Disabled with electric scooter & service dog? Advice

Advice & Info please for solo disabled cruiser with electric scooter and service dog.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

I would be posting this on the disabled cruise board where I m sure you can get information on both these items.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=-1&f=190

Keith

We have seen both on ships. Do you have both? Would you take both on a ship?

Electric scooters should be IN your cabin, not left in the hallway.

We have seen service dogs on ships, primarily Seeing Eye dogs. I also discovered a 'box' near the bow of an open deck where few passengers go. This was for dogs to releave themselves. I am sure it was cleaned after each use.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

We have seen scooters and service dogs on Alaskan cruises. There are some buses that can not handle a scooter as there isn't any place to store them -- like the school buses that are used for some tours.

If your scooter doesn't fit through your cabin door, when you are done for the evening, call the front desk and they will store it for you overnight. Then when you are ready to get out and about in the morning, call them to bring back your scooter.

Advice & Info please for solo disabled cruiser with electric scooter and service dog.

I would take a look at the Disabled Cruise Travel forum for more info.

Hi Grandma - come visit us here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=585728&page=959

almost 20k posts about traveling with a Service Dog and the nicest people hang out on this thread...they can and will answer any question you have.

Keith

...If your scooter doesn't fit through your cabin door, when you are done for the evening, call the front desk and they will store it for you overnight. Then when you are ready to get out and about in the morning, call them to bring back your scooter.

You do new scooter users a great disservice by giving completely outdated advice. No mass market cruise line will store scooters! Not Carnival, not Celebrity, not Cunard, not HAL, not NCL, not RCI.

All of them state that scooters must be stored and charged INSIDE the passenger's cabin.

...If your scooter doesn't fit through your cabin door, when you are done for the evening, call the front desk and they will store it for you overnight. Then when you are ready to get out and about in the morning, call them to bring back your scooter.

I know you cruise primarily on HAL and perhaps HAL offers this service but it is NOT offered on other cruise lines.

I know you cruise primarily on HAL and perhaps HAL offers this service but it is NOT offered on other cruise lines.

HAL doesn't store scooters as outlined here:Can I Use My Personal Mobility Equipment On Board? Perhaps as a long-time loyal HAL passenger she might have some special arrangement that they continue to provide for her. But her case is the exception. Unfortunately she continues to tell new scooter users that "most ships" will store scooters. This does new users a tremendous disservice if they book with the belief that the front desk will take care of everything.

The only ships I have heard of that have accommodations for the scooters outside the cabin is Disney (and not sure of all the ships), where they have an alcove by the elevators where they can secure and charge the scooters.

The only ships I have heard of that have accommodations for the scooters outside the cabin is Disney (and not sure of all the ships), where they have an alcove by the elevators where they can secure and charge the scooters.

I've heard the same thing. But that's far different from how the member in post #4 has been answering scooter inquiries. In earlier posts she has been telling scooter users that on "most ships" the reception desk will store it, charge it, and that a phone call will have it delivered to their cabin when they are ready for it. A search for "scooter policy" on the main mass market lines didn't reveal any cruise line that provides the service that she mentions. Perhaps HAL has always done this for her and they continue to do so as she's "grandfathered in" to their old policy. As the baby boomer population ages I cannot see anyone being willing to invest the manpower required to collect, charge, and deliver more and more scooters.

The problem here is that somebody who needs a scooter for the first time will see her answer. They book a regular cabin with no regard to door width or where they will park it - after all, they've been told to just let the reception desk take care of it. If they roll up to the checkin desk with an undeclared scooter the scooter could be denied boarding.

Welcome to Cruise

If your scooter doesn't fit through your cabin door, when you are done for the evening, call the front desk and they will store it for you overnight. Then when you are ready to get out and about in the morning, call them to bring back your scooter.

I'm a full time scooter user and I've been on nearly every cruise line, and not one has offered this service you mention. By any chance, are YOU a scooter user, or is someone in your family a scooter user? If not, I politely request that you not impart incorrect information.

Grandma, depending on the size and type of scooter, most will not fit through the door of a regular cruise ship cabin. Some older ships from Carnival have somewhat wider doors, but those ships aren't nearly as disabled friendly as newer ships. If you call Customer Service of most lines, they will tell you the width of cabin doors, but what they don't tell you is that measurement includes the width of the door jam. With that in mind, again I tell you that many scooters, with the exception of those very small folding scooters, will not fit through regular cabin doors. Knowing that, and knowing you have a service dog, you will definitely need a handicap accessible cabin. And since there are very few HC cabins on cruise ships, you will need to book at least 10 months out, or longer, if the cruise you want is popular.

Another issue is that you cannot park your scooter in the hallway, outside your cabin. It's against SOLAS (Safety of Life At Sea) regulations. You must store your scooter in your cabin.

Other than that, I agree you should come over to the Disabled Cruisers Board.

All ships have accessible staterooms. Our mom takes her scooter and does great. I saw a service dog on board. You can train the pooch to use a puppy pad for relief.

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Thank you all for the kind replies.My service dog is registered, trained, and I have appropriate letter from doctor for airlines and cruise lines. He's 18lbs and no xtra charges so far since he sits in my lap or at feet.

My scooter is small, foldable and easily comes apart in four pieces and fits in trunk/boot of car. Cruise line asked for dimensions, and I'll have to figure that out, but it looks like I'm all good to go cruising! So excited. Much appreciated!!

I saw a service dog on board. You can train the pooch to use a puppy pad for relief.

True service dogs are training to hold until allowed to go in the proper place.

If the dog is not trained this way, it is not a actual service dog.

MANY people buy a "certificate" online for their "emotional support animal" and use this to take their pet with them.