Mobility scooter on board "parking"

[jsglow]

8 minutes ago, BonnieH said:

Thank you to those who provided non-snarky, non-rude and/or non-judgmental comments. We are looking into other options besides moving to a fully handicapped accessible room.

Best wishes on a great cruise. Hopefully this thread was enlightening as to the reasons exceptions in some areas aren't possible. Better to learn that here than at the dock on embarkation day. 👍

[Schoifmom]

On 2/10/2023 at 12:30 PM, BonnieH said:

So I am getting conflicting information from Carnival and Scootaround. BF is eligible for a scooter from the VA that is too wide to fit through the doors of our cabin for our October cruise. 

 

When I called Carnival this morning, I was told we cannot leave the scooter outside our cabin. However, the woman I spoke with today from Scootaround said that Carnival will allow you to park the scooter outside your room (remove battery so it can't be moved).  On previous cruises, I have seen scooters in the hallways. Which is it? 

 

Please do not share Carnival's policy, I already read it and I spoke with a representative today. Also, please don't tell me to get a handicap accessible room. We don't need all the other amenities that come with an HA room and we don't want an aft cabin. We selected our specific cabin for specific reasons prior to the need of a scooter.  

Full confession, I haven't read all of the other responses yet, so I apologize if this is repetitive.

 

The reason that you cannot leave a scooter in the hallway for storage or charging is because it is against the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations.  If Carnival were to allow it, or if they were inspected and one is found to be there, Carnival will receive heavy fines.  

 

This is a safety issue for everyone.  Please do NOT leave your scooter in the hallway.  Others can comply, so can you.  You don't want to be told to get a handicapped accessible room, so your only other options are to (1) cruise without the scooter, (2) rent a scooter from Scootaround that will fit into a regular cabin, or (3) leave your husband at home.

 

Whatever your choice, I hope you have a great cruise.

Edited February 13, 2023 by Schoifmom

[AHS123]

On 2/11/2023 at 4:05 PM, RenoNanaOz said:

I have no issue with them up against a wall not interfering with anyone or anything. 

Have you been on a ship when the general alarm sounded and the corridors were filled with smoke? Neither have I and I don't want to be. Scooters left anywhere not designated by the shipping company as acceptable could cause loss of life at sea. It really is this simple.

 

Once when my mom travelled with a friend, her friend left their scooter in the elevator lobby. A Carnival Floor Supervisor told the woman the scooter was identified as being theirs and if it couldn't be stored in the cabin it would be taken to Guest Services and stored there. Hearing that, mom's friend found room for her scooter in the cabin. 

 

Later, I asked mom if the option for storing the scooter at Guest Services were to be chosen, did they say how that would work? Mom's friend was told a staff or crew member would ride the scooter to the cabin upon request but that it would not be a priority for them and that other guest and ship business at the Guest Services Desk would come first. No wonder the friend found room for it in the cabin!

 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by AHS123

[RenoNanaOz]

37 minutes ago, AHS123 said:

Have you been on a ship when the general alarm sounded and the corridors were filled with smoke? Neither have I and I don't want to be. Scooters left anywhere not designated by the shipping company as acceptable could cause loss of life at sea. It really is this simple.

 

Once when my mom travelled with a friend, her friend left their scooter in the elevator lobby. A Carnival Floor Supervisor told the woman the scooter was identified as being theirs and if it couldn't be stored in the cabin it would be taken to Guest Services and stored there. Hearing that, mom's friend found room for her scooter in the cabin. 

 

Later, I asked mom if the option for storing the scooter at Guest Services were to be chosen, did they say how that would work? Mom's friend was told a staff or crew member would ride the scooter to the cabin upon request but that it would not be a priority for them and that other guest and ship business at the Guest Services Desk would come first. No wonder the friend found room for it in the cabin!

 

 

 

Stop beating this dead horse, time to move on.

[Elaine5715]

41 minutes ago, AHS123 said:

Have you been on a ship when the general alarm sounded and the corridors were filled with smoke? Neither have I and I don't want to be. Scooters left anywhere not designated by the shipping company as acceptable could cause loss of life at sea. It really is this simple.

 

Once when my mom travelled with a friend, her friend left their scooter in the elevator lobby. A Carnival Floor Supervisor told the woman the scooter was identified as being theirs and if it couldn't be stored in the cabin it would be taken to Guest Services and stored there. Hearing that, mom's friend found room for her scooter in the cabin. 

 

Later, I asked mom if the option for storing the scooter at Guest Services were to be chosen, did they say how that would work? Mom's friend was told a staff or crew member would ride the scooter to the cabin upon request but that it would not be a priority for them and that other guest and ship business at the Guest Services Desk would come first. No wonder the friend found room for it in the cabin!

 

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, RenoNanaOz said:

Stop beating this dead horse, time to move on.

One EVC in the hall, then two, then three...  If you, why not me?

[jsglow]

What I have to chuckle about is that @katstoyoriginally asked a really good question about handling his/her scooter as a first time user, got GREAT info about what's eligible and why, and even got a good suggestion about adding an identifying ribbon way back on page 1.  It's also quite constructive that the discussion also included rationale as to exactly why this must be a 'zero exceptions' policy.  We're all better informed now. Frankly it's a topic I had never given any thought to before.

 

Hopefully a 'naive' prospective scooter user runs across this thread and is well prepared prior to embarkation. I can't imagine the nightmare of showing up at the dock and having a real problem.  😎

[katstoy]

OK folks, here's the report on the scooter rented from Scootaround on the Panorama out of Long Beach.

 

I made the reservation on line and they asked specific details about the cabin type I had (Havana Cabana) and they followed it up with a phone call during which we confirmed that the scooter I was renting was narrow enough to fit through the door of a standard cabin.  I had less than an inch of clearance on either side.

 

As I was struggling to get the darned thing into the cabin my stateroom attendant said I could just leave it in the hall.  I did that during the day but brought it in each night to charge.  I was fortunate that there were no interior cabins across from me so could do that.  I was able to get past the attendant service carts and another scooter from someone down the hall who also left their scooter in the hall with no problem.

 

Getting it into the room was a chore as the hallway is not wide enough to drive it in at a straight angle.  You had to line it up perfectly and do multiple forward and backward adjustments to get it through the door as you had little clearance on either side.    Bring a doorstop to hold the door as wide open as possible.  I used a towel that worked - sometimes.  If you can get a cabin that has no cabins opposite yours and faces a hallway so you can drive straight in do it.

 

As for my original question, parking was never an issue.  Either I found an out of the way corner at the bars and showrooms and in the dining venues they either showed me where to park or took it from me once I was at a table.  The hallways and public areas are wide and I only took out one small piece of molding when I cut a corner too close.  The only other issue was having to wait for an almost empty elevator as only about four to six other people could fit in there with the scooter.

 

Having the scooter made the cruise so much more enjoyable as I was able to get to whatever venue I wanted to without pain or issue.  As an aside - just glad they didn't have DUI checkpoints on board!!!

[BonnieH]

On 2/13/2023 at 10:31 AM, mz-s said:

 

Well it seems to me that you had your mind made up that you are going to park the scooter outside the room and wanted people to tell you that was OK.

You are totally incorrect. But thanks for your opinion. 

[AHS123]

The strollers left in the halls overnight are just as bad as the scooter violations and sometimes worse. Here you can see two strollers parked overnight by the guests staying in one inside cabin. Dad's stroller model has oversized tires and is extra wide to accommodate dad's need to jog with junior twice a day. Parents should consider the safety of their children, as well as those of other families on the ship, and get a suite if they insist on taking full-size strollers on the cruise. 

 

To the OP who said the cabin steward said it was OK to park their scooter in the hallway you should know that no steward will jeopardize losing their tip by  telling you that you have to park it inside your cabin. This is why Carnival assigns the task of speaking to the guest who is violating the safety rule to the Housekeeping Floor Supervisor. 

 

 

[sanmarcosman]

9 hours ago, AHS123 said:

The strollers left in the halls overnight are just as bad as the scooter violations and sometimes worse. Here you can see two strollers parked overnight by the guests staying in one inside cabin. Dad's stroller model has oversized tires and is extra wide to accommodate dad's need to jog with junior twice a day. Parents should consider the safety of their children, as well as those of other families on the ship, and get a suite if they insist on taking full-size strollers on the cruise. 

 

To the OP who said the cabin steward said it was OK to park their scooter in the hallway you should know that no steward will jeopardize losing their tip by  telling you that you have to park it inside your cabin. This is why Carnival assigns the task of speaking to the guest who is violating the safety rule to the Housekeeping Floor Supervisor. 

 

 

This has entitlement all over it. 

[cowprintrabbit]

On 10/11/2022 at 10:53 AM, Buffalofirsttimer4 said:

Scootaround is the most used rental scooter company. They have the scooter in your cabin when you board. 

Except in Alabama, apparently. I’m still fighting with Scootaround because they want me to disembark during my wedding to pick up my scooter.

[Pika8347]

On 2/10/2023 at 7:38 PM, mz-s said:

 

And an attractive nuisance to children.

Exactly!

[Schoifmom]

15 hours ago, cowprintrabbit said:

Except in Alabama, apparently. I’m still fighting with Scootaround because they want me to disembark during my wedding to pick up my scooter.

 

This all changed with Covid.  I've cruised out of 3 ports since the restart and at all of them they had a kiosk where you pick up the scooter prior to going through the check-in/boarding process.

[alicia1123]

I use a power chair  and if you leave your scooter in the hallway I can’t get by.

 

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, alicia1123 said:

I use a power chair  and if you leave your scooter in the hallway I can’t get by.

 

Exactly, and no one but the key holder can move the scooter 

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

On 2/16/2023 at 6:15 PM, cowprintrabbit said:

Except in Alabama, apparently. I’m still fighting with Scootaround because they want me to disembark during my wedding to pick up my scooter.

At Port Everglades scooter was in our cabin. For Port of Miami (Celebration), we’ve been advised that scooter pick up is actually in the terminal prior to boarding and has to be returned to the terminal after disembarking. 

[Schoifmom]

19 hours ago, Buffalofirsttimer4 said:

At Port Everglades scooter was in our cabin. For Port of Miami (Celebration), we’ve been advised that scooter pick up is actually in the terminal prior to boarding and has to be returned to the terminal after disembarking. 

 

I'm assuming your Port Everglades trip was pre-Covid.  The change to picking them up at the terminal was a post-Covid change.

[cowprintrabbit]

21 hours ago, Buffalofirsttimer4 said:

At Port Everglades scooter was in our cabin. For Port of Miami (Celebration), we’ve been advised that scooter pick up is actually in the terminal prior to boarding and has to be returned to the terminal after disembarking. 

The problem with that is weddings board before the pickup is open…

[mom2tcdx2]

Interesting thread, guess it lets me know we just have no ability to get my mother a scooter for an upcoming cruise.  Our sailing is sold out and they have just an inside cabin, no way a scooter will fit in there.  Her feet and knees have just gotten a lot worse since we booked and we were hoping that a scooter could just help her get around a bit more, otherwise she just can't do much walking.  Just getting to and from the restaurants will be quite the chore for her.  Hopefully the little fold up walker she has will be enough of a help.  

[Number12]

A folding wheelchair might be an alternative.

 

[Schoifmom]

17 hours ago, mom2tcdx2 said:

Interesting thread, guess it lets me know we just have no ability to get my mother a scooter for an upcoming cruise.  Our sailing is sold out and they have just an inside cabin, no way a scooter will fit in there.  Her feet and knees have just gotten a lot worse since we booked and we were hoping that a scooter could just help her get around a bit more, otherwise she just can't do much walking.  Just getting to and from the restaurants will be quite the chore for her.  Hopefully the little fold up walker she has will be enough of a help.  

Call Scootaround.  They DO have scooters that will fit through the doorways of regular cabins, unless she is severely obese.  It will require some maneuvering, but you can get it into a regular cabin.  I don't know how many people are in the cabin, but for an inside, there will be room to store it in there if there are no more than 2 people.  Again, it will require some maneuvering around it, but it can be done.  I speak from experience.

[Buffalofirsttimer4]

On 2/17/2023 at 9:22 AM, Schoifmom said:

 

This all changed with Covid.  I've cruised out of 3 ports since the restart and at all of them they had a kiosk where you pick up the scooter prior to going through the check-in/boarding process.

No need to assume, scooter in our cabin was pre-covid (my signature does show all sailings 🙃) and Celebration will be in April 2023 which as I stated would have pick up in the terminal. Happy Sailing!

[65Mommy]

On 2/20/2023 at 1:37 PM, mom2tcdx2 said:

Interesting thread, guess it lets me know we just have no ability to get my mother a scooter for an upcoming cruise.  Our sailing is sold out and they have just an inside cabin, no way a scooter will fit in there.  Her feet and knees have just gotten a lot worse since we booked and we were hoping that a scooter could just help her get around a bit more, otherwise she just can't do much walking.  Just getting to and from the restaurants will be quite the chore for her.  Hopefully the little fold up walker she has will be enough of a help.  

I will check with my hubby, we had an inside cabin and I think they stored it in their crew work area for him.

[65Mommy]

On 2/20/2023 at 3:03 PM, Number12 said:

A folding wheelchair might be an alternative.

 

Yes, the scooters a big pain sometimes depending on the cruise.

[mom2tcdx2]

On 2/21/2023 at 10:31 AM, Schoifmom said:

Call Scootaround.  They DO have scooters that will fit through the doorways of regular cabins, unless she is severely obese.  It will require some maneuvering, but you can get it into a regular cabin.  I don't know how many people are in the cabin, but for an inside, there will be room to store it in there if there are no more than 2 people.  Again, it will require some maneuvering around it, but it can be done.  I speak from experience.

Unfortunately she is overweight, around 240?  Some of the smaller sizes I read that could fit seemed to have a weight of 200.  Both her and my father don't have the greatest mobility so them trying to maneuver a scooter around an inside cabin will probably be on the tougher side.  She just may not get to wander around as much as she might like, but we will see how it goes.