Mobility scooter or wheelchair ports question, would LOVE any suggestions/ideas

[Shynook11]

• •  184
• March 27, 2012
• United States

• #1  

Posted 1 hour ago (edited)

Hi!   In October I broke my heel/ankle on my left side and Tibia Plateau on the right.  I am currently just graduated to partial weight bearing with a walk boot and walker.    I rented a scooter for our cruise on the the NCL Joy for March as I wont be back 100% for quite a while.   I am looking for any suggestions for activities for the following ports that are mobility scooter accessible.  I can walk short distances now but don't want to over do anything and certainly most likely wont be walking with stamina in 2 months time ( was off legs 100% 9 weeks so lots of muscle to regain and rehab to do..

Cozumel, Roatan, Costa Maya and Harvest Caye are our stops.   We have been to all of these ports prior and certainly don't need to do any specific, but I would love to get of the ship and do a couple things as able.   I am 52, normally very active, sailing with my husband,  17 year old and her friend.  I am fine staying aboard for they can do something I cannot, such as tendered ports or an activity that is to vigorous for me.   

 

Any tips are greatly appreciated, including navigating on the ship.  Never used one of these before!  I have the option to bring a manual wheelchair as well, which is much lighter and takes less space, but thought the scooter was more practical.  Am I making the right choice?  We have a balcony cabin and currently no handicap cabins available.   We figured we could disassemble and store on the balcony perhaps?  New to all of this....very seasoned cruiser.  Advice very much appreciated.

 

Thanks to anyone with input.   

[FOPMan]

A real issue is the width of your scooter and the width of the cabin door. Depending on the scooter model, it may not be easily disassembled. You will still need to get the parts inside your cabin.

 

Four people in a regular balcony cabin, plus a scooter (or a wheelchair) will be crowded.

 

The port area at Roatan for NCL is fairly wheels friendly. Roatan overall has linited accessibility.

 

Happy sailing!

 

 

[casaloma]

I travel with a scooter, but it folds up so I haven't had the entry-to-the-room problem some scooters have.  I've cruised to Alaska, Europe, been to both Disneyland and Disney World with the scooter and it's been pretty great.  I wouldn't worry too much about getting out and about.  The cruise lines appear to be getting in the know about scooters and I had staff members always eager and friendly to help.  On our Europe cruise with Princess, there was actually a designated staff member on the gangplank just there to help mobility challenged people off and on the ship.  The only thing that really is difficulit sometimes is elevators, particularly if you're trying to negotiate them by yourself.  People often are very helpful but sometimes they're just not.  I often wished I had rear view mirrors so I can see when I was backing out!  But overall the scooter has made it possible for me to travel and that's been just wonderful.  

[gluecksbaer]

Special Needs at Sea has a foldable mobility scooter for rent.  This would be your best bet without having a disabled access cabin.  The scooter is going to be way easier and give you way more freedom on the ship. 

I went with Rony's Tours in Roatan.  They were super nice and helpful, but I am fairly mobile so I only used my scooter to get down to where we met the van.  I was able to walk the rest of the time.  We just went to small animal park that was a bit more walking than I'm used to and I found some fence posts to lean against several times, visited a school, and did a little shopping, so nothing strenuous.  If you contact them, I'm sure they can help you find something that will work for you. 

 

I would suggest, if you haven't already, looking for mobility scooters at your local Target/Walmart/grocery store.  Using those a bit will help you handle shopping for now and also help you get used to how they work.  The controls are generally similar, but whatever you rent will feel super-easy after navigating with the big heavy ones in stores.

[bwgreen]

My only caution there (and it may not be relevant to you) is - check on how you are getting to the ship.  If you are flying, they have VERY specific rules about battery types and sizes that they allow, and also have stringent rules on how they are to be transported - and each airline can have their own set of rules.  I agree, a Scooter is fantastic - I rented one while on board (I never took it off the ship) on our last cruise, and am renting one again through Special Needs At Sea.   I also will have my rollator - it's foldable, so it shouldn't be a problem.

[SoloAlaska]

I will second the practise suggestion. Every year at my industry tradeshow someone gets injured by a scooter. One year it was a little girl who had her leg broken in multiple places because some woman ran her over. It takes time to learn how to operate a scooter safely.

[Dunchues]

On 1/21/2024 at 6:43 PM, Shynook11 said:

• •  184
• March 27, 2012
• United States

 

• #1  

Posted 1 hour ago (edited)

Hi!   In October I broke my heel/ankle on my left side and Tibia Plateau on the right.  I am currently just graduated to partial weight bearing with a walk boot and walker.    I rented a scooter for our cruise on the the NCL Joy for March as I wont be back 100% for quite a while.   I am looking for any suggestions for activities for the following ports that are mobility scooter accessible.  I can walk short distances now but don't want to over do anything and certainly most likely wont be walking with stamina in 2 months time ( was off legs 100% 9 weeks so lots of muscle to regain and rehab to do..

Cozumel, Roatan, Costa Maya and Harvest Caye are our stops.   We have been to all of these ports prior and certainly don't need to do any specific, but I would love to get of the ship and do a couple things as able.   I am 52, normally very active, sailing with my husband,  17 year old and her friend.  I am fine staying aboard for they can do something I cannot, such as tendered ports or an activity that is to vigorous for me.   

 

Any tips are greatly appreciated, including navigating on the ship.  Never used one of these before!  I have the option to bring a manual wheelchair as well, which is much lighter and takes less space, but thought the scooter was more practical.  Am I making the right choice?  We have a balcony cabin and currently no handicap cabins available.   We figured we could disassemble and store on the balcony perhaps?  New to all of this....very seasoned cruiser.  Advice very much appreciated.

 

Thanks to anyone with input.   

I've used Victor Bodden ( http://www.boddentours.com/)

In Roatan twice before. He has a variety of vehicles that can carry different mobility equipment and helpful drivers. In fact I was with him yesterday so I know my info is up to date! I use a collapsible scooter but am pretty limited in range of movement, he has always been very helpful with ideas, is very fast at communicating and is priced very very reasonably for a private tour. And he has some nice rescued sloths that can't be re released into the wild but for a limited time first thing in the morning are happy to be hung on humans for a short while. 

 

In Cozumel today; its not difficult to get around on a scooter although sometimes a bit of a distance to a drop kerb and some pretty funky side to side angles to keep 3 wheeler operators honest. Noticed a lot of taxis thatc are small van type and would have room for scooters/ folding chair or rollator. Then again a Mexican taxi driver isn't going to let the unsuitatability of his vehicle stop him carrying a paying client if it can physically fit. 

 

I was in Costa Maya last year and again it's not bad for a scooter. The roads are a bit more broken up but the ride down into the town is ok just dodge the atv driving tourists! 

 

I doubt you'll have any issues on the boat although sometimes people just don't notice you! Folding equipment is easy to fit in and even if you choose a cabin that's really too small for a scooter Your cabin attendant will know somewhere close by in their section where it can be parked and charged without blocking the corridor. I think all lines look after you well when they see you're heading to get on or off the boat, and will make it as easy as they can.