Mobility challenged grandmother

[ministerb]

Next year a group of 30 family members will be on the Allure of the Seas. My grandmother who is as spunky as a 20 year old is considering joining us. The problem is even though she is spunky and has the spirit of a 20 year old she still has the body and the aches and pains of an 80 year old. Her concern is with the size of the ship and her ability to get around. Does the Allure offer anything that could help those that have challenges with their mobility?

[sandytxtx]

I have to have a wheelchair every time I cruise. It is no big dell, well maybe a little deal. You can go to Special Needs at Sea and rent 1 for the week. But you have to have a handycap cabin so the chair can go thought the door, and handycap cabins go fast.l If I didn't have the chair there is no way I could still cruise. I can't walk far are stand very long, but I still love to cruise. they will have her a chair and charger waiting for her in her cabin, and then she can go as long and hard as she wants to. I hope this helps

[Ocean Dancer]

SHe can also rent a scooter for a week,,,,,,,,,,,,,about $350:)

[kyriecat]

If she were to rent/borrow a folding wheelchair, then she would not need to have an accessible cabin. She could use it around the ship then fold it up and walk into her cabin. When not used, the wheelchair can be placed in a corner, in the closet, or even under the bed. However, if she has other mobility problems, then an accessible cabin might be a good idea for her. The regular cabins have a step (approx. 4") to get into the bathroom. Also, the regular cabins do not have bars to assist her in the shower or getting up from the toilet like the accessible cabins have. Some people have problems keeping their balance while showering if the ship is swaying and need the bars. The suites (JS, GS, OS, etc) have bathtub/shower combinations that have high sides. If she has one of those cabin types, she may have a problem getting into the tub. You can request a shower bench so she can sit in the shower or tub while bathing.

 

RC keeps some wheelchairs onboard and will occasionally allow passengers to borrow one. From what I've read, there is no definitive answer as to whether you would be able to use one. If you really need to have a wheelchair, it's best to make arrangements to bring one yourself.

[138east]

My advice is that if your grandmother doesn't drive a scooter now, a cruise is not the place to learn. I haven't been on the Allure, but when I traveled with my mom who had mobility issues, I always chose a cabin near the aft elevators on the Voyager Class ships because of the easy access to all the dining venues and pool deck.

 

Look at both a folding wheelchair and a transport chair. My mom couldn't really manage a wheelchair, but she was very happy in a transport chair. Other folks have a different experience. Mom also used the transport chair for balance like a walker. I bought a lightweight folding transport chair on Amazon for about $175. As your grandmother gets older, your family might like owning the chair so you can take her to other places (like malls and airports) that require more walking than she is prepared to do.

[xxoocruiser]

Next year a group of 30 family members will be on the Allure of the Seas. My grandmother who is as spunky as a 20 year old is considering joining us. The problem is even though she is spunky and has the spirit of a 20 year old she still has the body and the aches and pains of an 80 year old. Her concern is with the size of the ship and her ability to get around. Does the Allure offer anything that could help those that have challenges with their mobility?

 

The cruise lines will only provide wheelchair assistance on the day of embarkation and on the day of debarkation. If mobility equipment is required for the duration of the trip it is the passenger's responsibity to provide it.

 

Others on this thread have suggested that you could borrow a wheelchair. Borrowing is not a good option as all mobility equipment must be fitted to the weight and size of the user otherwise it's not safe. When borrowing you don't know what you're getting and place your grandmother at great risk for injury.

 

 

Thing you need to know about renting a wheelchair.

• it really needs to be rented through a resource that will ask the appropriate questions regarding weight, user size and how it's going to be used to insure that she is getting a the proper equipment. A standard wheelchair ( not a transport chair) is what would be required.
  
• Note that if any ports are a "Tendered Port" you grandmother must be able to walk down/up some steps in order to board. The wheelchair would need to be a folding collapsable one in order for it to be loaded onto the tender.
  
• You'll probably have to have someone at all times to push the chair for your grandmother both on/off the ship .
  
• A HC cabin will not be required if a folding/collapsable chair is rented.
  
• If taking any excursions a standard folding wheelchair can ususally be loaded on to the tour bus.
  

Things you need to know about renting a mobility scooter :

• As others have stated a cruise ship is not the place to learn to use a mobility scooter for the first time. Since the cruise is next year there's some time for your grandmother to learn to safely operate a mobility scooter. You could take her to one of the mass merchants such as Target or her local grocery store and learn to operate the scooters those stores provide. These scooters will be larger than what she would rent but if she could safely operate one at Target she should than be able to operate a smaller rented on for the cruise.
  
• Just like wheelchairs, scooters are rented based on weight capacity and the size of the user.
  
• The size of the scooter needed will determine if a HC cabin will be required as some of the smaller travel size scooters will fit through most standard cabin doors but it will limit the walking space in a standard cabin . So you still might need to consider getting a HC cabin.
  
• If there are any "tendered ports" it is at the decresion of the cruiseline/captain if the scooter will be allowed on the tender as it's for the safety reasons boarding will be denied. You need to plan for her not being to get off the ship at a tendered port if a scooter is rented ( provided she wants to use the scooter ashore) and if for some reason the cruiseline will allow it that day than consider that a plus.
  
• If planning any excursions you will not be able to take the scooter on the tour bus. Once outside the USA ADA laws do not apply and the cruiseline excursions are not equipmed with a lift .
  

If you want to rent a wheelchair and or mobility scooter to be delivered to the cruise ship you must rent through one of RCCL's approved venders. The following vendors are the only ones that are approved by RCCL.

 

CareVacations : http://www.carevacations.com/cruiseshipassist/mobility-equipment/

 

Special Needs at Sea : http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/index.cfm/reserve-equipment/

 

 

 

Re: rental cost - regardless of what costs have have been posted on this thread all rental costs can and do vary for several reasons. Things that influence the cost are :

• Total days of the cruise
  
• Embarkation port
  
• Size and type of equipment being rented.
  

[jmf123]

Next year a group of 30 family members will be on the Allure of the Seas. My grandmother who is as spunky as a 20 year old is considering joining us. The problem is even though she is spunky and has the spirit of a 20 year old she still has the body and the aches and pains of an 80 year old. Her concern is with the size of the ship and her ability to get around. Does the Allure offer anything that could help those that have challenges with their mobility?

 

ministerb, there is also much information on the Disabled Cruise Travel forum here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

[33tekfan]

My advice is that if your grandmother doesn't drive a scooter now, a cruise is not the place to learn. I haven't been on the Allure, but when I traveled with my mom who had mobility issues, I always chose a cabin near the aft elevators on the Voyager Class ships because of the easy access to all the dining venues and pool deck.

 

Look at both a folding wheelchair and a transport chair. My mom couldn't really manage a wheelchair, but she was very happy in a transport chair. Other folks have a different experience. Mom also used the transport chair for balance like a walker. I bought a lightweight folding transport chair on Amazon for about $175. As your grandmother gets older, your family might like owning the chair so you can take her to other places (like malls and airports) that require more walking than she is prepared to do.

 

OMG, this made me laugh! I think there were many people on our cruise who only had their permits, not their license! :D

[ministerb]

OMG, this made me laugh! I think there were many people on our cruise who only had their permits, not their license! :D

 

LOL! That's pretty good!!

 

Thank you all for the input. It appears I have a lot of investigative work to do. LOL :D