Port of miami - disability.

[flyingandcruising]

Does carnival allow priority boarding for disabled persons at POM? what is the process?

 

Thank you

[Daddyfto]

Yes and its not FFTF its what it should be Priority Boarding. They are great will meet you with a wheel chair if need be ...take you to a separate check in and waiting area and a person from the crew will then come get you and take you onboard the ship via elevator and the gangway. They are super efficient but you may want to let them know in advance that you will be using this service!

[Elaine5715]

Does carnival allow priority boarding for disabled persons at POM? what is the process?

 

Thank you

 

It depends. Usually, those who need physical assistance from crew are permitted to board (if they arrive before boarding begins) before general boarding with a limited number of family.

[evandbob]

Does carnival allow priority boarding for disabled persons at POM? what is the process?

 

Thank you

 

Yes, if you are using any assistive devices for walking or are in a wheelchair, staff will direct you and your immediate party to a very short line.

 

Prior to being platinum, I had a hip replaced and was still using a cane to walk, and staff were quite kind to funnel me almost to the head of the check in line. I did have to navigate the inclined entry ramp to the ship though.

[Sweet Dutch Girl]

Boarding for those with disabilities does not ensure you "first" boarding or early boarding times. As others have said "when" you do arrive the staff is trained to offer you assistance, both in the line for security and the lines for check-in. Once through the process the check-in person will usually direct you to additional personnel who will assist you on to the ship (and yes you may be allowed to skip the "when your number is called" waiting room.

 

As in all things just remember these services are for you and could extend to your "cabin" mates but not to your party as a whole. And remember that there is a big difference between assisted and preferential treatment. Don't expect the latter.

[summersigh]

Yes and its not FFTF its what it should be Priority Boarding. They are great will meet you with a wheel chair if need be ...take you to a separate check in and waiting area and a person from the crew will then come get you and take you onboard the ship via elevator and the gangway. They are super efficient but you may want to let them know in advance that you will be using this service!

 

My DH uses the wheelchair assistance for embarking and disembarkation. It is not for "during the cruise". Our TA lets CCL know ahead of time and it actually says something about assistance on our boarding documents.

 

It is not FTTF. They assist you in the order you check in with them at the special counter. Your luggage does not get the same priority as FTTF does nor are you taken to your cabin early like FTTF if it's before the regular time for the general passenger population's. DH is normally taken to the Lido to await the cabins being ready. I follow along and am in charge of the tip we always give to the "pusher". :)

 

DH couldn't handle the ramps and long walks involved in normal boarding although once aboard be can get along ok if a bit slowly :) The wheel chair assistance is a wonderful thing that allows us to begin our trip on a positive note.

[ScottsSweetie]

My DH uses the wheelchair assistance for embarking and disembarkation. It is not for "during the cruise". Our TA lets CCL know ahead of time and it actually says something about assistance on our boarding documents.

 

It is not FTTF. They assist you in the order you check in with them at the special counter. Your luggage does not get the same priority as FTTF does nor are you taken to your cabin early like FTTF if it's before the regular time for the general passenger population's. DH is normally taken to the Lido to await the cabins being ready. I follow along and am in charge of the tip we always give to the "pusher". :)

 

DH couldn't handle the ramps and long walks involved in normal boarding although once aboard be can get along ok if a bit slowly :) The wheel chair assistance is a wonderful thing that allows us to begin our trip on a positive note.

 

This is great information. We will be cruising with my in-laws this year, and MIL will definitely need some assistance to get from the check in point on to the ship. She will not need assistance once on the ship, as she would be able to stop and rest when needed (and use the elevators).

 

She refuses to have the hip replacement that she needs at this time (and she will subsequently need the 2nd hip and a knee replaced), so she is having a cortisone injection shortly.

 

We are not looking for any "priority" boarding - just a little help standing in the long line and getting from check-in to the ship. DH and I are Platinum so we can go priority - they can meet us on the ship (or we could wait and board with them).

[summersigh]

This is great information. We will be cruising with my in-laws this year, and MIL will definitely need some assistance to get from the check in point on to the ship. She will not need assistance once on the ship, as she would be able to stop and rest when needed (and use the elevators)..

 

Sounds like the amount of help DH needs .... and yes, once aboard we stop and people watch when he needs to rest.

 

Your MIL might want to consider taking a cane - DH doesn't use one at home but if the sea is rolling at all he feels it steadies him.:)

[Elaine5715]

This is great information. We will be cruising with my in-laws this year, and MIL will definitely need some assistance to get from the check in point on to the ship. She will not need assistance once on the ship, as she would be able to stop and rest when needed (and use the elevators).

 

She refuses to have the hip replacement that she needs at this time (and she will subsequently need the 2nd hip and a knee replaced), so she is having a cortisone injection shortly.

 

We are not looking for any "priority" boarding - just a little help standing in the long line and getting from check-in to the ship. DH and I are Platinum so we can go priority - they can meet us on the ship (or we could wait and board with them).

 

Their best bet is to arrive after 1pm. There will be no line. Crew provides physical assistance to push those in manual wheelchairs up the ramps. They will not be able to physically assist someone who is walking. They will get her a wheelchair and take her onboard then leave with the wheelchair.

[HectorAchilleus]

My DH uses the wheelchair assistance for embarking and disembarkation. It is not for "during the cruise". Our TA lets CCL know ahead of time and it actually says something about assistance on our boarding documents.

 

It is not FTTF. They assist you in the order you check in with them at the special counter. Your luggage does not get the same priority as FTTF does nor are you taken to your cabin early like FTTF if it's before the regular time for the general passenger population's. DH is normally taken to the Lido to await the cabins being ready. I follow along and am in charge of the tip we always give to the "pusher". :)

 

DH couldn't handle the ramps and long walks involved in normal boarding although once aboard be can get along ok if a bit slowly :) The wheel chair assistance is a wonderful thing that allows us to begin our trip on a positive note.

 

It has always been my opinion that the first 20-30 FTTF openings should be reserved for the disabled or the elderly who can not stand for a long time in lines. My mother is 85 and said she would love to go on a cruise but fears tat she would not still be able to stand that long.

[BeachChik]

It has always been my opinion that the first 20-30 FTTF openings should be reserved for the disabled or the elderly who can not stand for a long time in lines. My mother is 85 and said she would love to go on a cruise but fears tat she would not still be able to stand that long.

 

A solution already exists. If you don't arrive at the port at 10am you won't have to worry about lines.

 

When we sailed on the legend we arrived around 1-1:30pm. Took about ten minutes to check in and we walked on board with no line.

 

Everyone is so focused on being the first on the ship. If someone can't wait in lines or large crowds they shouldn't arrive first thing. It's a simple solution. And that is why I love the idea of staggered embarkation. It will stop all the people that need to be first by only allowing those with the correct check in time into the terminal.

[summersigh]

It has always been my opinion that the first 20-30 FTTF openings should be reserved for the disabled or the elderly who can not stand for a long time in lines. My mother is 85 and said she would love to go on a cruise but fears tat she would not still be able to stand that long.

 

We're basically "regular boarding" with the wheelchair assistance but standing is not a problem. When we arrive I let a CCL employee in the terminal know he's here and needs assistance. They have someone come with a wheelchair, push him through a dedicated check-in line ... then we sit in the waiting area and wait for his turn (first come first serve) to be pushed onto the ship by an employee. If the cabins aren't ready he's dropped in the Lido or whatever public area we'd like and we sit there relaxing and eating lunch until the cabins are ready.

We do have our TA notify CCL in advance that he will need boarding assistance.

 

As a side note : At ports the getting on and off the ship is not usually a problem - they have the gangways down on deck one with elevators that take you down there. We wait for the first rush to disembark and are able to walk off with a minimum of standing. We return back to the ship about an hour and 1/2 before the required time and there are seldom any lines to stand in.

Edited December 27, 2015 by summersigh

[ScottsSweetie]

Their best bet is to arrive after 1pm. There will be no line. Crew provides physical assistance to push those in manual wheelchairs up the ramps. They will not be able to physically assist someone who is walking. They will get her a wheelchair and take her onboard then leave with the wheelchair.

 

Well, that may work sometimes, or even most of the time. We cruised in November of 2014 with our in-laws - we arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale Port around 1:45. It was 3:15 when they boarded the ship - the lines were that long. She did not have the same physical limitations at that time that she now has.

[Elaine5715]

It has always been my opinion that the first 20-30 FTTF openings should be reserved for the disabled or the elderly who can not stand for a long time in lines. My mother is 85 and said she would love to go on a cruise but fears tat she would not still be able to stand that long.

 

There are plenty of places to sit inside the terminal. But if one is unable to manage the relatively short, voluntary wait ( by arriving before boarding has started) due to endurance issues then managing in port without a wheelchair will be impossible. Just the walk from the gang plank to the port is several lengths of a cruise ship...both ways..

Edited December 27, 2015 by Elaine5715

[BeachChik]

Well, that may work sometimes, or even most of the time. We cruised in November of 2014 with our in-laws - we arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale Port around 1:45. It was 3:15 when they boarded the ship - the lines were that long. She did not have the same physical limitations at that time that she now has.

 

I'm just curious if they can't wait in line to board for more than a few minutes how do they manage walking the entire ship? Or the lines to get off the ship into port can be decent and the walk from the ship to actually reach anything in port can be fairly long. Point being if they have that big of a mobility problem then a scooter or a wheelchair rental would be your best option.

[ScottsSweetie]

I'm just curious if they can't wait in line to board for more than a few minutes how do they manage walking the entire ship? Or the lines to get off the ship into port can be decent and the walk from the ship to actually reach anything in port can be fairly long. Point being if they have that big of a mobility problem then a scooter or a wheelchair rental would be your best option.

 

There are plenty of places to stop and rest for a few minutes when heading to a particular destination on the ship. It is a very long walk (plus up a ramp) to board the ship, especially while carrying any belongings (this after the walk from being dropped off at the curb). Plus, elevator availability can be a nightmare upon boarding, since some are being used only for luggage and that pushes everyone into a smaller amount of elevators. In port, we will be very careful about making plans (try to not have to be in line to get off ship first - wait for crowds to dissipate, etc.).

 

We have not chosen a cruise yet, so ports are unknown at this time, but a wheelchair rental will definitely be considered. It has been good to find out, though, that assistance can be given upon boarding (and we are definitely not looking for them to be "priority", just assisted).

Edited December 27, 2015 by ScottsSweetie

[Boozebabe]

I'm just curious if they can't wait in line to board for more than a few minutes how do they manage walking the entire ship? Or the lines to get off the ship into port can be decent and the walk from the ship to actually reach anything in port can be fairly long. Point being if they have that big of a mobility problem then a scooter or a wheelchair rental would be your best option.

 

I agree with you. 3 cruises ago I thought I was going to die walking from the ship to port at Grand Turk. Some ports have guys there with different modes of transport. Give them a couple bucks and they whisk you to the port. But not at GT. So I got my own wheel chair for the last 2 cruises. It was such a blessing. I was spending half my time sitting and resting my back. Now I have my own scooter so hubby won't have to push me. It has given me so much freedom. I'll be able to go to the Lido buffet, park the scooter and walk thru the buffet lines because I can lean on the tray rail. But I could never walk from my cabin to buffet etc. I'll ride my scooter to the MDR and park it near the door and walk to my table.

 

All of this so I can keep on cruising and travelling.

[Boozebabe]

There are plenty of places to stop and rest for a few minutes when heading to a particular destination on the ship. It is a very long walk (plus up a ramp) to board the ship, especially while carrying any belongings (this after the walk from being dropped off at the curb). Plus, elevator availability can be a nightmare upon boarding, since some are being used only for luggage and that pushes everyone into a smaller amount of elevators. In port, we will be very careful about making plans (try to not have to be in line to get off ship first - wait for crowds to dissipate, etc.).

 

We have not chosen a cruise yet, so ports are unknown at this time, but a wheelchair rental will definitely be considered. It has been good to find out, though, that assistance can be given upon boarding (and we are definitely not looking for them to be "priority", just assisted).

 

My advice is that if you choose to not buy your own chair, go to your local medical supply company. You know the ones who sell wheel chairs and scooters etc. They also rent them and are soooo much cheaper than the company that delivers to Carnival. Special Needs at Sea I think it is. I bought my wheel chair/transport chair (mine requires someone to push me) on Amazon. I was surprised how cheap it was to buy. Its made by Drive and is very high quality. Hope this helps.

[mosaic_mom]

I have a foldable power chair and am concerned about the steepness of the ramp onto the ship (registered it with Carnival and it meets required dimensions). We will be going out of Fort Lauderdale soon. If the ramp is too steep, is there a way to take an elevator from a lower level of the ship, or must we use the ramp everyone uses and just find a way to get the chair up the steep ramp?

[ScottsSweetie]

My advice is that if you choose to not buy your own chair, go to your local medical supply company. You know the ones who sell wheel chairs and scooters etc. They also rent them and are soooo much cheaper than the company that delivers to Carnival. Special Needs at Sea I think it is. I bought my wheel chair/transport chair (mine requires someone to push me) on Amazon. I was surprised how cheap it was to buy. Its made by Drive and is very high quality. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks for that info! We actually borrowed a "transport chair" from a friend for my Dad before he passed away that would be a great choice - very lightweight, but as you say it requires someone pushing.

[Elaine5715]

I have a foldable power chair and am concerned about the steepness of the ramp onto the ship (registered it with Carnival and it meets required dimensions). We will be going out of Fort Lauderdale soon. If the ramp is too steep, is there a way to take an elevator from a lower level of the ship, or must we use the ramp everyone uses and just find a way to get the chair up the steep ramp?

 

You must use a ramp to enter the ship from all ports. My guess is crew will help push if need be.