Excursions with a Scooter

Actually this is not a correct statement. I have booked inside non accessible cabins many times and have been able to maneuver a scooter in/out while being able to store it in the cabin over overnight. I've never had to disassemble the scooter to get it in/out of the cabin. In fact until I started needing and accessible bathroom I always booked inside cabins and had a Pride GoGO stored in the cabin with no problem.

 

Much depends on the following: ..

• If scooter is less than 21" wide to be able to fit through a standard cabin door.
  
• Bed configuration. Balcony cabins are the biggest concern as some have the bed close to the entrance way which can prohibit getting the scooter even into the cabin to start.
  
• Non Accessible suites are generally not an issue with getting a scooter in and out
  
• If the person must use other mobility equipment in addition to having a scooter than a standard cabin generally will not work.
  
• Whether scooter is 3 wheel or 4 wheel. 3 wheel has a tighter turning radius to get in and out of standard cabins easily
  
• for Inside and Ocean view cabins it's easier to fit a scooter if the beds are separated. This is allows both people to get in/of bed with more ease. It allows for the individual if they have a 3 wheel scooter to be able to do a 3 point turn to drive the scooter out of the cabin gathering that backing out of the cabin.
  

Hey Pat, As usual you are full of correct information! I can only tell from our two weeks that it would have been REALLY tight in our stateroom if it had been smaller. Ours was accessible and perfect! I parked the scooter backwards with the right side of the scooter against the adjourning door we didn't need, and with the rear of the scooter up against the long mirror (left side of the closet end.) We ran around all the time and I only had to charge mine TWICE in two weeks!! It was a dream. It NEVER got into the red zone and only once got to the amber zone going uphill on the gangway, which is a joy to maneuver.:rolleyes:

They might be able to arrange the furniture ahead of time. Our beds were together in the center of the room with the couch, chair and table by the

balcony on the right side. There is a lot of room in front of the balcony doors where I put the scooter to re-charge it the two times. It was nice and for us. I would never take a regular room. Any smaller and it would not have been comfortable. It was really nice how much the room attendants do to make the guests feel comfortable. My daughter and I have done many road trips and stayed in hotels all over the US and so often, I have not slept well, if at all. I have Fibromyalgia and a really bad, painful, back. I was really worried about the cruise. I imagined being trapped in a huge ship for 14 days with a horrible bed! Usually when we get to a hotel we have to remove the blanket they put between the top 2 sheets, or we're too hot. When we got to our stateroom, we checked it out and the "blanket" was a comforter. We asked our attendant to place three comforters on top of the mattress--under the bottom/fitted sheet--in order to pad the bed as much as possible. It was wonderful. The comforters were bumpy in spots, but it was mostly very comfy. I know they offer other pads, like egg crates, etc, but it has to be REALLY soft for me, or all my Fibro pressure points start screaming.

As I said, we can't wait to go cruising again and are looking at different ones for next Summer. My daughter and I are always saying, "It's Tuesday. (or whatever day it happens to be) Where were we last Tuesday at this time of the day?" Then we have to figure it out. It was Jamaica today, I think. :) Anyway Pat, with all your guidance, we did it!!

Now we're addicted.

We ran around all the time and I only had to charge mine TWICE in two weeks!! It was a dream.

 

It NEVER got into the red zone and only once got to the amber zone going uphill on the gangway, which is a joy to maneuver.:rolleyes:

Lily

For future reference the scooter MUST be charged every night on the cruise. The rental company should have told you this . Doesn't matter if the battery gage never went into the red zone. It's not good for the life of the battery to drive it daily and only charge it twice in 2 weeks.

Not charging it regularly actually shortens the life of the battery. You really took a chance on completing draining the battery and rendering it useless by not charging it nightly. Once the Battery goes into the red zone it no longer works. Trust me it can go from green to yellow/amber to red in a blink of the eye. If you were in port and that happened your daughter would be pushing you back...... not a good thing.

Glad you and your daughter are still talking about all the fun you had on the cruise. I have one planned for early 2015. Would have normally scheduled one for this fall I'm going to my nephew's wedding this year. It's out of state and plan to go for the entire week. Really excited! He's marrying a very lovely woman .

Have a good week !

Pat

Glad you're excited

Lily

 

For future reference the scooter MUST be charged every night on the cruise. The rental company should have told you this . Doesn't matter if the battery gage never went into the red zone. It's not good for the life of the battery to drive it daily and only charge it twice in 2 weeks.

 

Not charging it regularly actually shortens the life of the battery. You really took a chance on completing draining the battery and rendering it useless by not charging it nightly. Once the Battery goes into the red zone it no longer works. Trust me it can go from green to yellow/amber to red in a blink of the eye. If you were in port and that happened your daughter would be pushing you back...... not a good thing.

 

Glad you and your daughter are still talking about all the fun you had on the cruise. I have one planned for early 2015. Would have normally scheduled one for this fall I'm going to my nephew's wedding this year. It's out of state and plan to go for the entire week. Really excited! He's marrying a very lovely woman .

 

Have a good week !

Pat

 

Glad you're excited

OH MY GOODNESS!! They absolutely did not tell us that!! Goodness, that would have been dreadful. I thought it very odd it only moved out of the green zone by one dot twice. I have never rented one before so I didn't know about that. They should have let me know.

Do you have one booked or just in the planning stages?

We will hopefully go next Summer and are looking at a completely different

destinations. Loved the Caribbean and in love with the Oasis, but we are looking around and I wondered if there are other cruise lines you find comparable.

Too bad CC does not have a chat or instant messaging system. I hate to turn the thread into our chat, but anyone out there who wants to cut in with a accessible/disabled question just jump in!:)

OH MY GOODNESS!! They absolutely did not tell us that!! Goodness, that would have been dreadful. I thought it very odd it only moved out of the green zone by one dot twice. I have never rented one before so I didn't know about that. They should have let me know.

 

Do you have one booked or just in the planning stages?

 

We will hopefully go next Summer and are looking at a completely different

destinations. Loved the Caribbean and in love with the Oasis, but we are looking around and I wondered if there are other cruise lines you find comparable.

 

Too bad CC does not have a chat or instant messaging system. I hate to turn the thread into our chat, but anyone out there who wants to cut in with a accessible/disabled question just jump in!:)

Hi Lily

Actually have one booked on RCCL Serenade out of New Orleans to the Bahamas and Key West. Though a much smaller than the Oasis or Allure Serenade which is part of RCCL's Radiance Class of ships is very accessibility. Still plenty of things to do on board.

Yes it would be nice if there was PM chat option on CC but as you already stated, anyone is welcome to join into the conversation.

As far as other ships go since my disability I find RCCL to be very accessible. Have cruise on HAL and Princess many times before my disability . Both are very nice cruise companies but I personally find that it I want to stay on the ship and not go into port RCCL has much more to offer. HAL ships basically are devoid of any on-board activities when the ship is in port. If you ever plan to go to Alaska I find Princess to offer the best itineraries.

Since you now have the cruising bug, it's be nice if our paths crossed sometime on a ship. You could see first hand how I travel solo with a disability.

Have a great weekend.

Pat