rfkeith10

Thank you for the info.  I appreciate you taking the time to respond.  One of my main concerns was shore excursions.  I’d thought about the option of staying on the bus during stops.  Did you see folks actually staying on the bus?  

4 hours ago, gmandmbf said:

I hope you're enjoying your cruise!  My Wife and I head out on the bliss this upcoming Saturday. It will be our first cruise and we are excited.  Do you know if there are any wired network (ethernet) connections in the stateroom?  Thank you!

We hope you have a wonderful cruise and hope it's just the beginning of many more cruises. We recently completed #22 with the majority of them being on NCL.  We have been on the Bliss 3 times.  It's a beautiful ship.  ENJOY!!!!  

31 minutes ago, CozGurl said:

We'll be on the Bliss this fall and I was wondering if we should take a costume? Do they celebrate or is it just another day? 

We were on the Bliss for Halloween in 2019.  There were some folks that dressed up but the majority did not.  Those that did, had a great time.  I caught a few in costume...

57 minutes ago, music said:

I’m guessing it will be an Uber ride to San Pedro? Is there a pay shuttle available?

I just looked up the airport and see a shuttle. Hoping that is still available in October. We will call them..

 

I'm a little bit confused.  Are you talking about transportation to ONT at the end of your cruise or transportation from ONT before your cruise?  Either way, I don't think there is scheduled shuttle in either direction.  If you booked your flights through Princess, they might have a shuttle going to the Port and then back to the airport after the cruise.  Princess should be able to tell you that.

I'm assuming (which might be a mistake) you are sailing the Mexican Riviera.  If you are, I hope you have a terrific cruise.  We have done that itinerary many times.  Anymore, we don't even get off the ship because we have been to the ports so often.  For us, the ship is the destination.

Ray

Ontario is about a 35-45 minute drive from either cruise port.  It’s a relatively easy drive on weekends, especially early morning.  It is much smaller than LAX so it is easy to manage.  
 

hope this helps. Any other specific question, just let me know…

Ray

7 hours ago, twototravel said:

Since the ships have elevators, you shouldn't have any problem onboard getting around on a scooter. Getting on and off may be a challenge...the older ships have you embark and disembark at ports using a small, plank board going from the ship to the shore, sometimes at steep angles. On our two cruises, people with mobility issues were assisted by crew getting on and off the ship where their chair or scooter was waiting for them.

Thank you for taking the time to respond.  I've been watching a limited number of youtube videos associated with ACL and frankly I am having second thoughts.  I think taking any of the excursions offered might be to challenging for me.  On the larger cruise ships there are plenty of things to do without booking any shore activities.  Not so much on the river cruises.  Thank you for your thoughts...

17 hours ago, bhopal21 said:

I think you will be fine as there have always been mobility challenged people on each of my ACL cruises.  The crew is always ready to assist those needing help boarding and disembarking.

 

Mike😊

Thanks for the response.  I appreciate your thoughts...

Just now, rfkeith10 said:

I am a seasoned cruiser but have been on a river cruise.  I am looking at American Cruise line for my first US river trip.  I have issues with my mobility and use a collapsible portable scooter onboard cruise ships.  I wonder if someone has had any experience with a scooter onboard an ACL ship.  Thanks so much.

First sentence should read..but have never been on a river cruise.

I am a seasoned cruiser but have been on a river cruise.  I am looking at American Cruise line for my first US river trip.  I have issues with my mobility and use a collapsible portable scooter onboard cruise ships.  I wonder if someone has had any experience with a scooter onboard an ACL ship.  Thanks so much.

In your initial post, you mentioned taking a shuttle from the testing area to the check-in terminal.  Was everyone forced to take the shuttle or could you elect to walk?  I have a scooter and am curious how us folks are accommodated.  Thank you so much...Ray  

We are on the November 7th cruise.  We are anxious to hear about the embarkation process.  Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.  We have done this cruise several times.  Hope you enjoy Mexico.  Have a great vacation.  Don't spend all your time working on live reviews...

5 minutes ago, craig01020 said:

I've never sailed on Norwegian before (but I'm trying!).  I have read many brutal reviews of some of NCL's ships, but I thought I'd ask the experts: Have you sailed on any of NCL's ships that you would now avoid at all costs? Thanks.

We are about to sail on our 16th NCL cruise.  We have sailed on many of the ships in their fleet and have not had an issue with any of them.  I’m not sure I would sail on the Sun or the Sky but that’s just because of size and age of those two ships.
Take the plunge and book a cruise on NCL. You’ll be happy that you did… 
 

We always purchase our insurance through a company that our TA suggests.  It's considerably more expensive than what the cruise lines insurance companies charge but the peace of mind makes it worth it.  Our coverage is top notch...

Some good advice/tips provided.  I use a scooter instead of a wheelchair and have experienced some very rude people.  On the other hand,  I have seen LOTS of very polite and courteous folks.  Enjoy your cruise...

We are new to river cruising but not to big ship cruising.  We completed our 21st cruise a couple years ago.  It is beginning to look like it will be several months before the larger lines will start back up--if at all in 2021.  That is the reason we are thinking about a river cruise with ACS.  I think we are looking at a Nashville to Memphis itinerary cruise in August on the Jazz.

Having never taken a river cruise, we don't know what to expect.  Teresia and I are hoping that some of you folks can give us some first hand accounts of your experiences with ACS.  I think that one of our biggest fears is not having as many activities as the larger ships do.  I guess the cruise experience is much different on a river cruise.  That being said, my mobility is getting worse and big ships are becoming more of a challenge.  I do use a collapsible travel scooter part of the time but I don't believe that would be an issue on the Jazz---but I don't know.

We would appreciate some insight into your experiences and recommendations on making the best of our cruise...

Ray & Teresia 

Thanks to all that responded.  I appreciate everyone taking the time to post.  I guess my reason for asking the question is wanting some idea as to whether ACL is going to have the same issues facing the larger cruise lines when it comes to resuming their operations this year. Lately I have heard that ACL was cancelling a few of their early March sailings and I am just trying to get an idea as to what the rest of the season looks like for ACL.

Hope to see you all on a cruise sometime this year!!

This may be a stupid question but does any one know if American Cruise line is subject to the same CDC rules that the big cruise lines are following?  I thought I heard or read that because of the size of the ships and number of passengers onboard they were not under the same protocols.  Anybody have knowledge of such a thing?  Perhaps I was having another senior moment...

We have sailed 21 times and discovered we had collected stuff from 17 of those cruises.  We have put all of the cruise related paper in 1 1/2" binders for each cruise.  They are displayed in one of our bookcases, sorted by date and destination of each cruise.  It's fun to go back and remanence...

Thanks to all that responded.  It's been about 10 years since we last sailed with Princess.  Our loyalty has been with NCL but their Haven prices have gone through the roof.  We love the Haven but no suites/perks are worth that much.  I thought we would go back and try Princess again.  Knowing what decks have the largest balconies helps a lot....Thanks

We are considering booking a Penthouse suite on the Royal Princess.  I know that not all balconies are the same in size.  Does anyone know which decks have the larger aft balconies?

9 minutes ago, mlbcruiser said:

Oh. thanks a bunch Ray! Very glad to hear your scooter is not getting banged around too much in cargo etc.  While I did not purchase the EV Rider, I ordered my dh the Pride Go Go folding scooter, which is pretty much the same scooter overall  from what I have been told. It appeared that we could get that one faster and the warranty was a little bit different. I have found your photo & comments about your scooter to be very, very helpful. I’m sure others have, too. 
 

by the way, the scooter I ordered does not have arms either and DH says he doesn’t need them. I agree that they might get in the way of getting on and off the scooter, Now that you mentioned that.
 

Thanks again.

Thanks for the kind words.  I think the Pride Go Go is one of the more popular brands/style scooters.  I hope your dh enjoys the scooter and it helps both of you enjoy your travels.

3 hours ago, PG13 said:

I hope Ray or someone in the know will get back to us.   The E V rider I just purchased for DH has a 24V 11.5Ah Lithium Battery. Any issues at airports?  I know I'm to remove the battery on the gangway and take it on board with me. Should I call the airlines? Hmmm?

First of all, I would definitely contact the airlines.  Each airline has their own protocol for mobility scooters.  If you call them in advance it will save you time at the airport check in.  I have flown 5 times with my RV Rider and have never been asked to remove the battery.  As long as the battery is non-spillable (which EV Riders are) there should be no issues.  I just bought the latest model from EV Rider and my battery has the same specs as yours and it is TSA approved.  I'm not flying again until May, but I am not anticipating any problems.  

On 2/9/2020 at 6:26 PM, PG13 said:

Thanks to everyone here for your advice. I read and read reviews and watched videos after video.  My husband finally agreed to the E V Rider scooter in red, manual folding because it has 2 front wheels. We ordered it from an Ohio dealer, I was more comfortable talking with a real person prior to ordering it. And, its getting here in 3 days from the headquarters in Florida, I was told.  He gave us 5% off, no tax as they are located out of state. It is the same price everywhere I looked, so I was pleased he offered us a discount and included a backpack that goes on the back of the scooter, no basket. So here's hoping its all I'm thinking it will be and that DH can adjust to his new ride. Thanks again, Pat 

Pat--I hope by now you have received your scooter and you are happy with it.  I just mail ordered my 2nd EV Rider scooter.  It was delivered yesterday and I used it for the first time today.  It is  just a little bit smaller but also weighs less than my first one.  Let us know what you think.

On 1/31/2020 at 9:13 AM, mlbcruiser said:

Ray,  I noticed in your photos you did not have armrests on your scooter.  Do you find it comfortable without the armrests? The model we are considering buying does not come with armrests.  One reviewer who bought them as an add-on had problems with them. My DH says he does not need them. The one we are  considering getting is a Pride GoGo folding one before we go on a cruise in just a few weeks.  I am concerned about it getting thrown around in cargo holes and such and winding up some place unable to use it because it was damaged by the handler’s. Someone on another thread advised buying homeowners insurance so I may look into that if we get it. Anyway I hope you see this and can reply about the comfort.

So sorry for the delay in answering your question.  I guess it was another senior moment on my part.  I don't believe that any of the EV Rider foldable scooters have armrests.  I thought it was a bit awkward at first not having armrests but I got used to it and it has not caused me any comfort issues.  It actually give me more room get on and off the scooter.  I understand your concern about damage to the scooter while being stowed in the baggage compartment.  I have flown 5 times with the scooter and have not had any damage to the scooter...….Hope this helps.  

1 hour ago, mlbcruiser said:

 Thinking  of  getting a  folding mobility scooter for my husband, who is 6‘3“ tall and around 180-185 lbs. He has used rental scooters a few times that were for average sized people.  The rental agency did not feel he would need their larger ones  and they were right.  If you or a loved one owns a foldable travel scooter  that allows them to ride at least in relative comfort,  please share the brand name and style of the scooter. Thanks for any replies.

I am 6’1” and weigh about 210.  I have a ev Rider auto fold+ 4 wheel scooter.  The scooter has an adjustable tiller which allows the handle bars to either raise or lower the height.  I have been very happy with mine.