Pack the Rollator or Travel Scoot for European River Cruise, what do you think?

[nomadguy]

I welcome your comments, suggestions, and ideas as to whether I should pack my rollator or rent a scooter for a [possible] European river cruise on the Seine.

 

I’m considering taking my spouse on a one-week European river cruise with Avalon Waterways for our anniversary. We have been to Europe numerous times on ocean cruises in the past (before disability) and we took our first river cruise last year when I used a cane with little problem on a 2-week cruise. (There was one other person with an obvious disability on that cruise; he used a quad cane and stayed on the boat the entire cruise. I really would like to disembark at the various ports if at all possible without hindering other passengers or putting myself in danger.)

 

We will probably travel with only one checked bag between the two of us (25”) but will also have one 4-wheel carry-on (21”), a medication bag, and a handbag. We would get a taxi from CDG airport to a hotel at the start of our trip; Avalon would be responsible for getting us back to the airport for our return home at the conclusion of our cruise. (My spouse handles all of our luggage when we travel and can lift 45 pounds without a problem; we don’t foresee problems handling our luggage plus a rollator or scooter at our home airport.)

 

Unfortunately, my disability has worsened since our last cruise and I now sometimes “freeze” which causes me to have problems moving (especially in crowds). There are other times when my toes curl under and my foot “rolls over” on its side (dystonia) creating a real problem for walking so keeping up with a guide’s schedule will be almost impossible unless I rely on something more than my cane. I have a rollator that I could take but my spouse would need to push me while I keep my feet raised when these sporatic health issues arise.

 

Of course, I realize that most River Cruise companies discourage those who are mobility challenged from booking river cruises but, having actually been on a river cruise recently, I think it’s doable for us. (We’ll grab a cabin close to the dining room and leave extra time to get to meals; my spouse doesn’t mind running through the breakfast and lunch buffet lines for both of us and is fine with missing port tours if I'm having a bad day. The boat has an elevator between levels; my spouse can help me to/fro the sundeck.)

 

I believe the worst-case scenario is I’d need to remain on the boat at all ports and, if that’s the worst-case scenario, I’m okay with that as it’s such a pleasant experience cruising down the river, watching the lock action, taking in the scenery, and meeting interesting people. In other words, I’m willing to take that risk; anything more than staying onboard will be a great bonus!

 

• So, with all that said, do you think a scooter is the way to go or should I just bring the rollator?
  
• If renting a scooter, should I consider anything else besides the 35# TravelScoot?
  
• Do I rent the scooter a couple of days in advance of the trip as well as at least 1 day after the conclusion to allow for any trip delays?
  
• Is it true I would need to use my feet to stop the TravelScoot (or is that just for backing it up)?
  

Thanks for bearing with me and special thanks in advance for your opinions! (Psst: I'd especially like to hear from anyone who's been on a river cruise with a mobility device. )

[xxoocruiser]

 

• Is it true I would need to use my feet to stop the TravelScoot (or is that just for backing it up)? Not to stop but to go in reverse. The motor does not have a reverse gear. Check out the video on the website at www.travelscoot.com
  
• 
  

 

Have never been on a River Cruise so can't tell you what would be better. I will tell you I have done day tours on the some of the rivers in Europe and found that most all stops had stairs to get the street level. There were no ramps. I found it hard even with a just a cane.

[JackWP]

We were on a river cruise several years ago. My wife can not do long distances, so we took a transport chair with large wheels on the rear and weighed a little over 20#. As you know, there are many steps, ruts, curbs, cobblestones, etc. on these cruises. The cruise person worked with us to tell us when they though we needed to use the chair and we did OK. Many will not agree with our approach, but it worked.

 

If we were going to book another river cruise, the travel scoot would be a requirement and a better approach for us at this time.

[PennyAgain]

I gave up a good booking on a river cruise because I cannot do stairs without a handrail and sadly that is often the way up from where the ship docks to the town.

 

Not only was the lack of handrails a common situation, but often the stairs are slippery and mossy. Great!

[nomadguy]

thanks everyone for your insight.

@PennyAgain that wasn't our experience; sorry it worked out like that for you; there was more issue to go to the Skydeck than to get off at ANY of the stops between Prague and Budapest when we sailed. (The only thing I noticed was at one stop the ramp had rungs between them and the side rails were only lose roping.) I'll try to post some pix of what I encountered.

[nomadguy]

a few pix Avalon Tapestry - toughest part to negotiate was the walk down the ramp and across one vessel into the next (Budapest).

[PennyAgain]

The photos make the point very clear. Thank you! I've heard of river ships rafting up next to each other but am glad to see how it actually is done.

[nomadguy]

The photos make the point very clear. Thank you! I've heard of river ships rafting up next to each other but am glad to see how it actually is done.

 

the angle/pitch was steep getting to the first boat but the "plank" between both boats was not noticeable since they were level with each other.

[GenyaGr]

So, with all that said, do you think a scooter is the way to go or should I just bring the rollator?

• If renting a scooter, should I consider anything else besides the 35# TravelScoot?
  
• Do I rent the scooter a couple of days in advance of the trip as well as at least 1 day after the conclusion to allow for any trip delays?
  
• Is it true I would need to use my feet to stop the TravelScoot (or is that just for backing it up)?
  

I've done a river cruise from Amsterdam to Vienna (Viking) four years ago. I'm a slow walker. I can walk short distances without help, but on tours could just keep up with a cane then, and could do stairs if there was a railing. The ship I was on had a partial elevator; you needed to traverse a half flight of stairs to get everywhere on the ship. I brought my rollator, but nearly got shaken to death on the cobblestones in Amsterdam, and never used it for the rest of the cruise except in the Vienna airport, where I almost went head over heels when I got to a thick carpet join when walking along at a pretty good clip. My rollator has relatively small wheels; if you decide to try the rollator, get one with large 8" wheels.

Only once was there a problem with embarking/disembarking (with no handrail) , and between a ship's employee and my husband, they helped me over the hurdle comfortably.

I used crutches last year for tours on an Oceania cruise from Barcelona to Istanbul. My problem is confined to my legs and lower back; my arms are strong. The crutches are much more adaptable to rough terrain than rollators. On a small ship, I can usually get around ok with a cane at most; for tours, I need the crutches. However, when you're using crutches, your hands are not free, and stairs can still be a problem, as they will be with a rollator or Travelscoot. In fact, crutches can be a hazard on stairs--they can act as a catapault if you begin to lose your balance at the top of a flight of stairs. If there's a sturdy handrail, I usually hand my crutches to my spouse and pull myself up or down the stairs with the handrail. Also, your hands can take quite a beating from the weight on them when using crutches. After our three week trip, my hands were numb for weeks.

We've booked a river cruise in Egypt for next spring, and I'm considering getting a Travelscoot, which I may need soon anyway for longer walks near home. My understanding is that they have hand operated brakes, but you need your feet to back it up. If you were unable to use your feet to back it up but have a relatively able-bodied companion, I'd think he or she could help roll the scooter back. I have tried to research the travel scooter market, and as a relatively small woman who values independence, I have not found anything else light enough for me to lift on my own. I think if I were renting one, I'd want an extra day to get used to driving it before I left on a trip.

A motorized mobility aid does save a lot of energy. If you are just barely keeping up with a tour with a cane, rollator or crutches, they'll wait a bit for you, but will take off as soon as you catch up. This means that the other able-bodied tour members will get to pause a bit (while they wait for you to catch up) but you will have to keep going. Considering that you use a lot more energy to walk when your muscles don't work normally, it can be really exhausting to keep up.

Another walking aid I use regularly at the mall at home is a Swany Walkin' Bag, luggage/wheeled tote bag, made to roll easily on four wheels, and lean-on handles that will hold up to 250 lb. They have models that look like standard carry-on luggage, models that have a frame with a removeable tote bag and models that include a fold-down seat. They're a bit pricey but their web site has deals. Like a small wheeled rollator, these are best on flat surfaces, but have the advantage of letting you carry stuff, too.

Basically, only you know what you are able to do physically, and unfortunately, it can be hard to find out how strenuous tours are. Good luck making your choice.

[katisdale]

You don't indicate where you live but I would be happy to show and let you try my travelscoot if you are near Hickory, NC. This is what I have found after having it almost two years. It is very lightweight which is wonderful. It is also wonderful that it collapses and is easy to transport. There is no reverse but that is not a problem for me and I have become quite adept at backing it up. I have just returned from a land trip to Colorado and the Grand Canyon. Every trip I go on I learn something new. The scoot is excellent in airports, malls, and cruise ships. However two new things I learned on my most recent trip is that on steep downhill paths (the US Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs from the visitors center to the chapel) the hand brakes do not have enough power to stop the scooter. I was scared. Another lesson is that although the scooter is quite good on packed gravel it is not as good on loose gravel as the large bruise on my right calf can attest. The loose gravel was at the Grand Canyon where they are "modifying" the handicapped access. Overall I am very pleased with my travelscoot and have used it on cruise vacations to the caribbean and Alaska quite successfully. I will take it on a Baltics cruise next May. The scoot handled cobblestones quite well in Mexico. I will be happy to answer any questions.

[nomadguy]

thanks everyone for the insight. Unfortunately, crutches aren't a possibility.

 

IF I go, I'm leaning toward renting the travel scoot - told the scooter is 35# but add another 20-25# for the container and CHECK it (despite what's listed on Travelscoot's web site). I can rent and then get $50 off a purchase if I like it enough. Definitely will get it a couple of days ahead of time and "practice" at a local mall. I've read the assembly directions... um, hope writing them is more complicated than assembling the scooter itself.

 

BTW, I did find one other very light product - called the QA1 - but the independent feedback scares me so I've basically crossed that off my list.

 

I have a Samsonite 4 wheel 21" carryon and I have to say that it's wonderful! I've seen other cases like the Swany with a seat but I could never get down that low (or back up again). :rolleyes:

 

Katisdale, thanks for the offer to see your T/S. I called the company and they gave me the name of a purchaser in my area but, alas, they never called me back. (Maybe they're on a cruise!) So I think I'll have to bite the bullet and just rent it to find out for myself. It is reassuring to know it handled the cobblestones relatively ok!!!

 

BTW, I was at the Grand Canyon recently; probably saw that reconstruction work you mention Katisdale! I had trekking poles which helped somewhat but couldn't dare venture off the rim. I did see a lady with MS take her scooter down Bright Angel trail a bit. Quite the spectacle - scary actually to just watch - especially when 3 men had to manipulate the scooter on the narrow trail to get it turned around after just a hundred feet down! :eek:

 

I'll keep you all posted...

[nomadguy]

I'm back (which is a miracle since all of France went on strike the day of my return... waited 1 hr. 50 min. for a wheelchair from AirFrance check in area to get through security to the gate at CDG airport!). (The conditions of renting the TravelScoot were that I had to check it as checked luggage - no charge but just couldn't use it to get to the gate.) As an aside, the jet fuelers had a slowdown so the plane was delayed 45 min. for that incident. Then the plane tug cart had a slowdown so another 45 min. delay for that incident. And in the meantime, our plane missed its queue in line for each incident. Fortunately, DL/AF was able to make up time in the air so we were only 50 minutes behind schedule by the time we landed back in the USA.

 

Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who contributed to this thread before my departure. The TravelScoot rental worked out wonderfully for my trip and made it possible for me to see:

- Versailles in Paris

- Monet's gardens/house in Givenchy (sp)

- Van Gogh's last home and resting place

- Joan of Arc's church and place of burning at the stake in Roeun

- the Landing beaches and US military cemetery at Normandy

I did not use it on the river cruise ship itself - just on land. (The ship was small enough and my cabin was in a place where it wasn't too much trouble to walk to/from the cabin, the reception area, the Lounge, the restaurant, and up/down the ramp with a helping arm.) At just 35# total weight, my travel companion was able to lift it on/off the ship. I charged it (with the help of an adapter plug) every evening to ensure it was fully charged for the next day's excursion. I can't say that I could have managed without a travel companion. I had a bit of difficulty keeping the thing running b'c my right hand (which tremors) tired easily from continually on the throttle. The road to Van Gogh's cemetery plot was a bit steep - but less than 8% grade - and winding so my SO took a practice run 1/3 of the way up to make sure it was doable for me and not too much of an incline, etc. And, there were a few little itty bitty steps that I still needed to get over and I can't balance myself and pull the scooter up/down the steps so my SO did that as well. SO also walked ahead of me much of the time "clearing the path" of other tourists who weren't watching where they were going.

 

I arrived home to find the Go Go Elite Traveler 3 wheel scooter delivered that very same day so I shall use that for future trips within the US; however, I wouldn't hesitate to rent the TravelScoot again for something like a trip I just took. If you have any questions about my experience, LMK.

 

Well, that's my report. I truly appreciate your help in my decision!

[Agent 86]

Just a reminder that most situations requiring 'backing up' on a Travelscoot can be avoided by pulling over to the left (eg in an elevator)and then turning hard right when you need to turn around. The Travelscoot will turn right in its own radius so unless you're in a very small elevator with practice you can do a U-turn without Flintstone-ing it.

[EileenN]

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Our DD is also a dystonic on the whole left side. But is unable to operate a motorized chair because of developmental disabilities. She does great with a rollator. Enjoy your travels.

[nomadguy]

Just a reminder that most situations requiring 'backing up' on a Travelscoot can be avoided by pulling over to the left (eg in an elevator)and then turning hard right when you need to turn around. The Travelscoot will turn right in its own radius so unless you're in a very small elevator with practice you can do a U-turn without Flintstone-ing it.

 

my backing up occurred in other situations such as riding the path around Claude Monet's garden and encountering a herd... oops busload of tourists who wouldn't let me thru; I just didn't have enough room or dexterity to turn that scoot in its own radius. (SO could do that but not me.)

[nomadguy]

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Our DD is also a dystonic on the whole left side. But is unable to operate a motorized chair because of developmental disabilities. She does great with a rollator. Enjoy your travels.

 

EileenN, sorry to hear about DD's dystonia; it's not a fun diagnosis at all and just one of many symptoms of my condition! Off topic - I'm curious as to what type of doctor does she see for it (e.g., Neuro, Movement Disorders)? (BTW, passed by Steve Kalafer's Patriiots stadium just today.)