PVP And Heald Giving Differing Statements on Wheel Chairs Or Scooters?

[drolltroll]

Sister looking into a last minute cruise and all accessible cabins are full obviously. The PVP is saying since all accessibles are full, she can't bring a wheel chair or a scooter, even if it fits through the cabin door.

 Sister says Heald on facebook says as long as it fits through the cabin door, it does not matter whether your in an accessible cabin or not but PVP wants to argue that is not true..

 Can anyone give first hand experience on this and doesn't all of the scooter rentals for cruising allow for any door entry or is that something to be aware of?

[Rollin Tide]

Unless it's a new rule, I would say Mr. Heald is correct.  The last several cruises we've taken (all the way up to this past November), we were NOT in an accessible cabin, with my wife using a scooter or wheelchair.  

[mz-s]

You should contact special needs, if need be they can boot someone out of an accessible cabin if they don't need it.

[jsglow]

Many, many people with scooters (or other mobility devices) use regular cabins on every single cruise. What's new is the STRICT enforcement of 'No Parking Outside' and 'We WILL be measuring' in the terminal.  I believe Carnival has a contracted 'preferred scooter company' for rentals right at the terminal. All their scooters fit through the door.

 

As @mz-s said, contact Special Needs. Either your sister misunderstood the PVP or the PVP is simply wrong.

Edited March 12 by jsglow

[nydney1]

A few years ago our son broke his leg and was confined to a wheelchair and we already had a cruise booked. We contacted Special Needs and they were NOT able to get us a room.

 

We booked a wheelchair chair through Carnivals provider and we just kept the wheelchair chair in the room. It was a little extra tight but no issues.

 

Carnival was very accommodating, as info our son was in Camp Carnival at the time as well. 

[thewynn]

My understanding from his statements is if you don’t have an accessible cabin, the scooter needs to be collapsible so it would fit under the bed. It cannot block your access out of the cabin in event of emergency. 

[BlerkOne]

14 minutes ago, thewynn said:

My understanding from his statements is if you don’t have an accessible cabin, the scooter needs to be collapsible so it would fit under the bed. It cannot block your access out of the cabin in event of emergency. 

...

 

 

Edited March 12 by BlerkOne

[BlerkOne]

https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/special-needs/wheelchair-users

 

PERSONAL MOBILITY DEVICES (WHEELCHAIRS/SCOOTERS/SEGWAYS)

We strongly encourage guests to inform us if they are traveling with wheelchairs/scooters at the time of booking, or as soon as the need is known, to ensure they have a stateroom that best accommodates their needs.

Due to safety considerations, mobility devices cannot be stored in corridors or public areas. In order to purchase a standard stateroom^†, mobility devices must be able to fit through its 22" (55.9 cm) wide entry doorway, and must fold and collapse so when stored, allows for safe exit from the stateroom. Guests who bring scooters that are larger than 21" (53.34 cm) wide, or travel with multiple scooters in the same stateroom, must purchase a fully accessible stateroom with a wider doorway (32”, 81.3 cm), or rent a smaller scooter appropriately suited for their stateroom. Guests may be required to have their scooters sized at the time of check-in to ensure it fits in the stateroom. Scooters that do not fit in the stateroom will not be allowed on board. Should a guest be unable to make alternate arrangements to rent a smaller scooter or travel without it, he/she will be denied boarding and no compensation will be provided.

If bringing a scooter, please bring one that can collapse or fold so that it may be stored in the closet or underneath the vanity area. Once on board, guests may contact their room steward for assistance.

Only mobility devices operated with gel, dry cell, absorbed glass mat, or lithium-ion batteries will be allowed on board. Batteries must be charged in the guest's stateroom and for this reason, we recommend guests travel with a scooter that has removable batteries.

Guests must drive at a safe speed to ensure their own safety and the safety of others on board. Raised door thresholds are present throughout the ship, which need to be traversed with care. Careful attention must be paid when backing in and out of elevators as they are often in close proximity to the staircase and may be narrow and difficult to navigate.

Mobility devices cannot be left unattended in any venue area unless the guest is temporarily away attending an event and, the device is parked in an area that allows all guests safe exit from the venue. When in public areas, guests must maintain their device clear of any exits or fire doors and ensure it does not obstruct any fire or safety equipment.

Guests bringing a Segway must store it in their stateroom for use at ports of call only.

[pjhootch]

Just got off the Magic on Saturday.  I made a last minute decision and rented a scooter from scootaround at port of Miami (for my travelmate).  I had toyed with the idea of a scooter rental ahead of time but my friend thought she would be fine just getting a wheelchair assist at the port for boarding.  She saw the size of the ship and we got her a scooter. Definitely did not have an accessible cabin but we did have a standard balcony room.  No one even blinked at us rolling up on a scooter for a regular room.  Going through the doorway was a challenge the first couple of times.  I learned to back her into the cabin and then guide her out.  It would have been miserably tight for an inside cabin but an ocean view or balcony is manageable.  

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, pjhootch said:

Just got off the Magic on Saturday.  I made a last minute decision and rented a scooter from scootaround at port of Miami (for my travelmate).  I had toyed with the idea of a scooter rental ahead of time but my friend thought she would be fine just getting a wheelchair assist at the port for boarding.  She saw the size of the ship and we got her a scooter. Definitely did not have an accessible cabin but we did have a standard balcony room.  No one even blinked at us rolling up on a scooter for a regular room.  Going through the doorway was a challenge the first couple of times.  I learned to back her into the cabin and then guide her out.  It would have been miserably tight for an inside cabin but an ocean view or balcony is manageable.  

Doorways are the same size.  No one in the terminal will say a word since most are not Carnival employees.  

[crazyank]

13 hours ago, mz-s said:

if need be they can boot someone out of an accessible cabin if they don't need it.

Not true.

[mz-s]

5 hours ago, crazyank said:

Not true.

 

Oh they certainly can. Whether or not they will close to sailing is another matter, and depends on need.

[DegenCCL]

I called over the weekend for my MIL as she was considering a scooter for our next cruise and it was the same response as Heald stated. If you bring it with you, it has to fit inside the cabin or you can not board. I was told any of the Scootaround cruise options would fit for a standard non-accessible room.

 

I am curious to see if this becomes just another unenforced Carnival rule. I fully agree with this rule as the hallways are already narrow and add in all the scooters sitting in the hallways along with all the steward cleaning carts, it has become very difficult to walk on decks with cabins.

 

 

[Elaine5715]

7 hours ago, crazyank said:

Not true.

 

1 hour ago, mz-s said:

 

Oh they certainly can. Whether or not they will close to sailing is another matter, and depends on need.

mz-s is correct.  

ACCESSIBLE STATEROOMS

Our ships have specially designed staterooms for guests using wheelchairs, or those who have mobility limitations and could benefit from the features of an accessible stateroom. We request our guests to acknowledge the need for the accessible stateroom by completing this Mobility Questionnaire, or one will be sent to you once the reservation has been secured and you have notified Carnival that you, or the person you are securing the stateroom for, requires the accessibility features of the stateroom.

If an accessible stateroom is booked by a guest who does not need the accessibility features in the stateroom, they may at any time be moved to a non-accessible stateroom in order to accommodate a guest with a disability.

[staceyglow]

2 hours ago, DegenCCL said:

I called over the weekend for my MIL as she was considering a scooter for our next cruise and it was the same response as Heald stated. If you bring it with you, it has to fit inside the cabin or you can not board. I was told any of the Scootaround cruise options would fit for a standard non-accessible room.

 

I am curious to see if this becomes just another unenforced Carnival rule. I fully agree with this rule as the hallways are already narrow and add in all the scooters sitting in the hallways along with all the steward cleaning carts, it has become very difficult to walk on decks with cabins.

 

 

Carnival has publicly announced very recently that they are cracking down on scooters left in the hallways. We will see how diligently they enforce it. 

 

[mz-s]

2 hours ago, DegenCCL said:

I called over the weekend for my MIL as she was considering a scooter for our next cruise and it was the same response as Heald stated. If you bring it with you, it has to fit inside the cabin or you can not board. I was told any of the Scootaround cruise options would fit for a standard non-accessible room.

 

I am curious to see if this becomes just another unenforced Carnival rule. I fully agree with this rule as the hallways are already narrow and add in all the scooters sitting in the hallways along with all the steward cleaning carts, it has become very difficult to walk on decks with cabins.

 

 

 

It's been a rule for years that they never really enforced. They just recently said they're going to enforce it. I bet they're failing SOLAS audits. Time will tell.

[BlerkOne]

Carnival can move you from a cabin for any reason - not just this...

 

(g) Specific stateroom assignments are not guaranteed. Carnival reserves the right to move Guests to a comparable stateroom for any reason, including but not limited to, instances in which a stateroom is booked with fewer than the maximum number of Guests the stateroom can accommodate; or when a partial Guest cancellation occurs and the remaining number of Guests do not match the maximum number of Guests the stateroom can accommodate.

[jsglow]

21 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

It's been a rule for years that they never really enforced. They just recently said they're going to enforce it. I bet they're failing SOLAS audits. Time will tell.

My thoughts exactly. I think the word was given to 'clean up that situation pronto'.

[lostsoulcruiser]

On 3/12/2024 at 12:45 PM, drolltroll said:

Sister looking into a last minute cruise and all accessible cabins are full obviously. The PVP is saying since all accessibles are full, she can't bring a wheel chair or a scooter, even if it fits through the cabin door.

 Sister says Heald on facebook says as long as it fits through the cabin door, it does not matter whether your in an accessible cabin or not but PVP wants to argue that is not true..

 Can anyone give first hand experience on this and doesn't all of the scooter rentals for cruising allow for any door entry or is that something to be aware of?

You can take a chair on-board only it must be less than 21 inches wide to get through the cabin door.  Regular wheelchairs may have trouble with this width but transport chairs will fit (they tend to be narrower; I had a 17 inch chair for my wife.  

However, and the following is made without knowledge of your sister's capablities, there is also getting around the cabin to consider.  There is a step up to get into the bathroom and a step down to get on a balcony if that is the room you have.  There is also no chair in the shower however you can put a balcony chair in the shower if needed.

Best of luck on your cruise.

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, lostsoulcruiser said:

You can take a chair on-board only it must be less than 21 inches wide to get through the cabin door.  Regular wheelchairs may have trouble with this width but transport chairs will fit (they tend to be narrower; I had a 17 inch chair for my wife.  

However, and the following is made without knowledge of your sister's capablities, there is also getting around the cabin to consider.  There is a step up to get into the bathroom and a step down to get on a balcony if that is the room you have.  There is also no chair in the shower however you can put a balcony chair in the shower if needed.

Best of luck on your cruise.

Correct, the bathroom and layout is very different.  This a a 4J on the Glory.  

[DukeASUGirl]

My parents have never used an accessible cabin, but my mom rents a scooter for cruises. As long as it fits, it's fine. Accessible cabins have more space, though.

[ray98]

I can tell you 3 weeks ago on the Mardi Gras it was not enforced and it was already a topic of conversation on here.  Walking down the hallway was like a maze.

[mz-s]

12 minutes ago, ray98 said:

I can tell you 3 weeks ago on the Mardi Gras it was not enforced and it was already a topic of conversation on here.  Walking down the hallway was like a maze.

 

They need to tighten up. Regulations like SOLAS are written in blood.

[staceyglow]

I wouldn't have any problem reporting a scooter illegally parked.

 

I don't remember - is there a speed dial to Security on the room phones?

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, staceyglow said:

I wouldn't have any problem reporting a scooter illegally parked.

 

I don't remember - is there a speed dial to Security on the room phones?

There is and a nice picture to JH, maybe one to CCL