Wheelchair assistance at disembarkation

For the first time I am hiring an electric wheelchair for our next cruise.

We are using CPS parking and Mobility at Sea will meet us at the terminal with the chair, so I will only have to walk a few steps from drop off.

At the end of the cruise, however, we have to leave the chair in baggage reclaim.

I know from past experience that it is a bit of a walk from there to the car park. Can I arrange a wheelchair from here to the car park once I am on board?

On a lighter note I have never used a power chair before. Should I get ‘L’ plates?

I would suggest that your best bet is to register for assisted disembarkation, go to the dedicated area on disembarkation morning and ask for a wheelchair pusher to accompany you to the baggage area with a spare wheelchair (they have them) and then, once you drop off the scooter, they will push you to your car in their wheelchair, which they will take back with them. Assistance often takes longer than DIY as a lot of people use the service, but they are very helpful and you will have no problem. Can’t advise on the scooter as my wife has a wheelchair, but my only advice is please go slow! You do see some folk going far too fast on them

I would suggest that your best bet is to register for assisted disembarkation, go to the dedicated area on disembarkation morning and ask for a wheelchair pusher to accompany you to the baggage area with a spare wheelchair (they have them) and then, once you drop off the scooter, they will push you to your car in their wheelchair, which they will take back with them. Assistance often takes longer than DIY as a lot of people use the service, but they are very helpful and you will have no problem. Can’t advise on the scooter as my wife has a wheelchair, but my only advice is please go slow! You do see some folk going far too fast on them

There must be a system as this is a common occurrence.

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Thank you for your replies fellow cruisers.

You can also leave the hired chair in your cabin

You can also leave the hired chair in your cabin

Yes, it’s true that Mobility At Sea do allow that, but I guess you then have the issue of how do you get from the cabin to the assisted disembarkation lounge? As far as I am aware, there is no option for the wheelchair pushers to collect you from your cabin.

Exactly Selbourne. I will ask on board. If not I will just have to hold my partners arm and the luggage trolley and go very slowly. I’m sure we will manage somehow.

Exactly Selbourne. I will ask on board. If not I will just have to hold my partners arm and the luggage trolley and go very slowly. I’m sure we will manage somehow.

Just a thought, but if you are travelling with an able bodied partner, you could perhaps drive the scooter to the assisted disembarkation venue and then your partner could drive the scooter back to your cabin (assuming that you have arranged with Mobility at Sea to leave it there)?

The flaw with my suggestion however is that we find that getting a lift on disembarkation morning is a nightmare. Even though people are only carrying hand luggage, almost everyone seems to use the lift and there is less consideration for disabled guests than is the case at other times. Most people are descending though (to disembark), so if your cabin is on a higher deck than the disembarkation venue this option could work. As I say, just a thought.

You have all been so helpful with your thoughts and suggestions. Thank you.

Remember to let CPS know that you are disabled and they will park your car closer to the hut which will a bit easier for you when you disembark

Remember to let CPS know that you are disabled and they will park your car closer to the hut which will a bit easier for you when you disembark

That's interesting to hear that you have experienced that, as I religiously tick the box to say 'disabled' yet have only once had the car parked near the hut. All other times the car has been miles away!

That's interesting to hear that you have experienced that, as I religiously tick the box to say 'disabled' yet have only once had the car parked near the hut. All other times the car has been miles away!

Selbourne, remind them when handing over the car.

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Selbourne, remind them when handing over the car.

 

 

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I even go so far as to print off a disabled logo and leave it on the dashboard and it still hasn't made any difference, but I shall heed your advice and stress at handover.

Yes, it’s true that Mobility At Sea do allow that, but I guess you then have the issue of how do you get from the cabin to the assisted disembarkation lounge? As far as I am aware, there is no option for the wheelchair pushers to collect you from your cabin.

+I have seen a mobilityatsea chair left at CPS car pick up area

Hi just to let you know of my husbands experience with regard to using an electric wheelchair provided by Mobility at Sea on a cruise the Britannia from Southampton.

MoB met us at the coach with the wheelchair pushed my husband into the terminal and showed us how to use it. We were then taken quickly through check in and on board.

Although he had never used one before he soon got used to it ,the only thing he struggled with was reversing out of the lifts but I wheeled him out. It was very useful for trips.

On disembarkation day we had been instructed to leave the wheelchair in the cabin and someone came to push my husband in a manual chair. He pushed us to baggage reclaim and helped locate our luggage and then took us to our transport and a porter brought our luggage. We found it a brilliant service and would recommend and hope use it again soon

Hi just to let you know of my husbands experience with regard to using an electric wheelchair provided by Mobility at Sea on a cruise the Britannia from Southampton.

MoB met us at the coach with the wheelchair pushed my husband into the terminal and showed us how to use it. We were then taken quickly through check in and on board.

 

Although he had never used one before he soon got used to it ,the only thing he struggled with was reversing out of the lifts but I wheeled him out. It was very useful for trips.

 

On disembarkation day we had been instructed to leave the wheelchair in the cabin and someone came to push my husband in a manual chair. He pushed us to baggage reclaim and helped locate our luggage and then took us to our transport and a porter brought our luggage. We found it a brilliant service and would recommend and hope use it again soon

Many thanks for providing that very clear insight into your experience. I wasn’t aware that a wheelchair would be brought to the cabin, so that is very useful information.

Yes sunnyjean, very useful. I would send you a private message but can’t work out how to do it so my questions will have to be public. Sorry if this is boring for others.

Were you escorted on to the ship by MatS or PandO

staff or do you just make your own way onboard?

Did you have to fold the chair to get it through the cabin door?

Do MatS provide all the plugs and leads for charging and do you remove the batteries to charge the wheelchair?

Did you use the chair on cobbles and inclines as if so how did it perform?

What type of cabin did you have? We have a standard balcony and on phoning PandO this morning they thought I could only use it in an accessible cabin or suite, when I questioned this they said to contact the medical team at Carnival by e mail as they don’t have a phone number. I have done this as I am now having a panic.

I filled in the medical questionaire saying I was going to be using an electric wheelchair.

Mobility at Sea were helpful when I called them, but couldn’t confirm or deny this. They are going to e mail Carnival as well.

Sorry that this post is so long.

Yes sunnyjean, very useful. I would send you a private message but can’t work out how to do it so my questions will have to be public. Sorry if this is boring for others.

Were you escorted on to the ship by MatS or PandO

staff or do you just make your own way onboard?

Did you have to fold the chair to get it through the cabin door?

Do MatS provide all the plugs and leads for charging and do you remove the batteries to charge the wheelchair?

Did you use the chair on cobbles and inclines as if so how did it perform?

What type of cabin did you have? We have a standard balcony and on phoning PandO this morning they thought I could only use it in an accessible cabin or suite, when I questioned this they said to contact the medical team at Carnival by e mail as they don’t have a phone number. I have done this as I am now having a panic.

I filled in the medical questionaire saying I was going to be using an electric wheelchair.

Mobility at Sea were helpful when I called them, but couldn’t confirm or deny this. They are going to e mail Carnival as well.

Sorry that this post is so long.

Hopefully sunnyjean will respond on most of your questions, but I can answer two of them.

If you are picking up your scooter in your cabin, you need to report to assisted embarkation and you will be wheeled aboard by a P&O asisitance team member in one of their wheelchairs.

It is now a requirement that all guests wishing to use a mobility scooter must have booked an accessible cabin or suitable suite or mini-suite. They are not permitted in standard cabins and if you have booked one you are asked to use a collapsible wheelchair instead. Sorry that’s not what you wanted to hear, but those are the rules, introduced a few years ago. You will need to see if P&O can relocate you to an accessible cabin if the scooter is essential to you.

The link below provides all the information.

https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/before-you-sail/po_mobility_scooter?_ga=2.161016696.43624223.1536640936-334937817.1536298370

This only applies to scooters not folding wheelchairs. I have used the blue electric chair chair from MatS and Cunard had no problem approving it. I drove it all over Bergen with no problem although the cobbles did give a very bumpy ride. They provide all charging leads and plugs. You do not have to remove batteries to charge. Don't panic.

Hello Coolcruiser I am pleased my post was helpful to you, as far as I can remember it was P&O staff who escorted us onboard ship. We had an ordinary balcony cabin and the Cruiser 12a wheelchair that we hired wheeled into the cabin then folded and fit in the open wardrobe area and plugged in nearby. The battery remained in situ and the charging lead came with it.

Peter tended to avoid cobbles as it was not very comfortable it was fine on slight inclines but I don't think we tested it on steep inclines. I will be interested to know how you go on.

I am at the moment trying to find out if it is possible to hire electric wheelchairs abroad to enable us to do a fly cruise not having much look so far.

Just an update re using electric wheelchair in standard balcony cabin.

I emailed P and O medical team. They answered requesting details of chair that I am hiring, to which I replied.

They then replied within a day saying it was fine but we would have to fold it to get through the cabin door

So the P and O man I spoke to originally gave me the wrong information. All sorted now though.

I am so grateful for the help all you lovely people have given me.