First timer. Lots of questions.

[FKSNIU2014]

My family and I are big cruisers, but our upcoming cruise will now be different. My parents, grandma, sister, and I always cruise together and we are doing a B2B on the Carnival Breeze this May. We have had this booked since July in balconies on the Lido deck. Earlier this week my grandma was diagnosed with lung cancer and her doctor has scheduled her chemotherapy treatments around this trip (it means a lot to her if she is able to go). She will still be very weak and will bring a walker with.

My first question is how to order a wheelchair or scooter for the trip? We want to have one available because we know with long days, she will not be able to walk.

My second question is how to get a wheelchair accessible cabin? I graduate from nursing school the week before the trip so we will be staying together, but we still want to be on the same floor as my family. We got three balconies in a row on the Lido and want to all remain there if possible (we have another family traveling with us too). There are currently no wheelchair accessible cabins available on the Lido deck, and I am not sure what to do?? I don't know if my grandma would do well in an inside so if we can't get a balcony, an ocean-view or anything with a window would be fine.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

P.S. She is 82 so we know we will have to slow down and modify when she is tired. But it would mean so much to our family to have this trip together! If anyone has tips or tricks to making it most enjoyable for her please let me know!

Edited March 16, 2014 by FKSNIU2014

[Kamloops50]

My family and I are big cruisers, but our upcoming cruise will now be different. My parents, grandma, sister, and I always cruise together and we are doing a B2B on the Carnival Breeze this May. We have had this booked since July in balconies on the Lido deck. Earlier this week my grandma was diagnosed with lung cancer and her doctor has scheduled her chemotherapy treatments around this trip (it means a lot to her if she is able to go). She will still be very weak and will bring a walker with.

My first question is how to order a wheelchair or scooter for the trip? We want to have one available because we know with long days, she will not be able to walk.

My second question is how to get a wheelchair accessible cabin? I graduate from nursing school the week before the trip so we will be staying together, but we still want to be on the same floor as my family. We got three balconies in a row on the Lido and want to all remain there if possible (we have another family traveling with us too). There are currently no wheelchair accessible cabins available on the Lido deck, and I am not sure what to do?? I don't know if my grandma would do well in an inside so if we can't get a balcony, an ocean-view or anything with a window would be fine.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

P.S. She is 82 so we know we will have to slow down and modify when she is tired. But it would mean so much to our family to have this trip together! If anyone has tips or tricks to making it most enjoyable for her please let me know!

 

I would talk with Carnival or your Travel Agent if you used one . These questions are best answered by the person who booked the cruise for you.

[Essiesmom]

If your grandma only uses a wheelchair when she is very tired, a foldable wheelchair will do, and will fit in your regular cabin. It will be tight, because you can't leave it in the hallway. There are a couple of companies that rent wheelchairs to cruisers, and you can find them o n the website for Carnival. Lots of good information there. As for accessible cabins, they are not plentiful, and people who need them often book a year in advance. I any one is available, you have to take it where you find it. EM

[rbrugler]

Special Needs At Sea is what I used on Carnival. I also think that Medicare would pay for a wheelchair. The fold for travel if you are flying. Just be sure to take the leg rests off and carry them on with you. It sounds to me like your mother would be ok in a regular cabin, but someone might need to help her in the shower. They can provide a shower chair, but it might not fit. Have them bring it and see. Carnival also has modified cabins. Ask about one of them as well as the accessible ones. Just approach this with the attitude that you can make it work and have a great time.

[xxoocruiser]

My family and I are big cruisers, but our upcoming cruise will now be different. My parents, grandma, sister, and I always cruise together and we are doing a B2B on the Carnival Breeze this May. We have had this booked since July in balconies on the Lido deck. Earlier this week my grandma was diagnosed with lung cancer and her doctor has scheduled her chemotherapy treatments around this trip (it means a lot to her if she is able to go). She will still be very weak and will bring a walker with.

My first question is how to order a wheelchair or scooter for the trip? We want to have one available because we know with long days, she will not be able to walk.

My second question is how to get a wheelchair accessible cabin? I graduate from nursing school the week before the trip so we will be staying together, but we still want to be on the same floor as my family. We got three balconies in a row on the Lido and want to all remain there if possible (we have another family traveling with us too). There are currently no wheelchair accessible cabins available on the Lido deck, and I am not sure what to do?? I don't know if my grandma would do well in an inside so if we can't get a balcony, an ocean-view or anything with a window would be fine.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

P.S. She is 82 so we know we will have to slow down and modify when she is tired. But it would mean so much to our family to have this trip together! If anyone has tips or tricks to making it most enjoyable for her please let me know!

 

 

Wheelchair accessible cabins are generally booked well over a year in advance so it's very likely that there are none available for the cruise selected. However if you booked through a TA have them contact Carnival's Special Needs Dept. or contact them directly if booked directly with the cruise to see about availability . Here's the contact information : specialneeds@carnival.com. Even if an accessible is available the likelihood of being able to move all cabins to be near the accessible cabin or even on the same floor is probably not doable.

 

Carnivals approved wheelchair rental vendors are :

CareVacations 1.877.478.7827 , Website: http://www.carevacations.com

Special Needs at Sea 1.800.513.4515 Website: http://www.specialneedsatsea.com

 

Though it was previously posted that Medicare would pay for the wheelchair it needs to be noted that the individual must meet strict Medicare requirements before Medicare will approve any purchase of a wheelchair. To begin with the person must require the wheelchair for primary usage within their home. Medicare will not provided coverage for travel purposes. Here's the link https://www.medicare.gov/Pubs/pdf/11046.pdf

 

It was also previously stated that Carnival has modified accessible cabins. However it should be noted that these are still standard size cabins that have has some minor accommodations made for those not needing a fully accessible cabin. A Modified Cabin will not have enough to use a wheelchair within the cabin. Also though the bathroom will have some grab bars and a shower seat there may still be still be a step to get into the bathroom as well as an edge to needs to be stepped over to get into the shower.

[laurac22]

I agree that if your Grandmother is able to walk a bit, you really shouldn't need an accessible cabin. Get a folding wheelchair and all she would have to do is walk from the door into the room, and the same going out. The only thing would be if she is unable to get into the bathroom with a little step up or couldn't stand in the shower, if a shower chair wouldn't fit.

 

As others said check on the website of your cruise under accessibility for companies that will deliver a wheelchair for you. Our son is in a wheelchair full time, so we have our own. You might want to look into getting a folding chair and bring it with you. Especially if you are flying, as you can wheel her right to the plane door, as well as right onto the ship. Enjoy your cruise together.

[OldinJersey]

Call carnival, see if handicapped room is still a available and in your price range. Explain the whole situation. No one who has seen a chemo patient go through the extreme fatigue and weakness who expect them to walk around a cruise ship. By the time she got to breakfast she would need to rest for the whole day. Rent a scooter if there is an accessible room, rent a folding wheelchair if not and take turns pushing grandmother. Do not let her feel bad having help, do not let her get even more run down. Use purelle -which is all over cafeteria-all the time. She will be vulnerable to illness. Do not let her touch things in dining areas, wipe hands with purelle if she so much as touches hand rail. I have heard suggestions to always eat in dining room instead of buffet because of lack of care by fellow cruisers. Plus food is better in sit down dining areas imho.

[FKSNIU2014]

Thank you so much for all of the help. We called today and found out that the smaller scooter will fit in a regular sized cabin. I know that I may need to help her shower and our room is connected to my parents so they will be able to help as well.

 

I like the idea about hand sanitizer and avoiding the buffet. My grandma already noted that she won't be able to go in the casino anymore because of all the smoke (and that was one of her favorite activities). I'm also assuming that I will need to get a clip on fan or something to help keep her cool on deck? And I'm thinking hydration will be a big thing too. Are there other things I should be aware of to make this easier for her. We haven't seen how she responds to chemo yet, but at her age I worry it will be tough no matter what.

Also, she is currently on oxygen and will go home with it. We are not sure if she will still utilize it by the time we get to the trip. Does anyone have experience traveling with oxygen? I'm not sure if a concentrator will be difficult for her to use or if we will need to haul a tank or two? Or if that is something the ships/rental company can supply??

[mutzy]

I traveled with my husband several time while on chemo. hydration was the biggest issue. we did order the water package so we could keep track of his daily intake.

 

also bring all her meds she uses to control her chemo symptoms - Zofran, pain meds, Imodium things like that. talk to her chemo nurse she might have some suggestions on what meds to take. I always carried a list of the chemo drugs my DH was taking and what drugs he took daily in case he were

to get sick while cruising (luckily that never happened)

 

you might want to bring Lysol wipes to wipe down the cabin- esp. phones, remotes door knobs. I agree lots of hand sanitizer.

 

I would request a shower stool- even if it won't fit in the shower she can use

it to sit on before/after her shower.

 

on some of the rccl ships they don't allow smoking on formal nights so she might be able to go on those evenings.

 

I hope she has a great time.

[sabookkeeper]

I'm not sure about the size of the shower on the ship you are cruising, but I used a shower chair on the Reflection and I had no problems with it fitting.

[kassimer1]

Thank you so much for all of the help. We called today and found out that the smaller scooter will fit in a regular sized cabin. I know that I may need to help her shower and our room is connected to my parents so they will be able to help as well.

 

I like the idea about hand sanitizer and avoiding the buffet. My grandma already noted that she won't be able to go in the casino anymore because of all the smoke (and that was one of her favorite activities). I'm also assuming that I will need to get a clip on fan or something to help keep her cool on deck? And I'm thinking hydration will be a big thing too. Are there other things I should be aware of to make this easier for her. We haven't seen how she responds to chemo yet, but at her age I worry it will be tough no matter what.

Also, she is currently on oxygen and will go home with it. We are not sure if she will still utilize it by the time we get to the trip. Does anyone have experience traveling with oxygen? I'm not sure if a concentrator will be difficult for her to use or if we will need to haul a tank or two? Or if that is something the ships/rental company can supply??

you can rent a travel concentrator from the same companies that rent the wheelchairs and scooters. they are smaller than your in home concentrator. they can be pluged in or use batteries. depending on how many liters she is on you may need to see about having a few extra batteries. the higher the flow the shorter the battery life. you would have to bring your own tank to get to the port. you may be able to rent it from her home care company near your house so you dont have to bring a tank, same goes for the folding wheelchair. large zip lock baggies can come in handy in case she needes to vomit. they are easy to pack and can be thrown out once used and is more sanitAry than a toilet or trask can.

look for excursions she can do. if there are any private islands i suggest you rent a cabana. they have a few that are wheelchair accesible and some have airconditioners and everyone can come and go while she rests. this way she will feel like she is part of the excursion but not making everyone be bored because of her disability. DH slept in the cabana and we went to do stuff taking turns so some one was allawys near him.

After DH got his transplant we had to be very careful of infections. bring a small package of clorox wipes, I completely wipe down our room before he is allowed to touch anything, We requested to be put at a table with just us due to the same reason. If you do use the buffet = wipe the table and chair with your wipes and you go get the food. I dont let him touch the handles (spoon, Fork ,,,) on the buffet. He does come with and i put everything on his plate that he wants. once you have your food resanitized your hands since you may now have picked up something. - after using the salt and pepper. same thing for the chair arms in the theater, bars.... bring a few masks just incase an outbreak occurs on your ship. in very crowded areas like embarkation she may want to wear a mask. or scarf . She will likely need to nap everyday. just let the steward know this. we once had a steward that would get mad if we were in the room all day because he wanted to clean even after we explained. every other time once we explained about the health problem they were very good and tried to fit it in around his naps. we also let the stewards know that it is ok if they miss our room and it wont affect our review or tip. i would bring your own bottles of water or whatever she likes to drink. sometimes it is hard to find someting to drink. just ask the steward for a bucket of ice and put it in there to cool it. then make sure to keep it with her thruot the day to stay hydrated. more sanitary too if only you or her touch it.

[kassimer1]

oh and i forgot , i would get a prescription for an antibiotic from her doctors at home to take with. I know you can get some on the boat but her home doctors will be more familier with all the meds she is on and if any interaction. It wont hurt to be prepared, Also I know there are special travel clinics that you can get her an appointment for that will research your itinery and give the appopriete vaccines and some special hints for each stop. that is if the chemo docs say vaccines are ok. but the clinic can work with her doctors. dont wait on this because some vaccines are in a series and you need time to do the series. Room service is good for days she is unable to get about. I know some excursions are apporpriet for wheelchairs. one thing you might look for is the ability to stop and return to the boat at any time. some excursions are for 4 hours and you are not allowed to leave. You might want to look into doing a day pass at a hotel nearby, some even come with a day room so she can rest. you can always leave these whenever you want to. oh and keep calling everyday to see if a handicap cabin opens up. we had to give ours up one time 3 days before departure due to DH needing emergency surgery. so they cn become available.

Edited March 30, 2014 by kassimer1