Wheelchair advice for Excursions in the Ports

I have a friend that is traveling with a group of us and uses a motorized scooter to get around the ship we are wondering if somebody can give us some advice with how to get around the Port of Call with either a regular wheelchair that you push or even a walker equipped with a seat for him to rest on and if the cruise ship offers a rental service of a non motorized wheelchair or walker he can walk a small distance but will need a wheelchair getting around the ports and something that will fold up and we can put into a taxi.

He already has his motorized scooter rented for the cruise with Scoot Around. The last Cruise he did he was limited to what he could do and basically had to stay at the port because all he had was his motorized scooter. This trip he would like to venture out and try some excursions any advice would be great. We are sailing on Carnival. Ports of Call are Cozumel Grand Cayman Belize and Mahogany Bay Roatan.

We would like to include him in all the excursions we do, most Ports we are planning on going to the beach.

What he is trying to avoid is bringing his wheelchair or scooter from home we live in Nova Scotia Canada and he does not want to drag it all the way to Miami and on his Cruise.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Belize is a tender port, this will probably be an issue.

Yes they did Tender before in Grand Cayman

Carnival does not rent mobility devices, at least not walkers. I have seen a lot of Carnival wheelchairs outside cabins, so there must be a source, especially if you get injured on the cruise. The website does not mention providing a wheelchair other than at boarding and debarking.

https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs.aspx EM

You will need to contact your cruise line special needs department about accessibility excursions but understand most destinations are not wheelchair friendly. Roatan cruise port area is accessible and the immediate Cozumel port area also. Sidewalks in Grand Cayman are terrible. Belize and Grand Cayman are tender ports and subject to weather conditions so ship crew may not permit EVCs or wheelchairs on tenders.

Assuming once you're off the ship (which appears to be an issue in itself) , I'd do tours with a local guide in a cab or van and highlight on sites one can admire and enjoy without getting out of the vehicle. On the plus side, you probably won't be held hostage an spend way more time than one would want at a "shopping opportunity".

Hi

Your friend is already renting the motorized scooter. He should just rent both from Scootaround. They will be waiting for him in the cabin.

If he can get around a little, the manual wheelchair will allow him to get on the tenders and if you want to venture further than just the port areas, a manual/folding wheelchair will allow you to hop in a cab and go wherever you want as long as there is someone that can help him, pushing, getting up and down from curbs etc...

They will supply a wheelchair for boarding and debarkation.

hope this helps

have a great cruise

 

 

We would like to include him in all the excursions we do, most Ports we are planning on going to the beach.

He would have to rent the wheelchair as well as the ECV. I'd opt for that rather than a walker as being more versatile. He can walk behind and push the wheelchair OR be pushed while seated. Bear in mind, however that very few mobility assistive devices are good at beaches, all too easily getting bogged down or stuck in the soft sand.

For the Ports that are tendered, he would likely have to be able to negotiate the steps on his feet. But call Carnival's special needs dept to see if he can transfer in a wheelchair.

Buy a lightweight transport chair. The take very little room in a cabin and are easy to fold up. My husband has used one for years and he goes on many excursions and doesn't have any problems with getting them on a tender.

They won't work on sand, but neither will anything else unless it's specifically designed for the beach.