Walker AND wheelchair ok?

[cruznkate]

My family will be traveling in 14 days on the Carnival Dream. My mother in law is coming along but due to some residual affects from a tumor on her sciatic nerve, mobility is an issue. She can get around with a walker but she is VERY unstable at times and tires easily. We have decided it would be best to bring her travel wheelchair as a backup in case the boat is rocky or she gets tired and to use on excursions (we have no tendering ports...Key West, Nassau, and Freeport). My thought is to let her use the wheelchair for embarkation/debarkation and check the walker. Does anyone know if this is allowed? We could carry it on for her but with five kids in tow, we will already have our hands full. Also, we did not anticipate her being disabled when we booked, do we need to notify carnival of anything?

Thanks in advance for any help!

-Katey

[Splinter]

You can contact the cruise line to see if there are any accessible cabins still available, but they do tend to book up early.

 

Can she negotiate the 6" step up into the bathroom safely? How does she do with the walker on carpet and with thresholds? You may find she needs to use the wheelchair out of the cabin, esp. if there are any rocky sea days, and for long distances on carpet such as you have on most cruise ships.

 

You can take as much mobility equipment as she needs. I would be cautious about checking a walker though, as it is very likely to end up at the bottom of a pile of heavy suitcases, and get broken. Can she not sit in the wheelchair and carry the walker (I assume it folds)? The cruise line will provide someone to push her wheelchair so you can tend to the other luggage. If her walker is something like a rollator, you can pile the carry-on luggage on it (take a couple of bungie cords) and push that as well.

[cruznkate]

Thank you so much for your reply. Yes, she can manage the step up to the bathroom (though I hadn't though of that so I'm glad you mentioned it). She is just a little wobbly so the walker allows her to navigate without the risk of falling down. I agree that she will probably end up in the wheelchair more often than not though. I mean, the dream is huge! I hadn't thought about the walker possibly being damaged so I think your suggestions to let her carry it or use it as a luggage carrier are brilliant! Again, thank you for being so helpful!

[xxoocruiser]

Agree with the previous poster as to NOT checking the walker as it most likely will be damaged.

 

I fold my walker and hold it while seated in the wheelchair.

Edited June 2, 2014 by xxoocruiser

[Going Coastal]

Kathy,

Considering your group, could someone(taller child or teenager?) push the walker with some carryon bags on it while someone else pushed the chair?

That is what we do, though it is my tall husband pushing the walker!

Sounds like a great family trip.

 

 

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[sherilyn70]

I have a similar problem. I have a tumor that pushes on both my sciatic nerve and the vena cava. I have a scooter for long distance trips and then I'm taking a walker as well for shorter walking. We plan on taking both through airport check in and the ships.

 

I get exhausted easily due to the meds and hemoglobin issues. It's a life saver. :)

 

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Edited June 2, 2014 by sherilyn70

[Beth Shaughnessy]

My sister and I took my parents on a cruise several years ago. They each had a wheelchair and a walker. They used the walker in their cabin and the wheelchair everywhere else. They probably could have walked to dinner, but we worried about a roll in the ship and a potentially dangerous fall. Because of the wheelchairs, they had more energy and really enjoyed the cruise. We had adjoining rooms which helped as well. Several companies deliver the wheelchair to the room. We used the terminals wheelchair to get then on board. With all our luggage it was hard to fit two wheelchairs in the trunk. Good luck and enjoy n

 

 

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[cruznkate]

Thank you all. These answers have made us all feel more comfortable about our trip! 9 more days!!

 

-Katey

[tabster100]

You can contact the cruise line to see if there are any accessible cabins still available, but they do tend to book up early.

 

Can she negotiate the 6" step up into the bathroom safely? How does she do with the walker on carpet and with thresholds? You may find she needs to use the wheelchair out of the cabin, esp. if there are any rocky sea days, and for long distances on carpet such as you have on most cruise ships.

 

You can take as much mobility equipment as she needs. I would be cautious about checking a walker though, as it is very likely to end up at the bottom of a pile of heavy suitcases, and get broken. Can she not sit in the wheelchair and carry the walker (I assume it folds)? The cruise line will provide someone to push her wheelchair so you can tend to the other luggage. If her walker is something like a rollator, you can pile the carry-on luggage on it (take a couple of bungie cords) and push that as well.

 

Thank you for the advice on not checking the walker!! Taking my 89 yr old mother on an Alaska cruise (her first) in Sept and we'll be bringing both wheelchair and walker for her to use. I've been trying to figure out how to make it all work, my TA advised that HAL no longer has wheelchairs to use at the port in Seattle, so we'll rent one ahead and bring it along. :)

[dorisis]

You should also order a stool for the shower.

[meatloafsfan]

On our first Disney cruise we checked both a walker and an extra wheelchair (my mother uses a larger wheelchair with a 22 inch seat so we also brought her travel chair with a 20 inch seat just in case).

 

We spoke with the porter who was taking our luggage, told him these were valuable and necessary, tipped him and he put them on top of the luggage trolley so there was nothing on top of them. They both made it to the cabin unscathed.

[sherilyn70]

We are in the process of flying home right now (in literally on the planes wifi right now) and had zero issues having both with us. The walker actually came in handy for helping my husband manage our carry on bags in the airport while I was on my scooter. All of the airline and ship staff were extremely helpful.

 

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