Stubborn Mom's First Cruise...Please Help!!

[angelsbaby1]

DP & I are taking my Mom (age 67) on her first cruise on the Emerald Princess in June. She is very mobile but because of some back problems and numbness in one of her legs, she walks with a cane (although not as much as she should :(). She has lost her balance and fallen a few times and I am concerned that if this happens while on the cruise, it will ruin her trip. I also realize that it is difficult to maneuver with a cane especially if you are trying to carry anything else (i.e. drink, snack, etc.). She won't have to worry about carrying a tray at the buffet because my sister, DP and I will all be there to help her.

 

She is one of those people who doesn't want to appear to be "old & helpless" (her exact words) so she has made is clear that she DOES NOT want a wheelchair! :eek: I talked her into getting one of those mobility scooters by telling her how nice and sleek they are now (as opposed to a big wheelchair)! We booked it from (what we think is) an excellent company with a good price ($175 for 7 day sailing). They work with the cruiselines and will deliver the scooter to the cabin and pick it up at the end of the cruise. They also go by weight and since Mom is a small person (about 125 lbs or so) she can get the lightest one. She will not need to use the scooter while in the cabin so I don't think we will have to worry about having a wheelchair accessible cabin (she and my sister have a balcony next to ours). I called the rental company and was told that the the scooters are all approved by the cruiseline at 23". Will that be too wide to go into a balcony cabin?! :confused:

 

Has anyone used these type of scooters? Are they as easy to handle as the brochure makes them sound? Are we getting a good price? Are these scooters ok to take into the ports which are St. Thomas, St. Maarten, Grand Turk? We will also go to Princess Cays and had agreed to get a cabana since she is not necessarily a beach person. But she declined stating that she would rather stay on the ship that day since Princess Cays is pretty much a beach day.

 

Any help/advice/experiences would be appreciated!

 

Angel :)

[Arlened236]

Its good that you have convinced your mother to use an electric scooter on board the ship. She will feel more secure about going around the ship...its bigger than she thinks. As for fitting in your balcony cabin...I am not sure the width of the door (have your TA ask Princess...but remember to subtract 2 inche for the door/jam. Most scooters will not fit in your cabin even if they go thru the door unless you have them remove some of the

chairs/tables etc.

Be sure to bring an extension cord to charge the scooter at night. Even with an accessible cabin, I often have to have them remove some of the furniture because there is not enough room with rented scooter and my folding wheelchair. (I need both)

Princess frowns upon leaving the scooter in the hall, makes it difficult for the laundry carts, and other disabled passengers in wheelchairs/scooters to get by.

 

As for the ports you mentioned...St Thomas is fine. We docked at Havensite and I was able to get into most shops with no problem using the scooter, there are curb cut outs (remember this is a US port)...St Maarten has great shopping, but the sidewalks are not in good shape, poor curb cut-outs (if there are any) and many of the shops have steps to get into them, plus it is very crowded with many people if there are more than one ship in port. . (A flolding wheelchair is better here)

Grand Turk...there are shops at the end of the long pier and Margaritaville (beautiful pool) is scooter accessible. She will be happy to have the scooter...its a long walk.

Princess Cay is not as they do not take scooters onto the tenders. If you plan on taking any tours )ship or private) a folding wheelchair is better...I have not been able to find any accessible tours using my scooter (we were on the Grand in Feb)..in th past I took an accessible tour is ST Thomas, but we did not see it this trip.

 

Tell your mother she will not be alone on her cruise...there will be lots of people using all kinds of aids...my feeling is what ever it takes to make a cruise easier for her and her family (so they wont worry about her) is good.

You got a very fair price for the week. Be sure to ask for a shower chair for your mom, as well as a raised toilet seat if she needs it...also request an egg crate topper for the matress....they are usually very hard and this makes sleeping easier. Princess has all of these items.

 

Another point...if she has never used an electric scooter have her practice at the grocery store or big box store like Walmart....they do take practice...better to do it off the ship. The type she will have on the ship is smaller and much easier to handle.

If you have more questions just ask

Have a great cruise.

Arlene

[Umbarger]

Your mom will need some practice. Scooters are not as easy as they seem. Its not just your mom-its the other people your mother will come in contact with. Able bodied people walk in front of scooters trying to rush in front of them etc. Scooters do not have brakes! So your mom will need to make sure to keep track of others around her. She doesn't want to run over anyones toes. Once my mom was parked on her scooter in the ships lobby. Someone stepped back wards and ran right into her. Then accused my mom of hitting her. My mom wasn't moving and the scooter wasn't even on!

 

Getting an elevator will be difficult. Able bodied people often rush into the elevators before someone in a scooter or wheelchair can. Therefore, be prepared to wait. Be very careful backing out of elevators. The stairs are usually right behind the elevators. Another reason why practice is a must. Scooters can be difficult to maneuver even without other people around.

 

Princess no longer allows scooters on tenders. So she will not be able to take the scooter off the ship in tender ports. In other ports you will run into trouble with accessibility. Many places don't have curb cut outs on sidewalks. Many shops will have stairs to get into or will not have room to allow a scooter.

 

What kind of excursions are you planning. Do you want to take the scooter?You will not be able to take any ship excursions with the Scooter. None of the buses will have a lift for the scooter. If you want to take an excursion with the scooter you will need to book something independently who has a vehicle with a lift. These are difficult to find. Also taking a taxi is a problem if the taxi doesn't have a lift. Drivers often refuse to load and unload scooters into the trunk. I have had them refuse before even if I did the loading and unloading. :confused:

 

Princess usually docks at Crown Bay in St Thomas. It is a few miles to Havensight from there. The taxis in St. Thomas are open air jeeps with seats in the back. Impossible for a scooter. There are shops at Crown Bay if your mom just wants to stay there and shop. It is accessible.

 

As for the scooter fitting in the cabin you will need to call the scooter company and Princess to get exact measurements of the scooter and the cabin doorway. Be sure to make allowance for the door/jam as that cuts down the width of the door.

 

Good luck and have a great cruise with your mom.

[daju22]

I agree with everything the other posters have said.

 

Just a little elevator hint that works for us.

 

Get onto any elevator if it is mostly empty. It doesn't have to be going in the direction you want to go. You can ride it to the top or bottom and then back to the deck you wanted to get off on.

 

Hope this makes sense. Have a fine cruise. You and your mom will have a blast!

Judy

[xxoocruiser]

Also be advised that if any of the ports are "Tender" Princess cruises will not allow the scooter on the Tender. So unless your mother can walk onto the Tender with little or no assistance she will most likely have to stay on the ship at the port.

[PrincessPeggyLynn]

If there are accessible cabins still available, I would urge you to reserve one. My husband and I had a wonderful cruise on the Ruby Princess in March and had an accessible cabin with a balconey. He took both his motorized chair and his manual one and we had no problems with both in the room without removing any of the furniture so traveling with just a scooter should be a cinch. Have a great cruise.

 

All the other posts gave great advice. When elevators are crowded at dinner time, we also often take the first available and ride it until it goes in the direction we need!

 

We also stayed on the ship at Princess Cays. It was so nice exploring the ship when it wasn't so crowded.

[oldjonjon]

! :eek: I talked her into getting one of those mobility scooters by telling her how nice and sleek they are now (as opposed to a big wheelchair)! We booked it from (what we think is) an excellent company with a good price ($175 for 7 day sailing). They work with the cruiselines and will deliver the scooter to the cabin and pick it up at the end of the cruise.

Can you please post the name of the scooter rental company Thank you John