scooters & tenders

Am I correct in thinking that Princess does NOT put/allow passengers' scooters on tenders? What about walker/rollators?

I'm booked on a Nova Scotia/Greenland cruise next summer & was planning to rent a scooter for the first time. However, I then saw that all 3 Greenland ports are tendered. That's where I'm likely toned the scooter, but I guess I'll need a Plan B.

Yes, I'll post for help on the Special Needs forum & Ports of Call.

Thanks!

Am I correct in thinking that Princess does NOT put/allow passengers' scooters on tenders? What about walker/rollators?

 

I'm booked on a Nova Scotia/Greenland cruise next summer & was planning to rent a scooter for the first time. However, I then saw that all 3 Greenland ports are tendered. That's where I'm likely toned the scooter, but I guess I'll need a Plan B.

 

Yes, I'll post for help on the Special Needs forum & Ports of Call.

 

Thanks!

No scooters on tenders. Have seen foldable walkers taken on board. The passenger needs to be able to the stairs down to the tender.

Is it a travel scooter that easily folds up? I have seen those on tenders, in the folded position. Full size scooters, no.

Is it a travel scooter that easily folds up? I have seen those on tenders, in the folded position. Full size scooters, no.

Daughter was able to tender with her braces and rollator--but as noted, she can walk a few stairs and short distances on her own.

No to full sized scooters. A wheelchair may be taken on a tender IF the user has the mobility to be able to get on and off the tender with the assistance of some hand/arm support. However, many locations are not wheelchair friendly!

If you make the person supervising the tender boarding aware of your issue, you'll be directed to an elevator that will get you to the tender location, thus avoiding multiple flights of stairs.

My wife has used a walker/rollator for many years. She has never been denied access to a tender. She can get on and off with assistance and her walker/rollator is put on last and taken off first. On those ships where the tender access is down a flight of stairs, they use a small lift alongside the stairs to get her to the tender level.

Thanks Everyone!

I can (carefully) get on/off the tenders. I'll plan on using my folding rollator & skip the scooter completely. I'll just move less & more slowly. (Mobility issues vary greatly.)

And I won't need an HC room for the scooter. I don't need it for the accessible bathroom, et. al & hated to book one just for the scooter/doorway issue. Now, someone else can have that cabin.

Do not depend on this board for answers answers this important question. Get a definitive answer from Princess. Info only, read where other cruise line HAD moved wheelchairs/scooters to tender. Pax had made booking and learned later policy had changed. Not only were they not handling mobility equipment, pax would have to be able to step across gap and over thresh hold UNAIDED to be allowed on tender.

Do not depend on this board for answers answers this important question. Get a definitive answer from Princess. Info only, read where other cruise line HAD moved wheelchairs/scooters to tender. Pax had made booking and learned later policy had changed. Not only were they not handling mobility equipment, pax would have to be able to step across gap and over thresh hold UNAIDED to be allowed on tender.

No one boards has to board the tender totally unaided. There is a crew member on the ship and one on the tender, each offering a steadying hand or arm.

No one boards has to board the tender totally unaided. There is a crew member on the ship and one on the tender' date=' each offering a steadying hand or arm.[/quote']

Yes. I have been on dozens of cruises, often with a tender port or two. On every occasion there have been two crew members who offer to take my hand or arm to assist me on and off the tender. By the way, (thankfully) I do not have mobility issues, however, the assistance is still offered and I gratefully accept it. :)

I've seen the crew load a smaller electric scooter on board the tender - like the GoGo Pride series. The scooter weighs about 80 lbs. One guy on each end handled it easily. Not to say it will always work that way as with all things Princess.

I have been on tenders that went into port with smooth water and no one had any problems getting on board.

Then during the course of the day the wind came up and so did the waves. Which caused the tender to go up and down like a yo-yo requiring the passengers to time the dock going past and jump to the dock.

This might be a consideration for someone who is slightly mobility challenged.

Bob

Yes. I have been on dozens of cruises, often with a tender port or two. On every occasion there have been two crew members who offer to take my hand or arm to assist me on and off the tender. By the way, (thankfully) I do not have mobility issues, however, the assistance is still offered and I gratefully accept it. :)

Same for my PAST cruises, I can only go by what someone posts as NEW POLICIES:

maxbannister

THREAD STARTER

Cool Cruiser

Posted September 10th, 2018, 01:12 PM

Hi,

Just wondered if anyone can help. I'm trying to find out when P&O first implemented the rule that you can only board a tender if you can step unaided over 18 inches and also step up/down 8 inches unaided.

I booked a cruise last year for 2019 with P&O. I have only just been made aware that my husband who is disabled and a full-time wheelchair user will not be able to access the tender ports. The whole point in going was to return to Croatia.

Their site states "In order to board the tender, please note that you will be required to use steps (up to 20cm/8 inches high) and navigate the gap between the platform and the tender (of up to 45cm/18 inches).

In the interests of safety, we require all guests wishing to use the tenders to have sufficient independent mobility to negotiate steps and traverse a gap of up to 45 cm/18 inches."

Our travel company omitted to tell us this when booking.

I have been told that the deposit of nearly £900 cannot be transferred unless we book a cruise of to at least the same value.

There are several health, safety and hazard issues relating to it.

Crew members are well within their rights not to touch or move a wheelchair, scooter or support device as these objects are heavy and could cause them personal injury such as muscle strain, back problems and other complications.

Anything in the tender needs to be secured so that it will not fall and move around and injure other passengers on the tender and it must be clear of all exits in case passengers needed to evacuate quickly.

It would most likely be against the law to have an unsecured wheelchair or scooter sitting loosely in a tender or blocking the exits.

Same for my PAST cruises, I can only go by what someone posts as NEW POLICIES:

maxbannister

 

 

Are there new policies? My last cruise (28 nights) ended only a bit over a month ago so I feel that my experience is up to date.

I haven't noticed any change in what happens with people with a walker or a folding wheelchair wanting to board a tender. I have not seen a motorized scooter on a tender. People with mobility issues are taken down an extra floor on a crew lift (elevator), but they still need to be able to walk a short distance. Usually they would board the tender last and sit in one of the fold-down seats on the same level as the entrance/exit of the tender.

I suggest that the wording you quoted

"In order to board the tender, please note that you will be required to use steps (up to 20cm/8 inches high) and navigate the gap between the platform and the tender (of up to 45cm/18 inches).

In the interests of safety, we require all guests wishing to use the tenders to have sufficient independent mobility to negotiate steps and traverse a gap of up to 45 cm/18 inches."

would be to 'cover their a...' I have never seen a gap of 18 inches between the platform and the tender. A couple of inches is normal. On occasions when there have been rough seas that make getting on or off the tender difficult for everyone, there has been a ship-wide announcement that people with restricted mobility cannot go ashore.

Am I correct in thinking that Princess does NOT put/allow passengers' scooters on tenders? What about walker/rollators?

 

I'm booked on a Nova Scotia/Greenland cruise next summer & was planning to rent a scooter for the first time. However, I then saw that all 3 Greenland ports are tendered. That's where I'm likely toned the scooter, but I guess I'll need a Plan B.

 

Yes, I'll post for help on the Special Needs forum & Ports of Call.

 

Thanks!

Was on the Coral this week and tendered in Santa Barbara. There was a smaller scooter that they tethered to the rail, on our trip back to the ship.

Are there new policies?

Again, all I have is the post FROM SOMEONE ELSE. THEY say it is a new policy on a cruise line we have never use. THE ORIGINAL poster says husband will not be able to tender.

Again, all I have is the post FROM SOMEONE ELSE. THEY say it is a new policy on a cruise line we have never use. THE ORIGINAL poster says husband will not be able to tender.

I can see no indication that there is a new policy.

The Original Poster said

"Am I correct in thinking that Princess does NOT put/allow passengers' scooters on tenders? What about walker/rollators?

I'm booked on a Nova Scotia/Greenland cruise next summer & was planning to rent a scooter for the first time. However, I then saw that all 3 Greenland ports are tendered. That's where I'm likely toned the scooter, but I guess I'll need a Plan B."

I don't think it would be wise to assume motorised scooters will be allowed on tenders, now or in the past. There would not be a problem with a walker unless the weather was very rough.

I just sent the mobility questionnaire to Princess for our next cruise and received our approval from the Access Office. As stated earlier, my wife has mobility problems and I am thinking of buying her a scooter. They approved my request but sent this information back with the approval.

The goal of Princess Cruises is to provide a safe comfortable cruise experience for all passengers. If you will be using a mobility device during your sailing we strongly recommend you travel with a person physically fit to assist with your needs both onboard and ashore.

Embarking and disembarking can be challenging for those with limited mobility. Many major ports of call provide easy access for wheelchairs and scooters. However due to various conditions; steepness of the gangway, weather, shore-side facilities, tidal and sea conditions, passengers using mobility devices may be required to transfer to a stair climber or be precluded from going ashore. Princess staff will make every effort to assist but are not allowed to individually physically lift more than 50 pounds (22 kg).

Some ports of call require the ship to anchor off shore. Passengers are then taken to shore by small boats or tenders. When tendering is required, passengers using mobility devices will not be transferred into or out of the tender, if lifting in excess of the above limitation is required. Many tender ports do not provide wheelchair access so even if the passenger can board the tender they may not be able to disembark ashore. Again the shore-side facilities, movement of the tender, weather and tidal conditions can also preclude tendering.

The decision to allow any passenger to board a tender or disembark the vessel will be made by the Captain on the basis of the safety and welfare of all involved and is final.

If passengers are unable to tender or disembark because of circumstances outlined above there will be no refund or credit for missed ports. While Princess recognizes your disappointment the safety of both passengers and crew takes precedence.

Passenger with Limited Mobility Traveling on a Princess Cruise 05 May 09.doc

Are there new policies? My last cruise (28 nights) ended only a bit over a month ago so I feel that my experience is up to date.

⋮

Yep. But the money question is, "Will the advice you give now still be up-to-date

as of the cruise they take in the future?" :confused:

Clearly not allowed. Difficult in the best of circumstances!

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Yep. But the money question is, "Will the advice you give now still be up-to-date

as of the cruise they take in the future?" :confused:

My experience is that scooters are not taken onto the tenders, but walkers can be if the weather is not too rough.

Who has a crystal ball?? However, I cannot see Princess changing their stated policies to guarantee that passengers will be able to take scooters on to the tenders.

I'm not sure I get these flat statements when 2 of us on this thread have stated that we have observed scooters being loaded on tenders. The one I saw was one that weighs about 80 pounds, 2 crewmembers loaded it with ease.

In reading the policy that is well within the 50 pounds individually lifted.

Of course the passenger has to have enough mobility to get on and off the tender without the scooter and with the chop, and likely have had consultation with the crew as to whether certain ports ashore would be reachable by scooter after leaving the tender.

I'm not sure I get these flat statements when 2 of us on this thread have stated that we have observed scooters being loaded on tenders. The one I saw was one that weighs about 80 pounds, 2 crewmembers loaded it with ease.

 

In reading the policy that is well within the 50 pounds individually lifted.

 

Of course the passenger has to have enough mobility to get on and off the tender without the scooter and with the chop, and likely have had consultation with the crew as to whether certain ports ashore would be reachable by scooter after leaving the tender.

I have said that I cannot see Princess 'guaranteeing' that passengers can take a scooter on tenders.

There can be no blanket statement. My wife has two scooters one weighs 118 pounds and the other is 285. While I've muscled the smaller one in and out of cars and has been on several cruises, I can't see lifting it onto a tender. The other one is so large I couldn't see it on a cruise ship to begin with.