Electric Wheelchair on Celebrity Summit

Anyone use an electric wheel chair on celebrity summit? I will be taking my twin sister, who uses an electric wheelchair on her first cruise, and wanted to see if any others have experienced using a wheelchair on the Summit? Is there anything we should be prepared for before going? She was will be in oceanview accessible stateroom. I was on this same cruise without my sister last year and all common areas appeared accessible. With that being said, I don't use a wheelchair myself, and know that I easily could have overlooked things.

Also, my parent's are in a family veranda stateroom and we would like to all gather on their large balcony. I know my sister's chair most likely will not fit through their stateroom door. However, she can walk short distances with crutches, so I am thinking she can drive her chair there, and then she can walk in and out to the balcony. Do you think there would be anywhere to put the chair nearby? If worse comes to worse I figure we can drive it back to her room, but it is on the opposite side of the ship.

Anyone use an electric wheel chair on celebrity summit? I will be taking my twin sister, who uses an electric wheelchair on her first cruise, and wanted to see if any others have experienced using a wheelchair on the Summit? Is there anything we should be prepared for before going? She was will be in oceanview accessible stateroom. I was on this same cruise without my sister last year and all common areas appeared accessible. With that being said, I don't use a wheelchair myself, and know that I easily could have overlooked things.

 

Also, my parent's are in a family veranda stateroom and we would like to all gather on their large balcony. I know my sister's chair most likely will not fit through their stateroom door. However, she can walk short distances with crutches, so I am thinking she can drive her chair there, and then she can walk in and out to the balcony. Do you think there would be anywhere to put the chair nearby? If worse comes to worse I figure we can drive it back to her room, but it is on the opposite side of the ship.

If your sister's chair does not fit through the doorway of your parent's cabin, it cannot be stored out in the hallway . It will most likely needed to be returned to her cabin.Per maritime regulations, specifically SOLAS ( Safety of Life at Seas) as well as Coast Guard Regulations and Celebrity's policy, any such equipment MUST be stored in the cabin when not in use.

Guessing that you did not check Celebrity's website prior to posting as it states :

"Assistive devices including mobility scooters must be stored and recharged in your stateroom so fire doors, corridors and elevator lobbies are kept clear for emergency evacuation. When parked throughout the ship, they must be parked out of the way to allow safe and easy access by other guests and crewmembers."

Actually I did know that the chair could not be in the hallway, which is why I asked if anyone happened to have any other suggestions of places to put it nearby that would be acceptable and said that I could drive it back to her stateroom if need be....I never said we were going to leave it in the hallway...

Her electric wheelchair most likely won't fit through the cabin door, but if it is collapsible you can probably get it in that way so it will be out of the hallway (and safe from being stolen). And don't worry about people who criticize you for things you haven't said, just ignore them - unfortunately they don't seem to go away.

Thank you for your kindness 😀...I was a bit taken back by the snarky reply!

Her electric wheelchair most likely won't fit through the cabin door, but if it is collapsible you can probably get it in that way so it will be out of the hallway (and safe from being stolen). And don't worry about people who criticize you for things you haven't said, just ignore them - unfortunately they don't seem to go away.

I was going to write more earlier but DH decided we had to go into town IMMEDIATELY. lol

There are lots of tremendously knowledgable cruisers here who generously share their experiences. They made a HUGE difference in my first Caribbean cruise and have already given me information that I expect will make our upcoming Alaska cruise even more exciting. There are also trolls, people who don't bother to actually read what is posted and instead respond to what *they* expected, people that confidently spew out simply wrong information, and people who seem to get off on criticizing others. I recommend adding them to your Ignore List so you can enjoy the helpful members without being distracted by the others. ;)

If her wheelchair isn't collapsible, then you will probably have to take it back to her cabin. But you can at least try to get it through the family balcony door, you never know. Some ships have different width doors even on the same cabin classes!

I was considering a Celebrity ship for our first cruise (although we wound up travelling on Royal) so I talked to their accessible department quite a bit. All the mass-market lines are pretty accessible. There will likely be a few places she won't be able to get to but they are probably places she can live without. On Oasis of the Seas, I couldn't get to the very top deck (where there was sunbathing and a bar) and a forward viewing area (that required going up a couple of steps). On Norwegian Pearl, there is again a very top level that is only accessible via stairs (I think it too has a sunbathing area and a bar) and there is one class of suite that you can only access by stairs. The restaurants (both included and premium), entertainment areas, and even public restrooms will LIKELY be accessible. The venues that have auditorium-type seating, such as a theater, will probably have a reserved area for wheelchairs and other mobility devices wherever the entrance is (it was at the top on Oasis). The view won't necessarily be the best but I didn't have any trouble seeing everything. However, this is general information. For specific information on the Summit, your best bet is to call the accessible desk and ask. I suggest writing your questions down in advance to make sure you cover everything when you call.

And keep asking questions! IMNSHO, knowing what to expect, especially with a disabled cruiser, really makes the difference in being prepared and having a wonderful cruise.

Do your parents have a corner FV, or the ones next to the corner? The corner ones have an entry hallway and if she can't get the chair inside, it would not obstruct any other cabins or hallway if she left it there. She also might have difficulty making the turn into the corner cabin doors, even if wide enough. From the diagrams, it looks like the cabins that are not on the corner have a side entry, so leaving the chair in the hallways would not obstruct them, either.

MAMASYLVIA.....you are such a kind lady here on the Disabled threads. All of your knowledge and kindness has taught me so much...I have learned a lot from you. (my first year of being on the disabled list). Just wanted to say thank you for all you do. :hearteyes:

I was going to write more earlier but DH decided we had to go into town IMMEDIATELY. lol

 

There are lots of tremendously knowledgable cruisers here who generously share their experiences. They made a HUGE difference in my first Caribbean cruise and have already given me information that I expect will make our upcoming Alaska cruise even more exciting. There are also trolls, people who don't bother to actually read what is posted and instead respond to what *they* expected, people that confidently spew out simply wrong information, and people who seem to get off on criticizing others. I recommend adding them to your Ignore List so you can enjoy the helpful members without being distracted by the others. ;)

 

If her wheelchair isn't collapsible, then you will probably have to take it back to her cabin. But you can at least try to get it through the family balcony door, you never know. Some ships have different width doors even on the same cabin classes!

 

I was considering a Celebrity ship for our first cruise (although we wound up travelling on Royal) so I talked to their accessible department quite a bit. All the mass-market lines are pretty accessible. There will likely be a few places she won't be able to get to but they are probably places she can live without. On Oasis of the Seas, I couldn't get to the very top deck (where there was sunbathing and a bar) and a forward viewing area (that required going up a couple of steps). On Norwegian Pearl, there is again a very top level that is only accessible via stairs (I think it too has a sunbathing area and a bar) and there is one class of suite that you can only access by stairs. The restaurants (both included and premium), entertainment areas, and even public restrooms will LIKELY be accessible. The venues that have auditorium-type seating, such as a theater, will probably have a reserved area for wheelchairs and other mobility devices wherever the entrance is (it was at the top on Oasis). The view won't necessarily be the best but I didn't have any trouble seeing everything. However, this is general information. For specific information on the Summit, your best bet is to call the accessible desk and ask. I suggest writing your questions down in advance to make sure you cover everything when you call.

 

And keep asking questions! IMNSHO, knowing what to expect, especially with a disabled cruiser, really makes the difference in being prepared and having a wonderful cruise.

Thank you so much, this is incredibly helpful information! I totally agree that being prepared and knowing what to expect is the key! Otherwise when your not able to do certain things you were expecting to do you are left frustrated and disappointed. I really encouraged my sister to come on the cruise so I am really hoping I didn't lead her astray and she has a wonderful time.

Do your parents have a corner FV, or the ones next to the corner? The corner ones have an entry hallway and if she can't get the chair inside, it would not obstruct any other cabins or hallway if she left it there. She also might have difficulty making the turn into the corner cabin doors, even if wide enough. From the diagrams, it looks like the cabins that are not on the corner have a side entry, so leaving the chair in the hallways would not obstruct them, either.

They have a corner family veranda, so that is great to know about the seperate hallway. We are considering bringing her manual wheelchair in addition to the electric wheelchair. It is collapsible, and much smaller.

This is the entry hallway to 7199, one of the corner FV cabins. This is port side, so you go through the doorway and turn left into the cabin. I think if she can get through the doorway, there should be no problem making the turn. EM

As for your sister's chair, you could check with the cabin steward to see if there's somewhere they can store her chair when you're visiting your parent's cabin, so this way you wouldn't have to take it back to her cabin. Just a thought.

Anyone use an electric wheel chair on celebrity summit? I will be taking my twin sister, who uses an electric wheelchair on her first cruise, and wanted to see if any others have experienced using a wheelchair on the Summit? Is there anything we should be prepared for before going? She was will be in oceanview accessible stateroom. I was on this same cruise without my sister last year and all common areas appeared accessible. With that being said, I don't use a wheelchair myself, and know that I easily could have overlooked things.

 

I have been on the Summit's sister ship Infinity and I think both ships are similar. Your sister will be able to access all common areas except the top most deck (there was a lift on the Infinity to that deck, but it was not working). The ship is an older ship and most of the doors to the outside decks (with the exception of the pool deck) are not automatic and she will need help with those doors.

You might be able to store the electric wheelchair in a crew area while you are visiting your parents' room. There is a large area in the middle / aft of the ship where they store the stewards' carts.

> I really encouraged my sister to come on the cruise so I am really hoping I didn't lead her astray and she has a wonderful time.

I sure had a wonderful time on Oasis with a rented scooter, and can't wait for our cruise next week (bringing my own scooter this time). The mass market lines, as far as I can tell from my own limited experience and what other cruisers have reported, are very accommodating to cruisers with mobility problems. In the buffet, whenever I paused to look at the options, one of the staff rushed up to ask if they could help. The MDR maitre d' sent DH and me to suitable tables without even asking if we needed something in particular. The bathroom was fine and I was able to walk over the small hump to our balcony. And, like I said, I was able to see all the shows, and Oasis had a lot of shows! Not sure about the Summit, you probably want to ask what accessible area the show venue(s) have but I would bet a specialty dinner your sister will be able to enjoy them. There was a music trivia game in a somewhat-crowded bar that might have been a little iffy for a power wheelchair, but I bet people would have made room for her. I suspect she wouldn't be able to do the rock wall (if Summit has one), though. lol

One other thing: pools and hot tubs (and spa, if Summit has one) will be very iffy. Stairs to get in/out of the pool are an exception on cruise ships, for some reason. Mostly the pools just have ladders, which I suspect your sister would not be able to manage. The hot tubs usually have steps but they are quite steep. Some Celebrity ships have a lift, as Oasis did. I used the lift to get into the hot tub, but it was a pain - I had to corral a staff member, who found someone who knew how to use the lift, and then get hauled up and down like a sack of potatoes. They were careful, and got me into the hot tub safely, but it was such a pain that when I was ready to get out, I just gritted my teeth and forced myself to climb the steps, and then didn't use pool or hot tub for the rest of the cruise. (Which wasn't that much of a hardship, there was plenty of other stuff to do on board!)

If you haven't already, you should probably consider posting questions on the Celebrity board. The people there won't necessarily have mobility problems but they can probably tell you if there are areas requiring steps to access, or areas where they saw people using mobility devices.

champagne, you are making me blush! ;)

There is a pool lift for one of the hot tubs and pools on the Summmit, as my brother, who cannot walk, used it last year. You do have to have one of the pool deck stewards to operate it.

Infinity has a lift at the Solarium pool I haven't seen it used, but I did see a staff member working on it. Pictures on cruisedeckplans show the same on Millie and Summit. EM

uptowne001,

Here are some things to consider. Problem 1 what to do if your sister's wheelchair does not fit through the FV Cabin door. Have your parents ask the room steward where to park it while your sister visits. Consider that your sister's cabin is Accessible. That means you most likely will have some sort of ramp to get onto the balcony. I don't think they have that in non Accessible rooms, maybe your sisters balcony would be better for her.

The Summit has a lot of bumps ( stainless steel strips on the floor) which are annoying on a scooter. I suspect the same in a wheelchair. Pretty much the M class ships are an older technology than the S class ships. So I am guessing they may be less ADA compliant but I had no problem getting around with a scooter. BUT I can walk short distances with a cane too.

Worst case call Celebrity I think they will be able to answer specific questions.

The Summit is one of my favorite Celebrity Ships. I am sure you and your sister will love it too.

Happy Sailing!!

The Summit is a great ship for wheelchair users. We've now sailed on that ship 3 times with my mother who is a full time wheelchair user (though on cruises we take her collapsible wheelchair).

A few notes for you:

1. There are frequently servers milling about the buffet; if they don't offer, your sister can ask for help and they will carry her plate for her.

2. The Summit has some great accessible public washrooms including a few "companion-stand alone accessible" washrooms (these are great because they are a small room with a single locking door, lots of space to maneuver and full turn around space for the wheelchair). Most of the accessible stalls have sinks that move up and down so they can be reached in the wheelchair.

3. There is a pool lift in the adult pool area; ask a worker and they can get it ready for you.

4. Accessible seating in the main theatre is at the back, not the greatest of views - just a warning.

5. Some of the bars (Oceanview, the one in the buffet, Café Bacio) are quite tall, I hope your sister can wave her arms (she may need to get served).

There are plenty of accessible walkways, just be on the lookout for the metal crossbars (for the water doors) and the occasion ramp (that's hidden in the carpet - like towards the back on deck 4 as you enter the Rendezvous lounge)

Hi everyone,

I wanted to update post cruise for everyone who took the time to give such helpful info! We had a GREAT cruise and my sister loved it. The Summit proved to be very accessible for her electric wheelchair, she could go and do everything with us. Her chair even fit into my parent's family veranda cabin and she was able to drive it all the way to the balcony door! Bermuda even proved to be accessible for her. We rented an accessible van and took a tour around the island, and walked around Hamilton. We also explored the dockyards one day and everything we wanted to do was accessible there too, including the really cool museum. My sister's oceanview accessible cabin was huge and had plenty of room for the chair. Everyone had such a great time we booked the same cruise for next year. We got the same family veranda cabin (8181) and then a couple C1 aft cabins including the accessible one on the 8th floor so we will all be together. Is it June 2018 yet??

So glad everything worked out for you and your sister!! Thanks for reporting back.

Always nice to hear that things worked out and you all had a great time!