Cruise ships to ban "scooters" going forward?

[cruisequeen4ever]

This was an interesting concept for me to consider right now because though I’m only in my late 30s, I’m currently bound to a NON-motorized knee scooter as I recover from foot surgery. I have been concerned about germs coming into my home on it, so I’ve stayed home the entire time except for one required medical appt. Upon returning home, we doused the whole thing in Lysol and then wiped the touch parts with Clorox wipes after that. I don’t know that I’d wanna have to deal with the scooter on a ship. I get tired doing the multitude of 3 point turns it takes to simply navigate our home, let alone on a giant ship. It’s scary enough backing up at home let alone on a ship. If I could, I’d wait to cruise when I could easily walk again. That said, I understand that some are confined to a scooter or wheelchair for life, and I’d like them to have the opp to cruise if so desired. I know how much joy cruising brings me. I have thought about how germs those devices must be and how so many crew have to touch them. As long as they could commit to thoroughly disinfecting their device daily either by the crew or a family member, though, I think they should be allowed. 

[KroozNut]

2 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

This was an interesting concept for me to consider right now because though I’m only in my late 30s, I’m currently bound to a NON-motorized knee scooter as I recover from foot surgery. I have been concerned about germs coming into my home on it, so I’ve stayed home the entire time except for one required medical appt. Upon returning home, we doused the whole thing in Lysol and then wiped the touch parts with Clorox wipes after that. I don’t know that I’d wanna have to deal with the scooter on a ship. I get tired doing the multitude of 3 point turns it takes to simply navigate our home, let alone on a giant ship. It’s scary enough backing up at home let alone on a ship. If I could, I’d wait to cruise when I could easily walk again. That said, I understand that some are confined to a scooter or wheelchair for life, and I’d like them to have the opp to cruise if so desired. I know how much joy cruising brings me. I have thought about how germs those devices must be and how so many crew have to touch them. As long as they could commit to thoroughly disinfecting their device daily either by the crew or a family member, though, I think they should be allowed. 

 

This is totally crazy... paranoid?

[Hlitner]

On 1/2/2021 at 6:17 PM, chengkp75 said:

SCOTUS, in Specter v NCL, ruled that the ADA does not apply to cruise ships when it comes to the ship's "internal policies and procedures".  Viking is not restricting disabled passengers, which would not be allowed by the ADA, but their "internal policy" of banning motorized scooters does not.  The question of making the cruise lines responsible to the ADA for all policies was found to be Congress' purview, and without an amendment to the ADA, specifically mentioning foreign flag cruise ships, that their policies do not have to meet the ADA.  Also, Viking can argue that scooters are a hazard under SOLAS, and SCOTUS, in the same ruling, held that SOLAS overrode ADA.

I am not a lawyer and certainly not even remotely qualified to argue Spector!  That being said, the decision had more to do with structural changes/modifications then most other aspects of Title 3.  I think the judges made it pretty clear that cruise lines did not have to make major modifications to a ship's structure in order to comply with ADA.  But they left many other issues open for interpretation.  Justice Scalia wrote (in his opinion) that the decision would result in lots of future litigation.

 

I recently read an interesting interpretation at 

ADA Applies to Foreign-Flag Cruise Ships—In Theory | Expert Commentary | IRMI.com

 

One could interpret Spector as allowing the ADA to apply to foreign flagged ships to the extent of making reasonable accommodations which would not include having to make substantial structural changes.  So one wonders if a vessel is capable of handling the use of scooters (without structural modification) if the argument can be made that they must allow such scooters.  Darned if I know, but Spector certainly left that barn door widely open.

 

Hank

P.S.  Perhaps there are some lawyers here on CC that would jump in on the topic 🙂

[mamaofami]

That would be the end of cruising for me. I use my own light weight scooter because I can’t walk long distances. I’ve looked into scooters on river boats and they are banned because some of those boats have no elevators and sometimes they dock parallel to each other at port and you have to climb over two or more to disembark. For that reason, I haven’t done any river boat cruises.

[aa7yy]

My only problem with scooters is when they are left in the hall over night. I now that you are suppose to put them in your room but nobody handles the enforcement.

[KroozNut]

1 hour ago, aa7yy said:

My only problem with scooters is when they are left in the hall over night. I now that you are suppose to put them in your room but nobody handles the enforcement.

 

Beside the fact (as has been mentioned here many times) that it is a safety hazard and violation of the emergency egress requirements.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, aa7yy said:

My only problem with scooters is when they are left in the hall over night. I now that you are suppose to put them in your room but nobody handles the enforcement.

And that raises the question of even if they have strict protocols, are they going to be enforced?

[Hlitner]

2 hours ago, aa7yy said:

My only problem with scooters is when they are left in the hall over night. I now that you are suppose to put them in your room but nobody handles the enforcement.

Leaving those Scooters in a corridor is a clear violation of SOLAS so it is enforced on many ships.  If you want to have some fun just take a picture of a scooter parked in a corridor and suggest to Guest Relations that you intend to post it on social media :).

 

Hank

[mamaofami]

On 12/31/2020 at 11:17 AM, Aquahound said:

 

Well, truth be told, if a person uses these devices due to age or health, they probably shouldn't be rushing to cruise anyways.  That's just the harsh reality.  Actually, none of us should be rushing for that matter.  

Sorry, but I disagree. I use a cane for the past ten years and have enjoyed many cruises . Now, I use a scooter for long distances because I can’t walk that far. Who are you to tell me whether I should cruise? Do you know my medical history or that of my husband who cruises with me. Sorry for being so angry, but your comments are really out of line. I never leave my scooter out of my cabin.

Edited January 9, 2021 by mamaofami

[Aquahound]

1 hour ago, mamaofami said:

Sorry, but I disagree. I use a cane for the past ten years and have enjoyed many cruises . Now, I use a scooter for long distances because I can’t walk that far. Who are you to tell me whether I should cruise? Do you know my medical history or that of my husband who cruises with me. Sorry for being so angry, but your comments are really out of line. I never leave my scooter out of my cabin.

 

I mean this with the utmost respect.  You're not the first to react this way my point, so maybe it's the way I typed it that's causing some to misunderstand it.  The point I was making was that this temporary ban, if it even exists, is probably much ado about nothing because those who are in a high risk category for COVID probably shouldn't be rushing to get on the first available cruise.  That's why I specified age and health.  That's all.  There was nothing condescending meant by it.  

[mamaofami]

2 hours ago, Aquahound said:

 

I mean this with the utmost respect.  You're not the first to react this way my point, so maybe it's the way I typed it that's causing some to misunderstand it.  The point I was making was that this temporary ban, if it even exists, is probably much ado about nothing because those who are in a high risk category for COVID probably shouldn't be rushing to get on the first available cruise.  That's why I specified age and health.  That's all.  There was nothing condescending meant by it.  

Ok. I didn’t realize you were talking about COVID and not just scooters. There are however, many younger cruisers confined to wheel chairs and scooters. No, I am in no rush to cruise until we get this virus under control. Scooter or no scooter, I would feel that way. 

[Aquahound]

1 minute ago, mamaofami said:

There are however, many younger cruisers confined to wheel chairs and scooters. 

 

I realize that.  It's beside the point and why I specified those who are COVID high risk.