Disabled Cruising: What ticks you off?

[gram2trips]

My husband has to use his power chair when we vacation anywhere. He has CHF, arthritis & knees that don't work. I use a cane or rollator as I can not stand long in one place or walk long distances without sitting down. You have all covered quite well the problems of the elevators. We also get on when we can & go up & down to the floor we need. I hate when ab people step in front of my husband & expect him not to run into them with his chair!! He has stepped on a few toes. Dining in the buffets are difficult at times for us. While my husband looks over the buffet to see what he wants i try to find a seat. Sometimes impossible or it is the opposite end of the food. It is difficult for me to walk that far. Just sent RCL an email that disabled seating is much needed in MP. We were on Carnival Triumph & they had so many tables he could ride up to with his scooter. They were marked diabled only. Nice. The staff is always very helpful & many times we have eaten with other people to get a closer table. To look at me, other than being overweight I don't appear to have any problems. But I wouldn't wish my back on anyone!! AB need to walk in our shoes once & they might get it. We go enjoy & don't fret about it. It is what it is.

[saintbernardlover]

I had an accident and dislocated my ankle on the river in Texas and then it became infected. After 4 surgeries I now have a fused ankle. I still have a lot of pain and my foot looks like it has been eaten by a shark with a lot of scar tissue. I enjoy telling children that ask me "what happen to your foot" that it was bitten by a shark in the Solarium Pool and that is why they don't let children in the Solairum Pool area :D:D

[IRL_Joanie]

My husband has to use his power chair when we vacation anywhere. He has CHF, arthritis & knees that don't work. I use a cane or rollator as I can not stand long in one place or walk long distances without sitting down. You have all covered quite well the problems of the elevators. We also get on when we can & go up & down to the floor we need. I hate when ab people step in front of my husband & expect him not to run into them with his chair!! He has stepped on a few toes. Dining in the buffets are difficult at times for us. While my husband looks over the buffet to see what he wants i try to find a seat. Sometimes impossible or it is the opposite end of the food. It is difficult for me to walk that far. Just sent RCL an email that disabled seating is much needed in MP. We were on Carnival Triumph & they had so many tables he could ride up to with his scooter. They were marked diabled only. Nice. The staff is always very helpful & many times we have eaten with other people to get a closer table. To look at me, other than being overweight I don't appear to have any problems. But I wouldn't wish my back on anyone!! AB need to walk in our shoes once & they might get it. We go enjoy & don't fret about it. It is what it is.

 

gram2trips, have you looked into an implanted TENS Unit?? Kind of like a pace maker in the spine. It is AWESOME!!! If you want more info on it let me know.

 

I had it permanently implanted June 8th 2009 and it is amazing how little pain I now have, plus I've been able to lose nearly 60 lbs due to the lack of severe pain:)

 

It is covered by both insurance and Medicaid.

 

Joanie

[kyriecat]

I had an accident and dislocated my ankle on the river in Texas and then it became infected. After 4 surgeries I now have a fused ankle. I still have a lot of pain and my foot looks like it has been eaten by a shark with a lot of scar tissue. I enjoy telling children that ask me "what happen to your foot" that it was bitten by a shark in the Solarium Pool and that is why they don't let children in the Solairum Pool area :D:D

:D I love it! What a disturbing sense of humor you have! (Obviously my sense of humor is also disturbing. ;))

[DFW Airwolf]

I had an accident and dislocated my ankle on the river in Texas and then it became infected. After 4 surgeries I now have a fused ankle. I still have a lot of pain and my foot looks like it has been eaten by a shark with a lot of scar tissue. I enjoy telling children that ask me "what happen to your foot" that it was bitten by a shark in the Solarium Pool and that is why they don't let children in the Solairum Pool area :D:D

 

 

Maybe we need to get the cruise line to train some sharks that will only attack kids in the ADULT pools. I love them as I like to rest in the water & dont need all the activity that kids bring.

 

Overall the one thing I get from everyone I read hear is how we wish the Cruise Lines would actively enforce their rules.

 

1. No Kids in the Adult Pool

2. No saving chairs up by the pools or in the Theatre

3. Only allow a HC person to book a HC Cabin until last minute.

 

If the cruise lines would enforce their rules, then maybe we could all work on the Rude & thoughtless people who cruise.

 

Any thoughts on how to cure the Elevator Jam. I have used my cane to trip a few of the Rushers when they try to rush ahead of me when I have been waiting. Also arent afraid to hold out my arm & clothesline them either. (Helps to be 6'3" and 270#)

[IRL_Joanie]

Maybe we need to get the cruise line to train some sharks that will only attack kids in the ADULT pools. I love them as I like to rest in the water & dont need all the activity that kids bring.

 

Overall the one thing I get from everyone I read hear is how we wish the Cruise Lines would actively enforce their rules.

 

1. No Kids in the Adult Pool

2. No saving chairs up by the pools or in the Theatre

3. Only allow a HC person to book a HC Cabin until last minute.

 

If the cruise lines would enforce their rules, then maybe we could all work on the Rude & thoughtless people who cruise.

 

Any thoughts on how to cure the Elevator Jam. I have used my cane to trip a few of the Rushers when they try to rush ahead of me when I have been waiting. Also arent afraid to hold out my arm & clothesline them either. (Helps to be 6'3" and 270#)

Sorry sir, but I could never be that ... intense... to anyone. I prefer the words "Excuse Me??" used in a very sarcastic way ONLY as a last resort.

 

99.99% of the time, I have been blessed with AB passengers who hold the elevator for me when I attempt to get on one, passengers who, when I tell them I am legally blind and to watch their feet, not only hold the door for me, but also either pull their feet back or step out of the elevator to allow me entrance or exit from it.

 

Using a body part, cane, mobility device, etc... is in my opinion as rude or even worse than the AB rude passengers.... I will not do that.

 

A smile along with a please and thank you work miracles for me.:)

 

My parents taught me that 2 wrongs do not a right make.

 

Joanie

[510picker]

What ticks me off? Lack of good accessible seating in the theaters and lack of truly accessible excursions. The elevators can be a pain, but as others have said, that is mainly on formal night and after shows.

 

Overall, I have no real complaints about cruising. Cruising provides a wonderful vacation for a full-time wheelchair user like myself. My wife and I have struggled with vacations for years until we discovered cruising again. I say again because we actually cruised on our honeymoon, but being newly married as well as newly disabled, we had yet to learn to appreciate what we can do instead of getting frustrated with what we can't.

[Umbarger]

What ticks me off? Lack of good accessible seating in the theaters

 

Yes, I agree. Why do they put the accessible seating at the very back of the theater in the nose bleed section. My mom doesnt see well enough to sit way back there. And why do AB sit in those seats, there is a big wheelchair sign????

 

I better shut up, you don't want to get me started. lol

[mdvlprof]

Accessible excursions...That is a problem. DS is a quad, and so many excursions cannot deal with a wheelchair. He's also stuck onboard at tender ports.

[Quampapetet]

And the idea that anyone is in a "rush" is always amusing to me...where are you GOING?? You're on a SHIP in the middle of the ocean somewehre, and the buffet will be there when you get there! :)

 

The way some ppl eat, it might not be!!!! :p

 

More annoying to me are the people that stop dead in front of me as they're moving down the hall. A scooter can't always stop that fast. Or apparently I'm invisible, as people reach over my head to grab stuff off the food buffet, dripping sauce in my hair. Or step back and end up sitting in my lap, then yell at me because I was in their way. No..I was just the person behind them, in my wheelchair...

 

Oh yuck about the sauce getting in your hair!! :mad: That is terrible that ppl have done those things to you. Makes me mad!

[Quampapetet]

. . . was on a recent cruise where 500+ passengers were from one country in Europe. Many of these people generally had no regard for other passengers, but the very worst I saw was when one of them pushed her small child's pushchair and shoved it into the back of the legs of a passenger with a walking frame, in an effort to get her to walk faster. She even told this person to "Hurry up".

 

:eek: I can't even imagine thinking of doing such a thing!!! How terrible!

 

I must say, when I read that, the image of Gabby from "Desperate Housewives" popped into my head as something she would do, haha.

[Quampapetet]

I had an accident and dislocated my ankle on the river in Texas and then it became infected. After 4 surgeries I now have a fused ankle. I still have a lot of pain and my foot looks like it has been eaten by a shark with a lot of scar tissue. I enjoy telling children that ask me "what happen to your foot" that it was bitten by a shark in the Solarium Pool and that is why they don't let children in the Solairum Pool area :D:D

 

Okay, now that's just too funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

 

If my best friend is with me and somebody sees my service dog and says, "Is that a dog?!" my friend likes to answer, "No, that's her very hairy daughter!" :p

[Quampapetet]

Any thoughts on how to cure the Elevator Jam. I have used my cane to trip a few of the Rushers when they try to rush ahead of me when I have been waiting. Also arent afraid to hold out my arm & clothesline them either. (Helps to be 6'3" and 270#)

 

Eat a lot of beans and let 'er rip? That'll clear out a little elevator real fast! :p

 

BTW, I assumed you were joking about tripping ppl. If you weren't, you're the pot calling the kettle black - see your first post on this page that talks about disabled ppl being rude and your being mad about getting hurt by them.

[DisneyKidsDad]

Not true for RCCL, Celebrity, Princess or HAL. All have regular (cheap) cabins for 3 on some ships, you just have to hunt them down and reserve far enough in advance. Did this many times when cruising with my parents when my dad was still alive, and since then when traveling with my mother (the wheelchair user) and a friend.

 

Well then maybe I have to do more research because anywhere I have wanted to go on either RCCL or HAL has been two to a H/C cabin unless it was a Junior Suite. Maybe it's because I want a balcony.

[Silvermist]

Omigosh, I'm getting nervous reading these posts. :eek: I've never used a scooter before, but I have one rented for this cruise because I'm unsure about whether I'll be able to walk all throughout my vacation thanks to a slow recovery from an accident a couple years ago. I'm planning to walk as much as I can though. I have no physical signs of a disability other than the scar where my head was stitched back together (mostly covered by my hair) and a slight limp when I'm tired and a definite limp once my injury has had enough. I've had to very carefully select excursions with regards to my abilities and possible lack of abilities on a bad day. I'm nervous about a couple of them, but the next days are sea days so if worse comes to worst I can stay in my cabin in my bed recovering. I'm trying to cover every possibility now so that I can enjoy myself worry-free while on vacation.

 

So now despite everything I have tried to think about with regards to this trip and with all the pre-planning I've done to be able to try to forget my injury for a couple weeks, I'm going to have to become selectively deaf to deal with people telling me I'm faking if they see me walking for 2 or 3 days and then in a scooter then next? Do people really think it's their business that I'm on a scooter? Do they really think I'd put out the extra expense of having a scooter if I didn't need it? And am I going to drive over top of people because I'm a novice scooter driver? Am I going to have to turn my DH into a linebacker to get me on an elevator if I need to use the scooter when I go to a show? And I am beyond stunned that somebody would have the audacity to reach over top of anybody at a buffet, or any other place -- hello Miss Manners? Maybe I need to get some strobe lights or something to make sure people see me. I totally understand that this is a thread for venting and probably I'm reading the worst of the worst, but I hope there are a lot more positives to disabled cruising than what I'm given the impression of from this thread.

 

My TA tried to book us a HC room but they were all gone. I don't think I'd want to take one though since I don't need the special features - I only need a few extra square feet to park the scooter when I'm not using it. And since there are no HC rooms available, I'm going to have to prove that you can do that in a regular sized cabin. But it's pretty annoying to me because judging from the braggy "Woohoo, more space!" posts I've read elsewhere, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that there's at least one or two of the HC cabins booked by people who don't need them.

[Jesscap5]

 

any thoughts on how to cure the elevator jam. I have used my cane to trip a few of the rushers when they try to rush ahead of me when i have been waiting. Also arent afraid to hold out my arm & clothesline them either. (helps to be 6'3" and 270#)

 

lol!

[Peery5]

Omigosh, I'm getting nervous reading these posts. :eek: I've never used a scooter before, but I have one rented for this cruise because I'm unsure about whether I'll be able to walk all throughout my vacation thanks to a slow recovery from an accident a couple years ago. I'm planning to walk as much as I can though. I have no physical signs of a disability other than the scar where my head was stitched back together (mostly covered by my hair) and a slight limp when I'm tired and a definite limp once my injury has had enough. I've had to very carefully select excursions with regards to my abilities and possible lack of abilities on a bad day. I'm nervous about a couple of them, but the next days are sea days so if worse comes to worst I can stay in my cabin in my bed recovering. I'm trying to cover every possibility now so that I can enjoy myself worry-free while on vacation.

 

So now despite everything I have tried to think about with regards to this trip and with all the pre-planning I've done to be able to try to forget my injury for a couple weeks, I'm going to have to become selectively deaf to deal with people telling me I'm faking if they see me walking for 2 or 3 days and then in a scooter then next? Do people really think it's their business that I'm on a scooter? Do they really think I'd put out the extra expense of having a scooter if I didn't need it? And am I going to drive over top of people because I'm a novice scooter driver? Am I going to have to turn my DH into a linebacker to get me on an elevator if I need to use the scooter when I go to a show? And I am beyond stunned that somebody would have the audacity to reach over top of anybody at a buffet, or any other place -- hello Miss Manners? Maybe I need to get some strobe lights or something to make sure people see me. I totally understand that this is a thread for venting and probably I'm reading the worst of the worst, but I hope there are a lot more positives to disabled cruising than what I'm given the impression of from this thread.

 

My TA tried to book us a HC room but they were all gone. I don't think I'd want to take one though since I don't need the special features - I only need a few extra square feet to park the scooter when I'm not using it. And since there are no HC rooms available, I'm going to have to prove that you can do that in a regular sized cabin. But it's pretty annoying to me because judging from the braggy "Woohoo, more space!" posts I've read elsewhere, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that there's at least one or two of the HC cabins booked by people who don't need them.

but I hope there are a lot more positives to disabled cruising than what I'm given the impression of from this thread.

 

There are more positives than negatives for disabled cruisers. Although I used to be an impatient man, I have tried to be more patient since I have become disabled. For the most part, cruisers are very nice and courteous to others, present company included. But, as with any type of occasion where there are a lot of people in a somewhat confined area, you will find a few bad apples that tend to spoil an otherwise exciting time for others. I say: Look over them and be the better person but stand your ground and speak your mind if your space is invaded by someone that could care less about your mobility problem(s).

Be sure to have your T/A keep pushing the cruise company for a HC room. There are always cancellations during the last 30 days leading up to your cruise. But if one doesn't become available, your stateroom attendant should be able to help you.

 

Good Luck......

[DFW Airwolf]

Omigosh, I'm getting nervous reading these posts. :eek: I've never used a scooter before, but I have one rented for this cruise because I'm unsure about whether I'll be able to walk all throughout my vacation thanks to a slow recovery from an accident a couple years ago. I'm planning to walk as much as I can though. I have no physical signs of a disability other than the scar where my head was stitched back together (mostly covered by my hair) and a slight limp when I'm tired and a definite limp once my injury has had enough. I've had to very carefully select excursions with regards to my abilities and possible lack of abilities on a bad day. I'm nervous about a couple of them, but the next days are sea days so if worse comes to worst I can stay in my cabin in my bed recovering. I'm trying to cover every possibility now so that I can enjoy myself worry-free while on vacation.

 

So now despite everything I have tried to think about with regards to this trip and with all the pre-planning I've done to be able to try to forget my injury for a couple weeks, I'm going to have to become selectively deaf to deal with people telling me I'm faking if they see me walking for 2 or 3 days and then in a scooter then next? Do people really think it's their business that I'm on a scooter? Do they really think I'd put out the extra expense of having a scooter if I didn't need it? And am I going to drive over top of people because I'm a novice scooter driver? Am I going to have to turn my DH into a linebacker to get me on an elevator if I need to use the scooter when I go to a show? And I am beyond stunned that somebody would have the audacity to reach over top of anybody at a buffet, or any other place -- hello Miss Manners? Maybe I need to get some strobe lights or something to make sure people see me. I totally understand that this is a thread for venting and probably I'm reading the worst of the worst, but I hope there are a lot more positives to disabled cruising than what I'm given the impression of from this thread.

 

My TA tried to book us a HC room but they were all gone. I don't think I'd want to take one though since I don't need the special features - I only need a few extra square feet to park the scooter when I'm not using it. And since there are no HC rooms available, I'm going to have to prove that you can do that in a regular sized cabin. But it's pretty annoying to me because judging from the braggy "Woohoo, more space!" posts I've read elsewhere, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that there's at least one or two of the HC cabins booked by people who don't need them.

 

I think your idea of having your husband act as a LINEBACKER in front of you is good idea overall for everyone. It will help you keep from running over peopele accidently & also make sure you can get thru safely.

 

I am somewhat VOCAL & MILITANT about people hitting me with scooters because of the attitudes I recieved from them (Uncaring & like I was at fault in some way) I am not ANTI-HC I just think we need to realize that with some of this equipment comes greater responsibilities & duties. Many people dont see that.

[Umbarger]

Omigosh, I'm getting nervous reading these posts. :eek: I've never used a scooter before, but I have one rented for this cruise because I'm unsure about whether I'll be able to walk all throughout my vacation thanks to a slow recovery from an accident a couple years ago. I'm planning to walk as much as I can though. I have no physical signs of a disability other than the scar where my head was stitched back together (mostly covered by my hair) and a slight limp when I'm tired and a definite limp once my injury has had enough. I've had to very carefully select excursions with regards to my abilities and possible lack of abilities on a bad day. I'm nervous about a couple of them, but the next days are sea days so if worse comes to worst I can stay in my cabin in my bed recovering. I'm trying to cover every possibility now so that I can enjoy myself worry-free while on vacation.

 

So now despite everything I have tried to think about with regards to this trip and with all the pre-planning I've done to be able to try to forget my injury for a couple weeks, I'm going to have to become selectively deaf to deal with people telling me I'm faking if they see me walking for 2 or 3 days and then in a scooter then next? Do people really think it's their business that I'm on a scooter? Do they really think I'd put out the extra expense of having a scooter if I didn't need it? And am I going to drive over top of people because I'm a novice scooter driver? Am I going to have to turn my DH into a linebacker to get me on an elevator if I need to use the scooter when I go to a show? And I am beyond stunned that somebody would have the audacity to reach over top of anybody at a buffet, or any other place -- hello Miss Manners? Maybe I need to get some strobe lights or something to make sure people see me. I totally understand that this is a thread for venting and probably I'm reading the worst of the worst, but I hope there are a lot more positives to disabled cruising than what I'm given the impression of from this thread.

 

My TA tried to book us a HC room but they were all gone. I don't think I'd want to take one though since I don't need the special features - I only need a few extra square feet to park the scooter when I'm not using it. And since there are no HC rooms available, I'm going to have to prove that you can do that in a regular sized cabin. But it's pretty annoying to me because judging from the braggy "Woohoo, more space!" posts I've read elsewhere, I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that there's at least one or two of the HC cabins booked by people who don't need them.

 

You have to realize this is a thread about what ticks us off. So you are seeing the negative side. There are many positives to disabled cruising.

 

I think your husband running interference at the elevator is a good idea. That is what I had to do for my mom in her scooter when we used the elevator and it was really crowded.

 

If you are a novice scooter driver please be careful. They can be dangerous and you could hurt yourself. Case in point......the stairs are right behind the elevators and you have to reverse to get out of the elevators. They are not big enough for you to turn around in. So be careful how far you back up. I am always in constant fear my mom is going to reverse too much and go down the stairs. Yikes!

 

Just go slow and watch for AB. Sometimes I think AB don't see people in scooters very well because they are in a lower field of vision. My mom has a high flag on the back of her scooter and it seems to help a little. My mom has to be careful at all times. AB were constantly stopping on a dime in front of her or trying to get around her and cutting her off.

 

Please come back after your cruise and tell us how it went.

[saintbernardlover]

Thanks for the heads up on backing out into the stairs off of an elevator. I think it is natural for most people, HC and AB, to be distracted in a new environment and not paying attention to where they are going. Afterall, a beautiful cruise ship has a lot to offer and look at as you are walking/traversing the ship.

 

I have learned when using a scooter in a grocery store to just take my time and be a defensive driver. Much like motorcycle riders on the road who have to really watch out for other drivers that don't see them. So too, HC people on scooters have to realize that they are not in the line of vision of AB people and have to make allowances.

 

I agree with many other posts on this thread that a smile and friendliness goes a long way. As an able bodied person before my accident, in a store or public area, I have often bumped into someone and said, "I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going". It happens. As a scooter user, I think you need to be extra careful to watch out for people not paying attention.

[QuickieGlenn]

I use a WC fulltime and have been on 3 cruises since being in the chair

I use a manual chair and I am a big guy who can handle his chair. I am alos pretty quick if I need to be. On most cruises I get seen by alot of people as I am up early and cruise thru the decks before all of the rest are awake. I always smile and try to be curtious. My wife is not so calm, she will run interference on the elavators. I will not push into a crowded elevator. I will wait... My wife will say loudly that her husband would gladly take the stairs that are right behind us if he could. Sometimes this will wake people up and they take the stairs. I also notice that alot of people who take scooters on a cruise are first time users who do not know how to handle them. Word of advise ..practice at home first. I had one guy in a 4 wheel all terrain scooter hit me at least 5 times on the DAWN. His scooter was as big as a golf cart. But what ticked me off is when hw parked it outside the buffet and ran to the food

[uppitycats]

We've had similar threads before. There are lots of people with disabilities...like me...who use a manual wheelchair at home, but do not have a power chair or power scooter. Even though I've been in a wheelchair for more than 13 years, I don't have one because I can't afford a large van that I'd need to transport it (and me). And lots of people with mobility issues that don't even have a manual chair at home, but find the distances on a cruise ship and the constant walking so draining that they rent a scooter or power chair to get around.

 

So when I go on a cruise (or to any large venue) I rent a power chair. And no, I'm not skilled at "driving" it. While I try to be courteous and stay out of people's way, when they stop dead in front of me, for example, I'm not always able to avoid them. And when I get into tight situations, like around corners, or in/out of elevators, it sometimes takes longer than it might if I had more "driving" experience.

 

But there are still too many able-bodied people who apparently go blind on a cruise -- don't look around them, behind them, even alongside them, and trip on me, or stop dead, or surge around me as if I'm not there, pushing their way into an elevator, or make a huge issue of having to wait for a bit until I move out of the elevator so they can move in, or slam doors in front of me because they haven't somehow noticed this large woman on a larger chair is right behind them.

 

I don't have patience with people that choose to be rude.

[DisneyKidsDad]

My wife and I have taken 3 cruises with our daughter who is a fulltime wheelchair user. We play what we call elevator roulette. She stands in front of one elevator and I take the rest. We try to guess which one will open first. Then whoever is closer goes for that one while the other person tries to run interference. Once they are on the elevator, I generally will take the stairs to make room for someone else. What makes it more fun is we have her service dog with us. He is a Golden/Lab mix. The only nights we always seem to get an elevator with no trouble are formal nights. Most people wearing black with all that yellow fur around. Hmmmm

Actually on those nights I take the stairs with him.

[Silvermist]

I use a WC fulltime and have been on 3 cruises since being in the chair

I use a manual chair and I am a big guy who can handle his chair. I am alos pretty quick if I need to be. On most cruises I get seen by alot of people as I am up early and cruise thru the decks before all of the rest are awake. I always smile and try to be curtious. My wife is not so calm, she will run interference on the elavators. I will not push into a crowded elevator. I will wait... My wife will say loudly that her husband would gladly take the stairs that are right behind us if he could. Sometimes this will wake people up and they take the stairs. I also notice that alot of people who take scooters on a cruise are first time users who do not know how to handle them. Word of advise ..practice at home first. I had one guy in a 4 wheel all terrain scooter hit me at least 5 times on the DAWN. His scooter was as big as a golf cart. But what ticked me off is when hw parked it outside the buffet and ran to the food

 

Can you please tell me what ticked you off about that? Did he actually run? He should have been spoken to by crew if he was running in the buffet. Or are you saying that because he used a scooter (and used it poorly) that he should stay on the scooter the entire time he's awake? I'm not asking to be rude or to be a jerk like so many on this board would. I'm asking because I am really curious. I know when I used a wheelchair in WDW that people would give me dirty looks when I got up to walk into the bathroom. I was not going to use the accessible stall when I don't need it and others might. I got the feeling that they thought that because I was in a chair that I shouldn't be able to use my legs at all, which is just not the case for a lot of people using chairs, etc. Not that it's any of their business in the first place.

 

So what I'm saying is that could very well be me parking and walking. I've been thinking about this and I have no intention of taking the scooter through the buffet line. I may have to drive the scooter there, but I don't need people dripping sauces on my head if I'm able to get up and walk. And I will be walking. ;) My running days ended the day I had my accident. :( I will say though that I won't abuse the.... what's the word I want.... not "privileges" but it is along that line. Anyway, I'll use "privileges" since I can't think of the word (the head injury was another gift from the accident :rolleyes:). So, I won't abuse the privileges that disabled people are entitled to if I'm having a good day and can walk. Like I won't sit in the wheelchair zone at a show if I'm able to sit in the regular seating area. I also hope I'll be a good driver when I am using the scooter. I have no opportunity to practice at home before I cruise. I've had it recommended to me to go to the grocery store and borrow one of theirs. But none of our grocery stores or even Walmart have scooters like they do in the USA. I just hope that my intended use of my scooter doesn't "tick off" anybody.

 

PS. If somebody can please supply the word I was looking for instead of "privileges" I would sure appreciate it. That's going to bug me now until I come up with it! The head injury is so much more frustrating to me than the physical injury. :mad:

[IRL_Joanie]

Can you please tell me what ticked you off about that? Did he actually run? He should have been spoken to by crew if he was running in the buffet. Or are you saying that because he used a scooter (and used it poorly) that he should stay on the scooter the entire time he's awake? I'm not asking to be rude or to be a jerk like so many on this board would. I'm asking because I am really curious. I know when I used a wheelchair in WDW that people would give me dirty looks when I got up to walk into the bathroom. I was not going to use the accessible stall when I don't need it and others might. I got the feeling that they thought that because I was in a chair that I shouldn't be able to use my legs at all, which is just not the case for a lot of people using chairs, etc. Not that it's any of their business in the first place.

 

So what I'm saying is that could very well be me parking and walking. I've been thinking about this and I have no intention of taking the scooter through the buffet line. I may have to drive the scooter there, but I don't need people dripping sauces on my head if I'm able to get up and walk. And I will be walking. ;) My running days ended the day I had my accident. :( I will say though that I won't abuse the.... what's the word I want.... not "privileges" but it is along that line. Anyway, I'll use "privileges" since I can't think of the word (the head injury was another gift from the accident :rolleyes:). So, I won't abuse the privileges that disabled people are entitled to if I'm having a good day and can walk. Like I won't sit in the wheelchair zone at a show if I'm able to sit in the regular seating area. I also hope I'll be a good driver when I am using the scooter. I have no opportunity to practice at home before I cruise. I've had it recommended to me to go to the grocery store and borrow one of theirs. But none of our grocery stores or even Walmart have scooters like they do in the USA. I just hope that my intended use of my scooter doesn't "tick off" anybody.

 

PS. If somebody can please supply the word I was looking for instead of "privileges" I would sure appreciate it. That's going to bug me now until I come up with it! The head injury is so much more frustrating to me than the physical injury. :mad:

 

privileges some words: Benefit, rights, entitlement, advantage, favor, freedom, libery, opportunity.

 

I think you used the correct word though:

 

 

a privilege is a right that may be extended to a group or a number of people

 

Joanie