boarding with scooter and seated walker

We will be sailing with my 83 yr. old Mother. She has difficulties walking long distances and will use her scooter of that, but for short distances she can use her walker. Can we put a tag on the walker for it to be delivered with the luggage? I would hate to have to roll the walker around and take up space on the ship while we wait to get into our cabin. We do not have an H/C cabin and sure hope we have enough room in the cabin for both. eeks!

We will be sailing with my 83 yr. old Mother. She has difficulties walking long distances and will use her scooter of that, but for short distances she can use her walker. Can we put a tag on the walker for it to be delivered with the luggage? I would hate to have to roll the walker around and take up space on the ship while we wait to get into our cabin. We do not have an H/C cabin and sure hope we have enough room in the cabin for both. eeks!

Yes you can tag it for delivery to your cabin. However you always need to be concerned with the wheels being damaged as you don't know what the porters will pile on top of it.

Suggest you just carry it on board. Than head directly to the cabin and explain to anyone that stops and questions you that it be to drop off so it doesn't get lost or damaged while you're waiting . Than just leave. It shouldn't be an issue.

Since you don't have an HC cabin you need to be concerned with the scooter fitting through the door way. If the scooter is wider than 21" it probably won't fit. It it's the size of a Pride Go Go it should be oK. The arm rests might have to be removed. The scooter cannot be stored in the hallway. When the Rollator is not needed you might consider storing it in the shower when not in use to help ease the conjestion in the room.

Thanks for the information. We will see if we can take it directly to the cabin. The scooter is a small Go-Go and measures 19" so hopefully no trouble there.

Thanks for the information. We will see if we can take it directly to the cabin. The scooter is a small Go-Go and measures 19" so hopefully no trouble there.

The scooter you have will fit and there probably won't be a need to remove the arms. I've had a Pride Go Elite Traveler Plus in a standard cabin so I know the Pride Go Go Ultra will work as it's 2" smaller in width than the Elite.

Some tips for a standard cabin when using a scooter.

• Best to have the beds set up as twins and not a queen. This will give you some more room . If it's set up as queen you will have problem getting in/out of bed on one side as the scooter will be blocking. Twins also allow you to do a tight 3 point turn to drive the scooter out the door. Rather than backing it up out the door.
  
• Either have the coffee table removed from the cabin or tuck it as close to the end of the sofa and the foot of the bed as possible so as to have better floor clearance.
  
• Push the desk chair in tightly and park the scooter parallel to the desk. This is to reach the electrical outlet for charging. As well as giving you enough floor clearance to walk around.
  

Hope this helps you.

When we cruise, I ride my scooter to board the ship, and DH pushes the walker or wheelchair, whichever we have with us, and piles carry ons, etc. on it. It's a lot easier to push that stuff than to try and carry it all. :) Be sure and take an extension cord, we usually take a power strip, as the electric outlets are few and far between and may be in a very inconvenient place to charge the scooter. When we had a non accessible cabin, I parked scooter in closet and we could easily remove battery for charging.............haven't been on Carnival, though, so don't know how their closets are set up.

Carnival closets are built-in and in the entry way (see pic below) so you can't park scooter in them like you could on a Princess or some RCI ships but I found that on our Carnival rooms that have balcony and sofa my scooter parked nicely in front of sofa....and this was a non-handicapped room.

The above photo is very helpful, thank you!

We are sailing on the Glory with my elderly parents. We both have the regular balcony staterooms. Since my father has mobility issues with long distances, we were thinking about renting him a scooter, or taking a wheelchair (neither of which he uses at home) to navigate the long walks across the ship decks. I think he would feel more independent with the scooter, but the wheelchair would be easier to fold out of the way. Anyway, I was wondering where a scooter could be parked, and your photo mostly says it all!

Questions: Why did you have to take the seat off? Was their a chair in the room that you had removed, and why not remove the table, too?

Did you rent your scooter, and how much was it for a week?

Thank you!

The above photo is very helpful, thank you!

 

We are sailing on the Glory with my elderly parents. We both have the regular balcony staterooms. Since my father has mobility issues with long distances, we were thinking about renting him a scooter, or taking a wheelchair (neither of which he uses at home) to navigate the long walks across the ship decks. I think he would feel more independent with the scooter, but the wheelchair would be easier to fold out of the way. Anyway, I was wondering where a scooter could be parked, and your photo mostly says it all!

 

Questions: Why did you have to take the seat off? Was their a chair in the room that you had removed, and why not remove the table, too?

 

Did you rent your scooter, and how much was it for a week?

 

Thank you!

Beleive the scooter shown in the picture is actually owned by the poster. That scooter is called the TRAVELSCOOT. In most cases the travelscoot cannot be driven through a standard cabin doorway as it's 23.5" wide and the average standard cabin clearance allowing for the depth of the door when open is 22" wide. The cost to rent the Travelscooter scooter is about $249.00 for 7 days. The scooter gets delivered to your home and you than have to transport it to the cruise ship . You also are responsible for shipping it back to the vendor. Link :http://www.scootanywhere.com/family_scooter_rentals.php?gclid=CMnJy8T1p6MCFREhDQodLWcF4g

There are other scooter rental companies that will deliver the scooter directly to your cabin. It than gets left in your cabin on the last day of the cruise. You don't have to transport it. You need to contact the special needs department of the cruise line to get the name of their approved scooter rental vendor. The vendor needs to have all the proper clearances from Homeland Security, the cruise line and the port authority to enter the ship. The vendor will most likely be one of the following :

CareVacations : http://www.carevacations.com/cruiseshipassist/

If person's weight is below 300# Carevacations has scooter (the Pride GO GO ) that will fit through the standard cabin doorway. Anything larger will require you to have a HC Accessible cabin

Special Needs at Sea : http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/

If person's weight is below 250# Special Needs has a scooter that will fit through the standard cabin doorway. Anything larger will require you to have a HC Accessible cabin.

Costs for both CareVacations and Special Needs at Sea varies based on port, size of scooter needed and number of rental days. On average it runs about $260.00 for 7 days . It needs to be booked at least 30 days in advance of the cruise.

Also note that the Tour Buses generally do not have lifts so the scooter won't be allowed on the tour buses. The tour buses can and will accommodate a foldable wheelchair. Also if there are any ports on your itinerary that are "TENDERED", depending on the weather and whether he can walk any steps he may not be allowed to board the tender with the scooter. Most of us that use scooters expect to stay on board tendered days and if we can get off with the scooter it's a plus.

we have rented from CareVacations previously (and are renting from them again for our cruise in two weeks). while it can be a bit pricey to rent - the convenience factor of having the scooter waiting in the cabin is a big plus in our books. we don't have to worry about it being damaged by the airline, how we will get it from the airport to the ship - all that is a huge weight off our minds. We did get my mom an accessible cabin because her preferred scooter is too wide to fit in a standard cabin (plus, after the knee and hip surgeries, I prefer that she have the grab bars in the bathroom and the roll-in shower + bench versus having to make her step into a tub/shower combo).

Beleive the scooter shown in the picture is actually owned by the poster. That scooter is called the TRAVELSCOOT. In most cases the travelscoot cannot be driven through a standard cabin doorway as it's 23.5" wide and the average standard cabin clearance allowing for the depth of the door when open is 22" wide. The cost to rent the Travelscooter scooter is about $249.00 for 7 days. The scooter gets delivered to your home and you than have to transport it to the cruise ship . You also are responsible for shipping it back to the vendor. Link :http://www.scootanywhere.com/family_scooter_rentals.php?gclid=CMnJy8T1p6MCFREhDQodLWcF4g

 

 

There are other scooter rental companies that will deliver the scooter directly to your cabin. It than gets left in your cabin on the last day of the cruise. You don't have to transport it. You need to contact the special needs department of the cruise line to get the name of their approved scooter rental vendor. The vendor needs to have all the proper clearances from Homeland Security, the cruise line and the port authority to enter the ship. The vendor will most likely be one of the following :

 

CareVacations : http://www.carevacations.com/cruiseshipassist/

If person's weight is below 300# Carevacations has scooter (the Pride GO GO ) that will fit through the standard cabin doorway. Anything larger will require you to have a HC Accessible cabin

 

Special Needs at Sea : http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/

If person's weight is below 250# Special Needs has a scooter that will fit through the standard cabin doorway. Anything larger will require you to have a HC Accessible cabin.

 

Costs for both CareVacations and Special Needs at Sea varies based on port, size of scooter needed and number of rental days. On average it runs about $260.00 for 7 days . It needs to be booked at least 30 days in advance of the cruise.

 

Also note that the Tour Buses generally do not have lifts so the scooter won't be allowed on the tour buses. The tour buses can and will accommodate a foldable wheelchair. Also if there are any ports on your itinerary that are "TENDERED", depending on the weather and whether he can walk any steps he may not be allowed to board the tender with the scooter. Most of us that use scooters expect to stay on board tendered days and if we can get off with the scooter it's a plus.

Thanks for all that info. We were looking at the Go Go which is 21" wide. No ports to tender, and no excursion buses. :)

ORDPLATAA we have rented from CareVacations previously (and are renting from them again for our cruise in two weeks). while it can be a bit pricey to rent - the convenience factor of having the scooter waiting in the cabin is a big plus in our books. we don't have to worry about it being damaged by the airline, how we will get it from the airport to the ship - all that is a huge weight off our minds. We did get my mom an accessible cabin because her preferred scooter is too wide to fit in a standard cabin (plus, after the knee and hip surgeries, I prefer that she have the grab bars in the bathroom and the roll-in shower + bench versus having to make her step into a tub/shower combo).

I agree that having it in the room is the key. We do not want to worry with it ahead of time. If we decide to go with the wheelchair, we may try borrowing one. Our church has a great program!

My parents chose the standard balcony stateroom, instead of their usual suite, because the bathroom is smaller and it has a walk-in shower. My father will be able to grab onto the sink to get up, and no lip to climb over. In the suites, the bathroom only had a high tub. With the bathroom and stateroom being smaller, if the ship is rocking, he will have plenty to hang onto, while he gets around. We figure for 5 days, they could do a regular balcony. It's just like the photo above. They are really quite spacious, though the bathroom is tiny.

Thanks for all that info. We were looking at the Go Go which is 21" wide. No ports to tender, and no excursion buses. :)

 

 

The Pride Go Go is a good choice. I personally own one and it's also my preferred rental choice. It easily breaks down to fit into the trunk of a car. I have MS and I'm able to break it down and reassemble it myself. It takes me about 2 minutes. Check out the real time video that shows how to disasemble it just incase you decide to take some private tours by cab .

 

http://www.pridemobility.com/gogo/video/gogo_Elite_disassembly.html

CruisinManiac ---Also suggest you contact the Special Needs Department and request a shower seat for your father. This is a free service and based on first come first served basis. It will give you better peace of mine if the ship is rocking when he's showering.

CruisinManiac ---Also suggest you contact the Special Needs Department and request a shower seat for your father. This is a free service and based on first come first served basis. It will give you better peace of mine if the ship is rocking when he's showering.

Oh my goodness...thank you for that suggestion! Never thought about a seat in there (hope one will fit.) My dad uses one at home. Since we are driving, maybe we should just bring his.

I just got off the phone with my mom, and she feels that we should just take a wheelchair that can be kept collapsed in the room. That way, we have it if needed. She is afraid that my Dad will not have enough coordination to drive an electric scooter, or that he will drive off without her, run over her or others, go overboard.... you get the picture...she was coming up with all types of excuses. :rolleyes: So, we will look to borrow a wheelchair and not worry about the other.

Thank you again for all the help and suggestions. :)

PS - I just took a look at the video. My parents would be so confused try to take that thing apart and put it back together, not to mention the balance and coordination to do so. I think we are making the correct decision.

Questions: Why did you have to take the seat off? Was their a chair in the room that you had removed, and why not remove the table, too?

Just a FYI we did not have to take the seat off the Travelscoot...now sure why it was in that picture LOL. Though I could not "drive" into the cabin because of the width of the Travelscoot as stated by XXOO we were able to get it in with a slight tip of the back wheels to get it through the doorway. I've used it on two Carnival cruises, a 16 day transatlantic on Dream and 7 days on Valor. I never had to fold up the Travelscoot.

Sounds like the wheelchair will work out for you!

Just a FYI we did not have to take the seat off the Travelscoot...now sure why it was in that picture LOL. Though I could not "drive" into the cabin because of the width of the Travelscoot as stated by XXOO we were able to get it in with a slight tip of the back wheels to get it through the doorway. I've used it on two Carnival cruises, a 16 day transatlantic on Dream and 7 days on Valor. I never had to fold up the Travelscoot.

 

Sounds like the wheelchair will work out for you!

Can you tell me if you have used your travel scoot in Europe? We are traveling to London and Barcelona prior to leaving on NCL Jade on Jan 2, 2011. The cruise takes us to Rome, Athens, Izmir, Alexandria, and Malta. Just wondering with mobility device would be easy and light weight. My husband has MS and can walk but not distances. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Patty

:rolleyes::rolleyes: OMGoodness...my brother calls last night and says that he thinks my father needs to have a scooter. He says my father is SO SLOW that he doesn't see how he will get around the ship on his own. My brother talked to my parents and they are coming around to the idea. ;)

Now, I sent the link of the Travel Scoot to my brother and he wrote back that it would not work. He thinks my father needs some arms on his scooter, because his balance is so off. He has seem him fall off of chairs!

I will be seeing my parents on Labor day weekend, so we can talk some more, and I can show them some equipment and videos. Is there any scooter that will fit in the standard door, without having to tip it? I like the GoGo posted in this video. http://www.pridemobility.com/gogo/vi...sassembly.html Where could I rent one?

We may have to end up getting them either a suite, or a handicapped room after all. If we get a suite, we can request a shower seat for the tub. My dad can slide in, grab the bars, and then stand up to shower. Reverse to get out of the shower.

PS - Sorry to be so wishy washy! :D

I have a GoGo Elite Traveler and we have used it in a standard Princess mini suite with a standard door. Mine is a three wheel scooter, and if your Dad has balance problems, he may be better off with a more stable four wheel version. You might be able to rent one from Care Vacations or from a medical supply business in your Dad's home town.

That said, I would like to tell you of my experience in a standard mini suite with a combination bathtub and shower. I could not get into the tub without my husband lifting my legs over the side.........a shower seat did not matter, the tubs are deep and difficult for anyone with leg problems to lift their legs over the side. We have gone back to accessible cabins with a shower. If you have a separate tub and shower in your suite, that would be do-able, and your Dad might not have any trouble with his legs, but just so you know..................... :)

Have a great cruise!

PS - I had also read suggestions of using the showers at the fitness center or spa, and I went there to check that out. The showers would be easy to get into, however, no seat, and I couldn't find any place within easy distance for me to park, to have it available after. That didn't work for me, but it may be something you could consider if you did have a room with just a tub.

I have a GoGo Elite Traveler and we have used it in a standard Princess mini suite with a standard door. Mine is a three wheel scooter, and if your Dad has balance problems, he may be better off with a more stable four wheel version. You might be able to rent one from Care Vacations or from a medical supply business in your Dad's home town.

That said, I would like to tell you of my experience in a standard mini suite with a combination bathtub and shower. I could not get into the tub without my husband lifting my legs over the side.........a shower seat did not matter, the tubs are deep and difficult for anyone with leg problems to lift their legs over the side. We have gone back to accessible cabins with a shower. If you have a separate tub and shower in your suite, that would be do-able, and your Dad might not have any trouble with his legs, but just so you know..................... :)

Have a great cruise!

 

I've searched and cannot seem to find the GoGo to rent. Are the three wheel scooters really less stable than the 4 wheel?

 

I remember how deep those tubs were (and how small that bathroom was:eek:) in the Princess mini-suite. The tubs in the Grand Suites on RCCL are equally as deep. HAL seems to be the only line that gets it right in their bathrooms. Low tubs for standard cabins and verandah's, and a long low tub/shower combo, plus an additional walk-in shower.

 

 

PS - I had also read suggestions of using the showers at the fitness center or spa, and I went there to check that out. The showers would be easy to get into, however, no seat, and I couldn't find any place within easy distance for me to park, to have it available after. That didn't work for me, but it may be something you could consider if you did have a room with just a tub.

We used to send our son up to the showers when he roomed with our daughter, but I cannot see my Dad wanting to do that. I'd be afraid he would slip up there.

I am beginning to think that the best thing may be to go back to Plan B with the wheelchair, or/and taking a wheeled walker with a seat.

"Also note that the Tour Buses generally do not have lifts so the scooter won't be allowed on the tour buses. The tour buses can and will accommodate a foldable wheelchair. "

xxoocruiser,

This isn't always true.

Many times we have booked a panoramic excursion or a shuttle to town. If they are the huge buses with luggage storage underneath, my husband can climb on the bus and I will store our Pride Go Go underneath with the gear locked. It just rolls in if the steering handle is folded down. The bus driver always wants to help put it under (so do lots of other people on the tour with us).

I always make sure that we will get our money back if the bus is small or can't take luggage. Sometimes the excursion desk doesn't know the bus type.

Just wanted you to know about our experiences on many cruises to Hawaii, Baltics, the eastern Med., and a northern transatlantic. These cruises were on M class Celebrity ships.

Judy

I don't think we will be taking any excursions, and if we do, we will not take a scooter.

We used to send our son up to the showers when he roomed with our daughter, but I cannot see my Dad wanting to do that. I'd be afraid he would slip up there.

 

I've searched and cannot seem to find the GoGo to rent. Are the three wheel scooters really less stable than the 4 wheel

 

I am beginning to think that the best thing may be to go back to Plan B with the wheelchair, or/and taking a wheeled walker with a seat.

CareVacations does rent the Pride Go Go. They rent the light weight version with 250 LBS weight capacity and the Mid Size with a 300 LBS capacity. http://www.carevacations.com/cruiseshipassist/mobility-equipment/mid-size-scooter/

Regarding handicap cabins people book this far in advance. There may not be any available at this time for your cruise.

The website didn't give the name of the scooter, so I wasn't sure that was it. ;) The smaller scooter would be fine for my father. I think he weighs about 170-80 lbs. now. However, the medium sized looks more comfortable. Will that size fit in the standard stateroom door? What is the Elite? Is it the same as this video? http://www.pridemobility.com/gogo/video/gogo_Elite_disassembly.html

I looked at the standard balcony HC staterooms and am not pleased with the locations. The HC OS stateroom is very large, but the bathroom is weird and not really handicapped. Has an open tub, and not roll in shower. The tub would be dangerous as it is open on the front, and on one end, with just a wrap around curtain to hold you in. :eek:

My parents can either stick to the standard stateroom, or move up to a regular suite.