Knee Scooters - how to get?

[oracer]

3 days before a cruise, my son sprained his ankle enough to where the doctor has said no weight bearing for the next two weeks.  Yeah us!!!   We are going out of San Juan on Freedom of the Seas on Sunday.  We get into San Juan on Saturday, has others been in this situation and maybe what options we might have.   One thought is to call around San Juan and see if you can rent a knee scooter for the week, but was wondering if Royal Caribbean handles this.  I know you can rent electric chairs, but my 20 year old son is not doing that.  Does Royal rent knee scooters?   Anyone that has gone through this situation, would like to know what options I might have.

[Ourusualbeach]

It’s not Royal that has or rents wheelchairs or scooters.  It’s done by private companies such as Scootaround. I just checked and they don’t rent knee scooters.  You might have to rent one at home and bring it with you.

[Clarea]

Royal Caribbean does not provide scooters, wheelchairs, etc.  It's up to you to provide that for yourself.

 

Check out the common rental places:

 

scootaround.com

 

Specialneedsatsea.com

 

 

[SRF]

My boss has been using one for a while.

Get one with pneumatic (air filled) tires.  The solid tire ones are okay on smooth surfaces, but even sidewalks give them trouble.

 

 

[bearette]

We.bought my husband's on line. Order now and rush the shipping or a medical supply store.

[Ourusualbeach]

Special needs at sea has them for rent.  They deliver it right to the room.

 

https://www.specialneedsatsea.com/reserve-equipment/walking-aide-rentals-for-cruise-hotel-and-air-travel/

Edited August 23, 2019 by Ourusualbeach

[brillohead]

Why not buy one at a Durable Medical Equipment company at home before you leave?  That way you'll have it available for the airport and everything.  They aren't that expensive, and you can easily sell it afterwards via Craigslist or the like.

By purchasing locally at a DME company, you can get it properly adjusted for height at time of purchase, b/c you'll be buying it from people who do that for a living.  

You can gate-check it at the airport, or possibly even carry it on with the Medical Equipment exception (they fold up a bit for stowing). Your son could also preboard the plane and get settled.

 

[spookwife]

I bought one for $100 off of amazon and it came in 2 days.   we ended up not needing it as the doc changed his mind about NWB after he saw the x rays.  you can even try  Walgreens or CVS.  

 

 if you rent from one of the two places that service the ships, you will  have to wait until the cabins are available to pick it up.   wheelchair assistance for boarding  only brings you to a public area( usually buffet or the same deck you board on) and you are on your own after that.  

 

the ships do NOT supply any medical equipment unless you are injured on board and even then its a WC only

[fdthird]

Have you flown lately?  Airports are huge...how is he going to get around at home, in the San Juan Airport, and transferring to the ship?  Get one at home!

[Doug S]

My wife used one after ankle surgery and it was a Godsend, but not on the ship. Lots of transitions from tile/carpet/elevators/etc that can put you over the handlebars. Not ideal.  Never personally seen a knee scooter used on a ship. We rented an electric scooter for that trip and it worked great for her with very limited walking in a hard boot. Most cruise ports in the Caribbean are not smooth paved. Lots of brick, cobblestones, curbs, gravel and uneven pavement.  Maybe an athletic young man who is used to skateboarding and snowboarding might find it doable, but for us it got her around airports and such, and onto the ship, then sat there until we got off the ship. That was our take anyway. 

[Bloodgem]

Forgive a stupid question but why can't your son use crutches?

 

[JamesEM]

A couple of years ago my wife had a mobility problem so we purchased a transport chair, the chair worked great on the ship, however off the ship the chair was unpractical due to the problems Doug S noted.

[123funcruiser]

9 hours ago, Doug S said:

My wife used one after ankle surgery and it was a Godsend, but not on the ship. Lots of transitions from tile/carpet/elevators/etc that can put you over the handlebars. Not ideal.  Never personally seen a knee scooter used on a ship. We rented an electric scooter for that trip and it worked great for her with very limited walking in a hard boot. Most cruise ports in the Caribbean are not smooth paved. Lots of brick, cobblestones, curbs, gravel and uneven pavement.  Maybe an athletic young man who is used to skateboarding and snowboarding might find it doable, but for us it got her around airports and such, and onto the ship, then sat there until we got off the ship. That was our take anyway. 

 

I can´t share any personal Experience, but I´ve seen them used on shps many times and People seemed to get around Pretty well using them.

[SRF]

On 8/23/2019 at 7:18 PM, Doug S said:

My wife used one after ankle surgery and it was a Godsend, but not on the ship. Lots of transitions from tile/carpet/elevators/etc that can put you over the handlebars. Not ideal.  Never personally seen a knee scooter used on a ship. We rented an electric scooter for that trip and it worked great for her with very limited walking in a hard boot. Most cruise ports in the Caribbean are not smooth paved. Lots of brick, cobblestones, curbs, gravel and uneven pavement.  Maybe an athletic young man who is used to skateboarding and snowboarding might find it doable, but for us it got her around airports and such, and onto the ship, then sat there until we got off the ship. That was our take anyway. 

 

As I stated before, get one of the ones with air filled tires.  They handle the transitions and rough surfaces much better.

[bboop51]

Just an FYI..  Amazon is a great place to get one but make sure it's light enough to easily transport and it's folds/collapses, in some way.  This comes from experience. My granddaughter has had numerous ankle surgeries, including an ankle transplant, so this comes from (recent) experience,  she needed a new one to get in an out of the car to take to school.

Good luck.

Edited August 25, 2019 by bboop51

[mac66]

I've broken my foot/ankle a couple times and have had foot surgery a couple more times.  Usually knee scooters are prescribed by the doctor so you might ask him for a prescription covered by insurance. Otherwise buy a used one off of craigslist or ebay.

Edited August 25, 2019 by mac66

[vacationlover_mn]

On 8/23/2019 at 1:26 PM, fdthird said:

Have you flown lately?  Airports are huge...how is he going to get around at home, in the San Juan Airport, and transferring to the ship?  Get one at home!

Mine at home was only $15 per week 🙂

[kearney]

Idea... get wheel chair assistance at the airport.... will get him to gate and around the airport and then from gate to baggage claim (bring crutches too). Contact company like special needs at see group...check link  special needs at sea knee scooter rental Then tell Royal and you should get wheel chair assistance from terminal onto the ship.... scooter will be in your cabin. At end of trip... make sure you sign up for wheel chair assistance off the ship... and same with airlines.

[gadaboutgal]

Check out Craig's list for one.  There seem to always be many offered.