Electric Wheelchair?

[ZephyrJG]

My grandmother is coming with us on the cruise (Southern Caribbean, 11 night), and in recent years, is slowly losing her ability to walk. She can still walk short distances (slowly), but for anything more than that requires a wheelchair.

She really wants to have an electric wheelchair on the cruise (like an Amigo or a Rascal) so that she can be independent and not need to be pushed by someone.

Has anyone had experience with this? Does anyone have any advice about rentals or anything like that?

From what I saw online, it seems like DCL recommends arranging one from a third party, but I don't know how to go about looking for that.

Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My grandmother is coming with us on the cruise (Southern Caribbean, 11 night), and in recent years, is slowly losing her ability to walk. She can still walk short distances (slowly), but for anything more than that requires a wheelchair.

She really wants to have an electric wheelchair on the cruise (like an Amigo or a Rascal) so that she can be independent and not need to be pushed by someone.

Has anyone had experience with this? Does anyone have any advice about rentals or anything like that?

From what I saw online, it seems like DCL recommends arranging one from a third party, but I don't know how to go about looking for that.

Thanks!

http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/?gclid=CJ_lrZbF9NICFQIdaQodY9EAJg

https://www.scootaround.com/cruise-rentals?ref=carevacations

http://www.brevardmedicalequip.com/Rental/

 

[Vijoge]

My grandmother is coming with us on the cruise (Southern Caribbean, 11 night), and in recent years, is slowly losing her ability to walk. She can still walk short distances (slowly), but for anything more than that requires a wheelchair.

She really wants to have an electric wheelchair on the cruise (like an Amigo or a Rascal) so that she can be independent and not need to be pushed by someone.

Has anyone had experience with this? Does anyone have any advice about rentals or anything like that?

From what I saw online, it seems like DCL recommends arranging one from a third party, but I don't know how to go about looking for that.

Thanks!

She needs to be looking at mobility scooters AKA ECV, not wheelchairs then. A power wheelchair is a totally different animal.

 

[OrcaPotter]

When my grandfather came with us about 5 years ago, we rented a scooter through one of the local mobile services that specialize in cruises. I don't remember the name, but a google search brings up several. We were very satisfied, however, they did not have the scooter delivered to the terminal by the time we arrived. That caused some stress, and when a cast member called the service on our behalf, we were told that due to the number of ships in port and all the deliveries, that our scooter would arrive after we boarded. DCL provides a wheelchair upon request to assist with boarding. We used that until they delivered our scooter to our stateroom by the time staterooms were available. At that time, though, we didn't book a HA room. The scooter wouldn't fit inside, so we kept it charged out in the elevator lobby. This was fine, though we had some encounters with curious and rambunctious young children crawling over it.

My father has since developed mobility issues, and we ended up purchasing a small Go Go scooter that easily comes apart and can be transported in a car trunk. We made sure too book a HA room on the Fantasy last year, which easily accommodated parking and charging the scooter.

 

[xlxo]

Things to consider....

• does she need an accessible room where the entrance is wider so she can ride the device into the room. The room does cost more. Otherwise the device needs to be collapsed or dissembled for 10 feet to get between the hallway and the bed.
• we used a transport chair for our travels.... great use in getting around the ship on rough seas. More portable.

 

[OrcaPotter]

Things to consider....

• does she need an accessible room where the entrance is wider so she can ride the device into the room. The room does cost more. Otherwise the device needs to be collapsed or dissembled for 10 feet to get between the hallway and the bed.

Actually no, HA rooms do not cost more by law. What you may encounter, however, is there may not be any HA rooms available in the category you want. Last year, I had to upgrade to a higher verandah category where a HA room was available--therefore paying a bit more than what I did when I initially booked a non-HA room in a lower category. DCL might request proof of need, however--though that was never necessary, even when we booked the HA cabana on Castaway Cay.

 

[lanejudy]

An electric wheelchair is generally driven by a joystick on or near one armrest. An ECV or scooter is generally driven by a tiller in front of the seat. Most companies rent ECVs for vacation travelers; few will rent an actual electric wheelchair as these are usually customized to the users needs and the joystick can be much harder to get used to for driving. Those who rent electric wheelchairs may only do so if the user has one at home but chooses not to travel with it.

Unlike the WDW parks, DCL does not offer ECV rentals. The most common vendors for cruises out of Port Canaveral are Brevard Medical and Special Needs at Sea. Walker Mobility is located in Orlando but does deliver to the port, making it popular among guests who are doing land and sea combo vacations. As mentioned, unless you have an accessible stateroom booked, she may not be able to get the ECV through the door into her stateroom. DCL requests in such situations that ECVs be parked in designated locations, which are usually near the elevators but only on specific floors. So she may need someone else from your party "valet" park it for her (and retrieve it again when she needs it). Be aware that some ports may not be as accessible as we are accustomed to in the U.S. (cobblestones, lack of curb cuts, stairs/steps without ramps, etc.) -- so you'll want to do some extra research for port adventures.

Enjoy your cruise!