What if my scooter doesn't fit....

I have already posted this question on the Disabled forum but thought all the seasoned travelers here may have my answer. I am purchasing my own scooter. It needs to be heavy duty and is 23 inches wide and won't fit thru the cabin door.

On our last 2 Carnival cruises we saw several rental scooters parked near the mid-ship elevators on a couple decks kind of out of the way. My question is this. If my scooter won't fit thru the door will I be permitted to park it in that area. Depending where my cabin is I can walk a short distance but absolutely need the scooter for getting around the ship and on shore. I know we can't leave it outside our cabin door. I would hate to have to disassemble it every time I came back to my cabin which would be several times per day.

Any knowledge on this subject?

I would call Carnival right away and address this question to them. I know on their FAQ it states that it must be stored in the cabin.

23", are you sure? I know several people who would fit through 23".

23", are you sure? I know several people who would fit through 23".

If you weigh 150 lbs you can get a small scooter thats less than 20" wide. Otherwise they are 22" and 23" wide.

On our last cruise there was an extremely large man with a scooter. It had to be wider than 23". He may have had a HC cabin though. I don't know about that. I do know that scooter would never fit in a regular cabin door. We love the Cove balconies or any balcony for that matter and the HC cabins do not have a balcony. We are last minute cruisers too so all the HC cabins are gone already when we book.

Do you have a handicapped room? The doors are wider, including bathroom which is flat and no step up, they also have roll in showers with no step up. I booked an inside guarantee once and was put in a handicapped room, it was actually very nice since it was layed out differently and a tad bit more spacious.

I just booked a handicapped cabin for my mom today, so I am pretty well schooled on them. Aside from the handicapped cabins, they also have cabins that only have wider doors to get scooters in. Give Carnival a call and they can help. I spent an hour on the phone with them today and got me all squared away.

If you can't get a scooter in a stateroom, how would you charge it?

If you can't get a scooter in a stateroom, how would you charge it?

Thats a good question. But they do get about 20 miles on a charge so it could be taken apart once and brought into the cabin.

Do you have a handicapped room? The doors are wider, including bathroom which is flat and no step up, they also have roll in showers with no step up. I booked an inside guarantee once and was put in a handicapped room, it was actually very nice since it was layed out differently and a tad bit more spacious.

We aren't booked at all. We fly by the seat of our pants. Sometimes we plan a few months out and other times its just a couple weeks. The HC cabins go fast. I am OK in the cabin and don't really need a HC cabin as long as I have a shower. Don't need the roll in HC shower. I have trouble stepping over the tub to get in so suites are now out of the question. I was just beginning to get used to them too.

I suppose I'll call Carnival and talk to them before I purchase the scooter.

I'll venture that the cabin outside door is 30" or more in width. The inside bathroom door may be 24", but you can't take your scooter in there.

I just booked a handicapped cabin for my mom today, so I am pretty well schooled on them. Aside from the handicapped cabins, they also have cabins that only have wider doors to get scooters in. Give Carnival a call and they can help. I spent an hour on the phone with them today and got me all squared away.

I've never heard that some of them have wider doors. Thats good to know as I don't really need a HC cabin. Thanks for your advice.

Thats a good question. But they do get about 20 miles on a charge so it could be taken apart once and brought into the cabin.

That's interesting. I thought they needed to be charged every day and for several hours.

Last year on Quantum I rented a scooter. We had a balcony Cabinnot HC. The scooter fit in the room to charge, but there really wasn't enough room. We had to climb over it & could not turn it around in the room. We were 2 cabins away from the elevators. The room steward suggested we park it at night in a corner near the elevators. Worked well for us. On a previous cruise on Allure our friend had a promenade cabin & the room steward would take it each night & charge it & return it in the morning. There are ways. Enjoy your cruise.

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We just came off of the Carnival Pride for the third time. I took my scooter on the last two cruises on the Pride. It's a Pride GoGo Elite Traveler Plus (3 wheeled). I believe the max weight for my scooter is 250lbs., or maybe 300lbs. Anyway, we had a standard balcony cabin on all of the cruises. I was able to drive right into my cabin. DH removed the arms, I lined up the scooter, and in and out of the cabin I went each day. Actually, I think we could have gotten by just removing one armrest. I parked it in front of the sofa, and charged it every night. I get around in the cabin with a cane. I don't need an accessible cabin, so I'm happy I could fit it into the cabin. I was able to turn around as well. We were Aft, and the steward said If I wanted to, I could leave it outside the cabin. But, where our cabin was located there was space outside where it would not be in anyone's way. However, for safety reasons, parking the scooter outside of a cabin is really not permitted. I think the steward was trying to be nice, and I appreciated it, but I easily fit it in our cabin. I've been on many cruises, but I've never seen any scooters parked in a designated area on any ship.

One more thing. I charged the scooter every night as we are on the go all day long. If you plan excursions, and need your scooter, it would be best to check first to see if they can accommodate it. Many cannot. Also, the embarkation ramps were manageable and not too steep getting on the Carnival Pride.

You know, you can also rent a scooter for your cruise, and the scooter will be in your cabin when you board. Based on the info you provide to them, they will know what size/type of scooter you'll need. Whatever you decide, have a great time on your cruise.

P.S. Before we purchased my scooter, I was dead set against it. I think it was a matter of pride. After driving it for about 15 minutes, I loved it, especially on a cruise. It has definitely paid for itself many times over. One of our best investments for sure.

I just went through that and Carnival insists that you cannot leave it outside your cabin at any time. I have used a walker for years and had to resort to either a scooter or wheelchair. I ended up getting a Fold-N-Go wheelchair that easily folds up easily to fit through the cabin door. In fact, it folds up to 13 inches flat so it will not be in the way in the cabin too and I can charge it in there. A collapsible power wheelchair may be something to consider.

Here s carnival's take on this

http://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/wheelchair-users.aspx

Carnival (and other cruise lines) say...

Mobility Scooters: Passenger scooters must be stored and batteries recharged in your stateroom. Due to safety considerations, wheelchairs and scooters cannot be stored in the corridors. Your personal scooter should be able to fit in a standard stateroom with a 21" entry doorway. If your scooter is larger than 21", you must purchase a modified stateroom or rent a smaller scooter.

...But I have seen scooters (including the rented ones) and wheelchairs (including ones stamped with the cruise line's name) parked all cruise long in cabin hallways on many ships.

On our last cruise our neighbor parked hers outside her door, as close to the wall as possible. It never seemed to be in the way.

When I cruise I rent a scooter from Special Needs At Sea. There scooters for

people up to 250 pounds have a wheel base of 21.25 inches. They fit thru

the door with no problem. I want to let you know that carnival has a

modified cabin. They are not handicapped but the door is larger to allow

scooters and power chairs to fit into the cabin. I have a $5,000.00

power chair but I prefer renting a scooter for my cruises. Carnival uses

a wheelchair to push me from the terminal to my room and when I open

the cabin door my charged scooter is waiting for me. I charge it every

night and in the day when I come back to the cabin I just park outside

the cabin. Every night it is on charge in front of my sofa. Good Luck.

HAPPY SAILING!!!

Parking the scooter outside the cabin for any length of time is considered a safety issue in case of evacuation and the need for large amounts of people having to get through the already narrow hallways.

As we have very recently seen, the need for possible evacuation can be a reality on a ship at any given moment.

It is common sense where you have several thousand people in a relatively confined area. I am sure you will figure out the appropriate course of action or get a cabin that can accommodate the issue. It is also possible that you may have to start planning your cruise ahead of time to get the modified or HC cabins that you will need. Good Luck!

Scooters should NEVER be parked in the corridors. If you can't get it in the door whole, take it apart. My wife has used one for years and we always get one that will fit through standard doors. You need to stat planning your cruises farther out. We usually plan ours out about a year

We aren't booked at all. We fly by the seat of our pants. Sometimes we plan a few months out and other times its just a couple weeks. The HC cabins go fast. I am OK in the cabin and don't really need a HC cabin as long as I have a shower. Don't need the roll in HC shower. I have trouble stepping over the tub to get in so suites are now out of the question. I was just beginning to get used to them too.

 

I suppose I'll call Carnival and talk to them before I purchase the scooter.

My Mom has an electric scooter and has never had a problem with a "regular" cabin. On some of her cruises, at night, and not sure who did it, but a Staff Member would put the scooter away for her and it was always outside her door in the morning when she needed it...

It also depends a lot on what time of the year you cruise... If off-season, and not a lot of kids, then parking the scooter outside is not really a problem. During season, when there are lots of kids, and some of them not so well behaved, we've never had a problem getting it thru the door or once again, ask the Room Steward to put it away some wheres overnight.

then parking the scooter outside is not really a problem

Safety should be everyone's problem, scooters in a are not safe in a narrow hallway in case of evacuation....just saying

Safety should be everyone's problem, scooters in a are not safe in a narrow hallway in case of evacuation....just saying

I agree that mobility scooters should not be left in a hallway for a variety of reasons.

But in an emergency evacuation situation, wouldn't the scooter user be amongst the evacuees, evacuating their cabin along with their scooter?

But in an emergency evacuation situation, wouldn't the scooter user be amongst the evacuees, evacuating their cabin along with their scooter?

Absolutely and all the more reason to keep it in their cabins with them so it is readily available to them and in no one's way, that way they get on them and go....I am sure those that use them have people with them to help them ( or should anyway:confused:)....it truly is common sense when it comes to safety....not an argument....