kokopelli-az

I'm in a very similar situation as yours.  Cruises have been a God send.   We almost always take cruises that leave from Florida (Fort Lauderdale in particular).   However, other ports in the United States would no doubt be much the same as Fort Lauderdale but that's where we like to cruise from.   We take 4-5 cruises a year and have been to practically every Caribbean island.  We were lucky that we began cruising in 1990 when my husband was mobile because we went everywhere on the islands.  Now, mostly, we stay on the ship at port stops.   We don't miss getting off the ship; however, we usually get off at least on one or two of the stops that we know are easy and have things to see or do close to the ship.  We aren't the only ones staying on the ship at port stops; there are quite a few people on board while everyone else has gone ashore.  

My husband uses a walker around the house.   He cannot walk or stand very long.  He also has a transport chair he uses for anywhere he has to walk very far (like a doctor's appointment).  We take the transport chair to the airport and the "pushers" at the airport will push him from the ticket counter all the way to the door of the plane.   We then gate check (leave it outside the door to the plane) his transport chair and it is brought back to us at either our connecting flight or final destination.  Since he has a transport chair, I'm the one who does the pushing most of the rest of the time.  On the ship, now, this is a different story.   He rents a mobility scooter that is waiting in our stateroom for him.   He is like a free bird as soon as he gets on the scooter.   I think that's his main reason for cruising!   He has so much freedom and it frees me up to not have to push him around the ship.   Ships are huge and if you get off at a port, there are often docks that are very, very long.   

If you want to take a shore excursion, look for ones that are for wheelchair users.  There usually aren't that many of these excursions offered but it's worth a look.   And there are private excursions, also, that can offer a vehicle he can get into (no steps).  Even taxis offer tours.  The other part of this is that you have to get from the ship to where the vehicle is for the tour.   

At the bare minimum maybe your husband could try out a rollator (for starters).  And consider a wheelchair/transport chair for longer journeys.  Or a scooter (they can be rented for the cruise).  

River cruises are not recommended for people with mobility issues.   

Oh, you can tell your cruise line that he will be needing wheelchair assistance (it is for embarkation and debarkation only).  The ship will have wheelchair pushers (their employees) specifically for this purpose.  You use the ship's wheelchairs (unless you have your own but you can still have one of the pushers push your personal wheelchair).   The pusher will take you from where you enter the terminal (tell the first employee you see that you need a wheelchair - they will tell you where to go) all the way to any public area inside the ship (or your room, if it is available).   Once the pusher gets you to where you want to go inside the ship, they will leave with the wheelchair.  

You might look for cruises that do not have tender ports (where you board a boat to take you from the ship to the dock).  If there are tender ports, you can make a decision to stay on board at these stops.  

Also you might consider an accessible stateroom.   They have lots of grab bars in the bathroom and a walk-in shower (with a shower chair).   These staterooms go fast.  

Report back on which cruise line or ship you are considering.   Many folks on this board are in the same situation and will have plenty of feedback about your itinerary and port stops.  Each cruise line has a section on their website addressing accessibility and mobility issues.  

You will learn what works for your situation but for the most part, cruise ships are perfect for those with mobility issues.   

Whether the wheelchair is foldable is important because it may be able to be folded up and put on an excursion bus (underneath where the luggage is).  This would give you more excursion options.   If you are looking for a excursion that will accommodate wheeling (or driving) a wheelchair up a ramp onto the vehicle, they are harder to find.  Especially through the cruise line shore excursions.  

Plan B may be to look into private accessible shore excursions at your port stops.  If you are interested in private excursions, list your port stops because people on this board may be able to give some recommendations.

Is the wheelchair a foldable one?   Can the wheelchair person transfer or take a few steps?  

Or do you need an accessible vehicle where the wheelchair would be rolled/driven onto the vehicle?    

OK, here is the response from Royal about not being able to submit the Special Needs form :

In the meantime, you may email us at special_needs@rccl.com and kindly send your booking details, the name of the guest who will be needing the accommodations, and the list of accommodations so we can note the reservation. There's no need to fill out the form. Just compose an email with above details and please send it to the email address above.

14 hours ago, gallagher123123 said:

The online form wouldn't submit for you? If so, this is good to know as I am running into this issue now. Thought it was me lol. 

The online form will not submit for me either.  And I tried two different browsers.   I emailed Royal today and told them about this issue and asked them to send me a link with a special needs form where not only could you complete it on line, but you could also submit it on line.    

Here are the Elite Plus benefits (from February on the Apex) FYI.   

You might want to hop on over to the Disabled Travel forum and post your question.  Also do a search on that forum for the ports you will be visiting.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

Don't forget you need to report to Carnival's Access Department that you are on dialysis and will be bringing supplies.   Have you seen their page about this?   

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

You might find this interesting.   It's a few years old but has timely tips.  

https://homedialysis.org/news-and-research/blog/196-cruising-with-home-dialysis-tips-from-a-platinum-cruiser

Never, not ever, let your life saving equipment out of your sight.  

Start here.   You need to let Celebrity know about your needs.   This link is for accessible excursions. 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/special-needs/accessible-shore-excursions

You might post this inquiry also on the Princess board.    ie, "anyone currently on, or soon to be on,  the Sun Princess in an accessible stateroom  who can let me know about whether there are automatic doors?"    Let them know what kind of stateroom you will be in because sometimes the fancier ones have amenities the others don't have.

Accessible staterooms get booked very early.    Glad you were able to get one.    For your next cruise  😎 book your accessible stateroom early to be sure you get one.   😉 

You might post this on the Celebrity forum and ask if there is anyone currently, or soon to be, on the Beyond who could take photos or confirm access to the pool.   

Have you done a search for a Hoyer left on this forum?   There are several discussions about it.  

Do you have an accessible stateroom?   You will most certainly need one.  

And check with Royal's Access Department.  They will need to know about the Hoyer and wheelchair.   https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/accessible-cruising

Cory Lee has a discussion on his website with Royal's Director of Disabilities and he mentions a Hoyer lift.  https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/accessible-cruising

Hop over to the Disabled Cruise Travel board.  Post your question there or do a search on that board for oxygen and concentrator.    https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

You will also need to complete a special needs form for Princess.  Contact their Access Desk for this.   

3 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

The reason we did not want to list her as "needing assistance" is my husband does not want the "pusher", he wants to take care of this himself.  I do suppose however that there are likely some liability issues for the airport if you are doing this on your own.

One of the advantages of having the pusher from the airline is that they know exactly how to get from Point A to Point B, know all the short-cuts and how to navigate security and lines efficiently.  

Definitely post your query on the Disabled Cruise Travel board as mentioned by @GeezerCouple

16 hours ago, shadow 123 said:

 I know you posted this about a month ago but I just got around to buying this wedge  on Amazon that you pictured here. I have a question. How do use it?  I got it but it didn't come with any instructions. Mine is exactly the same as yours, even the color. Thought you could help. Thanks

Look here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL_3Hb9ghjA

13 minutes ago, islegroove said:

How much does renting a scooter for a week?

Depends on location, supply and demand.   Contact SpecialNeedsatSea.com and Scootaround.com for pricing.    Make sure you are comparing apples to apples.  Sometimes they will price it with insurance so you want to be sure your quotes are for the same thing.   Both companies pretty much offer the same scooters for rent.  

PS. We have never opted for the insurance.....

If you buy or rent a scooter, you probably need an accessible stateroom so you can get it through the door.   Accessible staterooms go very fast so if this is what you intend on getting, book one as soon as possible.   

Check out the Disabled Cruise Travel board.  You will get a lot of information there.  

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

And Royal's information here:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/accessible-cruising/mobility-disabilities

6 minutes ago, Hollyblue said:

I'm having trouble with the form won't let me do country of residence so cannot submit the form can anyone help 

Are you trying to complete the special needs form for Royal Caribbean?   Here's their form but I don't see where it says anything about country of residence.  

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

When we were in Rome we used https://www.romecabs.com/    Highly recommended.   They picked us up at FCO and took us to our hotel.   They took us on a little tour (I think it's called a mini tour, but there are other options) on the way to the hotel which was very nice.  The next day they picked us up and took us to Civitavecchia and after the cruise picked us up again at Civitavecchia and took us to FCO.  This was all in a SUV/mini-van.   Contact them and see if they have any accessible vehicles; however, if you can break down the scooter that will be a plus.  They will tailor tours for you.  Excellent communication with this company.   I would book with them again in a heartbeat.

There is also this place.   I don't have any experience with them but they might be worth checking out if you want an accessible vehicle.   

https://www.transfers-rome-civitavecchia.com/wheelchair-rome-taxi-transfers/

I would ask where you purchased the Travel Pro if the battery is wet or dry.  And maybe if there are specs that include the battery information for your particular scooter that would be helpful to print out and have with you when you travel.  You need to be prepared, as the airline agents do not always know so if you have a printout of your battery information, that would be helpful for them.

Once you find out, contact your airline to verify they allow the type of battery you have.

If you are going to be on American again, you need to contact their Special Assistance to ask:

Call Special Assistance (American Airlines)

To make accessibility arrangements, call us for help:

800-237-7976

I am going to be calling Scootaround the end of the month for a scooter rental.   I can't wait to hear what they have to say about the USCRUISE coupon code.   It's even on their website:

https://scootaround.com/en/united-spinal-members

I shall report back.....

On 3/1/2024 at 11:21 AM, luvs2beachit said:

Anyone know how much one would cost for 8 days?

It all depends on supply and demand.   I would compare prices of the scooter with both Scootaround (use the code) and Special Needs at Sea.   Make sure you are comparing the same thing with both companies because as mentioned above, Scootaround will add the insurance to your price.  

(We never buy the insurance...)

I mentioned to the room steward that there should be a sign on the charging station to not charge scooters with it and to charge scooters using a wall outlet.    

There would be lots of people with scooters in this stateroom since it was an accessible stateroom....