special needs

[csk]

we will be sailing out of Seattle the end of May and my husband will need a wheel chair at the pier, do I contact Royal Caribbean or the pier, Thanks

[shippmates]

Yes, I would contact special needs to request the wheelchair for the pier. Most ships do not have wheelchairs available for passenger use during the entire cruise. If your husband would need one for the entire cruise, special needs would be able to help you arrange the rental.

[csk]

Thank you, he just can not do long distance, and am worried the time it takes for us to get on the ship will be too much for him, going to request a chair when we arrive at the pier and for departure

[xxoocruiser]

Yes, I would contact special needs to request the wheelchair for the pier. Most ships do not have wheelchairs available for passenger use during the entire cruise. If your husband would need one for the entire cruise, special needs would be able to help you arrange the rental.

 

RCCL's Special Needs Dept does not assist in arranging the rental of wheelchair. The only thing that the Special Needs Dept will provide is the name of RCCL's two approved vendors for the rental equipment. It's up to the passenger to make all arrangements prior to the cruise.

 

Approved vendors are :

http://www.CareVacations.com and http://www.SpecialNeedsatSea.com

[csk]

he will not need one the whole cruise, just at the pier getting on and off, is that arranged at special needs

[Ourusualbeach]

he will not need one the whole cruise, just at the pier getting on and off, is that arranged at special needs

 

Royal Caribbean at special_needs@rccl.com

 

Note the underscore between special and needs.

[Dinkachu]

Just got off Vision and I am in a wheelchair.

 

When you arrive at the port, PORT EMPLOYEES helped us push the wheelchair and they had a few available for people to use.

 

Royal employees did not assist us until AFTER we got through security, then, they provided the wheelchair to get on the ship.

 

When we got off of the ship - Royal Employees took us off of the ship and to the baggage claim area. From there, we tipped a porter to push me out to the our van.

 

Royal has a limited number of wheelchairs and they are not for the entire trip.

 

Our travel agent arranged to have the wheelchair available for embarkation and debarkation.

 

I would strongly recommend renting a wheelchair if you need it for the entire cruise. At Christmas, we rented a scooter from Special Needs at Sea for our cruise on Allure.

[riclop]

we will be sailing out of Seattle the end of May and my husband will need a wheel chair at the pier, do I contact Royal Caribbean or the pier, Thanks

 

http://WWW.specialneedsatsea.com You rent one!!! If he needs it for the week.

Edited March 28, 2016 by riclop

[Clarea]

WWW.specialneedsatsea.com You rent one!!! If he needs it for the week.

Another source is http://www.carevacations.com.

[spookwife]

we will be sailing out of Seattle the end of May and my husband will need a wheel chair at the pier, do I contact Royal Caribbean or the pier, Thanks

 

 

the port does not provide wheelchairs prior to check in/during the check in process ( security, etc). the ship only provide a chair to embark the ship and again at disembarkation. (and again after disembarkation no chair for luggage retrieval and customs)

 

no chairs on board either.

 

 

if he will require one on board or at the beginning/end of the process, bring your own.

[payitforward]

If the distance to board will be an issue, he may also have an issue with all of the walking on board. As someone with a chronic illness, I can walk "normal" distances at home, but a cruise is a lot harder. On my last cruise, I found I enjoyed things a LOT more after someone in our group loaned me the scooter she did not need. I highly recommend renting him a scooter to make the trip more enjoyable for both of you. That said, the two vendors that RCCL normally uses are quite expensive. I have found that I can rent a scooter directly through a company (I just "Google them") near almost any port for half the price.