Wheelchair / Scooter Questions Again

[Hebe]

We will be leaving in two months for a 1 month cruise in South America. This is the first time that I am planning to take along my husband's scooter. He just got it so we are newbies at this. I know you guys have contributed a lot on the subject already but I am still concerned.

 

1) I am thinking of also taking his manual wheelchair since I am concerned we may get in port where I rather have him in a chair. How do I handle taking both on a plane. Do I check the wheelchair and let him gate check the scooter?

 

2) How does one prep a scooter for travel? Is is different if you baggage check or gate check. Do you take off the seat and gel battery and put them on the plane.

 

3) If we have tender ports -- can we still use the scooter?

 

4) How do they take a scooter off the ship if the ramp is stepped because of the angle?

 

5) We have to change planes in DC (United Airlines) -- will they bring the scooter to the gate for us to get to the next gate? We do have a tight connection but was told by United not to worry.

 

I am really concerned how to do everything. On two out of last three plane flights to Europe the airlines has destroyed two chairs. The last one was split down the middle. Our sensitive baggage claim people told me that it would take 4 weeks for them to get a chair. When I gave them the are you crazy speech -- they told me to go to the hotel and maybe they can find a chair in a few days. This was interesting since I asked them how they thought we would get out of the airport to the hotel when my husband needed a chair. OK -- I vented and feel betther.

 

Any pointer would be appreciated. I not that concerned about getting around the ship but all flying to get there and then all the tours and getting on and off the ship.

 

Thanks

[jukeboxy]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=156564

That is the thread that I started to keep a running dialog on my scooter travels and some of your questions will be answered.

I don't know anything about SA but I would assume it is not as good as Mexico for ADA travelers.

[Queenie2]

when you say "tight connection" what do you mean time-wise. Out of all the things you mentioned, this one really worries me. Remember, you will be the last people off the plane, and sometimes the big planes are very slow to unload.

 

Candy

[DEL67]

When we cruise, we always travel with both my husband's power chair and his manual one since I have found a manual chair to provide much more flexibility in ports that are not fully accessible.

 

1. We usually check his manual chair with the baggage and gate check his power one. However, this proved to be a mistake on our trip to Barcelona two years ago since they would not bring his power chair back to plane in either Heathrow or Barcelona due tot he chair's weight. It was a real problem since my 6'2" husband is too tall for airport chairs. Therefore it might be better to gate check both chairs.

 

2. I always take my husband's gel seat and elevating leg rests aboard the plane with me. I used to take the batteries too, but the airlines no longer let me do so. You will need to disconnect the battery. If you do not think the it is secure, I would ask for a battery box.

 

 

3) Whether you can use a scooter at a tender port depends on the ship and if your husband can walk down the stairs. Most lines will carry a disabled person in a manual chair down the tender steps, but not in a scooter or power chair. All RCCL ships, and I believe some HAL ones, have tender lifts which he might be able to use, but the lifts do break and the ships do not always use the tender door that has the lift.

 

4) Taking a scooter off on a stepped ramp would be difficult, if not impossible. You might need to use the manual chair and transfer him once ashore. Its bumpy, but usually the crew will take the manual one down the steps.

 

5) Usually, airlines will not return gate checked chairs until the final destination. Don't forget to remind them that you will need a chair. And if the connection is close, ask the cabin attendant to call the next gate to tell them that you are on your way.

 

I found your comments about the damaged chair sto be disturbing. Yes, my husband's chairs have been damaged several times, but except in two cases the damage was cosmentic and the chair was still usable. Both times it was not, the airline (Continental) immediately offered us a manual substitute to use until his chair was fixed. And in Hawaii, they had a medical supply rep at our hotel even before we arrived to arrange lending us a power one or scooter.

 

Good luck on your trip. I am jealous as we have always wanted to go to South America.

[Hebe]

Thank you for the reply

 

Jukeboxy - I had not seen that post and just read it tonight. Thank you.

 

Candy -- we are scheduled to arrive in DC at 8:49 and scheduled to depart at 9:37. The flight is a commuter flight so it should not take long to depart but we also may need a shuttle to get to our next gate. I am also worried about the connection but this is the only combo that is scheduled for this flight.

 

Dale -- great explanation. I will probably call you directly at work if you do not mind. -- We both work for the same company - this is Deb.

 

Our ship is the Milli -- Celebrity. I not aware they have any lifts on the tenders.

 

Our battery is one of the new removeable ones that pulls off to charge so nothing has be be disconnected. It kind of looks like a giant cell phone battery.

 

Yes our experience in Heathrow was not a pleasant one. The chair was split right down the middle and you know the force it must have taken to break those welted bolts. I was the one who told them to get a phone book - look at medical supplies and start calling. We finally got a loner chair to get us out of the airport. In the afternoon they delivered a new cheap chair which was about 30lb heavier than the one we owned but it did work. By the way, it was dropped off at the hotel not assemblied. So were able to get around. The airlines we were on was Virgin Air. I was told at one point to go to the hotel and wait a few days - maybe they could find a chair. On our return to the US --they were very good to get us a new chair to replace the one that was damaged.

 

I know that South America will be more of a challenge than other places but figure we may need to do it now before my husband gets worst. We are lucky that he is about 130 lbs so he is easy to carry if they need to do that.

 

Deb

[Splinter]

Definately take your manual wheelchair. So. America is not very accessible. You will probably have at least 2 tender ports. They often will not lift a scooter on/off the tenders, and if they have tender lifts (which are on the ship, not the tender) they will not take a scooter (at least HAL will not). Once ashore, you will find lots of steps and stairs, few curb cuts, etc. We found lots of help from locals...they often were quite willing to lift my mother in her manual wheelchair up to a second story for example. Needless to say they would not have been able to do this with her 200 lb. power chair. When using cabs ashore, you will find most are subcompacts, and it is hard to fit a manual wheelchair in their trunks, much less a scooter. Use the scooter aboard ship, but leave it there and use only the manual ashore.

 

We gate check both when we fly. My mother drives her power chair, and we put the hand luggage on the manual chair and I push that. Take your controls and anything removable off the scooter and take aboard the plane as part of your hand luggage. If you have gel batteries they do not need to be removed at all. Be sure to show (and mark clearly) on the scooter how to put it into free-wheel so they can move it. Insist on it being taken to the hold on an elevator, not carried down the stairs as scooters are most often damaged by being dropped.

 

I worry about your connection. Dulles is a huge airport, and you have to wait for the buses to take you from one terminal to another. Even if your first flight is on time, you are unlikely to make the flight, and even if you do, your luggage may not. I would recommend taking a flight a day earlier and staying at a local airport hotel overnight. Nothing will ruin your cruise more than missing it!

[Queenie2]

I'm with Splinter -- been there done that -- you DO NOT have enough time for your connection. I'd reschedule it (even if you have to pay a fee) to arrive one day earlier in Dulles, just ot make sure you make it to the ship. That is your biggest problem from what I see.

 

Candy

[Hebe]

Well I took a look today at the flights I booked back in July and we had over an hour to connect in Dulles. United in the past few days changed the flights times making the connections short.

 

Call our discount internet travel site and they had no problem at all changing us to a flight that gets us in a little after 5:00PM. So now we have a connection time of over 4 hours and a back up commuter flight that leaves at 5:30PM.

 

Whew - I feel alot better now.

 

Deb

[pvmkmyer]

My wife uses an eletric scooter and we've flown United a lot. They've always been very accommodating. We gate check the chair. My wife drives it down the ramp and they whisk it away to the cargo hold and return it to the top of the ramp when we deplane.