Wheelchair

[hopelea]

My 19 yr old daughter shattered leg from the knee down on February 11. She hasn't been able to walk yet. We are hoping she will be cleared for light walking before we cruise in 10 days!!! If the walking gets to be too much, do they have wheelchairs we can rent/use?

 

[Quellman]

What a terrible misfortune to have. I would certainly think you may want to call Disney. Though light walking on a cruise ship can be awfully difficult. I was always over 10k steps per day.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

You might need to look into a medical equipment rental company new Port Canaveral so she has a dedicated wheelchair for her use during the entire cruise.

 

[hopelea]

What a terrible misfortune to have. I would certainly think you may want to call Disney. Though light walking on a cruise ship can be awfully difficult. I was always over 10k steps per day.

Thanks! I was hoping for a faster recovery time for her but her finally doctor appointment is April 29 and we sail May 2. I figure I will get that many steps waiting oh her while she is propped in a chair

 

[hopelea]

You might need to look into a medical equipment rental company new Port Canaveral so she has a dedicated wheelchair for her use during the entire cruise.

Thanks! I might check on that. I think our church may have one sitting around that we could borrow. She does have crutches but they hurt her underarms is she uses them too much.

 

[ktate82]

We bought one off craigslist for $40 for MIL to use. It was cheaper than renting one for our cruise, and then we would have it when she went places with us. I know you may not have need for it after she is healed, but you could always resell it then or donate it to your church so they have a second one.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Could she use a walker, instead of a wheel chair? I would think a walker (with wheels) would be easier to put in your room (assuming you don't have a handicapped room). With a walker she can walk when she feels up to it, use it to steady herself and also (if you get one with a seat) sit and even be pushed in it when it's too much for her.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My 19 yr old daughter shattered leg from the knee down on February 11. She hasn't been able to walk yet. We are hoping she will be cleared for light walking before we cruise in 10 days!!! If the walking gets to be too much, do they have wheelchairs we can rent/use?

To answer the question - no, DCL does not have wheelchairs that you can rent. There are a few wheelchairs located around the ship for emergencies, but not for general use.

If you need a wheelchair there have been several good suggestions made here.

 

[timrousbeastie]

We rented from Brevard Medical after a referal from DCL and it worked flawlessly. You just go to their website and fill out a form and they'll call you back. The wheelchair will be in your stateroom when you arrive and you drop it off at guest services the evening before debarkation. We paid $100 for a 7 day Fantasy cruise in November. One thing to keep in mind is that it is awkward to navigate a wheelchair down the long, narrow hallways so you might consider calling DCL and see if you can get a room as close to an elevator as possible. Another, which we didn't think of, is that the wheelchair can be stored under the bed. We kept them (we had two) on the verandah which was not very smart in hindsight.

 

[hopelea]

Thanks for all the responses. She is trying to use a cane right now. I think we will just have to take it slow. I can't ask to be close to an elevator because I just booked last night and our room has already been assigned. We leave 10 days.

 

[Shelley Chiarats]

I second the idea on the walker thing. Sometimes its not the walking but the standing that becomes too hard. They sell a pretty good one at Walmart that can be used as a walker and then used as a place to sit and rest.

 

[SonicGuy]

We have 2 daughters in wheelchairs and I think the walker idea is a great one if she can. Getting down the hallways is near impossible at times. A few times we weren't able to get handicap access rooms, getting the chair in the door and any room in the cabin were eaten up quickly.

 

[Disneyfn420]

My 19 yr old daughter shattered leg from the knee down on February 11. She hasn't been able to walk yet. We are hoping she will be cleared for light walking before we cruise in 10 days!!! If the walking gets to be too much, do they have wheelchairs we can rent/use?

I just got off the Disney Fantasy last Saturday and my mom called up and asked about a wheelchair and they gave her one with no problems. There was no charge but if we didn't return it there would be a $250 charge.

 

[wl1117]

We have 2 daughters in wheelchairs and I think the walker idea is a great one if she can. Getting down the hallways is near impossible at times. A few times we weren't able to get handicap access rooms, getting the chair in the door and any room in the cabin were eaten up quickly.

Yes. The hallways are narrow and without an HA room, it'd be difficult to store a wheelchair in most rooms. Plus, the motorized chairs take some getting used to and since she's not used a chair, that alone can be a bit dicey. We had a lady in a motorized chair pin my daughter in her stroller to the back of the elevator because she couldn't figure out how to drive it and kept going forward. My husband had to grab the stroller frame (kid and all) and yank it straight up out of the way before she hurt our daughter because she just kept coming even after she made contact and pushed the stroller into the wall! The walker/chairs might be much easier for your daughter. I hope she heals quickly!