Cruising with a sprained ankle

Hi everyone,

Just before our vacation my husband got injured and sprained his ankle last night and ended up at emergency in the hospital.

Thankfully there was no fracture just very swollen. We are supposed to travel this Thursday to Florida and then take our Carnival cruise on Saturday.

I'm saying let's just cancel and I'm mourning our ruined vacation. But he is saying he still wants to go.

Do you think this is a good idea?

Are there wheelchairs available on the cruise for this reason?

Or should we just stay home so he can heal?

We are traveling with our 3 years old, so is only the 3 of us nobody else to help out with bags or anything else :(

Any thoughts or encouraging words?

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The only wheelchair availability is to board at the beginning and getting off at the end. He can rent one from special needs at sea or care vacations. Unless you have cancel for any reason travel insurance you will lose everything

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I went with a broken leg and rented a wheel chair. Glad I went!

Here are two rental companies. They deliver the wheelchair right to your cabin and pick it up from your cabin. I think it was only about $100 for the week.

http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/cruise-accessibility/

https://www.scootaround.com/cruise-rentals

I think the second place is where I rented mine from. They will even deliver to your hotel room if you are flying somewhere the day before your cruise.

I did the same thing and went on crutches. Not fun but did not want to miss the cruise. Would use ice at night in the cabin. At that time it was just me and my DH.

See about the wheel chair option.

Thanks guys!

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So sounds like we will have to rent our own wheelchair? This is definitely not available from the cruise line then?

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So sounds like we will have to rent our own wheelchair? This is definitely not available from the cruise line then?

Yes, you will have to rent your own wheelchair if you want to use it while on board and in port. Celebrity has chair assistance only for embarkation/debarkation (and one or 2 on board for emergencies).

If your husband is otherwise able bodied, he may prefer using crutches. Self propelling a wheelchair (especially up gangplanks) isn't easy, and pushing him will be difficult if you also have to wrangle a 3 yr old.

I certainly wouldn't recommend cancelling the trip. Porters can manage your baggage at airports and cruise terminals.

Don't forget that you can get wheelchair assistance at the airport, as well. This is valuable, as the distances are sometimes very long.

Go on your cruise! Two years ago, I sprained my knee just before our cruise. I went, hobbled on my crutches, and still had a great time :)

A sprain takes longer to heal than a broken bone...just so you know! Yes, of course he should go...but he will have to take it easy! The cabin attendant will bring ice daily, so bring either a real ice bag, or some zip-locs to make a make-shift ice bag, to ice his ankle!

Ask his doctor if a knee scooter would work. That way you wouldn't have to push him.

Thanks a lot to all who replied. I feel more confident that we can do this now, so the trip is on!

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Ask his doctor if a knee scooter would work. That way you wouldn't have to push him.

Had a lady on one of our cruises who injured her ankle the day before boarding and she used a knee scooter.

She got around very well and was glad she brought it....

The only wheelchair availability is to board at the beginning and getting off at the end. He can rent one from special needs at sea or care vacations. Unless you have cancel for any reason travel insurance you will lose everything

 

 

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Why would someone need cancel for any reason insurance? Wouldn't this be a medical reason for not traveling, assuming the doctor agreed and would provide written documentation?

Roz

The two companies above also rent scooters for use on board and on shore excursions.

Hi everyone,

Just before our vacation my husband got injured and sprained his ankle last night and ended up at emergency in the hospital.

Thankfully there was no fracture just very swollen. We are supposed to travel this Thursday to Florida and then take our Carnival cruise on Saturday.

I'm saying let's just cancel and I'm mourning our ruined vacation. But he is saying he still wants to go.

Do you think this is a good idea?

Are there wheelchairs available on the cruise for this reason?

Or should we just stay home so he can heal?

We are traveling with our 3 years old, so is only the 3 of us nobody else to help out with bags or anything else :(

Any thoughts or encouraging words?

 

 

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You will be amazed how much better he is by Thursday. I'm sure the doctor gave him a brace for his ankle, if not have him get one and wear it. There is no reason to cancel the cruise. His ankle may be tender but with a brace and ibuprofen he will do just fine.

When I broke my foot, I used a knee walker and it was a life saver. I put a bicycle basket on the front of it off the handle bars and I was really set! I went to Las Vegas with my knee walker and I soared up and down the strip no problem! Much better than crutches would have been. The knee walker gives the person great mobility and it doesn't take up a lot of space, either. A wheel chair will mean someone will have to push him (if it is not motorized) but with a knee walker he will be able to easily navigate wherever he wants to go. Just be careful of cracks on sidewalks. They can topple over.

I sprained my ankle less than a week before our cruise to Alaska a couple years ago. Before the trip I just propped, iced it and took ibuprofen; my ankle had a knot the size of a baseball. I refused to miss our trip, we even hiked in one of our ports. If he feels he can go I would definitely go. As for the luggage there are porters who will help. If you are driving I would drive up to the luggage drop off, drop off the luggage, husband and kid then park. If you are taking a cab/shuttle to the port I am sure the driver will help you with the luggage. Please go and have a good time!!