kgmoran

Hi. We are sailing on Marina in October (Lisbon to Barcelona). I honestly don't remember the entertainment the last time i was on Marina (2011). Last year we really enjoyed the Lincoln Center group (string quartet +piano) on Holland - American. Is there any classical music entertainment on the Marina?

Thanks

Katie

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Thansk to your warnings I have spent quite a bit of time the phone with KLM and Air France. The people at both were very helpful explaining the limitation on WattHiurs. The 160 WH Limitation applies to if you are bring two batteries on board which apparently a lot of people do. Neither of the two can be more than 160. (However if you are just bringing one battery the max limit on that one is 300 mw, the same as it is in the US. I sure wish they said that clearly on the website. Not would have saved me from A lot of anxiety!

The airlines have registered his scooter on all flights but of course I have requested written confirmation of this, just in case!

Thank you for your heads up. I am feeling much better now that I know that he will be able to bring the smart scoot.

Katie

PS - Dont you just love the Smart Scoot. It has changed our lives.

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If the knee replacement would mean that you are no longer in pain and would-be able to walk long distances easily then I would definitely rent. The cruise will be much more enjoyable if you don't have to dread those long walks to the theater from the dining room,. However, if the underlying need for the scooter will not be changed by the knee replacement, I strongly encourage you to consider buying. When my husband finally decided to buy it changed both of our lives. In addition to enjoying cruising and another travel, we also now can visit museums, go to the zoo, go shopping anywhere not just in places that have those amazingly slow scooters. We can walk the dogs together. As I said it gave us our lives back.

Good luck with the knee replacement!!

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Not the whole story. Many airlines restrict the wattage. They will not let you carry the battery on the plane over 160 Watts. I am certain of this. You must check.

 

We are in Santiago Chile now. We flew latam because of their lithium battery policy.

 

 

 

 

 

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I appreciate your heads up. We spoke to Safir who handle accessibility for Air France. They informed us that Air France now allows Smart Scoots which is a huge relief.

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I will bring this up to her. She can't handle lifting it herself but as much as she has spent renting in various places it may be time to buy 1. I wonder how much extra it costs to fly with it?

I will just chime in here. There is no extra charge to fly with a scooter or any mobility device. It is stored free of charge.

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One more thing. Not every airline accepts the smartscoot battery. Air France eg does not. Us airlines all do. Some have a firm limit of 160 Watts. U must call ahead and get it approved and add the smartscoot to ur booking

 

 

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Thanks for this heads up. We .have found that airlines say that you can’t have a lithium battery but they mean that you cannot store it in the cargo hold. My husband always removes the battery and carries it into the plane. We will of course check with the airline to confirm that this approach will work. I am not sure what we will do it if doesn’t. He can’t travel without the smart scoot!

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My experience with wheelchair assistance was a little better than yours except for the time they separated my husband and I and he had my passport and I ended up in the police station waiting for someone to find him. I am thinking that maybe an economy seat on a non-stop flight be better than a premium economy seat on a 1-stop flight.

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We will be changing planes in CDG on our way to Lisbon for a cruise. Has anyone had any experience with this ? When we have passed through CDG before with wheelchairs assistance it seems like we were shifted from bus to bus to get to the next departure gate. Can these buses accommodate a small scooter (smart scoot). I certainly don’t want it to b checked through to Lisbon. My husband can’t walk well enough to make that long trek from one gate to another.

I rally would love to hear from someone who has brought a scooter to this airport.

Thank you

Katie moran

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Does anyone know if the HOHO bus in San Juan can accommodate a mobility scooter?

Error

Hi. I am a first time HAL cruiser but have sailed a lot, mostly on Celebrity. I know that Celebrity has eliminated formal nights but it looks like they are still in place on HAL. what can we expect to see in the MDR on Gala night? Does my husband need to wear a tux. Is a dark suit ok or can he just wear a sport coat and tie. It is always about the men isn't it?? I am delighted to wear a cocktail dress but getting him into a tux is a major challenge. Any guidance you can provide would be much appreciated.

Katie

You don't even need to have your phone with you to count steps. One odd discovery from my recent cruise. - I have he Milanese mesh watch band with the magnetic strap. I had to replace my sea pass card three times before i realized my watch was demagnetizing the card [emoji57]

I just got off the Silhouette eastern Caribbean tour. My husband uses an electric scooter. We had booked an "accessible excursion" for St Martin but it was cancelled. We worked with the Destination Manager and concierge to find something that would get us over to Marigot and some touring around the island. And they suggested a private journey. 4 hours with a guide and driver and it was going to cost 690 dollars for the two of us. We opted instead for a celebrity arranged driver in a car that could accomodate the scooter. 4 hours - no real guide but the driver knew a lot about the island. It still cost us 290 dollars which seems insane but it was a very nice trip. If that 690 is any indication of the typical costs I think the private journeys are way over priced

Thanks for the info. The. Closed toe rule was what I was curious about. - just didn't know what to call it. I hate to pack bulky sneakers since I only wear them to the gym, but I have some lightweight ones that won't take too much space.

I know this is a stupid question but I am packing for my eastern Caribbean cruise that leaves Sunday:) and am trying to decide what I need to bring to work out in the gym. Specifically, do they have any shoe requirements (like must wear sneakers)? Secondly, can i wear a bathing suit in the gym or do i need shorts and t-shirts?

As i said i feel stupid asking but i would hate to not be able to work out :D because i don't have the right stuff.

Thanks

Katie

I am curious. Why can't you bring pastries on board?

We did the Sydney to Aukland Cruise several years ago (before he Christ Church earthquake). We stopped in Tasmania and did a wine tasting/wildlife center tour. I enjoyed the wildlife center (lots of kangaroos, peacocks, koalas ,and wombats ). But we loved Melbourne. We did a bicycle tour which was great and we both wished we had more time to explore the restaurants and shops. Melbourne has a very fun artsy vibe to it which I loved. For me the value of going to Tasmania is to say you were there but it didn't have that much special to offer. I would do the overnight in Melbourne.

Question: Does the restriction of one login at a time apply to the cabin or just to a single passenger. In other words can my husband and I have separate logins and therefore both be on our tablets at the same time? Or do we have to take turns? I can see where that could be a problem[emoji35]

I am not that new to cruising - i am Elite status at this point. BUT i marvel when i read people's posts about tracking the availability of cabins after they have booked and switching their reservation to either get a better price or a better cabin. How do you do that? I usually book through a travel agent and the Celebrity website says i must make all changes through them. But can I at least see if the going price for the cruise has changed or if some desirable cabins have become available? I feel like there is some secret handshake that you all know to get you access to this information. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated !

Katie

This was just a magical cruise - the longest i had ever taken (or taken since). The ports, the people on board - everything was lovely. I would go back to New Zealand in a heartbeat.

But it will always be on the top of my list because when we checked in in Sydney we were given a FREE upgrade from our Sky Suite to a Royal Suite. No explanation was given and I didn't ask any questions - always though they had us mixed up with someone else!

Talk about getting spoiled!

Katie

Is Luggage Valet available for all airlines? We are flying out of Fort Lauderdale on a 2:30 flight with Jet Blue. I would love to try the valet service -- have heard great things.

Also - when do you arrange for it? On the ship or before you sail?

Thanks so much!

Katie

I did this through Celebrity in 2014. My husband has trouble walking and there was no problem transferring to the smaller boat and it is a wonderful excursion. We were able to get very close to the glacier and watched it calf several times. Another excursion we loved was to St George Bay for an all you can eat Dungeness crab feast. This was out of Ketchican. Finally I recommend taking a sea plane ride. My husband was able to get into the plane without any trouble and it is a spectacular view. We did this to go to the Taku Lodge for a salmon bake. (Out of Juneau) it was wonderful.

This forum has been wonderful for my husband and I who are learning the ins and outs of accessible travel. We are bringing his scooter (GoGo plus 3 wheel) on a Caribbean cruise on Celebrity in February. We will be taking the scooter to the gate at the airport and reserving an accessible cab to get to the ship. We have a HC cabin. I have read that you can't store a scooter on any public areas but what do you do in the dining room? He can't ride it up to the table like a wheelchair so what are the options?

This will be our first cruise with a scooter so any other suggestions or words of encouragement will be much appreciated

KatieGM

I got this same message yesterday for our slacks cruise leaving today. They did add information for suites, elite status and so e other special categories. We were told they could board anytime between 11 and 3:30. But my son, Who is traveling with us on a separate reservation did not get any message.

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I am thinking of a South American Cruise but I honestly cannot decide what itinerary i should consider. My husband (75) and I (mid 60's) love to explore new cities and we enjoy some nature explorations -but hiking or other strenuous excursions are getting more and more difficult for my husband. An ideal day would be strolling around a city, stopping at lots of cafes, seeing a museum or two, and maybe some shopping. I first thought of the Buenos Aires - Santiago trips on Celebrity or Oceana, but it seemed that they were very heavy into exploring nature - glaciers, waterfalls, penguins etc. I tun looked at the Buenos Aires round trip which visits Rio, Monetevideo, Punte del Este, as well as Santos, Ilhabela and Buzios.

We are not beach people so i am worried that Ilhabela and Buzios would be just beach stops.

Can anyone who has taken either or both of these cruises share their insights about the relative merits of each itinerary, especially given our physical constraints and personal interests.

Thanks so much'