mom in November. Mom can walk short distances with a cane slowly. Our last cruise was 2 years ago, she did ok with her cane, but we were always the last ones on any excursions. Plus she was really tired by the afternoon.

Since the last cruise, Dad and I got her a transport chair. She uses it sparingly (she's a little stubborn). I took her to Disney in it and after a few hours, my hands became raw. I was thinking of renting a wheelchair for her on the cruise.

My question is: for the person doing the pushing, is a wheelchair better than a transport chair?

The short answer is yes.

The larger rear wheels allow it to handle different surfaces much more easily than a transport chair, especially carpeting.

I have MS and I too can walk short distances with a cane slowly. I made the leap to using a scooter in 2009 and cannot recommend renting one for your Mom highly enough.

Not only does it save your hands and those of your Dad, but it gives your Mom independence, which is quality that usually accompanies stubbornness (at least it does in my case).:rolleyes:

Marlee

I will be doing a 17-day Hawaiian cruise with my Mom in November. Mom can walk short distances with a cane slowly. Our last cruise was 2 years ago, she did ok with her cane, but we were always the last ones on any excursions. Plus she was really tired by the afternoon.

 

Since the last cruise, Dad and I got her a transport chair. She uses it sparingly (she's a little stubborn). I took her to Disney in it and after a few hours, my hands became raw. I was thinking of renting a wheelchair for her on the cruise.

 

My question is: for the person doing the pushing, is a wheelchair better than a transport chair?

A wheelchair is much easier than a transport chair. My sons wheelchair folds up easily.

I think that she should try a scooter at home first. My son uses a scooter 24/7 and often mentions the terrible scooter operators onboard. It takes a little practice to maneuver one well so a crowded ship probably isn't the best place to get the hang of it.

I will be doing a 17-day Hawaiian cruise with my Mom in November. Mom can walk short distances with a cane slowly. Our last cruise was 2 years ago, she did ok with her cane, but we were always the last ones on any excursions. Plus she was really tired by the afternoon.

 

Since the last cruise, Dad and I got her a transport chair. She uses it sparingly (she's a little stubborn). I took her to Disney in it and after a few hours, my hands became raw. I was thinking of renting a wheelchair for her on the cruise.

 

My question is: for the person doing the pushing, is a wheelchair better than a transport chair?

A wheelchair is much easier to push and not as stressing on the pusher.

Though a mobility scooter does give an individual more independence provided the person can safely maneuver it, you need to know that there may be a problem with taking a mobility scooter on excursions. Many of the excursions do not have vehicles with accessible lifts so you'll have to contact the cruise lines Excursion Department to see what tours are available that can accommodate a mobility scooter . Otherwise you'll have to locate private accessible tours.

Thanks for all of the input! I'll look into renting a chair locally so we can have it to use in the airport and embark/disembark.

My Dad has neuropathy and we've rented him a scooter at Disney for the last several years. He likes the independence and that no one has to push him around (although we wouldn't mind).

We are currently debating the best option for our January cruise on the LegOTS. He has a walker that can double as a chair (it has a seat). We're debating about renting a scooter for him on the ship. They are not booked in an accessible room, they are in an E1 balcony, #6054. How difficult is it to manuever in and out of a standard balcony room? A scooter would allow him the opportunity to disembark at a port if he chose to do so. Just not sure how obtrusive & difficult it would be to manage in the stateroom. Thanks for any insight.

Most scooters, esp. the ones for rent from the usual cruise support companies, will not fit through a standard cabin doorway, and even if you can get it through the door, there is not enough room to park or maneuver it around the cabin as it is with an accessible cabin. You cannot park it in the hallway either...this is an obstruction for other wheelchair uses and a fire hazard.

A scooter is fine for around the ship, but a manual folding lightweight wheelchair is more practical for shore-side use, even within the USA. Using that, you can rent a car or hire a cab and see what you want to see on your own, and not depend on finding the (rare) ship's excursion that has a lift-equipped van or bus.

Most scooters, esp. the ones for rent from the usual cruise support companies, will not fit through a standard cabin doorway, and even if you can get it through the door, there is not enough room to park or maneuver it around the cabin as it is with an accessible cabin. You cannot park it in the hallway either...this is an obstruction for other wheelchair uses and a fire hazard.

 

A scooter is fine for around the ship, but a manual folding lightweight wheelchair is more practical for shore-side use, even within the USA. Using that, you can rent a car or hire a cab and see what you want to see on your own, and not depend on finding the (rare) ship's excursion that has a lift-equipped van or bus.

Yes, this is what we find to work best for us also. The lightweight folding chairs are great plus you can manage some steps with one. An example, if you reach an intersection without a curb cut with a scooter you aren't going anywhere vs with a chair which can be turned around and backed down. The chairs also work better in crowded stores. This has been our experience anyway.

Most scooters, esp. the ones for rent from the usual cruise support companies, will not fit through a standard cabin doorway, and even if you can get it through the door, there is not enough room to park or maneuver it around the cabin as it is with an accessible cabin. You cannot park it in the hallway either...this is an obstruction for other wheelchair uses and a fire hazard.

 

http://www.CareVacations.com Lightweight Scooter and Mid Size scooter rentals as well as http://www.Specialneedsatsea.com Standard Scooter rental are all part of the Pride Mobility GoGo Series and will fit through a standard cabin doorway. The arm rests may need to be adjusted in width or totally removed but all 3 of these rentals will fit through a standard doorway cabin. Also provided that the individual doesn't require the use of a walker all 3 of these scooter will fit in a standard cabin. I have done is may times as am not always able to get an accessible cabin. If the individual needs a Full Size or Bariatric size scooter than an accessible cabin must be booked .

A regular wheelchair is easier to push BUT it won't really change the issue with your hands.

I have a pair of cotton gloves that I've cut the fingers off of (so they look like bike gloves) that basically cover my palms. It stops the rubbing and my hands don't hurt so much after a day of non-stop pushing.

In a pinch, I've also put facecloths over the grips or even thick serviettes. One time I used sport socks (I was desparate - but they worked!)

For whatever reason, it's only me who has this issue - my dad can push and his hands don't get raw (but mine always do).

With a 3 week vacation coming up, I've decided to create handle covers (removeable and washable) that will slip over the handles to be used for long distance pushing.

If you check the home improvement stores they have work gloves that have silicone padded palms for use with power tools.

Pushing a wheelchair on a ship is downright hard. The carpeting is difficult. The door jams are ridiculous. The carpet has metal dividers every so often that can stop a chair in its tracks. Not only will your hands hurt, but your arms will hurt as well. Go with a scooter.

In terms of embarking, disembarking and on the ship....I loved the transport chair. It also worked great at the airport. Off the ship is a different story.

Go with a scooter.

Unfortunately, a scooter is not an option. We have an oceanview room and there would be no room for it. Also, I've seen where most tours cannot accommodate them. Plus mom has never driven one, not even the ones at the grocery store.

If you check the home improvement stores they have work gloves that have silicone padded palms for use with power tools.

Thanks for the tip! I'll go check them out.

Basically, folks are in agreement on 3 options:

1.power scooter---probably not best choice for a rookie.

2. wheelchair--good choice, particularly for uneven surfaces.

3. transport chair---also good choice, if weight of the chair is an issue.

We took my mom on two cruses. Like many others, she could walk short distances, but tired quickly. A chair of some type was really a necessity. Our first plan was an actual wheelchair (big rear wheels). Someone at the medical supply store recommended the transporter, as an alternative. It worked so well that we bought one after her first cruise. My mom was a huge Red Sox fan. My wife customized the chair with Red Sox logo and decoration...to my mother's delight.

That chair made it to the top of Mayan pyramids and scores of other sites.

It was very light (15lb?) and extremely compact. I would not presume to know what is "best" for your family, but the transport chair was a great option for us.

Have a wonderful time.

Basically, folks are in agreement on 3 options:

1.power scooter---probably not best choice for a rookie.

2. wheelchair--good choice, particularly for uneven surfaces.

3. transport chair---also good choice, if weight of the chair is an issue.

 

We took my mom on two cruses. Like many others, she could walk short distances, but tired quickly. A chair of some type was really a necessity. Our first plan was an actual wheelchair (big rear wheels). Someone at the medical supply store recommended the transporter, as an alternative. It worked so well that we bought one after her first cruise. My mom was a huge Red Sox fan. My wife customized the chair with Red Sox logo and decoration...to my mother's delight.

 

That chair made it to the top of Mayan pyramids and scores of other sites.

It was very light (15lb?) and extremely compact. I would not presume to know what is "best" for your family, but the transport chair was a great option for us.

Have a wonderful time.

who's the manufacturer of your transport chair?

i'm looking for one now for my mom on our alaska cruise this summer.

she can walk, but not long distances.

so the chair will help

but there are so many options, i'm losing my mind trying to pick one..

If a transport chair is your chair of choice, some have larger rear wheels. Several good companies make them and they are in my opinion are superior to the 4 small wheels. One a side note, ours has hand brakes which we used more than we thought. We used one for my wife for many years and traveled on many cruises all over the world. She is small and I am large which made things easier. Now both of our bodies are worn and we both use scooters.

Over the years the biggest problems have been the airport and boarding and leaving the ship. Airport assist is not reliable and our failures were when we needed it most. Remember you must plan for the worst case and hope for best case.

If a transport chair is your chair of choice, some have larger rear wheels. Several good companies make them and they are in my opinion are superior to the 4 small wheels. One a side note, ours has hand brakes which we used more than we thought. We used one for my wife for many years and traveled on many cruises all over the world. She is small and I am large which made things easier. Now both of our bodies are worn and we both use scooters.

 

Over the years the biggest problems have been the airport and boarding and leaving the ship. Airport assist is not reliable and our failures were when we needed it most. Remember you must plan for the worst case and hope for best case.

if we get a transport chair, it will only be with the bigger rear wheels, but there are many choices.

I think i've read every review on the internet, but still can't figure out which one to buy.

the karman (with 14" rear wheels) looks really good, but it doesn't have handbrakes (their regular wheelchair does have handbrakes, so i don't know why they didn't include it on the transport)..

there are at least 4 different companies with larger back wheel transport chairs. But which one to buy?

or should i go with a regular wheel chair???????????????

karman makes a very lightweight regular wheelchair....so maybe that one?

i'll need to use the chair outside as well as on the ship...

my mom can walk, but not long distances...

i'm buying a chair for the 'just in case' scenario..

is the regular wheelchair easier to use outdoors than the transport?

she travels a lot on her own - in airports she always uses the airline's wheelchair service (and i would still use that on this trip)..

she can't use a scooter as she's nearly blind, so that would be pretty dangerous....she's not very heavy, so i should be fine pushing her around..

i figure i can get her the 16" seat...

but it's all so confusing...i just don't know what to buy...

we live overseas, so i'm going to have the chair shipped to our first hotel in alaska (i called them to make sure it's ok)...

decisions decisions decisions....

Our transport chair is a Nova and has served us well.

As others have pointed out, transport chairs are available with brakes, which are a big benefit in some locations. Remember that front wheel size has an influence on pushing resistance as well as the rears, so a transport chair with all round large wheels may be a good choice.

As for gloves, maybe try standard wheelchair gloves. The have fingers cut for dexterity, but the palm and thumb are well padded.

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who's the manufacturer of your transport chair?

 

i'm looking for one now for my mom on our alaska cruise this summer.

she can walk, but not long distances.

so the chair will help

but there are so many options, i'm losing my mind trying to pick one..

A couple of suggestions to save you money. Rent one from Carevacations or Specialneedsatsea --- they will deliver and pick up from the ship and it's wonderful to have it waiting there for you! Second suggestion is to always buy these chairs from Craigslist and you'll save tons. Check out Craigslist Anchorage (beauty and health section), to see if you could buy one from some local person who might deliver it to the hotel for you. You can get a good idea about them from reading the ads. The only caveat with that idea would be that you're off-shore and would need them to follow up on their end of the commitment to sell and deliver to you. Good luck!

As others have pointed out, transport chairs are available with brakes, which are a big benefit in some locations. Remember that front wheel size has an influence on pushing resistance as well as the rears, so a transport chair with all round large wheels may be a good choice.

 

As for gloves, maybe try standard wheelchair gloves. The have fingers cut for dexterity, but the palm and thumb are well padded.

 

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yes, i've eliminated chairs that don't have the larger back wheels or handbrakes!.

and i've added gloves to my list!!

A couple of suggestions to save you money. Rent one from Carevacations or Specialneedsatsea --- they will deliver and pick up from the ship and it's wonderful to have it waiting there for you! Second suggestion is to always buy these chairs from Craigslist and you'll save tons. Check out Craigslist Anchorage (beauty and health section), to see if you could buy one from some local person who might deliver it to the hotel for you. You can get a good idea about them from reading the ads. The only caveat with that idea would be that you're off-shore and would need them to follow up on their end of the commitment to sell and deliver to you. Good luck!

special needs at sea doesn't supply wheelchairs to alaska cruises that start in seward...so that option is out anyway..

but in any case, it's much cheaper to buy than to rent..

transport chairs (except for karman) are dirt cheap....really...

how much cheaper can you get than $100? you can't rent it for that little..

and there's no way craig's list is going to be cheap enough to be worth the risk of buying that way..

besides, it needs to be shipped to alaska...

i'm only willing to trust amazon with that task..(i've used them before to alaska)..

Our transport chair is a Nova and has served us well.

thanks! Nova's one of the ones still on my list..

i have karman, nova and medline on the list...

not sure which to pick, but it will be one of those 3..

and definitely a transport chair with larger back wheels and handbrakes...but not sure which of the 3 brands yet..

We got a rather lightweight chair with large rear wheels and brakes last summer for my DD. It was a lifesaver. Luckily, she was able to move herself decently well. If something happens again, though, we will rent a scooter. Hopefully, that will not be necessary. She has mostly recovered, and is able to walk and stand mostly normally - she just has to watch it.

We paid just under $100 for the one we have, and it traveled across Europe, many flights and gate - checks. The chair is now in my basement. It needs a bit of rehab before use again, but we are glad we bought it. Lots cheaper than a rental, and lightweight.