Wheelchairs for embarkment

Has anyone experienced getting a wheelchair for boarding the Equinox in Miami. We sailed out of Tampa in January and it was almost impossible.. We are on the Labor Day cruise and hope it will be better.

Thanks Fran

I'm going to experience this in a couple months, as there's a request for wheelchair embarkation assistance(and disembarkation)for my DM at Cape Liberty(Bayonne) in September. The wheelchair request was put in via our TA at booking, as well as filling out and faxing this week the Special Needs form for other items she needs for the cabin(the form needs to be done either at booking or submitted up to 30 days before sail date). Either way, we plan to get to the port to board as early as we can(as long as there's no text/email notice saying otherwise)to really make sure a wheelchair is available. I hope your experience is better this time.

Has anyone experienced getting a wheelchair for boarding the Equinox in Miami. We sailed out of Tampa in January and it was almost impossible.. We are on the Labor Day cruise and hope it will be better.

 

Thanks Fran

If you require a wheel chair, why are you not bringing your own? Celebrity (and all other cruise lines, that I know of) do not provide wheel chairs. Some may help you to board, but that is it and it is very difficult to snag one. If you cannot board a ship on your own, then IMO you need one for the duration of your cruise. (how do you get from point A to point B during your cruise). I truly have never understood this question from anyone. Yes, I am disabled and have my own.

Have you requested one through Special Needs?

I'm going to experience this in a couple months, as there's a request for wheelchair embarkation assistance(and disembarkation)for my DM at Cape Liberty(Bayonne) in September. The wheelchair request was put in via our TA at booking, as well as filling out and faxing this week the Special Needs form for other items she needs for the cabin(the form needs to be done either at booking or submitted up to 30 days before sail date). Either way, we plan to get to the port to board as early as we can(as long as there's no text/email notice saying otherwise)to really make sure a wheelchair is available. I hope your experience is better this time.

In Bayonne, just tell the first Celebrity person you see that you need a wheelchair, and they will get one for you immediately. That has been my experience for the past 3 years.

In Bayonne, just tell the first Celebrity person you see that you need a wheelchair, and they will get one for you immediately. That has been my experience for the past 3 years.

That is strange, I had an extremely hard time on the Summit out of Bayonne. None available. None. No help...my problem. Lesson learned and purchased my own. There is no guarantee that they will provide one for you....and I would love to ask you...if you require a wheel chair to board, what do you do for the duration of your cruise? How do YOU get from here to there???

If you require a wheel chair, why are you not bringing your own? Celebrity (and all other cruise lines, that I know of) do not provide wheel chairs. Some may help you to board, but that is it and it is very difficult to snag one. If you cannot board a ship on your own, then IMO you need one for the duration of your cruise. (how do you get from point A to point B during your cruise). I truly have never understood this question from anyone. Yes, I am disabled and have my own.

That's not true. All Cruise Lines that cruise out of a US port provide wheelchairs at embarkation and debarcation. Indeed it's to their advantage to do so since otherwise the ramps leading to and from the ship at those times would be crowded with very slow moving disabled people using walkers.

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If you need wheelchair assistance in Miami, contact special needs and ask them to get your name on the list. They were wonderful and so accommodating to my husband. Once we boarded we had rented a scooter thru special needs, you can access the companies they suggest on line and contact them personally. We also make our requests at that time, i.e. distilled water for his cpap, they will provide an extension cord also, and any other medical needs you may need, i.e. raised toilet seats, etc. You should probably call them.

We also had assistance in Ft. Lauderdale. We were told by special needs (I e-mailed them) and they advised to ask when you check in and receive your passes and are ready to board. There is a section they will direct you to and they will help you from there. Don't know about Bayonne but I would definitely ask.

Hope this helps!

Pat C

That's not true. All Cruise Lines that cruise out of a US port provide wheelchairs at embarkation and debarcation. Indeed it's to their advantage to do so since otherwise the ramps leading to and from the ship at those times would be crowded with very slow moving disabled people using walkers.

 

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I should have clarified....I meant for the cruise...not for embarkation and disembarkation. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

It has been my experience that there are lots of people who seem to require wheelchairs for embarkation out of the Miami and Fort Lauderdale ports. I need a cane for assistance in walking and, once, when I was waiting for my DH to join me after returning our rental car, I sat in an area where passengers waiting for wheelchairs boarding were seated. Busy workers went back and forth shuttling them on board (this was Fort Lauderdale). Some passengers were very aggravated at how long they had to wait. There is a limited supply of wheelchairs that are used to take them through embarkation. They gave people numbers and they were called in order. I thought it was run as efficiently as possible, given the number of people and the number of wheelchairs. By the time my DH arrived and walked into the embarkation area, there were even more people waiting. I have no idea if all of these people had a rental wheelchair to use once they got onboard or not. But, I certainly agree with the other posters who recommend doing so.

That is strange, I had an extremely hard time on the Summit out of Bayonne. None available. None. No help...my problem. Lesson learned and purchased my own. There is no guarantee that they will provide one for you....and I would love to ask you...if you require a wheel chair to board, what do you do for the duration of your cruise? How do YOU get from here to there???

We only need assistance for boarding and disembarking. Otherwise we can make do on the ship. There are plenty of spots to sit and take a breather.

That is strange, I had an extremely hard time on the Summit out of Bayonne. None available. None. No help...my problem. Lesson learned and purchased my own. There is no guarantee that they will provide one for you....and I would love to ask you...if you require a wheel chair to board, what do you do for the duration of your cruise? How do YOU get from here to there???

I'm sorry you didn't have help, but that was definitely not my experience disembarking with my DM in Bayonne last year on the Summit. A crew member saw her struggle while walking with her rolling walker (it was a rough morning for walking that day for her)and asked if she needed wheelchair assistance off the ship(we had no idea this was possible). She gratefully accepted, and a different crew member arrived with a wheelchair and stayed with us from off the ship all the way to the parking deck and waited with her until I got the car down to the lower lever get everything loaded up and even made sure my DM was seated in the car safely as I tipped our luggage porter(he earned my gratitude and a very nice tip as well). Not every disability needs the use of a wheelchair full time as in Mom's case, she wants to stay as mobile as possible before her illness progresses to the point where she can no longer walk. Short distances are fine and since she knows the ship's layout as well as our home, she knows where to take a rest(and her rolling walker also has a seat feature), but with all the walking and carrying that comes with embarkation and disembarkation, she now prefers the use of a wheelchair to get on and off the ship. Thankfully the renovations make Bayonne ADA compliant so the elevators and ramps make it a lot easier time now.

That is strange, I had an extremely hard time on the Summit out of Bayonne. None available. None. No help...my problem. Lesson learned and purchased my own. There is no guarantee that they will provide one for you....and I would love to ask you...if you require a wheel chair to board, what do you do for the duration of your cruise? How do YOU get from here to there???

I've sailed out of Bayonne twice with my DM. The first time we did not bring our own wheelchair. We indicated need for assistance on our forms. Celebrity provided a wheelchair and a staff person assisted my mother from entry into the terminal until she was onboard the ship and in the buffet. He even left the chair with us for use until the rooms were open. On our most recent trip (earlier this month) we brought our own chair. Celebrity provided us with assistance into the terminal to the check in counter, then again as we negotiated the entry ramps until we reached Luminae after which we were on our own. After lunch we took the elevator to our floor and were permitted to retrieve our scooter rental.

If you require a wheel chair, why are you not bringing your own? Celebrity (and all other cruise lines, that I know of) do not provide wheel chairs. Some may help you to board, but that is it and it is very difficult to snag one. If you cannot board a ship on your own, then IMO you need one for the duration of your cruise. (how do you get from point A to point B during your cruise). I truly have never understood this question from anyone. Yes, I am disabled and have my own.

My DH walks with a cane and has problems walking uphill so it helps to have assistance to board. Once on the ship can manage since most floors are level.

Fran

On my recent "turn around day" during my B2B, a lady who needed wheelchair assistance almost got mixed in with the B2B'ers and get right on before normal boarding. Later saw her running across the deck with burning feet to get to the pool. She was never in a wheelchair again.

If you require a wheel chair, why are you not bringing your own? Celebrity (and all other cruise lines, that I know of) do not provide wheel chairs. Some may help you to board, but that is it and it is very difficult to snag one. If you cannot board a ship on your own, then IMO you need one for the duration of your cruise. (how do you get from point A to point B during your cruise). I truly have never understood this question from anyone. Yes, I am disabled and have my own.

I've never been on a ship that does NOT provide wheelchair assistance for embarkation and disembarkation. I'm sorry that you need to have a wheelchair to negotiate any space. We do not need it because we can rest when necessary. Standing on lines or long distance walking without a place to sit is the problem. Further, we do not stay in an accessible state room because it isn't necessary to have a chair while on board. We leave those rooms vacant for those that must have them. You are very simply incorrect in your opinion.

On my recent "turn around day" during my B2B, a lady who needed wheelchair assistance almost got mixed in with the B2B'ers and get right on before normal boarding. Later saw her running across the deck with burning feet to get to the pool. She was never in a wheelchair again.

I find this very annoying, but I often see it. As a frequent cruiser and a disabled person who always needs to use a cane, I have often seen people disembarking (whom I saw frequently during a cruise, never using a cane), but who had a folding cane they used when they wanted to get in the handicapped line for disembarkation. Ugh. :mad:

We only need assistance for boarding and disembarking. Otherwise we can make do on the ship. There are plenty of spots to sit and take a breather.

I also need wheelchair assistance for boarding and disembarking only. I am disabled and walk with a cane on the ship.

I find this very annoying, but I often see it. As a frequent cruiser and a disabled person who always needs to use a cane, I have often seen people disembarking (whom I saw frequently during a cruise, never using a cane), but who had a folding cane they used when they wanted to get in the handicapped line for disembarkation. Ugh. :mad:

They could have a heart condition, a muscular condition....You can not tell by looking if a person can cope with the queuing, standing, walking necessary for embarking or disembarking a ship.

I find this very annoying, but I often see it. As a frequent cruiser and a disabled person who always needs to use a cane, I have often seen people disembarking (whom I saw frequently during a cruise, never using a cane), but who had a folding cane they used when they wanted to get in the handicapped line for disembarkation. Ugh. :mad:

Not all disabled need a cane. My father has COPD and for many years did not need a cane but walking, especially uphill and even worse, up stairs, exhausted him. Assistance to get on board meant he was able to enjoy the rest of day (unpacking - enjoyment?) without having to lie down for hours. Now he has spinal stenosis, too, so needs a walking stick.

They could have a heart condition, a muscular condition....You can not tell by looking if a person can cope with the queuing, standing, walking necessary for embarking or disembarking a ship.

I certainly understand what you are saying. My experiences were with people who admitted that they travel with a folding cane for the sole purpose of using the disability line for disembarking.

On my recent "turn around day" during my B2B, a lady who needed wheelchair assistance almost got mixed in with the B2B'ers and get right on before normal boarding. Later saw her running across the deck with burning feet to get to the pool. She was never in a wheelchair again.

There may be people who abuse this service but the vast majority truly have a need. I use a cane to walk any significant distance unless I want to endure significant pain. When on our recent cruise I did get wheelchair assistance to get on board and to exit the ship. I used my cane when in Port to get to the shuttle for my tour but had great difficulty with this. When going to karaoke I used my cane to make it to the lounge where this took place and then found a seat 10 ft from the mic. I then went without a cane to the microphone to sing because I didn't want to perform with cane. Lots of people who require assistance don't necessarily use there assistive devices every moment. It is extremely embarrassing to have to use assistive devices and know that others are staring at you and judging you! Until you live every day of your life with pain don't be so quick to judge.

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