SusieCruises

Thanks to everyone who posted in this topic. Just returned from our cruise and we ended up renting a wheelchair for the Cabo stop. The crew and my family was very helpful getting me and the chair on and off the tender. I was able to see everything I wanted to see. There are several stores/buildings that you can't get into with a scooter or wheelchair.....too many stairs or difficult doorways to enter. And getting off and on the ship was tough because you must be able to walk up and down several steps. But if you have some mobility, it can be done and as I said, the crew is very helpful and patient helping you navigate the stairs. 

Happy Cruising everyone! 

Thanks for responding! I usually book cruises that are 6 days or more.....so we have more than one port. Even on the longer cruises I often stay on board if it is a port I have visited several times before or just don't care for. I am not at all bothered by staying on the ship. This is my first time visiting Cabo so I was curious, but I will always opt for safety over anything else. Since I bring my own scooter, I would have to RENT a wheelchair to get off the ship in Cabo if it was allowed. I don't really want to do that if there is a possibility of not even using it. So, I will be looking for a nice spot to read or play trivia or meet new people. 

Thanks for taking the time to respond! 

Nice picture! Thank you for sharing. I am glad you had the opportunity to go ashore. I am back to sitting on the fence about getting off the ship. I know I can't take my scooter, and I would have to rent a wheelchair for the one port. I am trying to decide if it is worth taking the chance of being able to get off in Cabo......I sure don't want to rent a chair and then find out I can't get off anyway.

I really appreciate everyone who is taking the time to share THEIR experience. That's why I love Cruise Critic.....everyone is always so helpful!

Thanks for responding. I can walk up or down a few steps if I have to.  I use a scooter on the ship and in the ports and never had an issue. I am just concerned about the tender. The 'official' paperwork says you can't take a scooter or wheelchair on a tender. I can understand about the scooter...(I have a Pride GoGo and it does fold down but it is still too clumsy to get in and out of a tender). I can survive without going to Cabo....LOL....but my granddaughter is getting married on the cruise and wanted to plan something in Cabo for all of the family to do together. Its the first time for a lot of us Michigan people cruising out of California. But it is not worth taking the chance of getting left behind in Cabo if the water gets choppy. So I think I will be enjoying the peace and quiet of the empty cruise ship while everyone is in Cabo. Thank you for sharing your experience on Princess! I appreciate you talking the time to answer. 

Good morning everyone....I am wondering if anyone has any experience with taking a wheelchair on a tender? We are going on the PRINCESS ROYAL  in Sept and our only port is Cabo. I use a scooter but my family thinks I should also rent a wheelchair to be able to get off in Cabo. From what I have read on the Princess info pages, boarding the tender is at the discretion of the Captain....weather, etc. Has anyone ever done it? I got off in Belize with a wheelchair and also on Carnival's and Royal's private islands. This is my first cruise with Princess. My family will get the chair (and me!) off and on.....we will not expect any help from the crew. 

Thank you for any experiences you can share so I can plan accordingly.

We had an aft extended balcony accessible cabin (5344) on Sunshine in November and it was HUGE but again, it was an aft extended balcony. I highly recommend upgrading, if you can.

I think we got the last accessible cabin available on that cruise. We are really 'locked in'.....we booked the airfare so we are going. :) The difference is in whether or not my sister and I will be able to venture very far off the ship or not. We can get around fine with our walkers but for any kind of distance the scooter is the only way we can see and do everything. I used a scooter for the first time last year on a cruise and was AMAZED at the difference it made! I thought I was all done cruising but the scooter let me enjoy so much more of the cruise than I had in the past several cruises. (I actually think I have a few more cruises in me! Alaska is

back on my bucket list :D:D:D)

Thanks for your suggestion!

Thanks, everyone, for the replies. I appreciate the help. I am going to try to find someone who is going on the Sunshine before December who would be willing to look at the cabin (2341) to see if the two scooters will fit.

Thanks again.......Cruise Critic people are the BEST source for helpful information! :)

Happy Cruising!

Do not know know about storing two in cabin. Not handicapped but was in a handicap room on the Sunshine in Nov. Be very careful in the shower as there are no ledges to stop the water and it continously wet the carpet in my room. Guest services know about the problem and said there was nothing they could do. They did come each time i called and i had my own personal floor fan for the cruise. It was a 4J in the front. Seemed large enough . Hope you have a great cruise

Do you happen to remember the cabin number? I know there are a couple cabins that have a very weird configuration and offer extra room. We had one of those on the Conquest. (We had enough room to have scooter races if we wanted! LOL) We will be in a aft cabin on the Sunshine.

Thanks for your help. :)

Hello, everyone...I am trying to find out if anyone has cruised in a handicap cabin on the Carnival Sunshine. I have one booked for a December cruise and I am bringing my mobility scooter. (It Is smaller kind and I am sure it will fit thru doorway.) My question is because my sister wants to rent a scooter and we are trying to find out if two scooters will fit in the room. I was told there is no 'turn around room" and that is fine....we can drive it in and back it out but I need to know if we can even get the two scooters into the room. As with a lot of things with any cruise line, when you call it all depends on who you get on the phone at any given time. I almost always get a different answer with every phone call. ;)

So, I am hoping to hear from anyone who has actually stayed in an Ocean View Handicap Cabin. Please share your experience if you have.

Thank you all very much for reading this post.

Happy Cruising! :cool:

So I know Sunshine is having a dry dock in Oct of this year. I was just wondering if anyone knows whats being done to her ? I'm booked in December and just wanting to know if there are going to be any major changes.

Thanks!

Booked for Dec. also.......Wondering what kind of changes. (Dec.1-9)

I rented a scooter last year for my cruise on Celebrity (out of Miami) from SCOOTAROUND. I was VERY happy with everything from the initial phone call to inquire about price to the follow-up after the cruise. The scooter was in my room when I arrived on the ship and I only had to leave it in the room at the end of the cruise.

Just a personal note.....I have been on many cruises on different cruise lines and this was the first time I ever rented a scooter. I WILL NEVER CRUISE WITHOUT ONE AGAIN! I can't believe all that I missed by having difficulty getting around! I saw more, did more, and experienced and ENJOYED more than I have on any other cruise!

Your beverage package is good for the bars and the dining venue only, not for anything that might be in the mini-bar or ordered from room service.

Your cabin steward will not be able to keep it stocked for you as part of your drink package, but you can request that he empty it and you can stop at any bar and bring back water, soda, etc and stock the fridge yourself on trips back to your cabin.

If you take any of the "stocked" items that are already loaded in the fridge when you board, you will be charged for them, unless you are in the Reflection, Penthouse, Royal or Signature suites.

Thank you! Such good information for a first time Celebrity cruisers! Appreciate it. :)

T

Rather than continue an older thread, I thought I would post the most current information I obtained.

 

This afternoon I finally made my decision and rented my first scooter from Special Needs at Sea. I did it by phone because - of course - I still had a million questions.

 

Rental is for Pride Go Go Sport. Cost for 8 day cruise $208 inclusive of all taxes and fees. This rental amount includes full coverage with no deductible for damage or loss. It has a weight limit of 249 Lbs. The battery life is 10 miles. This is more than sufficient for my needs.

 

There is no gratis cancellation time frame. If the scooter rental is cancelled between day of rental ( for me today) and 8 days prior to Embarkation there is a $50 cancellation fee. If the rental is cancelled between 7 days and Embarkation, there is no refund at all.

 

I was told if the scooter is not in the cabin by 2 PM to call them immediately.

 

The agent, named Paul was a pleasure to deal with. He was very patient with me and answered all my questions.

 

Hopefully, this will be useful information for any other first timers:)

Thank you for sharing this information! I will be calling them first thing Monday morning! :)

We are leaving on the same cruise...this is our first time with Celebrity. I hope your family enjoys it! We are so excited!!

 

 

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My (adult) daughter and I will also be on this cruise! Also first time on Celebrity for us. Lots of newbies! :)

But I am not worried a bit. Everyone here on this board has been very helpful and welcoming. I am looking forward to a great cruise! :cool:

That may be the law but it's not always the practice on Celebrity. On my December 2016 Equinox and January 2017 Eclipse cruises there were at least one stored in the hallway that I passed each day on the way to the elevator.

I think it is the law.

I know on several Carnival ships I had a hard time getting down the hallway because of scooters and power chairs left out of the room. (They didn't stay out there long.....someone must have asked them to move.)

I wouldn't leave mine in the hallway...I was only trying to find out if the cabins were as small as they looked in the pictures. (And square footage doesn't always mean anything....it is more in the way the room is laid out. The rooms look fine for walking around, but I am concerned about the area when you first walk in. I don't think you could comfortably leave a scooter there to charge.)

The more I am learning, the more I am thinking I will have to bring a wheelchair and my poor daughter will get her exercise pushing me when we get off the ship. :)

I can help you with renting a scooter info. There are literally hundreds of different scooter brands out there. There are primarily 2 rental companies Special Needs at Sea and Care Vacations (AKA Scootaround). These scooters/chairs tend to be standard size and either do not break down or don't really break down easily, for storage. There is a company called Scoot Anywhere they rent The SmartScoot and the TravelScoot. The Smart Scoot has a variable width rear axle and stores in a pretty small space. So you can drive it through a door 21 inches wide, like on cruise ships. The TravelScoot and fold up and fit into a duffel bag. They will ship the scooter to you. You can drive it in the airport, up to the gate. Gate check the scooter, and when you land it will be there waiting for you when you deplane. Then you can fold it up, put it in the trunk of a cab and take it to the ship. When you get home, you box it up and ship it back to them, I believe they have pick up @ your house like UPS.

 

Both Care Vacations & Special Needs @ Sea have kiosks at some of the embarkation ports, where you can pick up your scooter before you board. Why would you want to do that? Because you drive your chair, in case you have to wait in loooonnng lines. You won't have to wait for wheelchair assistance to get aboard ship. sometimes that wait can be quite long.

 

If you have never used a scooter, you should try to find some place on board to practice. It's not rocket science, it can be a bit awkward at first. Getting used to the speed, how to back up (that took me a long time to become mediocre at it), breaking, and outmaneuvering around room service dishes and linen carts. If it has keys ALWAYS take your keys with you or you might observe it driving away with an 8 yo kiddo on it ....

 

Hope this helps!

Oh my goodness!! Such TERRIFIC information!! I can't thank you enough for this! So far, I have looked into Special Needs at Sea and Scootaround.com. I have another cruise booked for Decemeber and was planning to rent the scooter for that one. This cruise came up rather suddenly and I am at the point where I am using a scooter for grocery shopping and trips to the mall, etc. For short distances I use my walker with a seat but I am really having a difficult time with longer distances now. (Without going into too much detail, my biggest issue is that I can not stand for more than a few minutes at a time. Walking any distance is out of the question.) Every day I find something that helps make life a little easier and I take advantage of it because the alternative is sitting home and doing nothing. NOT READY TO GIVE UP YET! :p On my last cruise I did OK with just the walker (had wheelchair assist getting on the ship) but when I tried to get off in any of the ports I had to go back to the ship because I just didn't have the strength. I basically missed Aruba and it was on my bucket list! :(. So, if I can rent a scooter to get off the ship and I can get a shower chair I will be OK and I know I will enjoy this cruise! I

I will definitely be looking into the places you suggested and am very grateful that you took the time to respond. THANK YOU!

SusieCruises, you may be interested in a live from Equinox thread I posted on my first Equinox & S Class sailing last December. It has a ton of informational pics about the ship and cabin plus my observations. I hope you enjoy.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2430527

Thanks for the link! I will check it out!

Thanks everyone for the quick responses and the helpful information! I KNEW I could count on Cruise Critic people!

I think I am going to really enjoy the Equinox. I have been reading every review and looking at every picture I can find. I think it will be a nice, quiet, relaxing change of pace.

If anyone thinks of anything else that I need to know, or even just something I might find interesting, please come back here and let me know! I am grateful for any and all information. (terrytallent 1 gets it....NO SURPRISES! LOL)

Keep me in mind if you have a nice hotel or shuttle service you would recommend. Even after all my cruising, this will be the first time I am flying in the day before! (I always sail in December or January and have taken my chances with the weather out of Detroit.......but it has been my biggest worry!) I am really going all out this time! LOL

Thanks again!

SusieCruises

Hello, everyone.........this will be my first time cruising on Celebrity. .....(Equinox, August in a 2B veranda balcony, unlimited drink package.) I have been on about 10 Carnival cruises and 2 Royal Caribbean but Celebrity seems very different from what I am used to!

I am not having much luck navigating the Celebrity website to find my answers. People here are ALWAYS so helpful and so I think I might have better luck here.

First...even though we have the drink package, I am not much of a drinker at all and am most interested in finding bottled water. On Carnival, I call ahead of time and have a case (or two) waiting for me in my cabin. I am not finding anywhere that I can do that. Can you do that on Celebrity and can someone tell me where to find it?

Is it possible to get a table for two in the main dining room? We were assigned early dining....I will try to change it to anytime (or select?), but if I can't I am just wondering if there are two-tops available? I LOVE meeting new people on a cruise; I just prefer to eat in the dining room with my family. (Also, if you ever had a 'bad' table mate you will understand. ;)

I am curious as to how much room you have in a veranda balcony cabin? I use a rollator/walker and sometimes need a wheelchair. I wanted to rent a scooter for getting off the ship only but from some pictures I have seen, it doesn't really look like I could even bring one into the room. (I don't want to rent it and THEN find out it won't fit! LOL)

Also, it looks like some dining venues will be off limits to us......I am NOT worried about finding enough to eat, LOL, I just really like to know a lot about the ship BEFORE I go....don't like surprises!

It looks like Celebrity will be a new adventure for me.....I am not afraid of change, but it seems this ship will be different than my most recent sailings. Not better or worse; just different. :)

Finally, my daughter and I will be flying into Ft Lauderdale the day before our cruise and we are looking for a nice CLEAN hotel in Miami. We don't need a lot of bells and whistles but a water view near somewhere to get dinner would be great. Any suggestions?

Thank you all for taking the time to read this and maybe offer some answers or suggestions. I have always been able to get great information from the people here and have even been able to help out a few people when I knew the answer.

SusieCruises

Hi.....I buy the discount gifts cards on the AARP website or Visa Rewards website. Someone also told me they have them thru VERIZON, too. A $500 gc is $450, a $100 gc is $90 at AARP.....but they tend to sell out quickly so you have to keep checking. Last year I paid for most of my cruise with the gift cards and then also used some to put on my sign and sail account for my gratuities and spending money on the ship, (special coffee, bar bill, gift shops, etc.) Hope this is what you wanted to know.

When I first booked my cruise I started buying one or two gift cards each month. By the time of final payment, I had $800 worth. I used $400 towards my final payment (with my PVP by phone) and took the remaining $400 with me. I took them to Guest Services on about the third day of the cruise......waited for a time when there were no long lines.......and they added them to my account. So, the $400 was applied to my Sign and Sail card. It covered my gratuities, bar bill, purchases in the gift shop, casino cash and photos. EASY PEASY and an (almost) painless way to save for my cruise. I have started doing it again for my next cruise! ;)

Mine is a Rollator with seat and 4 wheels, can be used as a wheelchair if we have to. LOL my 7 yr old grson has practiced pushing me, just in case.

I use one of the rollators with the seat, too. PLEASE don't count on it being used as a wheelchair! They can (and DO) break if someone is pushing you while you are sitting on it. It is almost impossible to get a handicap or modified cabin. They fill up very early! I had a big issue with my old walker.........it was too wide to fit thru the doorway so it had to be folded and closed each time, It was also bigger, heavier and bulkier than the regular walker I have now. (It was a big pain getting in and out of the room!) But the biggest pain was when people had their scooters parked outside their rooms! Very difficult to get past that. Just an FYI....if you can't get a handicap/modified cabin, special needs department is very helpful in getting items that might make it easier for you. They bring in a shower chair and toilet riser with handles for me. Since I am not wheelchair dependent, I can get around just fine with a little help in the way of available devices. Makes a huge difference in my safety factor.

Enjoy your cruise!

Thanks for all that great information! :)

Hi, everyone.......getting ready for our cruise next month and I have a question about something I saw on John Heald's Blog ......does anyone know anything about an UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATER CONTEST on the ships? I thought he said it would be on every ship sailing in December. Interested in any details. Has anyone ever done this? When it is done? Anyone here ever participated in it before?

It sounds like fun and I would like to get any info, if its out there.

Thanks for your help.....

HAPPY CRUISING! :)

First off I have been on 15 cruises. I work in retail and usually try to find the best in every ship. I know how critical people can be.

I am going to fill out the carnival survey so that they make improvements.

There where a few things that just didn't sit well with me this cruise.

*the ship was very very warm

*it took a very long time to get drinks at the bars. (Over ten minutes) not enough staff

*we where seated in the dining room at a table for ten. Only four of us showed up. The last night it was just myself and my wife. (Why would they not move us?)

*it was by far the loudest room ever 6305

 

The good news was it was a very friendly staff

Getting on and off was a breeze

Entertainment was great

Ship was well maintained

Guys burger joint and the blue iguana was awesome

 

Just a few observations

Thanks for taking the time to post. We are going on the Conquest for the first time in December. We are really looking forward to it because we have really loved sailing on her 'sister' ships.....Liberty and Freedom. I have been reading about other complaints that it was warm.....I think I will bring a fan. We usually like the older, smaller ships. I appreciate the reviews......it helps us know if there are some things we can avoid. We chose a room in the back of the ship on deck 2 (I think we are below the dining room so it shouldn't be noisy when we want to sleep) and we don't drink so slow bar service won't be an issue. And we always use Any-Time-Dining so table mates also won't be an issue. So, the warm temp is my only question, and maybe in Dec, THAT won't be a problem either. LOL Anyway, thanks again for posting.......good information! :)