Scooter Rentals and taking off ship

[waykaylincruz]

We have a couple of people in our traveling party that will be renting scooters to use onboard our Ovation cruise to Alaska in a couple of weeks. The company we are renting through says we are welcome to use the scooters off the ship and in the ports of call but it would be at the discretion of the cruise line and ship.

 

Does anyone have any experience with this? Can we take rented scooters off the ship? Any concerns?

 

Thanks in advance for your help!!

 

 

[Sunshine3601]

I have seen many people take their scooter on the royal ships.    

Here is a link to Royal Caribbean special needs.     You will want to advise them of the scooter rentals and anything else that might be needed.     

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

 

[Jasukkie]

Yes, saw many people doing this on Ovation in Alaska. You can go directly off the ship into the town areas, or on some excursions. I know the train one takes scooters. Just let them know when you book.

[RFerrington]

I can’t recall which ship it was, but there was an issue with the gangway (not the switchback home port gangway, but the ramp accessing the port of call) being too steep to accommodate a scooter.  Not sure how it was resolved.

Edited May 17, 2022 by RFerrington

[LeeW]

We've certainly seen a few cases in Alaska where the ramp has been so steep that scooters couldn't go up it.  This depends on the tide and which dock you are at, so you won't know how bad it is until you get there.

[DaniDanielle]

My cousin took his scooter off the ship with no issues.  They are very helpful getting you on and off.

[brillohead]

As long as the person can walk up the ramp and then have a staffer drive the scooter up the ramp for them, it's not a problem. The scooters don't have enough oomph to get up the steep ramp with a person riding them (unless it's a very small person), so a staffer will walk up behind the scooter while driving it up the ramp.

Electric wheelchairs (not scooters) can typically navigate the ramp without any problem (or maybe a slight push from behind, but the rider can remain seated).  

I often travel on Royal with a couple disabled friends, and have experience with them in both rented scooters and rented electric wheelchairs.

[Tee & Chilli]

Cannot use a scooter in ports that tender.

[iuki]

10 hours ago, RFerrington said:

I can’t recall which ship it was, but there was an issue with the gangway (not the switchback home port gangway, but the ramp accessing the port of call) being too steep to accommodate a scooter.  Not sure how it was resolved.

The person is asked to get off the scooter while the crew puts it in neutral and pushes the scooter up and down the ramp; otherwise, the scooter frame gets hung up on the folding portion of the ramp.  If you go to the special interests section, you can learn a lot.  Most importantly, have them practice with store scooters, and ALWAYS put the scooter in turtle mode when backing up.

[iuki]

19 minutes ago, Tee & Chilli said:

Cannot use a scooter in ports that tender.

I have my own personal scooter and it depends on how rough the water is.  Sometimes they do; sometimes they don’t.

[Tee & Chilli]

In order to safely board most tenders, guests must be able to take steps and use a collapsible manual wheelchair. In addition, motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters can not be taken on tenders, unless roll-on capability is available. Inquire about tender roll-on capability at Guest Relations Desk while on board.

[trey420]

How do you rent a scooter on the ship?  Never heard of this.

[waykaylincruz]

4 hours ago, trey420 said:

How do you rent a scooter on the ship?  Never heard of this.

Rent through Scootaround.

[gerif]

6 hours ago, trey420 said:

How do you rent a scooter on the ship?  Never heard of this.

You can’t rent one ON the ship. You must make advance arrangements with a third party company approved by the cruise line. 

[RFerrington]

8 hours ago, iuki said:

ALWAYS put the scooter in turtle mode when backing up.

What's turtle mode ?

[Host Kat]

On 5/18/2022 at 2:27 AM, trey420 said:

How do you rent a scooter on the ship?  Never heard of this.

 

Cruise Critic oldie but goodie article from 2019: How to Rent a Scooter or Wheelchair for Your Cruise

 

17 hours ago, RFerrington said:

What's turtle mode ?

 

Very, very s... l... o... w.

[tradercj]

I will be renting a scooter for the 1st time next week. How far / long does the battery last? I would hate to take off the ship and get stranded.

[RFerrington]

4 hours ago, Host Kat said:

 

Cruise Critic oldie but goodie article from 2019: How to Rent a Scooter or Wheelchair for Your Cruise

 

 

Very, very s... l... o... w.

LOL. Oh....THANKS !

[Marie51]

Can you take those scooters in the sand as if going to the beach?

[Biker19]

59 minutes ago, Marie51 said:

Can you take those scooters in the sand as if going to the beach?

Not in the soft stuff most beaches have.

[Rubyfisch]

3 hours ago, Marie51 said:

Can you take those scooters in the sand as if going to the beach?

Some beaches do have special sand wheelchairs though. My mother transferred from her manual wheelchair to a sand one at Labadee to out to a clam shell. They have giant tractor like wheels.

[brillohead]

10 hours ago, tradercj said:

I will be renting a scooter for the 1st time next week. How far / long does the battery last? I would hate to take off the ship and get stranded.

Just make sure you're fully charged before you go and you'll be fine.  They last all day.

[brillohead]

9 hours ago, Marie51 said:

Can you take those scooters in the sand as if going to the beach?

It depends on the style of scooter.  Typically they don't do well in loose sand, but they're fine on a hard-packed dirt path.

[iuki]

On 5/18/2022 at 4:18 AM, RFerrington said:

What's turtle mode ?

Very slow.  Many scooters show the turtle image for slow and a rabbit for fast.

[smplybcause]

50 minutes ago, iuki said:

Very slow.  Many scooters show the turtle image for slow and a rabbit for fast.

 

With the number of times I've been run over at a theme park or seen people run into things everywhere I feel like they need to try new animals.