Tom and Ingrid Posted July 12 #101 Share Posted July 12 56 minutes ago, Charles4515 said: What if you need medical evacuation. That could be quite expensive. For sure. And this was covered in other posts related to the logistics (vs actual medical) costs. Again, depending upon the way folks book and pay for a cruise, it might be covered by the CC policy. As posted above, some cards carry a $100k coverage for this sort of thing and also have a phone number to help coordinate that if needed. So, expensive, YES. Covered already? MAYBE. Emergency evacuation insurance: Up to $100,000 when you pay for at least part of your common carrier travel with the card. Evacuation must be preapproved by the benefit administrator in order to be covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canderson Posted July 12 #102 Share Posted July 12 Just now, Oceangoer2 said: Thx...I do have that link and considering rental but as you say its the time from home to ship where some assist is required. With some advance notice, the airports do pretty well at providing the necessary assistance, but that's only helpful when you're in the airport. Everywhere else en route, it can become a real challenge. Since the doc advised against putting any weight on it for two weeks (which ended about half way through our TA cruise), this is why we did the pack-our-own solution. If for medical or pain reasons walking isn't practical, there's really no easy alternative. For those that are semi-ambulatory and can handle the transitions, the rental of a wheelchair, transporter or narrow electric scooter can make sense. The crew will help pax up and down the gangways, and the rental becomes available at the ship, and can be used throughout the length of the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguins Posted July 12 #103 Share Posted July 12 39 minutes ago, canderson said: Along with the rest of your luggage. Have a nice trip. For you, we'll recommend getting around the hard way from the time you hit the curb at the destination airport until you reach the ship (one or more days of transport, hotels, etc.), and then rent one that will be waiting for you aboard ship. We found that approach was going to be far too difficult - the transitions pre-cruise would have been unmanageable. But just for you: https://www.specialneedsatsea.com/about-us/cruise-lines/ https://scootaround.com/en/cruise-rental-equipment Sorry, why so offensive? I was just commenting on the risks of sending a wheelchair as "luggage". For the record my wife uses a 4 wheel walker and we cannot travel without it. She takes the walker right up to the aircraft door and from there it either travels with us in the cabin (We travel Long haul in Club on British Airways and it fits in the wardrobe) or it is moved to the hold. We also have Assistance at all airports and often on boarding the cruise ship depending on the angle of the boarding ramps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iamcruzin Posted July 12 #104 Share Posted July 12 17 hours ago, shandryl said: Parents do that today! Kid get a C parents make sure it a B. The teacher/school are never right & every kid get a trophy or medal! YAY! 😂 My DIL is a teacher and she always gets the calls from the parents asking if the child can do extra credit for the work that they didn't turn in. Her answer is if they didn't do the work in the first place what makes you think that they will do the extra credit work? Part of the lesson is turning in the assignment on time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles4515 Posted July 12 #105 Share Posted July 12 8 minutes ago, Tom and Ingrid said: For sure. And this was covered in other posts related to the logistics (vs actual medical) costs. Again, depending upon the way folks book and pay for a cruise, it might be covered by the CC policy. As posted above, some cards carry a $100k coverage for this sort of thing and also have a phone number to help coordinate that if needed. So, expensive, YES. Covered already? MAYBE. Emergency evacuation insurance: Up to $100,000 when you pay for at least part of your common carrier travel with the card. Evacuation must be preapproved by the benefit administrator in order to be covered. Yes, I have the same Chase card. I had not read your later post when I replied. I also have the AMEX Platinum Card which has emergency evacuation and does even require the trip to be booked with the card. I was thinking though of getting a med evacuation policy that gives me more control. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles4515 Posted July 12 #106 Share Posted July 12 11 minutes ago, the penguins said: I was just commenting on the risks of sending a wheelchair as "luggage". Airlines have a reputation for damaging wheelchairs and scooters sent as luggage. If I ever needed either I would rent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceangoer2 Posted July 12 #107 Share Posted July 12 30 minutes ago, canderson said: narrow electric scooter That's what I've been researching....most of these scooters, although light, are wide and look cumbersome on the site the 2 companies usually used by the cruise lines show. We do use the airlines help with a wheelchair. BTW...to the OP.....sorry I pushed this off the topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canderson Posted July 12 #108 Share Posted July 12 28 minutes ago, the penguins said: Sorry, why so offensive? I guess for stating the obvious when there really isn't any choice for some folks. We haven't been talking 'walkers' (aka Zimmer frames for those of you in the UK) for those as fortunate as your wife, which are as you say, a much easier situation with which to deal. We're talking wheelchairs where the subject is for whatever reason non-ambulatory. There, it must travel with you to deal with the many transitions involved, and issues of loss or damage to the hardware are a risk that must be taken. As an aside - if arriving pre-cruise a few days, the companies listed above, in some cities only, are prepared to deliver the device to your hotel for use there and aboard ship. Where it can become more problematic, or at least costly, is when taking a transoceanic trip and it's a one way ride between continents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canderson Posted July 12 #109 Share Posted July 12 6 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said: That's what I've been researching....most of these scooters, although light, are wide and look cumbersome on the site the 2 companies usually used by the cruise lines show. We do use the airlines help with a wheelchair. BTW...to the OP.....sorry I pushed this off the topic. There are especially narrow units made that work better than others in confined spaces like cruise ship cabins, etc. Wheelchairs also come in 'widths' to accommodate narrower situations. You might want to check into these in advance at whatever medical supply stores you have near you. Also, if you google for narrow scooters, you'll see the difference. The trick there is in finding someone to rent them. Our 'local' shop didn't have them available, though I could have ordered one via Amazon to own. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom and Ingrid Posted July 12 #110 Share Posted July 12 16 minutes ago, Charles4515 said: I was thinking though of getting a med evacuation policy that gives me more control. Absolutely can make things easier and with more control with additional coverage. I keep harping on the topic mainly because of the original question posed - which was "I didn't get trip insurance, so what can I do", and I think many of us are "covered" by the CCs we have and it would be a mistake not to weigh that as an option for the OP. I also think as we all get older (every darn day), but also depending upon our local & unique healthcare circumstances, separate & distinct travel insurance is an option folks should explore. I'm not against extra insurance, I'm just not "travel insurance or bust" about it either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mauimary Posted July 12 #111 Share Posted July 12 (edited) So why did the OP original question change into a medical and evacuation thread when all he was asking for was a suggestion for how to minimize his loss. He’s not asking for insurance help. Seems to me all of these answers should be posted on the Travel insurance Boards. Yes there is a board! Edited July 12 by mauimary 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom and Ingrid Posted July 12 #112 Share Posted July 12 52 minutes ago, Charles4515 said: I also have the AMEX Platinum Card which has emergency evacuation and does even require the trip to be booked with the card. My AmEx is the same - uses their "Premium Global Assist Hotline" - so that's double coverage 🙂 if. use the Chase and carry the AmEx. I did notice "lost luggage assistance" on their list - where you tell them what you lost, and THEY hound the airline for you. That's actually pretty nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom and Ingrid Posted July 12 #113 Share Posted July 12 10 minutes ago, mauimary said: all he was asking for was a suggestion for how to minimize his loss. In a round about way, maybe he could have checked with his CC to see if they would sort it out for him. Certainly the father had a medical issue that could/did fall under: You or your traveling companion experience accidental bodily injury, death or sickness that prevents travel An immediate family member of you or your traveling companion dies or experiences accidental bodily injury or sickness that is life-threatening, requires hospitalization or requires care by you or your traveling companion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisetonowhere10 Posted July 12 #114 Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said: My DIL is a teacher and she always gets the calls from the parents asking if the child can do extra credit for the work that they didn't turn in. Her answer is if they didn't do the work in the first place what makes you think that they will do the extra credit work? Part of the lesson is turning in the assignment on time. Ahhh yes. As a teacher I tell the students (young teenagers) that I do not need to hear from a parent if they need something. They should come talk to me and we will figure out what is acceptable. A parent contacting me results in it being less likely I would do something. That being said, I’m pretty clear about things so it is rarely asked, but my ultimate goal is to create self sufficient students who can advocate for themselves with adults when appropriate. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguins Posted July 12 #115 Share Posted July 12 2 hours ago, canderson said: I guess for stating the obvious when there really isn't any choice for some folks. We haven't been talking 'walkers' (aka Zimmer frames for those of you in the UK) for those as fortunate as your wife, which are as you say, a much easier situation with which to deal. We're talking wheelchairs where the subject is for whatever reason non-ambulatory. There, it must travel with you to deal with the many transitions involved, and issues of loss or damage to the hardware are a risk that must be taken. As an aside - if arriving pre-cruise a few days, the companies listed above, in some cities only, are prepared to deliver the device to your hotel for use there and aboard ship. Where it can become more problematic, or at least costly, is when taking a transoceanic trip and it's a one way ride between continents. we are not talking Zimmer frames which are totally different. Your original post was based on the person not needing their own chair until after baggage reclaim as they could rely on airport assistance up to that point. My wife requires her 4 wheeled walker to get: From the house to the taxi to get us to the airport. From the taxi to check in From check in to the assistance (useful to get us through security. and right up to the aircraft door. it's impossible to rely on there being "wheel chairs" at every airport even though we always prebook. - on our last trips out of Heathrow there were no chairs at all and on our return there was a 2 hour wait for a chair. The Walker is essential and it will never be booked as luggage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canderson Posted July 12 #116 Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, the penguins said: we are not talking Zimmer frames which are totally different. Your original post was based on the person not needing their own chair until after baggage reclaim as they could rely on airport assistance up to that point. My wife requires her 4 wheeled walker to get: From the house to the taxi to get us to the airport. From the taxi to check in From check in to the assistance (useful to get us through security. and right up to the aircraft door. it's impossible to rely on there being "wheel chairs" at every airport even though we always prebook. - on our last trips out of Heathrow there were no chairs at all and on our return there was a 2 hour wait for a chair. The Walker is essential and it will never be booked as luggage. Again, you're talking a 'walker'. She's ambulatory. The OP's situation, and the others I am including in my discussion, are for NON-ambulatory folks who need a wheelchair. Any non-ambulatory passengers in an airport are going to be in some real trouble if the airport doesn't make good on wheelchair service. It's not like you can take it to your seat with you. Like you, we had a bit of a wait (we flew DEN > LHR > LIS) but this was because my wife could not bend her knee, and wheelchairs designed to accommodate an elevated limb are scarce in Heathrow, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canderson Posted July 12 #117 Share Posted July 12 1 hour ago, the penguins said: we are not talking Zimmer frames which are totally different. What, two wheels vs. four? OK. Rollator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shandryl Posted July 13 #118 Share Posted July 13 12 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said: You're so right.....BTW....I LOVE YOUR SIGN-OFF QUOTE! "Don't argue with an idiot; people watching may not be able to tell the difference." Hey ty for that!! appreciate it very much! ❤️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguins Posted July 13 #119 Share Posted July 13 9 hours ago, canderson said: Again, you're talking a 'walker'. She's ambulatory. The OP's situation, and the others I am including in my discussion, are for NON-ambulatory folks who need a wheelchair. Any non-ambulatory passengers in an airport are going to be in some real trouble if the airport doesn't make good on wheelchair service. It's not like you can take it to your seat with you. Like you, we had a bit of a wait (we flew DEN > LHR > LIS) but this was because my wife could not bend her knee, and wheelchairs designed to accommodate an elevated limb are scarce in Heathrow, A bit of a wait? On one return to Heathrow there were 30 passengers, 1 wheelchair and zero staff. As the BA crew came past the Director of Cabin services asked my wife why we were still waiting. He then spoke to the person on the desk, got put through on the phone to the Manager and told him the situation was totally unacceptable. He then took the only wheelchair and personally pushed my wife all the way to the Immigration Desk where he was told he couldn’t go through because he was crew. He asked the Officer to process us while we went back, came though the Crew checkpoint and then returned to push my wife to the Baggage Hall. On our last trip we were on one if the double decker aircraft - there were 40 passengers needing assistance and 1 person assigned to get them all off. Once off and in the waiting area at the top if the ramp there was 1 vehicle holding 4 passengers to move the 40 passengers of whom 10 were in transit with a short connection time. Our taxi driver had to wait an extra 2 hours before we finally made if out of the airport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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