New to the world of motorized scooters help!!

[zacc]

After two recent hip replacements, I have decided that I still do not have the needed recovery to go without some sort of extra "help". As a result I have reserved a motorized scooter for the week for both on and off the ship. Any and all suggestions on do's, don'ts, and be forwarned will be greatly appreciated!!!

[MedicKen]

A few pointers if I may; Go to the Disabled Travel Thread and do some reading, Get a handicapped cabin, If you have not driven a scooter go to Wal Mart or another store with scooters and drive them all over the store to get an idea of how they operate. Contact Special Needs at Sea or Care Vacations for info on renting a scooter for use on the ship. We travel with our own scooter (belongs to DW) but have rented from both companies with no negative comments.

 

Hopes this helps a bit.

[Treven]

I understand the biggest thing for first-time scooter "drivers" is to learn how to drive it before your cruise. Don't try to learn on board the ship where you're going to be involved with hundreds of people.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Treven

[zacc]

A few pointers if I may; Go to the Disabled Travel Thread and do some reading, Get a handicapped cabin, If you have not driven a scooter go to Wal Mart or another store with scooters and drive them all over the store to get an idea of how they operate. Contact Special Needs at Sea or Care Vacations for info on renting a scooter for use on the ship. We travel with our own scooter (belongs to DW) but have rented from both companies with no negative comments.

 

Hopes this helps a bit.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Didn't think about a disabled travel thread but will definitely check it out. I have rented the scooter through Special Needs at Sea so glad you hear you have used them and have nothing negative to say!

[LHT28]

Please do not just run into people onboard

I have had that happen...a lady ( I use the term loosely) could not wait for people to move to the side so she could pass so she just kept driving into people

:eek:

 

I do not know if those things come with a horn but maybe just simply say you are coming through would be polite

[Laughing Angel]

Here is the Disabled Cruise Travel Board.

 

Make sure you get in plenty of practice before the actual cruise. There are a lot of variables on board that could affect how you get around.

 

Have fun!

[BlueRiband]

After two recent hip replacements, I have decided that I still do not have the needed recovery to go without some sort of extra "help". As a result I have reserved a motorized scooter for the week for both on and off the ship. Any and all suggestions on do's, don'ts, and be forwarned will be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Two things you need to consider: getting it through your cabin door and charging it.

 

Many scooters are compact but the size increases with the size of the user. Some "bariatric" models are almost mini-golf carts. Since you are renting you might not get the size you ordered.

 

Will your cabin have room for it once inside? Cruise lines have become strict on not allowing scooters to be parked in the hall or at elevator landings.

 

And you will need to charge it. Unless RCI has different rules this typically has to be done in your own cabin. So you will need an extension cord long enough from where ever the outlet happens to be to where ever the scooter happens to be parked. I've read a story where one passenger ran out of battery juice ashore because...he needed the electrical outlet for other things. :confused:

 

So call RCI Special Needs even if you don't consider your needs special. I will go a lot easier for you if they know of your situation rather than if you just show up with an undeclared scooter.

Edited September 14, 2014 by BlueRiband

[mutzy]

I agree on the charging the scooter every night. I almost ran out of charge on an excursion. so

now I bring the charger with me on everytime I leave the ship.

 

I agree get some practice before you go. if you can handle a scooter with the big baskets you will have no trouble with a smaller scooter.

 

I travel solo so I have no one to hold the door open for me to my cabin so I bring along a couple of door stops to prop the door open to get in and out. I keep the door stop in the basket of the scooter so I know where it is.

 

hope this helps

[MedicKen]

A few more comments, if I may. If you need an extension cord, and you may not with the rental, just ask your Cabin Steward as well as asking them for a doorstop. Just less stuff to pack. We have #1) not needed a cord, with our own or a rental, #2 Always got the door stop. I'm not always with The Boss to hold the door for her.

[xxoocruiser]

• Depending on the type of scooter rented you may have difficulty getting the scooter into the room.
  
• Specianeedsatsea Standard Scooter Rental is typically a Pride Go-Go Elite Model which will fits through the door of most standard cabins. Sometimes the arms rests must be removed or adjusted so the scooter will fit through the doorway.
  
  
• Specialneedsatseas Heavy Duty and Bariatric scooters you must be booked into an accessible cabin.

  
  

• Per Maritime Law (Specifically SOLAS - Safety of life at seas), Coast Guard regulations and Cruise Line regulations require that the scooter MUST be stored in the cabin when not in use. The scooter CANNOT be left out in the hallway as it impairs the safety of other passengers and cruise staff.
  
• Scooters DO NOT STOP ON A DIME. Instead it's a rolling stop . The length of the roll depends on the speed at which the scooter was being driven prior to stopping so this must be taken into account otherwise your Aunt could crash into objects or worse injure another passenger.
  
• The speed dial on the scooter will have a Turtle for slow and Rabbit for Fast. On the ship the scooter should be driven at the slow (Turtle) speed.
  
• Scooters are generally not allowed onto Tenders unless the tender has roll-on capabilities. So if there is a tender port on your itinerary you may have to stay on board. Even if the tender has roll-on capabilities due to weather and sea conditions the scooter still may not be allowed onto the Tender. The Captain has the ultimate say as to whether or not scooters will be allowed on the tenders even if the tender has roll-on capabilities.
  
• Depending on the incline of the gangway and height of the gangway joints scooters can get hung up particularly the Pride Go-Go models due to having only a 2" or less under clearance. When this happens the crew's instinct is to give the scooter a hard push . DO NOT ALLOW THE CREW TO FORCE PUSH THE SCOOTER as it can damage the motor. Though there is a reset button on the battery case this does not always solve the problem when the motor locks. Therefore it's recommended that you get off the scooter and walk up/down the gangway. The scooter can than be placed in freewheel mode by moving the Yellow lever located on the back wheel casing behind the seat to the Unlocked position. The scooter can than be manually rolled down/up the gangway. The yellow level MUST BE RETURNED TO THE LOCKED POSITION BEFORE YOU SIT BACK ON THE SCOOTER. . If you have rented a Heavy-Duty or Bariatric scooter those scooters don't usually get hung up on the gangway joints.
  
• Elevators at times can pose a problem as able body passengers occasionally jump in front of the scooter thus not allowing it on the elevator. You need to be mindful of this and if there is person with you than they could run interference for you. When you'reby yourself it's sometime best to just go to the farthest elevators not located in the direct path of the pool or the buffet. Peak times for elevator use to be aware of are dinner time, show times and the muster drill
  
• The scooter can be driven directly into the MDR and the staff will than park it. Since all rental scooters look the same suggest that you bring an extra luggage tag to place on the tiller to identify your scooter. Also suggest going to the MDR after boarding to check your table location. If there is not a sufficient path to the table than you probably should talk to Matre'D to have it switch.
  
• Important that the scooter be charged every night. Though the battery gage may show that it doesn't need charging depending on the age of the batteries the gage can go from showing Green to Yellow or even red when least expected.
  
• Vehicles used for ships excursions generally cannot accommodate a mobility scooter due to the lack of an accessible lift. If you're wanting to go on tours you will have to search out private accessible tours if there are even any available for the ports involved.
  
• Remember that ADA Law only applies to the USA.
  

 

Here's the link to CC's Disabled Cruise Forum - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=190

Edited September 14, 2014 by xxoocruiser

[cruisead]

Unless you have an accessible cabin, it may not fit through the cabin door, and it absolutely can't be left in any hallway. Then there's the issue of the size of your cabin. Unless you're in an accessible cabin or a larger suite, the scooter may not fit anywhere inside without blocking access to either your bed, bathroom or balcony, if you have one. And, if your scooter doesn't get far into your cabin, the outlet you need won't be close and the charging cord might not reach far. You must be prepared for all these issues, including a whole lot more for scooters.

 

If you're cruising in the Caribbean, you won't find ship tours that can accommodate a scooter, and if a port is a tender one, they will not allow scooters.

[cruzin lady]

We are definitely cruise addicts. I have had to rely on wheelchairs to board

& debark. Last time we cruised, it was 2 hours, YES, 2 hours before someone

came with a wheelchair. We thought we might get left, waiting for a wheelchair.

LOL!

 

Since arriving and departing are my big needs for help, a scooter rented in my

cabin won't get me onboard, but I did the rental price. We do B2B's, so rental costs on 2 B2B's would more than cover how much a scooter costs to purchase.

We purchased a scooter, and I have driven it at home. It comes apart into

5 pieces that DH can load & unload. We drive to Galveston, but I think we could

take it on a plane. I have also used the scooters at grocery stores, so I hope I don't run over someone on this first B2B! If you see a little old fat lady on

a blue scooter, better get out of her way. Wish me luck!

 

Cruzin Lady

[MedicKen]

#1 The Boss (read my wife) actually now owns 2 scooters, When we drive to ports we take hers. When we fly, which isn't too often, we rent. We had a bad experience with the scooter on the way to, and from, The Dominican Republic. Living in Pittsburgh gives us access to Cape Liberty and Baltimore. We seriously doubt we will go other places to cruise.

 

The last time we flew to Port Canaveral the RCI personnel let her off at the front door and went back for more.

 

SO, to sum it up, We fly, we Rent/ We drive,we take.

[zacc]

Thanks for all the great replies. I have checked with the rental co and Princess and the scooter will fit into a standard room. I am going to pack an extension cord just to make sure. I use a scooter everytime we go to a store that has them available so fortunately I am quite capable of handling the scooter. There was also a wealth of info on the disabled board. Again thanks