mlbcruiser

Thanks Jazzbeau. Actually I heard about that last summer before I knew we weren’t going to get to go on this cruise the first time we had it booked. Maybe a situation where I go but DH doesn’t, or maybe we will find something else to do. DH‘s biggest thing will be to see the Normandy WWIi sights. Mine will be to see half timbered houses & bldgs.and such at some of the stops. And of course Monet’‘s house and garden. So hopefully something for everyone!

My husband has used his a number of times and is pretty good at it. Not to say he couldn’t fall sometime but so far he has not. (Knock on wood!). I have ridden it around a few times as well and never fell, but most of the time when I rode it I was on some big cruise ship rushing back to my cabin for a sweater at dinner or something. Of course the surface was flat. His has two wheels in the very front, although they are located right next to each other under the steering column area. Then he has one on each side of the back. It handles very well and is surprisingly stable. When a spot looks kind of tricky or has a big pothole, broken pavement or large bump, , he will usually get up and we move the scooter over the various spot ourselves. The good thing about his is if we get into an area where there are just so many tricky spots, we just fold it up and it rolls forward. Or I pick it up and carry it to a safe spot. It’s about the size of a medium rolling suitcase and we just have to roll it forward. There It is no telescopic handle, however, so it’s a little more tricky to try to pull it. Easier to just leave it standing straight up and roll it forward. It weighs 50 pounds. but 55 when the lithium battery is in it. A strong person could get it up stairs but otherwise it has to stay parked if dh wants go up some stairs. (Our son in law took it up a long, steep flight of stairs when we were in Mexico last year going to an upstairs restaurant.) Of course, we wouldn’t do that and would just leave it unless we were coming right back down the stairs in a minute or one of us stayed behind to watch it. I have seen some silver colored, smaller travel scooters that fold up somewhat like a very large umbrella. However I don’t think they are even as stable as a three wheeler. Of course, I realize that there are places where a scooter can’t be used. I’ve been told that at the world war Ii locations in Normandy there are many people who use wheelchairs and scooters and those sites are pretty friendly to such devices in those locations.

Thanks for the pictures! Yes I see what you mean about street level. Like I said, Will probably have to wait until we get to each port and, depending upon various circumstances, have to make decisions upon arrival.

The other thing is when you have to cross other ships beyween your ship & the dock to get off when the ships are “stacked” in port. . We were on a river cruise about three years or so ago and had to go through other ships to get off a couple of times. Didn’t have the scooter yet thrn. Won’t be easy, but doable I think. . Have gotten off gangways on ocean going cruise ships a few different times that have those raised speed bumps a half to 2 feet apart. and sometimes the angle can be pretty steep. At this point I can’t say how often or where DH will decide to use it.at least on the part of our trip when will be on traveling by longship.. Probably just have to play it by ear and make a judgment in each circumstance. Thanks for the heads up!

Thank you for replying. Yes I know that and my husband will not be using or needing his scooter on the boat. Travelers do visit these locations by land and many other places that could be considered even medieval towns. Of course some are easier to do than others. Someplaces, such as a perched town like is France, would be totally in accessible by scooter. But others would be, and most are a little and aren’t a little. I was hoping someone with some first-hand knowledge who has paid attention to that aspect in these places might comment.

Not even one reply. 🙁 Yet judging by the number of members checking this post, others would be interested in to know as well.

Sounds great! Very helpful into Thanks1

Oh that’s good to hear, Annhalter1960! That would work. DH and I might split apart for some of the tours or maybe not. We did it once on emerald but his tour went to the same place as and finished before hours. We had a very wordy and slow tour guide. He had a very funny guy. I imagine there will be a few others who might be a little slower. Sharkster, we saw the tram in Colmar and thought we were walking to get on it. Were looking forward to doing it that way but we were not walking to get on it.🙁 Lovely town, though! Thanks for the replies!.

My DH is bringing a small foldable travel scooter about the size of a medium suitcase on a river cruise soon. We have been to many European countries and realize you often find cobblestone and or uneven streets, have to negotiate steps, etc. We realize there are some sites he may not be able to visit or go into. On the other hand, there are often many places even within an old town where a travel scooter is usable in many areas. I am particularly interested in the following ports: La Roche Guyon Rouen Le Andelys Le Pecq There is a tour to the WWII attractions along the coast of Normandy. I have been told a scooter is definitely usable on this tour. (BTW, the cruise line is alowing the scooter to be brought on board the ship due to it’s small size and foldability. Just not used on the ship. It won’t be needed on board anyway.) I would like to know if it would be likely that the scooter would be of some help in the above places to a person with a bit of a mobility issue? Even if it may mean the person has to skip some sights. Hoping someone has first hand experience and can answer. Thanks for any helpful replies.

On our Emerald cruise line river tour they offered what they referred to as “slow walker tours”. They were basically pretty much the same as their faster paced tours but at a somewhat slower pace. Wondering if Viking offers anything similar?

Thanks for the info!

No doubt but still sort of wondering about the forms. Just get sick of filling out forms. Downloading them, keeping them on my phone to show & keeping them straight - like which one if for who, when or what , which must be done when and so on.

Yes, I have seen a few posts Emerald’s customers have been posting for the last while about poor communications, computers being down and so on. As they are owned by the more upscale line, Scenic, that seems strange. Scenic may be having issues as well?? In the end it seems like people get things straightened out but very last minute. Stressful! The only river cruise we have been on so far is Emerald and it was wonderful! Especially loved the ship and the nice pool. So nice after spending a few hours on land and then cruising down the Rhine, a nice dip in the pool and a cool drink… It was a very nice area to relax in. We are about to go on our first Viking cruise and I expect it will be very nice as well. Howeve, Emerald did not have any required tipping and with Viking, for all intensive purposes, you pretty much don’t have a choice. Of course we tipped on Emerald, but it was whatever we chose to tip and who we chose, at our own discretion. It wasn’t automatically added to our onboard account. I believe that Viking was better at handling cancellation and refund issues caused by Covid initially as well. I don’t have first-hand experience but I am just going by what I read on these boards. That is one reason we booked with them because I had seen a lot of complaints about other lines and problems people were having in that regard. I certainly understand why they want everyone to mask and I have no problem at all with that. Not so certain I agree 100% with how the quarantining has been being handled. Not an easy situation. I’ve seen good arguments on both sides of that isse. The main reason for my question was I was trying to ascertain how many more forms and how many more Covid tests would be required for a Danube itinerary. Probably won’t be doing one very soon anyway but just in case! Thanks for all the replies.

All good websites and links. We have a Viking cruise coming up very shortly so I am aware of that testing. Between tripadvisor and official countrys’ sites, I can often find what the country requires. What I’m noticing is cruise lines, especially Viking, seem to sometimes have their own restrictions. For instance, right now Viking is requiring passengers not only to wear masks on board the river cruises, but also on their tours and anywhere they go while in port. (I don’t know how they can police that when passengers are on their own but I guess they throw it out there hoping for the best!) I will check these offerings out. Thanks a bunch for the suggestions and taking the time to reply!

No post here. Just accessing the follow contact button since I forgot to tudn that on.

Can someone doing a Danube cruise with Viking or Emerald please post what the requirements are considering these cruises usually visit several countries such as Germany, Austria & Hungary? I know about the common. general vaccine & test requirements such as being vaccinated & tested before entering your embarkation country and tested within 24 hours of boarding your river cruise ship. However I’m not sure if more testing is required or what other certification is necessary to get off of your ship at each port. I am predominately interested in Viking and Emerald cruises. I could only find general river cruising Covid testing requirements in their sites but nothing for individual itineraries. Thanks for any information.

We will be disembarking a river cruise at Quai de Grenelle on the Seine in a few weeks. Wondering if there will be taxis easily available as we come off of the boat or if we will need to call one? We will not need to travel all that far to reach our rental car pick up location. I am guessing a mile to a mile and a half but that is too far for us to manage with baggage. I am also wondering if we will have a problem even getting a taxi to take us that short distance? Any helpful information appreciated.