New to travelling w/wheelchair or scooter

[Mickeefan]

Hi! I'm planning a cruise on the Oasis in August of 2013. My parents will be coming along. My Dad has neuropathy and will definately be using a wheelchair or scooter for this cruise. We will not have cruised with this situation before. Are the hallways accomodating enough for a standard wheelchair? How hard is it to manuever in the MDR or Windjammer? Is there wheelchair seating in the theater? in the AquaTheater? I think we're leaning toward a standard wheelchair over a scooter because we do not have an accessible room (he can walk some, just not steady on his feet).

 

Thanks for any information. I know it's really early, but I'm a planner...

[MedicKen]

First things first, Do your parents have a handicapped cabin? If not, I suggest they reserve one. Here's why, A folding wheelchair, not a transport chair, will fit in a regular cabin but not leave too awful much room for them. Secondly if he does get a scooter it is paramount he have a handicapped cabin as the scooter will not fit through the door and you can not leave it in the hall. All this being said the areas on the ship are all very accessible. There is an area in the theater for wheelchairs and seats for companions. My wife has very little difficulty with her scooter on any ship we've been on. The only problem arises at elevators when ignorant, unknowing folks jump in front or crowd the elevator and don't allow her the ability to get on.

 

Will he be taking his own chair/scooter with him? If you will be renting a chair or scooter contact either Care Vacations or Special Needs at Sea and they will have whatever equipment you rented waiting for you in their cabin. If he needs assistance to board, RCI will have wheelchairs at the dock and personnel to take you in the ship in a wheelchair from the ship. They will take you to the Windjammer and, when the cabins open up, someone can retrieve the chair or scooter.

 

OK, a very verbose answer but food for thought. The most important piece of advice is the cabin.

[HamburgAvonLady]

We rented a motorized scooter from Care Vacations for our South America cruise. We did not have a HC cabin --- the scooter did fit through the doors - with DH riding it -- was a tight squeeze -- but he is a big guy. JMO.

[jackretired]

We rented a motorized scooter from Care Vacations for our South America cruise. We did not have a HC cabin --- the scooter did fit through the doors - with DH riding it -- was a tight squeeze -- but he is a big guy. JMO.

 

Some motorized scooters will fit, some will not. Measure carefully.

 

IMO, a motorized scooter is better than a wheel chair because it gives independence.

That is, does not require a pusher.

 

Yes a HC cabin would be nice, but may not be needed.

 

I book my HC cabins a year or more in advance. They fill up fast.

 

If he can walk a few steps, then a folding WC becomes possible and will fit through cabin door.

Weigh all the facts.

[kitty9]

The only times you might have a problem in the hallways is when an unthinking person leaves their scooter in the hallway instead of taking it inside their cabin. You might also experience some difficulty when the cabin stewards have their cleaning carts out in the hallways in the morning and early evening.

 

When you arrive on board, you'll have a card with your table number in the main dining room. Go down to the MDR and check where your table is located. If it's somewhere in the middle of the room, go to the Maitre'd and tell him you need a table on an aisle and not in the middle of a bunch of other tables. They will accommodate you.

 

For the buffet area, the only time it can be a problem is on sea days when the lunch buffet is busy. But even then, I've not had that much of a problem.

 

Yes, there is wheelchair seating in the theater.

 

It's probably not the best idea to not have an accessible cabin for your dad seeing he's not steady on his feet. If the seas get rough, the bathroom can be dangerous to someone like that.

[sdschwrt]

My wife routinely travels with her folding transport chair, not wheelchair. The transport chair has bicycle style hand breaks which prevent rolling when the ship is moving from side to side and on some ships we can roll it through the cabin door. If you have a chair that does not fit through the door, have the steward give you a doorstop which makes assisting a person into the room so much easier. The hallway is wide enough that once through the door, the chair can be used in the room. The hallway walls are close enough together that she can hold them as she walks to the bathroom and once inside there are places to hold for balance. Never had fall problems. A shower chair solves shower problems. In theaters she sometimes transfers to seats and at other times we use the wheelchair spaces which however are limited in number requiring early arrival. Table access in the dining room is a major problem as there are a limited number of tables that can be accessed in the wheelchair. We normally contact special needs so the dining staff knows where to seat us for fixed dining. With yourtime dinning, no fixed time, we have normally come at the same time each night and received the same table.