Scooter rental with a balcony cabin

[FCS1548]

Has anyone rented a scooter from Scootaround and had a balcony cabin? I am thinking about renting a scooter ( surprise)  for a family member who has a balcony cabin, and I am wondering if there will be enough room in it for them. I do not want to make it more of a hindrance than help. TIA.

[crewsweeper]

Can't answer your question from experience, but I have seen scooters left out in the passageways because they can't get into the cabins.  Have your family member try to obtain a handicap balcony cabin.  They have plenty of room.

[firefly333]

The inside portion of a balcony cabin is identical to inside cabins. I think 160 sf total.

 

Wouldnt be a good idea imo as they say not allowed to leave them in hall. Either a ov, or a suite or hc cabin. Not inside or balcony. Cabin too small.

[Schoifmom]

There is really not sufficient space in the cabins for a scooter; however, from experience, it can be done.  The doorways for regular cabins are 22" wide with 20" of actual clearance (allowing for the space of the door itself).  Most of the regular rental scooters can fit through the doorway, but it does require some extra work.  You have to remove the arm rests (not a huge effort), but the scooter must go straight through the doorway.  Most of the hallways where regular cabins are locations do not have enough space to get just the right angle to get the scooter in the room without some extra maneuvering.  

 

SOLAS regulations prohibit the storage of scooters in the hallways.  They must be stored in the room.  Carnival does not have facilities for storing them at other locations, either.

[Host Carolyn]

I'm leaving this here since it pertains to a Carnival ship but you can also find information on this here:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

[cruizergal70]

In balcony cabins, they have a small table in the sitting area. Have them remove the table.

 

Also, see if you can rent one of those narrower travel scooters.

 

Be sure to check the dimensions against those of the doorway.

[Bostwick girl]

My DH uses a mobility scooter, and we always put it in the cabin (always have balcony). The above poster is correct, take the arms off and it will go straight in with very little room to spare. His scooter is 21-1/2” wide.  Another thing you can do is remove the rear wheels if the scooter type allows this. Our bed configuration as a king allows just enough room to maneuver the scooter in the space between the lamp table and the sofa. You can also push the coffee table up against the sofa and put it there. Best advice tho, is to turn it around after you get it in the room.
 

To the poster who said to get an accessible cabin, that is almost impossible, they go very quickly. Also the accessible cabins (I think there are only 4?) are usually at the very front of the ship. Never fails when you come out of the cabin into the hallway, there’s a cart or two along the hallway, and those hallways seem to be just a little narrower. 
 

Whatever you decide, good luck!

 

[sanmarcosman]

2 hours ago, crewsweeper said:

I have seen scooters left out in the passageways because they can't get into the cabins.  

My late mother-in-law found out the hard way that leaving her scooter in the hallway was not an option with Carnival Cruise Line. 

 

To the OP: calling Carnival's Special Needs Department should be helpful to you with the scooter dimensions and general guidelines. Good luck!

[SNJCruisers]

13 hours ago, Bostwick girl said:

 

To the poster who said to get an accessible cabin, that is almost impossible, they go very quickly. Also the accessible cabins (I think there are only 4?) are usually at the very front of the ship.

For your future reference, on the 2 Excellence Class ships, there will be 79 HC cabins.  On the Vista Class, there are 42 HC, Dream Class 35 HC, Conquest Class 29 HC and Spirit Class 16 HC.  The majority are inside and OV, but the Mardi Gras and Celebration will have 49 HC between Balconies, Havana Cabana and Suites.

[tytanbri]

20 hours ago, FCS1548 said:

Has anyone rented a scooter from Scootaround and had a balcony cabin? I am thinking about renting a scooter ( surprise)  for a family member who has a balcony cabin, and I am wondering if there will be enough room in it for them. I do not want to make it more of a hindrance than help. TIA.

My mother rented one and used it on our cruise on the Dream. She contacted Carnival and was provided with an accessible cabin. The trick is booking early and having flexibility. We booked around her requirements and had to change the date we were looking at to be able to get the cabin. The scooter was placed in the cabin and stored there each night. We have seen others in the hallway on other cruises. As one of the previous posters noted, there are occasional issue with the carts being in the hallway and not being about to get through without them being moved. 

[PhillyFan33579]

20 hours ago, firefly333 said:

The inside portion of a balcony cabin is identical to inside cabins. I think 160 sf total.

 

Wouldnt be a good idea imo as they say not allowed to leave them in hall. Either a ov, or a suite or hc cabin. Not inside or balcony. Cabin too small.

It varies based on the ship class, but in general on Carnival ships balcony cabins are bigger than interior cabins. 

[firefly333]

I'm talking about the inside portion. Many are the same size of older ships that I know of. Not counting the balcony part

[famski740]

My wife has never had a problem using her scoter on a cruise ship in balcony cabins.

 

The biggest issue is not being able to traverse the hallways during the day while the stewards have their carts lining the hallways cleaning the rooms.

[fair-winds39]

I've taken my scooter (Pride GoGo Elite Traveler - 3 wheels) on the Carnival Pride 4 times. Each time we had a standard balcony cabin. We take the armrests off, DH holds the door, and I drive the scooter into the cabin. In fact, I drive in go close to the edge of the bed,  go back and forth slowly and turn the scooter around allowing me to drive out of the cabin. DH pushes the table away and I park in front of the sofa and I still have room to sit on the sofa. There is plenty of room to walk, and I can still sit on the little stool in front of the mirror and desk area. If the person has never used a scooter though, it may be difficult. I've done it so many times and I'm very used to it. 

 

Make sure to advise Guest Services, they will put the person on the list for safety purposes. Before Covid-19 we did muster in one of the lounges. I don't imagine muster will be the same though.