Maui tender w scooter

[azseas]

Does anyone have experience with tendering in Maui w/a lightweight scooter. Can walk a few steps to get on tender. Concerned about standing in line to get on. Scooter folds up and member of our party can carry. Do they provide priority boarding for handicapped? Ty

[San Diego Ellie]

If you do not get an answer here, try the "Disabled Cruise Travel" subsection under the "Special Interest" Section, and post there. You are very likely to get the information you need.

[UPGrandma]

Does anyone have experience with tendering in Maui w/a lightweight scooter. Can walk a few steps to get on tender. Concerned about standing in line to get on. Scooter folds up and member of our party can carry. Do they provide priority boarding for handicapped? Ty

 

Our July '13 cruise we did not tender at Maui, but were on NCL Pride. We did tender on Hawaii @ Kona. Are you sure you tender for this stop?

[Pam in CA]

You'll be able to take an elevator down to the platform which is the equivalent of priority. Check with the Shore Excursion desk with where to get the elevator. Even then, you may not be allowed or able to take the tender as Maui is frequently quite rough and difficult for able-bodied passengers to board and disembark. Can't remember whether there were stairs on the outside of the ship to the tender from the deck 4 platform. As I remember, there are quite a few stairs to climb from the tender landing in Lahaina to street level.

Our July '13 cruise we did not tender at Maui, but were on NCL Pride. We did tender on Hawaii @ Kona. Are you sure you tender for this stop?

Yes, Lahaina is a tender port. Edited April 7, 2014 by Pam in CA

[chengkp75]

Our July '13 cruise we did not tender at Maui, but were on NCL Pride. We did tender on Hawaii @ Kona. Are you sure you tender for this stop?

 

Yes, every other ship going to Maui tenders into Lahaina. POA is the only ship that uses the Kahului dock.

 

Can't speak for Princess specifically, but most lines do have priority boarding for people with mobility issues, and they will accommodate your scooter, particularly if it is foldable. Just remember, that the step from the ship to the tender is basically in the open sea, and there will be movement. Hopefully, some who have used Princess with mobility issues will chime in with some specifics.

[MauiLvrs]

Our July '13 cruise we did not tender at Maui, but were on NCL Pride. We did tender on Hawaii @ Kona. Are you sure you tender for this stop?

 

If it stops in Lahaina (as Princess almost always does) then it is tendered.

(NCL go to Kahalui.)

Edited April 7, 2014 by MauiLvrs

[montgomeryfamily]

If you can walk onto the tender, Princess will allow you to tender. They usually will not assist in placing your wheelchair (or a lightweight foldable scooter)onboard the tender but will allow your family or friends to do so. So if a crew member assists in placing the equipment on the tender, count yourself lucky and you may want to tip.

 

Princess doesn't allow people who can't walk onto the tender to use the tender, regardless of how calm the seas are or how nice the weather. This unannounced change took effect about two years ago. Sometimes they will allow a passenger to board the tender if family/friends can carry you onboard the tender and sometimes they will not.

 

The Grand class ships have either an elevator to the tender platform or a lift from the floor above the tender platform to the tender platform level. I don't know about the other class of ships.

Edited April 7, 2014 by montgomeryfamily

[azseas]

Thank you all for the responses. I will try to reach out to the port of Albania to see how many stairs there are to walk up.

[Pam in CA]

Thank you all for the responses. I will try to reach out to the port of Albania to see how many stairs there are to walk up.

Albania? You mean Lahaina?

 

You could also post on the Princess FB page and ask there.

[azseas]

Oops, darn autocorrect! Yes I meant lahaina.

[Pam in CA]

Oops, darn autocorrect! Yes I meant lahaina.

ROFL! Yup. I'd still post the question on the Princess FB page and ask about the steps from the ship down the gangway to the tender and then the steps from the tender to the street. That's what I'm most concerned about for you, not that whether you can step on or off the tender. Plus, you don't want to hear my story about tendering in Lahaina back to the ship during a vicious storm that blew up suddenly. Edited April 7, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Jasperdo]

Thank you all for the responses. I will try to reach out to the port of Lahaina to see how many stairs there are to walk up.

At the tender landing in Lahaina, there are 4 or 5 steps to walk up to get to street level. But there is also a handicap ramp further down the dock that you will be able to use.

[azseas]

Thank you! That is very doable!!