Annoying fellow Passengers

[Westyone]

Thank you, Fish Lover. The issue we had on this particular cruise is that we were unable to even get on the elevator to get to the disembarkation deck because it was so congested. Silhouette was rather new so I'm guessing around 2015. Then we were given the wrong info as to what to do.......In retrospect should have confirmed the procedure with someone before the last morning. The staff is too busy on turn around day to offer held or advise, or so it seemed that day.

 

We've just learned to take our own travel wheelchair whether on a ship or going through an airport so we are not dependent on someone to bring us one. I can do the pushing myself.......good upper body exercise.

[varoo]

Our last cruise, we didn't need a wheelchair on the ship, but we did need one for embarkation and debarkation. So, I learned this from experience. Next time allow your husband to use the scooter to go to the waiting area for wheel chairs and people that need assistance. This generally is a small bar area. There will be wheelchairs there at the ready. The concierge will be able to tell you where it is the night before. Also, if you write it on your disembarkation papers, you will receive the time and instructions about where the night before. Then you can leave the scooter there for pick-up OR you can drive it back to the cabin and then walk back to meet your spouse. Then you will get a "pusher" and they will take you all the way through customs to collect your luggage and then out to either the parking lot or your transportation. You don't need to bring your own wheelchair on board if you have made alternate arrangements for a scooter on board.

Very accurate description.

You have exactly described our own disembarkation experiences with a family member who needs to use a wheelchair.

 

I totally agree that there is no need to bring your own wheelchair.

We let our stateroom attendant (or butler, if we have one) know the evening before that we will be needing a wheelchair for disembarkation, and they bring one right to our cabin the next morning and offer to push it down to the disembarkation area whenever we are ready to vacate the cabin.

Then a wheelchair pusher takes over when it time for us to leave the ship.

 

 

 

Westyone, by all means use one of their pushers and don't try to push the wheelchair off the ship yourself.

They get priority access to everything and will get you down the elevator, through baggage claim, customs, and whatever waiting lines there may be at your particular port much easier and faster than trying to do it yourself.

 

Also, if you have checked luggage to pick up in the terminal, let one of the porters handle your luggage.

This is not the time to be the self-reliant, independent spouse.

Between the wheelchair pusher and the porter, the stress-free disembarkation becomes a breeze, and is well worth the tips for both of them.

 

Also for using a wheelchair pusher at airports.

If you have them put a wheelchair code on his flight reservation, they will reserve a wheelchair at the departure airport for him.

 

Then when you exit the plane, they have a wheelchair right at the door waiting for you and order a cart to take you to your connecting gate, or to baggage claim, if it is a long distance away.

We just consider those additional tips part of the cost of vacations that is very worthwhile and makes taking trips a lot easier for people with disabilities, as well as for their loved ones who travel with them.

Edited April 9, 2017 by varoo

[bEwAbG]

Elevators go both directions. Often easiest to go up to come back down when it's busy.

[Presto2]

 

Reading these boards I am aware that some are annoyed with scooters on ships. My husband didn't elect to be a double amputee and to look at him in long pants you likely wouldn't know he has no legs or why he is in a scooter. Life events sometimes happen and when we were young we never conceived we would be in this situation.

 

Thank you to those who read this far.

 

We enjoy cruising and at this point it is the only travel option that allows a double amputee a sense of freedom and a degree of independence.

 

With you on this one. We all think we are indestructible until something happens and we find that we have a disability. I do find that sometimes people on CC are insensitive and think that they are indestructible and become very judgemental about things that others can not control.

[QShip]

I am so disappointed!! When I read the title I thought it was a 'how to'. Wait, maybe it is!!!:D:D:D

[Westyone]

Thank you to all of you who took the time to post such helpful comments regarding easing travel for scooter users. I'm afraid we may have hijacked this thread;). I am touched by your compassion.

 

I don't post often because well meaning comments sometimes result in sarcastic or down right nasty comments, especially the recent back and forth between suite and non-suite passengers. (I tried to find them but the host may have rightfully deleted them.) Ok,ok, I'm going to admit it......we cruise in suites and it was our butler who gave us the wrong info on the Silly cruise. The services and the addition of the benefits of the suite life make cruising so much easier for us at this stage of our lives. We are not rich and don't flaunt the fact that we are in a suite. We'd rather cruise once every two years and enjoy the quiet of our room and other venues available to suites instead of maneuvering crowds in a scooter or dealing with chair hogs. We do miss those tables of eight in MDR though as we have met some very wonderful that way.

 

Happy sailing to all! :cool:

[Ahoy maties]

Not sure if this qualifies in this thread or not however here goes.

 

When your excursion ticket says "meet on the pier at 8:30", that seems clear to me. Not 8:40, 8:45 or 8:50. Standing in the sun waiting for some to show can be unpleasant. I get that some have mobility issues, however I was on the Summit last week and had to wait on the pier as able bodied individuals strolled up about 10-15 minutes late.

 

Conversely, when your guide says we are leaving the beach at 2:30, and you start packing up at 2:35, reaching the taxi 30 feet away at 2:45, consideration for others has gone totally out the window.

[bottomfeeder]

Not sure if this qualifies in this thread or not however here goes.

 

When your excursion ticket says "meet on the pier at 8:30", that seems clear to me. Not 8:40, 8:45 or 8:50. Standing in the sun waiting for some to show can be unpleasant. I get that some have mobility issues, however I was on the Summit last week and had to wait on the pier as able bodied individuals strolled up about 10-15 minutes late.

 

Conversely, when your guide says we are leaving the beach at 2:30, and you start packing up at 2:35, reaching the taxi 30 feet away at 2:45, consideration for others has gone totally out the window.

 

That's one of my pet peeves too. If you want a carefree day at your own pace, then don't book a tour with a bunch of other people--go on your own! If you are on a group excursion, show some consideration for others!

 

My first trip to Europe was a Trafalgar bus tour--luckily it was not sold out, because among the 30 or so people on the tour I was just about ready to blow my top at a few who consistently were late for everything, while the rest of us were forced to wait around for them. I can only imagine if the bus was full how many people like that there would have been--I would probably not have held my temper the entire trip. Those people are the main reason I've never booked a similar tour again. I can just about handle it for the one day that most cruise excursions max out at, thank goodness. :halo:

[jasm8449]

One of the main reasons we no longer take ships excursions. Especially large busses. So much of our limited time in port was wasted waiting for everyone to get on and off. Waiting for people who did not respect the departure times was so frustrating. And it was the able bodied who abused this the most. Those with mobility issues knew it would take them longer, accounted for it, and were often the first people back on the bus.

[cachouonacruise]

I was really interested in this thread, mainly to find out, if unknowingly, I may have been an annoying Co-passenger. After reading the whole thread, my conclusion is that a lot of the issues experienced, could have been averted by a bit of communication, a smile and courtesy. For example, I don't need a scooter to move around and cannot fully appreciate challenges experienced by people with reduced mobility. I may not always think of that when boarding an elevator, this said, if asked for support, I will gladly hold the door open and ensure that there is room in the elevator. Same comment could be made about the book issue, or the jacket. On a cruise, different cultures, different social classes are called upon to cohabit for a few days. What is perceived to be rude to some, may be normal or natural to others. Judging people on board without attempting to communicate or judging people on this board for similar reasons.... does not say much about ourselves. Technology and modern life seem to have taken away the simplest form of human communication: Talking to each other! I am not sure that we can positively refer to this as evolution.

 

 

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