Id rather be diving

Apparently, we are the lone people who check ours. We have two that we travel with and put in a suitcase that is made for scuba diving equipment. When it was just my husband's, we'd carry it onboard but it is such a hassle at security at the airport that we gave that up. Now we check it, for free as medical equipment. We also give it to the porters. Knock on wood, we've never had an issue.

We had a handicap accessible cabin on the Emerald Princess for the April TA. It was fantastic. We felt like we were in a mansion. It definetly had enough room for two wheelchairs. My husband rides a scooter and it was so easy to get around that room. There is a ramp to the balcony (which is so spacious) that allows the scooter or wheelchair to go out without any problem. We did have an issue with it for a couple of days, but as soon as I reported the issue to the steward, maintenance was there and had it fixed right away.

I have pictures of the mini suite at home on my computer. If you would like to see them, send me an email at kelizalde17 at gmail dot com.

Kari

I'll be boarding on Sat. I'll check for you.

When I decided I needed to move from my walker to a scooter I began my research and ended up buying a "Luggie Elite" for several reasons. It folds up like a roll on suitcase (hence Luggie), and when folded you can extend the handle and walk it behind you just like a roll on, it weighs just short of 60#, came with a lithium battery (great long range), has a weight capacity of 320#, has arm rests that are easy to attach/remove, and fits through most doors I have found, plus it has a forward and reverse power mode as well as a free-wheeling/power off mode. I can maneuver it in and out of lots of tight places

 

I have now used it for 8 months or so. I love it. It has given me back my mobility in the best way. I could recommend them to my friends who need a scooter. I am not employed nor do I have any connection to the company nor am I being paid anything for this. I just happen to like my Luggie a lot!

We bought the same scooter for my husband. It is a lifesaver and allows us to continue to travel the world!

Tell me about negotiating a lower fare, please?

I loved your blog. I kept reading to see if you would be staying on for the Emerald's April 2 TA. I did see that you said there were great deals so I wouldn't be surprised to see you onboard.

We snagged one of those great deals. Your blog had me taking notes of some things that I want to try while we are onboard.

We love the Emerald. She is our favorite ship. Part of it may be sentimental as we brought her back on her maiden TA from Venice to FLL for our honeymoon. We are always happy on her. We are very excited that four weeks from today we'll be on our way to FLL.

Hope to meet you sometime on a future cruise.

Kari

PS....the Broncos post season was awesome, right??

My husband has a Luggie as well. We used it all over our European ports last fall. Cobblestone streets and all. The only place that he had a problem was at the Forum in Rome. The stones are quite large and are far apart so the spacing made it impossible to use. Other than that we used it everyday for three weeks on and off the ship. If you are going to use private excursions just make sure in advance that they have room in the car/van. We only had one issue in Livornio, Italy, but we got it worked out. We love our Luggie! One of the things we love most is that he can get down the hallway even if the steward's cart is out in the hallway. He can just scoot around it. Additionally, you don't need a handicap room for this scooter. Yes the handicap room is easier, but if you can't get one as they are limited, you can make it work in a regular room. We've even used it in an inside room without any issues.

I've seen the couple of posts about the Luggie. We originally rented a Luggie for our roundtrip Hawaii cruise from SF. We rented it locally in SF and then were going to return it before departing, but my mom decided she wanted to use it through the airport. We then mailed it back when we got home.

Fast forward a couple of years and my husband now needed a scooter. We both really loved the Luggie when we rented it for mom. It is a great size, and although it is heavier than other scooters it works for us. So, we bought it.

First - airports - He rides it through the security and they check him and the scooter separately. We have had times that the check is fast and other times where it has taken a long time. We always allow enough time so not to feel rushed. He rides it down the elevator, onto the train, and to the gate. Then at the gate, he gets a gate check tag and then rides it down the jetway. Because of the scooter, we are always allowed on the airplane first to give him time and not be rushed. He gets off at the end of the jetway, I take out the battery, we only fold down the tiller and the seat. We do not fold it in half. The very first time we folded it in half, Frontier broke the controller. My husband was able to install a new one (quite easy) when we got home, but was a pain to use the broken controller while on our cruise. So, now we just leave it open but put the seat down over the tiller so the contoller is not exposed. When we get to the next airport, we wait until everyone is off the plane, then we get out. Most of the time the scooter is there waiting, but a few times we've had to wait for it to be brought from the belly of the plane.

I do always let the airline know ahead of time that we are bringing it. We have had one time where there was an issue. Last fall we flew on United from Denver to Dulles to Munich and then onto Rome. In Munich it was a code share with Luftansana Airlines - even though I had booked it all through Untied. They were not going to let him take it onboard because we had not told them ahead of time. We went round and round with the gate agent, because clearly we had gotten to Munich on a United flight. In the end, they finally let him on but then the flight attendant told us when we got to Rome that it would be at luggage. I told them to then get us a wheelchair because he could not walk to luggage. Again, in the end they brought his scooter up from the belly of the plane. It was a bit frustrating dealing with them.

Cruise ships: There is a separate line for people with mobility issues so we usually move pretty quickly in boarding. He has driven his scooter onto and off the ship. In some ports when tide is low, they will assist him to make sure he doesn't just go careening down the gangplank. In my opinion, the Luggie is the best scooter out there for cruise ships. It has a wonderful turning radius and is narrow enough that my husband can get by in the hallways, even if the steward has his/her cleaning cart out in the hallway. I've seen lots of other scooters that have to go the other way to get to an area that the cart is not in so they can get around. Not so with the Luggie. We have cruised with both Princess and Celebrity in a non-handicap room with the LUggie and it has worked out beautifully. However, on Celebrity there is a threshold on the door to the cabin, so he could not just drive the scooter into the room. He would have to get off and one of us would lift it over the threshold. He was always with me or our grandson or my sister so it wasn't a problem but could have been a bit harder if he was going to and from the room by himself. The Princess ships do not have that threshold so very easy to get in and out, if you can get the door open by yourself. He is able to do that. This next two cruises we will be in a handicap acessible room so we'll see the difference.

Ports: He has been able to get all around in the ports that we have been to. He even has been able to use it on cobblestone streets of Rome, Florenece, Barcelona. The only time in Rome he couldn't use it was at the Forum as those big river rocks are too far apart and create too large of spaces between the rocks. We mostly use private excursions and have only had one issue where the car did not have room for it. We were supposed to have six people on the tour, but one of the participants was sick that day so she didn't go. So, the driver took one seat out and we were able to put his scooter in. However, if she had come, I would have made the driver get a different vehicle because there was no way that all six of us could have fit in that car -even without the issue of the scooter. In the future, however, I will confirm with tour companies that they have room for it. All the other private tours we had, there were no problems. We even squeezed four of us in a taxi and the scooter in the trunk in small cabs in Rome. Thankfully we all had showered that day!!!;)

The tours we have taken through the ship have always been fine. They use those big tour buses so it's never an issue taking it there. I do make sure that the tour allows it...making sure there aren't stairs, etc.

Almost always there are people around to help if you need it. The only times we've encountered issues were getting onto the elevators on the ships. We would be standing at the elevator waiting for one to arrive, people would come up after us and then just push in ahead of us. I've gotten to the point where I just "box out" when the elevator arrives and simply put my hand up and ask people to wait.

So, all in all we love the Luggie. Everytime we go through an airport, people ask about it. If you have any questions about it, please let me know and I'll be happy to answer them as the best I can.

Kari

The Emerald is very HC accesible. My husband uses a scooter and has no problems getting around the ship. His is a smaller scooter that can easily get around the steward's cleaning carts in the hallway. The public areas are great. The cabins are easy to get into as well, unlike the Celebrity Silhouette that has a threshold at the door. He could not get over that. We'd have to lift the scooter over it. We are on the April 2 TA so I'll report back more in late April.

Good afternoon,

Can anyone tell me if the handicap balcony rooms on the Emerald have a ramp going to and from the balcony? We are just starting the need for booking handicap rooms. We looked at one on a Celebrity ship and it had a ramp to go out to the balcony which works great for my husband's scooter. But I've read somewhere that not all handicap rooms have this. Any help would be most appreciated.

Thanks, Kari

I've loved cruising since I first set foot onboard the Star Princess in 1996. When I met my husband he told me in no uncertain terms how much he hated cruising. A year later he was disappointed that I had not asked him to join me on a cruise and had asked my sister instead. A couple cruises later with me, he decided not only did he LOVE cruising, he didn't want to go on anything less than 10 days. Of course, I believe his love of cruising has more to do with his wonderful traveling companion...ME! We sailed from Venice to FLL for our honeymoon and fell in love with transatlantic a. We love flying over, doing all our touring up front when we have lots of energy. Then we still have 5-7 days to totally relax before getting off. Not to mention we love getting back to the U.S. with our bodies adjusted to East Coast time so we only have the two hour time change to deal with instead of 8 hour jet lag.

I'm glad there are options and choices for all to decide what works for them.

Good afternoon,

Our upcoming TA on the Silhouette will be our first time on Celebrity. We are usual Princess passengers. Is anyone allowed to use the showers in the spa lockerrooms? Do you have to have had a treatment done in the spa to use it? On Princess anyone can use those showers. Our grandson is going to be traveling with us and sharing a room with my sister. So, am wondering if he can go to the spa to use the shower.

Thanks for your knowledge.

Kari

It gets extremely frustrating on the part of the wheelchair user as well. My husband uses an electric scooter and you can't believe how people behave, as if you are invisible. We'll be waiting for an elevator, before anyone else shows up, and then when more people come they just get on the elevator with no regards for him. Myself and some of our traveling companions have had to learn how to be defensive blocks so my husband can actually get on. He cannot do the stairs and yet other able bodied people who could do the stairs push in front of him.

I broke my foot a few years back and had to use a wheelchair. It gives you a great view into someone else's life. Be thankful you don't have to have one right now.

Thanks so much for such a great review. We sail on the Silhouette in five months. My husband isn't confined to a wheelchair but does use an electric scooter, especially on the big ships. This review has really helped me be prepared for things for him. Plus you are very entertaining which is how I love to read reviews.

I am excited to read this trip report because we are bringing the Silhouette back from Rome in the fall. We have never sailed Celebrity so I try to read all that I can about this great ship and company.

We were on the Emerald the week of Jan. 25. We saw lots of tuxes, sport coats, suits, etc. We didn't want to dress up so we didn't bring formal clothes therefore we just ate in alternate venues such as the Crown Grill.

Is a Chocolate Banana (the virgin version of a dirty banana) a mocktail that is included in the Soda & More Package?

What is Princess@Sea?

On our last cruise on the Caribbean Princess last August, we were able to trade everything in the set up for one to one conversion of Coors Light cans. :) My husband was very happy!

Can you have multiple plates of crab legs?

For those of you who have ordered Casino Credit Vouchers with Princess in the past, can you tell me what the charge showed up as on your credit card statement? I am wondering if it is a generic Princess Cruise Line listing or if it would be something more specific as Princess Casino Credit? Thanks in advance for your experiences...

 

Happy Cruising!

 

Mark[/

 

I use the Princess Visa Card and my casino credits are listed as--- Princess Cruises Spec SvcLos Angeles CA

That's what mine shows as well. With my credit card I get 2x points on travel so I get double points for those charges!

There are some great dives right in the Lauderdale area. I've never dove in Jan. if you are advanced certified, check out The Captain Dan wreck. The Copenhagen is a good one too, not advanced for that one.

Good morning, we are on the 1/25/14 Emerald out of Houston. We are flying in the night before and staying at a hotel close to the airport. I have booked Princess transfers to get us to the ship the next day. Does anyone know what time they start the transfers from George Bush Intercontinental Airport on the day of the cruise?

Thanks, Kari

I tried to call and it was busy so I tried the re-register trick and it worked. Thanks to all who suggested that and let us know. I thought I was losing my mind that I had changed my password and didn't remember or that I didn't know how to type in my email address correctly.

I'm trying it this year. I bought our airline tickets the end of October for travel to Houston in January. Frontier Airlines MasterCard had a perk that you could get a companion ticket for 15,000 miles instead of the normal 20,000 miles. So, now I have my tickets and will just sit back and wait for cruise prices to fall. There are a ton of cabins left on that cruise so I am crossing my fingers that I'll get a great deal. I was going to book an inside when it was $399 a person. I see some balcony cabins on the 11/30 cruise for $459. I would be so psyched to get a deal like that!! I'm planning this trip as a surprise for my husband for our anniversary. I'll give him a card on our anniversary and tell him to pack his packs because we leave in three days!! We spent our honeymoon on the Emerald so she is near and dear to us.