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Cruising and limited mobility


mkcurran
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So my parents have invited themselves along on the cruise I am planning for my anniversary. Dad will be 81 and he has mobility issues. Most of the time he uses a walker. But I think we've got him convinced to use his wheel chair for embarkation and debarkation.

Is there special boarding for mobility issues or should I get them FTTF? Also we'll have separate cabins and reservations, but can we board with the parents to provide extra assistance? Or am I better off getting FTTF for everybody?

We'll be cruising the Mexican Riviera on the splendor. Anything else I need to know? Any tips or tricks anybody would like to share?

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Having the FTTF will make it certain for you to board together, and make it convenient fo them for its uses aside from embarkation. When you get to the terminal, just approach any staff to ask for wheelchair assistance.

 

 

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Link your reservations together. If they are linked, you should be able to obtain the same disembarkation group for the last day of the cruise.

 

Call special needs and let them know of your father's mobility issues and the need for wheelchair assistance on and off the ship.

 

Ask in the Disable Cruise Travel section of this board about any hints for traveling with someone with mobility issues and Carnival procedures. Also ask about hints for any of your ports. The folks on that board gave me lots of good advice when I traveled with a couple and the husband used a walker and scooter.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

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Link your reservations together. If they are linked, you should be able to obtain the same disembarkation group for the last day of the cruise.

 

Call special needs and let them know of your father's mobility issues and the need for wheelchair assistance on and off the ship.

 

Ask in the Disable Cruise Travel section of this board about any hints for traveling with someone with mobility issues and Carnival procedures. Also ask about hints for any of your ports. The folks on that board gave me lots of good advice when I traveled with a couple and the husband used a walker and scooter.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

Thank you, I forget how many specialty boards there are here.

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I would encourage you to think about the HUGE amount of walking on the ship and evaluate whether he will be able to do it with just a walker. If he would need additional "help," there are companies that rent both wheelchairs and scooters that will deliver them directly to the stateroom and you leave them behind when you disembark.

 

DH has mobility issues and we always get FTTF to avoid the embarkation crowd as much as possible and to be able to access our stateroom right away. There is no longer a "special needs" embarkation group, everyone boards with their zone regardless of ability.

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I would encourage you to think about the HUGE amount of walking on the ship and evaluate whether he will be able to do it with just a walker. If he would need additional "help," there are companies that rent both wheelchairs and scooters that will deliver them directly to the stateroom and you leave them behind when you disembark.

 

DH has mobility issues and we always get FTTF to avoid the embarkation crowd as much as possible and to be able to access our stateroom right away. There is no longer a "special needs" embarkation group, everyone boards with their zone regardless of ability.

Thank you for the information on boarding, sounds like we'll be doing FTTF. We have a wheelchair, so if it gets to be too much walking we're covered. Otherwise his walker is one of those nice ones with wheels and a built in seat, can be used as a make-shift chair.

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My DH needs WC assistance for boarding and disembarkation. I notify Special Needs ahead of time he will need assistance and tell the first CCL employee at the terminal that he needs wheelchair assistance. He can get around once aboard but would never make the long ramps/walks boarding and disembarking.

The way it works when we've used it is that DH (with me trailing behind) is taken in a CCL wheelchair pushed by an employee to a check-in counter. We are checked in fairly quickly ... BUT ... we are then taken to a WC waiting area.

The ship normally has 3 or 4 staff members pushing wheelchairs - so you wait your turn. Not sure if platinum etc wait in another area or not but for us red, blue and golds it's first come first come/pushed aboard. We've never beaten folks we entered the terminal with in boarding the ship so this WC stuff is NOT a way to cut the boarding line clear.png?emoji-smile-1742

If you don't own a wheelchair yourselves You can google to find companies that rent wheelchairs on the ship that will be waiting in your stateroom.

If you don't get FTTF the pusher will drop you off in the Lido or atrium as you wish until the cabins are ready around 1:30

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You do not need FTTF just get wheel chair asst. and you will all board before FTTF.

Some ports are picky and only allow one person to accompany the wheelchair passenger being pushed.

In our experience the wheelchairs don't necessarily go before the FTTF or priority passengers ... in fact that's never happened to us. We've never beat the folks we arrive at the terminal with onto the ship.

 

Not complaining .... without the help boarding DH couldn't cruise.:) and a few minutes isn't going to make or break a trip :D

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Call the Special Assistance Desk. Tell them your concerns, and they should flag his reservation. Carnival will provide a WC and will push him on to the ship. However, after that, he'll be on his own. I would strongly consider renting him a scooter because the ships are very large. You can have it delivered and picked up from either the terminal or his cabin.

 

A note of caution: scooters are NOT to be parked in the hallways, even at night. They have to be stored inside the cabin.

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Just off the Vista last month. Here is some facts:

1. FTTF for disabled guests are a joke DONT DO IT! I have been screwed over by CCL 3 times now. JH promised me that we no longer get dumped in the Atrium if you have FTTF. You do. I was told I could NOT access my cabin until 1:30.

 

2. If you do not have FTTF you have general boarding with everyone else. As long as you have assistance you are better off not wasting your time.

 

3. Departing another joke 3 separate staff to wheel one person off. FTTF general guests were off the ship by 8:00, I got off at 9:30 WITH FTTF.

 

So unless you like throwing money away don't bother. They said there were going to refund me in 3 weeks well its been 4 weeks.

 

My complaint about Matt being discriminative and rude about disabled guests in general has gone unanswered still. No surprise there.

 

CCL has lost all credibility when it comes to disability in my books, good luck.

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Some ports are picky and only allow one person to accompany the wheelchair passenger being pushed.

In our experience the wheelchairs don't necessarily go before the FTTF or priority passengers ... in fact that's never happened to us. We've never beat the folks we arrive at the terminal with onto the ship.

 

Not complaining .... without the help boarding DH couldn't cruise.:) and a few minutes isn't going to make or break a trip :D

 

Not anymore.

Our recent experiences have been that Special Assist boards after FTTF and before General Boarding.

 

Carnival no longer has a "special needs" boarding group. That group used to board just before or just after FTTF, depending on the port. NOW, all guests with special needs board with their assigned zone during general boarding (or with the appropriate priority group, if they qualify for that).

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Carnival no longer has a "special needs" boarding group. That group used to board just before or just after FTTF, depending on the port. NOW, all guests with special needs board with their assigned zone during general boarding (or with the appropriate priority group, if they qualify for that).

If you have wheelchair assistance you must wait until there is a pusher and a wheelchair available. That may or may not be with your "assigned group" as there are normally only 2 or 3 pushers working at any given time. We've never been in a special needs boarding group on Carnival but were taken on board in the order we checked in with regular check-in and with a Special Needs representative.

Just saying based on our personal experience.

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If you have wheelchair assistance you must wait until there is a pusher and a wheelchair available. That may or may not be with your "assigned group" as there are normally only 2 or 3 pushers working at any given time. We've never been in a special needs boarding group on Carnival but were taken on board in the order we checked in with regular check-in and with a Special Needs representative.

Just saying based on our personal experience.

We'll be packing our own chair, So I'm guessing we'll just move through like normal.

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In Long Beach assistance is given during the regular boarding times. When the Dome is finished, waiting will be inside.

 

 

Which itin are you on?

 

Cabo is a tender port. If he can go up and down stairs they’ll get him and his manual wheelchair into the tender. The Marina is wheelchair friendly but the restaurants have a few stairs.

As of November they’re redoing the PV port, so less to see right there. Lots of taxis at port. The Malecon is ok for wheelchairs.

Mazatlan has a tram to go thru the port for everyone. The tram goes from the ship to the shoreside shops and has a way for wheelchairs to go into onboard. (They look like the old Disneyland parking lot trams.) lots of shops in here and a Flea Market just outside Small taxis available. Most of Mazatlan isn’t too wheelchair friendly.

 

 

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Will you be pushing the wheelchair up the ramps yourself?

Yes. My husband needs the exercise. ;p

At the very least it sounds like it would be quicker and easier to do it that way. But we won't turn down help. Chances are Dad will want to walk once we get on the anyway.

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In Long Beach assistance is given during the regular boarding times. When the Dome is finished, waiting will be inside.

 

 

Which itin are you on?

 

Cabo is a tender port. If he can go up and down stairs they’ll get him and his manual wheelchair into the tender. The Marina is wheelchair friendly but the restaurants have a few stairs.

As of November they’re redoing the PV port, so less to see right there. Lots of taxis at port. The Malecon is ok for wheelchairs.

Mazatlan has a tram to go thru the port for everyone. The tram goes from the ship to the shoreside shops and has a way for wheelchairs to go into onboard. (They look like the old Disneyland parking lot trams.) lots of shops in here and a Flea Market just outside Small taxis available. Most of Mazatlan isn’t too wheelchair friendly.

 

 

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Dad will most likely use his walker for the ports. He can do a few steps. But we are hitting all three of those ports.

I don't know that the parents will get off in Cabo. I'm thinking they'll stay on the boat. So hubby and I will be hitting up a resort where we can Kayak, drink, and eat.

In PV we're eyeballing a tequila tour. Will try to find one that's accessible.

In Mazatlan, the current plan is to park our butts on a beach for the day and enjoy an all-inclusive. If we can find one where Dad can get around in the bar area.

I'm taking suggestions for tours in all three places if anybody has any ideas.

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Yes. My husband needs the exercise. ;p

At the very least it sounds like it would be quicker and easier to do it that way. But we won't turn down help. Chances are Dad will want to walk once we get on the anyway.

It's just DH and I when we cruise and I can't push him up the ramps and there's no way he'd make it up walking so we opt for help :)

 

Once he's aboard he gets around ok walking with his cane - just a bit slowly.

 

I don't worry about boarding quicker because once I pull into our pre-cruise hotel (where we'll park the car for the duration and take a shuttle or cab to the port) I fall quickly into vacation mode ... don't have to drive, cook, clean or do dishes for the duration ... I'm a HAPPY woman :D:D

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It's just DH and I when we cruise and I can't push him up the ramps and there's no way he'd make it up walking so we opt for help :)

 

Once he's aboard he gets around ok walking with his cane - just a bit slowly.

 

I don't worry about boarding quicker because once I pull into our pre-cruise hotel (where we'll park the car for the duration and take a shuttle or cab to the port) I fall quickly into vacation mode ... don't have to drive, cook, clean or do dishes for the duration ... I'm a HAPPY woman :D:D

Mostly I'm looking to get on board faster because some people in my group (It might be me) get grumpy when we have to wait around. Alcohol helps, but my understanding is that you have to be on the ship to get some. Or do they frown on you opening the bottle of wine you packed in the waiting area??

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Look on the Mexican Riviera board for suggestions. We’re not Beach or resort people.

 

Look on the Disabled Cruisers board for ideas for your Dad.

Actually this board has been more helpful than the other ones at this point. But I'm hoping that in time I'll get some good suggestions on those boards as well.

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Actually this board has been more helpful than the other ones at this point. But I'm hoping that in time I'll get some good suggestions on those boards as well.

 

It can be a long walk to the dining rooms, the lido deck eating areas, if he cant walk far with a walker, it might be worth bringing or renting a scooter to be delivered to the ship. The regular rooms are only 21 inches wide, 20 inches available with the door in the way, most walkers have to be folded up in order to fit through the room. There are 3 types of handicap accessible cabins, one ambulatory with grab bars etc, but a 2-4 inch step to get into the bathroom. Then a partially handicap accessible where if one heavily relies on a scooter/wheelchair, or a fully accessible for someone that cannot walk at all.

My mother is extremely limited but could manage the little step, my dh is in a wheel chair and meets the other two categories.

Linking your cabins is a good idea. Now, the faster to the fun option should have your room ready when you board, the only time mine was not I went to the desk and complained it was rushed, and I was credited the amount but still got to have the privildges of the pass for the duration of the cruise.

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It can be a long walk to the dining rooms, the lido deck eating areas, if he cant walk far with a walker, it might be worth bringing or renting a scooter to be delivered to the ship. The regular rooms are only 21 inches wide, 20 inches available with the door in the way, most walkers have to be folded up in order to fit through the room. There are 3 types of handicap accessible cabins, one ambulatory with grab bars etc, but a 2-4 inch step to get into the bathroom. Then a partially handicap accessible where if one heavily relies on a scooter/wheelchair, or a fully accessible for someone that cannot walk at all.

My mother is extremely limited but could manage the little step, my dh is in a wheel chair and meets the other two categories.

Linking your cabins is a good idea. Now, the faster to the fun option should have your room ready when you board, the only time mine was not I went to the desk and complained it was rushed, and I was credited the amount but still got to have the privildges of the pass for the duration of the cruise.

Thank you! I've got the parents talked into booking the ambulatory cabin. It's a good match for them. Dad can walk okay. Long ramps and more than 4 stairs give him trouble. Mom & I decided that we're getting FTTF just to skip the lines.

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