New to Carnival..Special needs

Hi...I am new to this board too.

My brother has ALS and we will be taking the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore MD on the 23rd. We are looking forward to the trip. This is one of the things my brother wants to do on his bucket list.

My question is is the ship easy to get around in. He is still doing well but tires easy.

We did upgrades to suites.

Thank you for helping me. Not sure if this is where I post this .

I've not been on the Pride (but was on the Glory - not sure if that's the same class of ship [and therefore laid out similar/the same] or not), but ships are big and walks can be long for those of us with energy issues. He may want to bring a wheelchair (or scooter) with him to use on the ship and on the islands in case he can't handle all the walking. If he doesn't own one, he can rent one for the cruise, although cheap wheelchairs (especially transport chairs [ones only other ppl can push, as they don't have the big wheels the rider can self-propel themselves with]) can be found for possibly less than what a rental would cost. Since his problem is energy, he wouldn't likely be able to push himself in the chair anyway, so a transport chair would work out just fine. And it folds up so can be stored in a non-accessible cabin if that's what you have. If you are flying, it doesn't count as a piece of luggage (no fee for it).

I would avoid a transport chair if possible. I wasted some money on one because I did not know how poorly they handled uneven pavements. A transport chair is OK on even surfaces like in an airport but on slightly broken pavement or cobblestones the wheels of the transport chair transfer all the bumps directly to the person seated in the chair. I thought my teeth were rattling. I hated it. My husband also noted that the transport chair was very difficult to push over carpet (lots of carpet on cruise ships). I use a scooter now.

Unfortunately, on MOST cruise ships the entertainment venue is on the complete opposite end of where the Dining Room is and, this can be very difficult for folks with mobility issues.

We have learned [because my DH uses a wheelchair and I have a Service Dog] we leave the Dining Room in lots of time to take the wheel and walk to the Theatre.

We ALWAYS sit in the HC section so that we can leave a bit earlier to avoid the crowds leaving the Theatre and fighting for the hallways and elevators.

If you plan well, you're trip will be more enjoyable for all of you.

Know where you're going, arrive early and leave a bit earlier too.

Most importantly, have a wonderful cruise. :)

Hi...I am new to this board too.

 

My brother has ALS and we will be taking the Carnival Pride out of Baltimore MD on the 23rd. We are looking forward to the trip. This is one of the things my brother wants to do on his bucket list.

 

My question is is the ship easy to get around in. He is still doing well but tires easy.

 

We did upgrades to suites.

 

Thank you for helping me. Not sure if this is where I post this .

I just got off the Pride on Jan.16th. For health reasons I had to rent a scooter. I had no trouble using it in shopping areas in Nassau and Freeport. I got name of company that rented scooters and delivered them right to your cabin on the Pride. I can't recommend this company to anyone because they failed to deliver it before we sailed and I ended up not getting one until we got to Port Canaveral. Then they sent one that wouldn't fit through the doorway of our cabin (not a handicap cabin). I was allowed to just park it in the hallway at night and had no problems doing this. I had no trouble getting around the ship at all. Other guests and crew members were so friendly and helpful.... I missed so much on my last cruise because it was painful and tiring to walk very far. This time I did it all and had a wonderful trip. Well worth the cost of the rental. Hope you all enjoy your cruise too.

I just got off the Pride on Jan.16th. For health reasons I had to rent a scooter. I had no trouble using it in shopping areas in Nassau and Freeport. I got name of company that rented scooters and delivered them right to your cabin on the Pride. I can't recommend this company to anyone because they failed to deliver it before we sailed and I ended up not getting one until we got to Port Canaveral. Then they sent one that wouldn't fit through the doorway of our cabin (not a handicap cabin). I was allowed to just park it in the hallway at night and had no problems doing this. I had no trouble getting around the ship at all. Other guests and crew members were so friendly and helpful.... I missed so much on my last cruise because it was painful and tiring to walk very far. This time I did it all and had a wonderful trip. Well worth the cost of the rental. Hope you all enjoy your cruise too.

Please tell us the name of the company that DID NOT follow through on delivering your scooter. It's important for all of us who need this service to know who lacks in the responsibility department. And, who needs a good reminder to make sure that the delivery is not forgotten!!!!! :(

And, I so agree with you about the helpfulness of the staff onboard cruiselines, they're remarkable in their willingness to make your cruise the best ever!!!!!

The Pride is an older ship, and scooters never fit through cabin doors unless it's an accessible cabin. You're lucky that they allowed you to keep it in the hallway because that's normally not the way it goes. Scooters block access to any other scooter or wheelchair users and in an emergency can be extremely hazardous. Do not count on being able to do this on other ships.

As for the rental company, did you attempt to call them as to the whereabouts of the scooter? One thing I've noticed about Carnival, they are sometimes the problem with scooter delivery as they don't always pay attention that the scooters are there for passengers and they don't deliver them.