Cruising in 17 days nephew broke his hip

[kimberlyelayne]

My Sister and nephew are cruising with us in 17 days. My Sister says she still wants to go on the cruise as scheduled. Will DCL let us use a wheelchair for him? Anyone experience anything like this and can give advise? TIA

 

[Floridatinaherb]

My Sister and nephew are cruising with us in 17 days. My Sister says she still wants to go on the cruise as scheduled. Will DCL let us use a wheelchair for him? Anyone experience anything like this and can give advise? TIA

I don't see that they would have any issue with it...there are plenty of people who use a wheelchair for other mobility issues. My DH's grandmother has used a wheelchair the last 3 years on our cruises (after much coaxing from us, she does not want to use one at all) and has not had any issues. The only thing that I could see being a problem (or a challenge) is having a non-HA room. How mobile will he be? Will he be able to move around without the wheelchair? The rooms can be a little tight if they are not HA.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I don't see that they would have any issue with it...there are plenty of people who use a wheelchair for other mobility issues. My DH's grandmother has used a wheelchair the last 3 years on our cruises (after much coaxing from us, she does not want to use one at all) and has not had any issues. The only thing that I could see being a problem (or a challenge) is having a non-HA room. How mobile will he be? Will he be able to move around without the wheelchair? The rooms can be a little tight if they are not HA.

I agree that the stateroom could be an issue if it isn't wheelchair accessible, particularly the bathroom. Could you call and if there is a HA stateroom still available that your sister and nephew could switch to?

I am assuming your sister checked with her son's doctor and the doctor okayed travel.

 

[Vijoge]

Your nephew can definitely take his wheelchair on the cruise. People cruise in wheelchairs all the time. But the previous poster is correct in saying that without a handicapped accessible stateroom he will need to be somewhat mobile. I don't think a standard wheelchair will fit through the cabin door without folding it, nor will it fit in the bathroom. The common areas of the ship will be accessible, though.

 

[kimberlyelayne]

Thanks for your reply. That is great to hear we should be able to get a wheelchair.

The injury was just yesterday. He has just gone to ER last night so we are just getting started with all this. I am going to call Disney and see if there is a HA room, that is a good point.

 

[Vijoge]

Thanks for your reply. That is great to hear we should be able to get a wheelchair.

Just to be clear, he will need to take his own wheelchair. The cruise line won't have one available for him to use.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Thanks for your reply. That is great to hear we should be able to get a wheelchair.

The injury was just yesterday. He has just gone to ER last night so we are just getting started with all this. I am going to call Disney and see if there is a HA room, that is a good point.

A friend's daughter just recently broke her hip. She used crutches, not a wheel chair. After a couple of weeks, she was walking on her own, albeit slowly.

I guess what I am saying is, don't get ahead of yourself. He may not need or want a HA room.

 

[bumbershoot]

Depending on what sort of showers the HA rooms have he might need that part of the HA room.

 

[Weedy]

Also have Disney note the wheelchar on your dining reservation- Ask for tables near the entrance of the restaurants.

 

[kimberlyelayne]

I believe they gave my nephew crutches. It will be exhausting to get around the ship on crutches let alone maybe extremely difficult on a rocking boat. So I was wondering if DCL would let him use a wheelchair to get around easier on the ship.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I believe they gave my nephew crutches. It will be exhausting to get around the ship on crutches let alone maybe extremely difficult on a rocking boat. So I was wondering if DCL would let him use a wheelchair to get around easier on the ship.

As noted previously, DCL doesn't have wheelchairs for guest use. You should look into renting one before the cruise if you feel he needs one. I do agree with your assessment that it would be exhausting to get around the ship on crutches. There are lightweight "travel" wheelchairs that can be easily folded. That would be your best bet. You could bring it out when he needs it, but stow it when he's fine on the crutches.

I would still inquire about a HA stateroom. I think the step up into the bathrooms in the non-accessible staterooms, combined with the narrow doorways, would be awkward and difficult with crutches. And bumbershoot made a good point about the showers in the HA rooms would be easier for him to use.

 

[FigmentSpark]

When my 80 year old father broke his hip, they had him up and walking within a week. He was even doing stairs. He used a cane for support. Check with your nephew's doctor before you change anything. He may be able to do this without a wheelchair. In fact, the doctor may want him to avoid a wheelchair. He has to get back on his feet to heal.

 

[kimberlyelayne]

I feel so bad for him. He is 17 years old and this is his 1st cruise. He is gonna miss out on some of the things because of his injury. So I just want to look into what ever I can to help him to enjoy this cruise as much as possible and limit his discomfort.

 

[kimberlyelayne]

I will check with my Sister. From the information we got last night, I believe he is going to need surgery (Don't know if that will be before or after the cruise). And then it is expected to be 6 weeks after surgery before he is really able to get around. He is going to have pins put in not a whole hip replacement. Whole hip replacement you are able to start moving around right away. But thanks for the information.

 

[lanejudy]

So sorry for your nephew! There are a few vendors who can deliver wheelchairs to the terminal in Port Canaveral for you. There may be others as well, but these definitely:

Brevard Medical: http://www.brevardmedicalequip.com/
Walker Mobility: http://www.walkermobility.com/
Special Needs at Sea: http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/

Good luck to him with his recovery and enjoy your cruise!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I will check with my Sister. From the information we got last night, I believe he is going to need surgery (Don't know if that will be before or after the cruise). And then it is expected to be 6 weeks after surgery before he is really able to get around. He is going to have pins put in not a whole hip replacement. Whole hip replacement you are able to start moving around right away. But thanks for the information.

I would think they'd want to do surgery sooner rather than later. Isn't the point of the surgery after a break to put pins in to make sure the bones are positioned right when they heal? If they wait until after the cruise, the bones will have already started to heal.

 

[jdb in AZ]

If your nephew needs to rent a wheel chair, it would be simpler to rent it locally before you leave for your cruise. Then he can use it in the airports (assuming you're flying) and hotels pre/post cruise.

 

[DnA2010]

If your nephew needs to rent a wheel chair, it would be simpler to rent it locally before you leave for your cruise. Then he can use it in the airports (assuming you're flying) and hotels pre/post cruise.

Echo this. We brought my wheelchair on our Fantasy cruise last year. I was just starting weight bearing after a couple of months in casts from Achilles tendon lengthening surgery. It was really handy to have in the airport and the one I got from home was much smaller and easier.

 

[Janrantoo2]

Wow, so sorry about your nephew! He must be very disappointed. Unless he has other medical issues, he will need to stay as mobile as possible. The young heal much faster and he needs to move that hip. He will be up and working with a Physical Therapist the day after surgery and then 2 -3x's a week until cleared. No water sports for him until the skin is 100% healed.

 

[Weedy]

One more thing. People on the ship are not very gracious with the elevators.
Try using the forward and aft elevators. The mid ship ones are very busy.
Unfortunately you will need to stand your ground when it's your turn. And say sorry but we've been waiting.
Also. If you go to the shows in the Walt Disney Theater after the show the crowds are crazy. Go outside on deck 4 and walk away from the crowds to midor aft. We do this and we don't even have a wheelchair