How scooter friendly is the Meraviglia?

[pampaul]

I have knee issues so walking all day causes much pain.  As does standing for any length of time.  I'm thinking of asking a friend to borrow her scooter in August when we cruise.  This will be our 12th cruise but would be the first one possibly using a scooter.  

 

As of right now we have a balcony room.  I'm assuming there will be enough room to park/charge the scooter?  

 

I am able to walk, so the plan would to be using the scooter to get to the restaurant or the buffet or the pool, etc.   Am I able to leave the scooter outside of the buffet or restaurant and walk in?  Not sure how it would be navigating around a crowd of people or many tables.  

 

If you've used a scooter on the Meraviglia, please let me know your experiences (good/bad)   Thanks!

[smokeykat]

There were many scooters on the ship. It would be hard to use them in the Buffet. Most of the scooters were left by the front area of the buffet but getting around the decks is fine. 

[pampaul]

27 minutes ago, smokeykat said:

There were many scooters on the ship. It would be hard to use them in the Buffet. Most of the scooters were left by the front area of the buffet but getting around the decks is fine. 

OK great, that's what I was looking for.  A place to park it while walking around the buffet or to our table in the restaurants.

[carlmm]

You might like to carefully check the size of the scooter and the width of the door of the cabin you want. 

MSC gives the details, varying by ship, on its homepage.

[Bgwest]

And please, please, please be careful of the toes and feet of your fellow pax. I've seen many '"rollovers" over the years. Some that have required a trip to the medical center for broken bones. 

[kelleherdl]

1 hour ago, Bgwest said:

And please, please, please be careful of the toes and feet of your fellow pax. I've seen many '"rollovers" over the years. Some that have required a trip to the medical center for broken bones. 

And practice driving it before you get to the port. I’ve seen novices get to the port and start driving the scooter for the first time. It was not a pretty sight. It’s not getting around the ship that can be the most challenging. Getting on and off the ship can be very difficult, with ramps and gangways.  

[CruizinSusan70]

I would seriously look into getting your cabin changed to a HC cabin.  The typical balcony cabin is 161 sq ft, with an extra 44 for the balcony.  There are 28 balcony rooms for HC, covering four different categories, BR1, BR2, BR3 and BP.   You also need to know how wide your scooter is from outside arm to outside arm and since you need to park your scooter inside your cabin to charge, it takes away floor space.   If you can't get a HC cabin to switch to, I would buy a foldable rollator such as

https://www.amazon.com/Medline-Standard-Folding-Rollator-Walker/dp/B08525QVBV/ref=asc_df_B08525QVBV/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=507663052233&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4275861752824881726&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003837&hvtargid=pla-1260386467097&psc=1

 

It's 60 bucks.

[CruisingWalter]

On 5/29/2023 at 2:47 PM, pampaul said:

I'm thinking of asking a friend to borrow her scooter in August when we cruise

 

It's super easy to rent a scooter for cruises and they are delivered either to the cruise terminal or directly to your cabin during embarkation. I'm not sure what the rentals are in New York, but here in Florida it's about $125 - $150 for the week. At the end of your cruise you either leave it in your stateroom or in the terminal.  Could be a lot easier than driving down a scooter and then loading it back up at the end of your cruise. 

 

One thing I'll add is that Ocean Cay Marine Reserve is super friendly for scooters. Wide concrete paths allow you to go most anywhere on the island easily. I think it's the most scooter friendly private island I've seen from any cruise line. 

[ttrmom]

I may have a kneeling scooter- is it possible to get around the island on it? 

[pno4te]

On 5/29/2023 at 2:47 PM, pampaul said:

I have knee issues so walking all day causes much pain.  As does standing for any length of time.  I'm thinking of asking a friend to borrow her scooter in August when we cruise.  This will be our 12th cruise but would be the first one possibly using a scooter.  

 

As of right now we have a balcony room.  I'm assuming there will be enough room to park/charge the scooter?  

 

I am able to walk, so the plan would to be using the scooter to get to the restaurant or the buffet or the pool, etc.   Am I able to leave the scooter outside of the buffet or restaurant and walk in?  Not sure how it would be navigating around a crowd of people or many tables.  

 

If you've used a scooter on the Meraviglia, please let me know your experiences (good/bad)   Thanks!

My husband uses both a scooter and a walker full time. The Meraviglia is very user-friendly, but... there will probably not be room in a regular balcony stateroom to get the scooter in and parked. And you cannot leave it in the hallway for safety reasons. We had a non-HA cabin on the ship a couple of years ago in the Yacht Club and managed. But it was still a little tight. Certainly, the smaller the scooter, the better!