Wheelchairs for rent?

[Markk]

Travelling with my mother in two weeks, and unfortunately her back has been bothering her terribly. She can walk, but there are 11 of us and we plan on exploring some of the islands, were hoping to do alot of walking, and I was wondering if it is possible to rent a wheelchair from the ship while we are in port so that she can come along?

[derf5585]

Here is my take on the what goes on for a conversation I overheard

 

Renting a Carnival wheelchair aboard is free. However I you take it off of the ship on liberty they will charge.

 

permission granted to a sailor, esp. in the navy, to go ashore.

from

http://www.infoplease.com/dictionary/liberty

[Cruiser@Heart]

There are wheelchairs on the ship and are usually first come first served. Unfortunately, they aren't always in good working condition and sometimes the ship will not allow you to remove them from the ship. You might be better off renting a manual wheelchair from a medical supply place for the time you will be cruising. I've rented equipment in the past when traveling with my mother. We used Care Vacations http://www.carevacations.com/ Care Vacations will have it delivered to your cabin and pick it up later. They specialize in rental equipment for cruise ships and have been extremely easy to work with in the past.

[PiperMcB]

I suggest renting from http://www.carevacations.com/ . I have my own manual chair, but I am renting a scooter for my cruise at Christmas. I like the independence a scooter gives. I hope things work out. I know what it is like to try to walk with back pain!

[fishergh]

Markk, check out Randalle Medical Sales & Rental, 1-800-753-1222. Understand they deliver and pickup at ship. Plan to use them for our Christmas cruise. They are located in Miami and cover Ft Lauderdale piers.

Cruising Colonel

[RWolver672]

If you are flying in, I would suggest you rent a wheelchair from home and take it with you. When flying, most likely you will encounter lots of walking at the airport too. They will allow you to board the aircraft first and will store the wheelchair for you. Then you can push her through the airport. Same with boarding the ship. She will be allowed to board before the other guests. We did this with our SIL when she had foot surgery right before our Conquest cruise. It worked out very well.

[Markk]

Thanks for all the info. Is it realistic to push a wheelchair while walking through Puerto Rico, for example. If I remember correctly, the streets are all cobblestone, narrow side walks.

[RWolver672]

It can be done but there are a lot of hills to maneuver. If I remember correctly, the sidewalks in New Orleans are a lot worse than the ones in San Juan. Most of the islanders will go out of their way to accommodate a wheelchair in their businesses. Cozumel was the best without a doubt.