Handicap Boarding........

[mariamard]

MIL IS USING AN ECV-SCOOTER . DO WE BOARD EARLY OR IN A SPECIAL LINE? SHE NEEDS EXTRA TIME GETTING AROUND AND WITH THE MADNESS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GETTING ON THAT SHIP WITHIN A MATTER OF HOURS, WE THOUGHT TO ARRIVE AT THE TERMINAL EARLY. ANY OTHER HELP OR SUGGESTIONS?

 

[GenieDana]

If you are checked in before 12:00 (Noon), you will board first, before general boarding in the normal waiting line. They will hold you right in front of the "big ears" to wait. After that, you will board in line / as you arrive.

 

[KimDisFan]

We had the same experience both times with my FIL with boarding first. Also the first time (on the Wonder) they let us disembark first also. The second time on the Magic they did not. But doesn't hurt to ask. It helps with the crowds and people can be so rude sometimes to people in the wheelchairs or scooters.

 

[mariamard]

THANKS FOR THE QUICK RESPONSE! I LOVE THE RUDE PEOPLE WHO PUSH TO GET IN FRONT OF MIL'S SCOOTER, THEN GET BUMPED WITH THE WHEELS AND TURN AND GET MAD AT MY MIL!!!!!!! I LAUGH RIGHT AT THEM! THE BEST WAS WHEN A JERK CUT IN FRONT OF HER AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS( AND MY MIL HAD IT BY THEN)AND SHE ACTUALLY SPED UP JUST ENOUGH TO NICK THE MORONS KNEE, AND HE WENT FLYING INTO THE BUSHES ...............THAT'LL LEARN YA~

 

[softfluff]

We checked in and then were the third family announced!

 

[KimDisFan]

Remember that there are sand wheelchairs on CC, that is if she likes the beach. Otherwise the scooter will be fine on the pavement.

And don't get me started on the rude people. I would always tell him to just run over their toes, but he always took things in stride and never did (well on purpose )

Also the CM's go the extra mile for those in the wheelchairs and scooters. One thing you may want to do is check out your table locations in the dining rooms. I believe on our 1 st with my inlaws the table at Parrots Cay was a tight fit and he would not been able to make it in his scooter, but he had just gotton a new electric wheelchair and was able to do it fine. If she is able to do some walking you may want to leave it right outside the door of the restaurant and walk to the table.

 

[mariamard]

 

[abitjaded]

If you do check in early enough to wait in line, they may ask that one person only enter with the wheelchair rider. There was a long line for us so they asked the remainder of the party to wait in the line while one person went with my Mom. So we all ended up waiting in line and grabbed my mom where she was parked at the front, just so we could all board together. It really wasn't a problem. Boy I do get sick of the glarers too after they get rammed. A lot of folks don't think twice about cutting in front of a moving chunk of metal, as though there wasn't a person associated with it. Remember those bike flags that hung off the sides to keep cars from passing too close? Been thinking about rigging some of those up. Wish wc and scooters came equipped with a laser no-cut-in-front-of-zone detector. Zap! Hee, hee hee, got another one for our side!

Carla

 

[softfluff]

That wasn't my experience at all. I wasn't in a wheel chair. I was using a cane. We were a party of 7 and all entered togather, the third family on board.

 

[abitjaded]

Softfluff, was there a long line by the time you all got checked in? I have been wondering about why we had to stand in line. Does not seem to be the norm. There were only 6 of us, and we were checking in pretty early. There were only about 30 families in front of us, line had not passed the bathrooms at the back of the terminal. But the line was much longer and the terminal was pretty congested by the time boarding started. We did hold the line up a bit when we boarded. Maybe there were some P.O.d folks in front of us that they did not want to further anger. I have seen this happen in the parks when we have "cut" in line rides. Some folks seem to think we get "preferential" treatment. Little do they realize that our progress through any park takes us ten times what a normal group needs. And that some of those wheelchair lines actually entail a much longer wait, while we wait for a lone CM to appear if the ride is under-attended.

Carla

 

[KimDisFan]

Our whole group of 7 also boarded together, first. Out last DCL cruise was 6/02, maybe they have changed how they do it. But what fun is it to board without your whole group.