bring own scooter or rent one

I'm curious about the benefits of bringing your own scooter or renting one to be in your cabin waiting for you. My hubby uses one as he has trouble walking. He is a big man (6'6" & 300 lbs.) so I don't know if the rental company has scooters that he can fit in. Also, will the rental one fit in a regular cabin? I have an outside cabin reserved for next month (that he may go on instead of our son) & an accessible outside cabin in March. Please let me know your experiences or recommendations.

If you are able to transport his personal scooter, I recommend that he take his scooter rather than rent. First of all, he's comfortable using his own scooter, and why take on the additional expense of renting one? Rentals are the same size as personal scooters, so it would not make any difference in regards as to whether or not it will fit through the door or how much room it will take up in the stateroom. My suggestion would be to get a HC room. Enjoy your cruise.

I'm curious about the benefits of bringing your own scooter or renting one to be in your cabin waiting for you. My hubby uses one as he has trouble walking. He is a big man (6'6" & 300 lbs.) so I don't know if the rental company has scooters that he can fit in. Also, will the rental one fit in a regular cabin? I have an outside cabin reserved for next month (that he may go on instead of our son) & an accessible outside cabin in March. Please let me know your experiences or recommendations.

Whether or not you bring your husbands scooter or not depends on the size of the scooter particularly since the cruise next month is in a standard cabin.

Standard cabin doors are on average 23" wide door frame to door frame. You than have to deduct 2" for the depth of the door when open leaving the total door clearance width 21".

• Therefore the scooter can not be any wider than 21" at it's widest point to fit through a standard cabin doorway. Note the widest point is not always the wheelbase as the widest point can be the armrests if he needs them.
  
• Based on SOLAS , Coast Guard and Cruise Line regulations the scooter MUST be stored in the cabin when not in use. Most cruise lines will not store the scooter elsewhere on board for you.
  

Rental Scooters.

• Carevacations Mid-Size scooter is generally the Pride Elite Traveler HD Plus with a width at the wheelbase of 21" and weight capacity of 325 Lbs. It Generally fits through the door of most standard cabins but will leave little floor clearance to move about the cabin.
  
• Based on your husbands weight, if renting from Special Needs at Seas he'll most likely have to rent its Heavy-duty Model as their Standard Smaller Scooter only has a weight capacity of 249 lbs. The Heavy Duty Model is generally a Pride Victory with a weight capacity of upwards to 400 lbs. and the width at the wheelbase is 22.25" which will not fit through the doorway of most standard cabin doors.
  
• Important to note that the Rental company has the final decision on what type/model of scooter they will provide for rental based on the persons weight and height.
  

Thanks for your comments. I will have to have hubby measure his scooter then make a decision. I had a HC cabin booked for May but he insisted no way was he going so I gave it up. Now he may go & I don't have the cabin! Oh, well, I do have the HC cabin in March & he is definitely going then. I just have to figure out what to do in May. Your comments make it a little easier to decide.

Thanks for your comments. I will have to have hubby measure his scooter then make a decision. I had a HC cabin booked for May but he insisted no way was he going so I gave it up. Now he may go & I don't have the cabin! Oh, well, I do have the HC cabin in March & he is definitely going then. I just have to figure out what to do in May. Your comments make it a little easier to decide.

Some other things to consider :

If driving to the port it's more cost effective your Husband to bring his own depending if it will fit thru a standard cabin door.

If you decide to rent you may consider getting an RX from his doctor prior to actually renting the scooter to document the medical need. Depending on your tax bracket you may be able to accrue the rental cost in with all your other medical expenses to meet the US Federal Medical Deduction. Of course you need to consult with your tax advisor if this is doable. The RX must be dated prior to renting and not after.

For those cruising on a ship that alters the configuration of the room (from bed close to the door or bed close to the window) - in a non-handicapped room we could not get the scooter into the room past the bed when the bed was close to the door. That meant, that we could not open the bathroom door if the scooter was in the cabin. thankfully, the cruise line was able to switch our cabin. A scooter in a non-handicapped room is a tight fit but it works if the bed is not close to the door.

Also - a couple of years ago we rented on a cruise to Europe and were quite happy. At the time, DH wasn't as scooter dependent and he really mostly needed it for nights on the ship. We did not try to disembark with the scooter at all. The scooter was in our room when we arrived and we were able to leave it behind when we left. We were quite happy with the service.

For those cruising on a ship that alters the configuration of the room (from bed close to the door or bed close to the window) - in a non-handicapped room we could not get the scooter into the room past the bed when the bed was close to the door. That meant, that we could not open the bathroom door if the scooter was in the cabin. thankfully, the cruise line was able to switch our cabin. A scooter in a non-handicapped room is a tight fit but it works if the bed is not close to the door.

 

Also - a couple of years ago we rented on a cruise to Europe and were quite happy. At the time, DH wasn't as scooter dependent and he really mostly needed it for nights on the ship. We did not try to disembark with the scooter at all. The scooter was in our room when we arrived and we were able to leave it behind when we left. We were quite happy with the service.

Thanks, TSC. I know it will be a tight fight & I was wondering if the steward could possibly exchange the couch for a chair. We never sit on the couch anyway & the chair would give us much needed room to move around. Do you think RC could do this?

I'm curious about the benefits of bringing your own scooter or renting one to be in your cabin waiting for you. My hubby uses one as he has trouble walking. He is a big man (6'6" & 300 lbs.) so I don't know if the rental company has scooters that he can fit in. Also, will the rental one fit in a regular cabin? I have an outside cabin reserved for next month (that he may go on instead of our son) & an accessible outside cabin in March. Please let me know your experiences or recommendations.

My husband is 6' and 300 lbs. We rent the biggest scooter that Care Vacations has and it fits through any of the doors without having a handicap room. All you have to do is take off the arms on the chair which is very easy. My husband doesn't like the arms on it anyway and it fits perfectly in the room. When you disembark just put the arms back on the chair.

I myself am in a wheelchair and it will not fit into a regular cabin. I need a HC cabin for the door only. I myself am bigger too 6'4" and take up space. I have only cruised twice on Princess and my limited experience after working with the access departments says I think they would try and can accommodate your room change request or question them at least.

I understand must have the bed a certain direction or I can't get into the bed right.

Thanks for your replies. It makes me feel a little more confident about renting. I rented one from CareVacations. It saves worrying about how to transport his scooter to the port. I knew I would get some good suggestions from people on CC.

If possible I'd say bring your own.

A bit like a car they all handle differently in tight space knowing your machine can make life a LOT easier.

I took my Mother on a 10 day cruise last year and rented her a folding wheelchair but she walked the ship really well and had little need for it. I also rented an O2 concentrator for myself I use a night Bipap with O2 both from CareVacations and I was very happy with the service. It was nice just having it in the room on arrival and leaving it when disembarking. Id have to have my own wheelchair.

Good luck and have fun.

One more question. Is there some kind of holder on the scooter for a cane? He will be bringing a cane with him & there will be times when he will have to get off the scooter & walk a short distance. Having his cane available will be a tremendous help or do I have to carry it around until he needs it?

You could call Care Vacations back and ask. I never had one on a rental, but it would be easy enough to accommodate. One suggestion, see if you can find a folding cane for his size, that could go in a back pack on him or on the scooter. Have a wonderful time! Truly, all the crew and staff of the ships we have been on have always been very helpful and kind and other than a few, our fellow passengers have been friendly too.

One more question. Is there some kind of holder on the scooter for a cane? He will be bringing a cane with him & there will be times when he will have to get off the scooter & walk a short distance. Having his cane available will be a tremendous help or do I have to carry it around until he needs it?

The rental scooters do not come with a cane holder. I travel with a folding cane and bring a heavy rubber band to secure it when folded and than place it in the scooter's basket. If you can find a folding cane to accommodate his weight capacity that n you could always being a small bungee cord to secure it to the back of the seat.

A bungee cord sounds like a great & inexpensive idea. I knew I would get an answer from people on here! Thanks for the suggestion.

TA was very helpful in arranging a rental scooter for Western Caribbean and Alaska cruises. However, she had no luck finding one for two-week out of London/Dover in mid July. Anyone have information about renting scooters in the UK?

Nancy in Florida

TA was very helpful in arranging a rental scooter for Western Caribbean and Alaska cruises. However, she had no luck finding one for two-week out of London/Dover in mid July. Anyone have information about renting scooters in the UK?

Nancy in Florida

MobilityatSea was mentioned as a rental company in the UK on another thread on this forum. Have never used them so cannot give and information regarding how reputable they are or what type of equipment they rent. Here's the link to check them out. http://www.mobilityatsea.co.uk/

Here's the link to the thread that mentioned MobilityatSea http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2197927

Thank you! we will check it out.

Nancy

We rented from Care Vacations lazy year for our Baltic. Cruise to Russia from Southampton England. You call their office in Fort Lauderdale, or e mail them.

Very good to work with.

We rented from Care Vacations last year for our Baltic Cruise to Russia from Southampton England. You call their office in Fort Lauderdale, or e mail them.

Very good to work with.