Scooter Etiquette and Questions (Specific to NCL)

[kcfoxy]

After rupturing a tendon as an adverse effect from IV Levaquin (antibiotics), it has been tough getting around. I make do with a wheelchair for airports and on embark/debark and then mostly just use a tripod cane.

 

I wanted to leave these questions here, on the NCL board, since this will be my first time having to bite the bullet and rent a scooter...we could have gotten a WC, but DH has his own ailments and can't guide/push all the time.

 

So, I already understand, partially from my own run-ins with them on NCL Spirit and Sky, that scooter folk need to exercise due caution and patience when traveling about the ship. We've booked an AC cabin deck 9, adjacent to AFT elevator, in order to house the scooter, understanding it is not to be left in the hallways.

 

For those that have experienced this first hand, or at least observed what others need to do, where would we park it in Buffet, MDR, Casino, Specialty restaurant or Showroom, (Jewel class ships, the Jewel in particular), ? Do pax ever take them out on deck, (assuming clement weather and cooperative sea conditions)?

 

I am ambulatory for short distances, on good days of a block or so with the cane, and really do not intend to sit on this scooter for lengthy MDR meals or Broadway-type productions...believe me when I say the WCs and Scooters are not like upholstered chairs :rolleyes:

 

Have been in touch with NCL Accessibility Desk...sad that our upcoming Alaskan cruise has us docking at AJ in Juneau and ORE in Skagway...each roughly 2 to 3 city blocks from shuttles or transports.

 

Too late for a collapsible WC and was just told, officially that there won't be any WC assist dock-side, even for NCL excursions. :eek: No, I'm not whining, maybe as an RN attempting to be as prepared as possible for our (Level 1 only) excursions and how I can make these, and general transport about ship a reality, remain a Happy Cruiser and be mindful of my fellow pax.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice, tidbits, or experience. It is certainly humbling to have 30+ years in a caring, service based profession and then require some myself :o

 

Including a few photos of my 'rides' this last 1 1/2 years of recovering.

[PatJim]

Oh, wow. I really appreciate your post about this. Though I've never been in your situation, I love how thoughtful and realistic you are in planning your cruise. It reminds me of a cruise two years ago from NYC to Canada. In St. John I twisted my ankle pretty severely when I stepped in a hole created by missing cobblestones. It was on a pedestrian street. Luckily, between my husband and a local man (who I swear looked just like Santa Clause), we were able to assist me, jumping, to the end of the street where a cab could pick me up. We went back to the ship, and after the cabbie explained the situation, security let our cab through the gates to near the gangway. No WC for me either! I used my husband's shoulder on one side and the gangway railing on the other to hop up the incline. At the top, after clearing security, was a wheelchair! After that, NCL took very good care of me.

Perhaps your husband could arrange for a cab to meet you closer to the ship, to get you to your excursion.

[DevCruise]

I'm curious about this too. My dad doesn't have a motorized wheel chair, but he can't walk long distances either and we will be going on the same Alaska cruise it sounds like you're on in Sept 2013.

[kcfoxy]

Oh, wow. I really appreciate your post about this. Though I've never been in your situation, I love how thoughtful and realistic you are in planning your cruise. It reminds me of a cruise two years ago from NYC to Canada. In St. John I twisted my ankle pretty severely when I stepped in a hole created by missing cobblestones. It was on a pedestrian street. Luckily, between my husband and a local man (who I swear looked just like Santa Clause), we were able to assist me, jumping, to the end of the street where a cab could pick me up. We went back to the ship, and after the cabbie explained the situation, security let our cab through the gates to near the gangway. No WC for me either! I used my husband's shoulder on one side and the gangway railing on the other to hop up the incline. At the top, after clearing security, was a wheelchair! After that, NCL took very good care of me.

Perhaps your husband could arrange for a cab to meet you closer to the ship, to get you to your excursion.

 

Thank you for taking this post and these questions in the spirit they were intended! Ouch! How I sympathize with your badly sprained ankle. BTW: I did this once, heard two loud snapping sounds and was told the ligaments had been torn off the bone. The Ortho Doc put a walking cast on for 4 weeks, remarking that a bad sprain can take longer to heal than a fracture, (I'm assuming he meant a minor, or hairline fracture).

 

Your DH was smart thinking and luckily Saint Nick popped up to assist. I know in Cozumel they had little golf carts to assist the mobility impaired, and in Costa Maya there was a people mover, though it turned out to be an addiitonal 1/4 mile to the tour staging area from the docks! I will have my husband inquire...thanks for this idea :)

[kcfoxy]

I'm curious about this too. My dad doesn't have a motorized wheel chair, but he can't walk long distances either and we will be going on the same Alaska cruise it sounds like you're on in Sept 2013.

 

We were offered the choice of a scooter or manual chair from the company that NCL recommends. On the web cam snapshot above and another I'll post here, you can see NCL Pearl cozied up right to the head of the Broadway Dock, and even some vans, excursion vehicles and the spur for the White Pass railroad nearby.

 

Whether due to age, injury, illness or in my case, multi-system failure, most pax do want to experience/participate in what events and tours they can while on their long-awaited cruise vacation.

 

The goal is not to impede others but to find work arounds and ways to make this all happen. Jewel will continue to dock at the ORE Dock and Pearl at the more convenient Broadway, while they trade off the AJ (farthest out and longest) Dock in Juneau.

 

In Ketchikan they are usually at Salmon's Landing or closer to Tongass Trading Co., essentially both in town, with parking for tours and access nearby. Victoria will be the outer rather than inner harbor and shuttles and taxis are close at hand. :)

[jasbo49]

For those who truly have medical problems, I always yield to those with scooters and walkers. Unfortunately, there are many self-inflicted obese people who abuse scooters and run into your ankles. I'm NOT going to yield to someone ramming their way into the buffet to STUFF THEIR FACES.

Let's give H&J the benefit of the doubt here and assume he wasn't attacking the original poster, but the title of his or her "fat slobs" thread leaves room for us to at least wonder.

 

Kcfoxy suffers from a number of problems that are not of her making. She endures things that would make many of us feel sorry for ourselves, but she has been gung-ho leading the organization of on-board meet and greets and other activities for our 5-25 cruise.

 

I'm sure she doesn't want anyone fussing over her, just taking her situation seriously, as so many other posters have done.

 

Jim

[palmyrafan]

Let's give H&J the benefit of the doubt here and assume he wasn't attacking the original poster, but the title of his or her "fat slobs" thread leaves room for us to at least wonder.

 

Kcfoxy suffers from a number of problems that are not of her making. She endures things that would make many of us feel sorry for ourselves, but she has been gung-ho leading the organization of on-board meet and greets and other activities for our 5-25 cruise.

 

I'm sure she doesn't want anyone fussing over her, just taking her situation seriously, as so many other posters have done.

 

Jim

 

I agree. I am in a different place than I was 2 years ago. For long distances, I now use a cane and have been considering a scooter or some other assistance for our 10 day cruise this year. I am trying to be mindful of the other pax and yet I know what I need to get around. I don't want to upset other passengers by being too slow or worse giving the impression that I have had too much to drink (I don't drink). Is there a way to co-exist with the ambulatory pax and those with special assist in walking? Would love to hear from those who have been through this before.

[soaringfalcon]

I can't help with Alaska ports but on our Jewel cruise last June there were many scooters. There is plenty of room in the casino to maneuver, the showrooms have handicapped seating with room for scooters at the top of the first level, they were able to accommodate in the MDR and buffet without issue. There is plenty of room to go between stations.

 

Best of luck!!