flying with a scooter

[H2OH!]

I just want to thank all of you for answering my questions and providing guidance as I planned my mother's first cruise...and our initiation into flying with a scooter. THANK YOU!! She had a blast.

 

Below are my thoughts re: traveling with a scooter and a link to my reveiw of the solstice. I hope this helps someone as this board was invaluable to me.

 

Beginning of the review with links to follow:

A little about us:

Traveling with my 77 year old mother who has walking challenges and uses a scooter for long distances. This was my mom’s first cruise (she loved it!). I am a seasoned cruiser with many cruises on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and one cruise on Carnival. This is my first cruise on the S class ship…so excited!

Scooter Info:

Mom uses the Go-Go Elite Traveler scooter, three wheeled version. We left the basket and arms at home since she does not use them on a day to day basis. There has been a lot of debate as to whether this brand of scooter fits through the door of a regular cabin…on the Solstice it does!!! It would not have fit with the arms intact but without the arms, I was able to hold the cabin door open and she easily drove through the door. No problems at all. We did not need an extension cord to plug in at night as her battery charger was long enough. We did carry the charger in our carry-on along with her medications and other important items.

This was the first time flying with her scooter so we were nervous. Mom was able to gate check the scooter at Midway and again in Fort Lauderdale on our way home. After going through security, we rode directly to the gate to fill out the gate check form and to get our pre-board passes. She rode up to the door of the aircraft and left the scooter for gate check. I labeled all removable parts, the battery, seat etc. I read some stories where staff broke the scooter since they picked the scooter up by the removable seat. To avoid this, I would tell them how to lift and how to place in lock/unlock position. To avoid any confusion or scooter problems, I filled out a form on SWA’s website called the Wheelchair/Scooter Form (see attached PDF). I placed a picture of her scooter on the form, printed several copies of the form and left it with the scooter so that staff could easily see where to lift the scooter and where not to lift. The scooter survived its trip and all was well!! Phew!

Scooter tip: On the disabled boards, it was suggested to bring shower caps and a poncho to cover the steering console in case it rained. We were unable to find a shower cap so we bought the Saran Wrap bowl covers. Thank goodness we had those covers, a poncho and large garbage bag (to cover the battery) as we were stuck in a downpour while shopping in St. Maarten. It worked perfectly…The Scooter remained dry.

Fort Lauderdale Arrival:

The weather was a beautiful and in the mid-70’s versus a chilly 15 degrees in Chicago. We used Holland Limousine service for our airport pick up instead of fighting for a cab. After receiving our luggage we called Holland and within 5 minutes, they were there to pick us up. One of the luggage porters helped us outside with all of our bags. Totally worth the $10.00 tip. Holland Limo service was great…we would use them again in a heartbeat. They were fast, dependable and helpful getting all the luggage in the car along with my mom’s scooter. So much nicer than a taxi!

Review link-several documents attached to this link, enjoy. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1326623

ilounge internet pricing:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1326709

Luggage valet info: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1326559

[Calkid]

I just want to thank all of you for answering my questions and providing guidance as I planned my mother's first cruise...and our initiation into flying with a scooter. THANK YOU!! She had a blast.

 

Below are my thoughts re: traveling with a scooter and a link to my reveiw of the solstice. I hope this helps someone as this board was invaluable to me.

 

Beginning of the review with links to follow:

 

A little about us:

Traveling with my 77 year old mother who has walking challenges and uses a scooter for long distances. This was my mom’s first cruise (she loved it!). I am a seasoned cruiser with many cruises on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and one cruise on Carnival. This is my first cruise on the S class ship…so excited!

 

 

Scooter Info:

Mom uses the Go-Go Elite Traveler scooter, three wheeled version. We left the basket and arms at home since she does not use them on a day to day basis. There has been a lot of debate as to whether this brand of scooter fits through the door of a regular cabin…on the Solstice it does!!! It would not have fit with the arms intact but without the arms, I was able to hold the cabin door open and she easily drove through the door. No problems at all. We did not need an extension cord to plug in at night as her battery charger was long enough. We did carry the charger in our carry-on along with her medications and other important items.

 

This was the first time flying with her scooter so we were nervous. Mom was able to gate check the scooter at Midway and again in Fort Lauderdale on our way home. After going through security, we rode directly to the gate to fill out the gate check form and to get our pre-board passes. She rode up to the door of the aircraft and left the scooter for gate check. I labeled all removable parts, the battery, seat etc. I read some stories where staff broke the scooter since they picked the scooter up by the removable seat. To avoid this, I would tell them how to lift and how to place in lock/unlock position. To avoid any confusion or scooter problems, I filled out a form on SWA’s website called the Wheelchair/Scooter Form (see attached PDF). I placed a picture of her scooter on the form, printed several copies of the form and left it with the scooter so that staff could easily see where to lift the scooter and where not to lift. The scooter survived its trip and all was well!! Phew!

 

Scooter tip: On the disabled boards, it was suggested to bring shower caps and a poncho to cover the steering console in case it rained. We were unable to find a shower cap so we bought the Saran Wrap bowl covers. Thank goodness we had those covers, a poncho and large garbage bag (to cover the battery) as we were stuck in a downpour while shopping in St. Maarten. It worked perfectly…The Scooter remained dry.

 

Fort Lauderdale Arrival:

The weather was a beautiful and in the mid-70’s versus a chilly 15 degrees in Chicago. We used Holland Limousine service for our airport pick up instead of fighting for a cab. After receiving our luggage we called Holland and within 5 minutes, they were there to pick us up. One of the luggage porters helped us outside with all of our bags. Totally worth the $10.00 tip. Holland Limo service was great…we would use them again in a heartbeat. They were fast, dependable and helpful getting all the luggage in the car along with my mom’s scooter. So much nicer than a taxi!

 

Review link-several documents attached to this link, enjoy. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1326623

 

ilounge internet pricing:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1326709

 

Luggage valet info: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1326559

 

Thank you for the information. I've been back and forth trying to decide whether to bring my scooter on the plane or rent in Amsterdam. I have a go-go that comes apart. I think I will take your advise and bring it. My cousin also needs a scooter for the trip. We will be traveling to Europe this summer. Does anyone have an ideal where we can rent a second scooter at a reasonable price. The quote I received so far is $550 for the two weeks. She could almost buy at those rates. Thank you for any additional information.