kearney

1 hour ago, cruiser61262 said:

Thank you!  I have seen that video.  Unfortunately, I wish that had shown the actual entrance into the room so that we could get an idea of turning radius.  She is in room 7143 which is an accessible room. It is larger than the standard room.  This is her first cruise since my Dad passed away and he used to take care of things like this for her.  She just worries about EVERYTHING, so I was hoping to show her a picture of how other people parked/charged their scooters to put her at ease.

I understand... I am a bit of a belt and suspenders person... now that my husband needs the scooter... I am always trying to think ahead of exactly what to expect so that there are no surprises... a do not handle stress that well...so the more I can anticipate things the better... 

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

You liked sitting with folks who were forced to join your table?

I probably didn't phrase that properly... but when sitting in, say, the Passport Bar where the seating groupings are usually for 4-5... people tend to go to empty seating areas.. and spread out until all the seating is taken and then they fill in at the remaining seats.  Have you ever been in an elevator where people naturally spread out.. I don't think I have ever seen everyone crowd onto on side of the elevator ... same is true in the bar areas... people don't all sit together leaving half the place empty..unless they know one another. I wasn't referring to dinning room. So when the ship is full it is actually easier to meet people as they take those open seats...

When I order a drink I usually ask if it is covered under the classic package.... particularly if ordering a martini at the martini bar. You can get one there, but it will be regular size and using ingredients on the classic list. On our last cruise the wine steward sold us a wine tasting and my husband tipped him on the sale... that week he served wines he said were part of our package..but I have to say that they were quite nice and I wonder if he slipped us some better wines after our tasting purchase... I should have paid attention to the labels.

Covid has forced odd rules many seemed to make sense early on...but as it dragged on and we learned more about it..many procedures remained in place... glad OP found a way around this.  We cruised in Dec '21..just before Omicron became an issue... what I missed..to be honest.. was being in a more crowded ship where people were forced to join you..as room in the bar filled up. With a ship less than half full each couple had their own 5 person seating area... and it was harder to meet people...

If she is in an accessible cabin it should have plenty of room.. it is designed to handle wheelchairs.. so a scooter should be no problem... I found a video for a cabin on Connie which is also an M class ship video of accessible cabin on Connie...same class as summit

If she is in a regular cabin that could be a problem because I believe the beds are by the bathroom...making it a bit tight to pull a scooter into the room. I am told that if you have one of these cabins..the steward can take your scooter and charge it overnight... We have not sailed on an M class... we usually are on S class and use a regular cabin with bed by the veranda..it is a bit tight..but manageable...

2 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

When I was on Edge in Feb 2020, the only time I was aware that it was/would be locked was when they were locked for cleaning - and it was announced in the daily info sheet (I'm blanking on the name of it). So other than for weather (which I would hope anyone would figure out on their own by looking outside), you will have notice.

 

FWIW, I *think* that the washing took place while we were in port, but I'm not 100% as I don't save the papers and go over them obsessively.

 

Do be aware that keeping the window down WILL cut off the air conditioning in the room.

As a note... I believe that you can adjust the air on the control panel. As I recall it is set for 'green' or some environmental oriented setting...which can be turned off...keeping the AC on... again this was a few years ago.. so it might have changed

They lock them when they use the window washing equipment as well as during bad weather. It was a bit frustrating for DH... I would head out on a port day to enjoy an excursion and he planned on sitting on the veranda reading... then the window ended up being locked on multiple port days.. But if you imagine a car wash level of pressure coming by... you can see why you would want the window closed. Note that unlike regular verandas..there are no drains on these verandas... so water coming into the cabin stays there. The problem DH observed was that they would stay locked for quite a long time...probably to allow it to dry...  This was during one of the inaugural sailings so perhaps they have shortened the time they are locked..not sure

6 hours ago, Mlcb1 said:

Thank you all for the information. This is great information. Especially about having the use of a wheelchair on disembarkation day. I had not thought about the fact that we have to leave the scooter in the room. 😀. 
 

thanks again. It is greatly appreciated. 
 

Funny story about a cruise we did on Harmony of the Seas... on the last day we went down to get coffee... I went back to the room to get our carry on bags. The plan was for DH to bring back the scooter to the room.. before we were heading down to the place to catch a wheel chair... While I was gone and DH was enjoying his last cup of coffee...someone took the scooter. So when DH was ready to go back to the cabin...he noticed that it was gone... Well we panicked for a moment until I was able to talk to a member of the crew who told us that it was likely just gathered up by the rental company. However I was still a tad nervous until I was able to confirm later that this was what happened...

I wonder how the various cruise lines have been impacted by supply chain shortages... seems I have read that there are issues with supplies of some brands of alcohol around the country. That might explain some of this. I am not much of a drinker..so I have no personal experience with supplies of various brands. 

The weakest part of the assistance program is getting one when you arrive at the port. I have had to run ahead and grab a chair. We use Park N Go and when they drop us off with the porters... the last cruise... I told the porter we needed a wheelchair.. and he quickly located one of the port employees with a  chair. If I recall at Ft Lauderdale.. I believe there was a bench near the porters... so in a pinch..one earlier trip I had my husband sit there while I went for help.  As I say.. this is the weakest spot in the process. Once you get a chair..the port personnel will take him all the way through check in to the gate and from there a crew member will take him onto the ship. I generally tip both... 

At the end of the cruise... those needing assistance getting off..meet in Sushi on 5 on S class and they will again take you off when your bad number is called. Once again a crew member will take you part way and a port person will take you the rest of the way. Another weakness in the system in. Ft Lauderdale... is that you will be taken down an elevator and you often have to sit and wait for quite a while until someone is available to take you down. I offered to do that for DH, but they wouldn't allow it unless I owned the wheelchair... liability issues...union rules..not sure which. But they will take you all the way through customs and to the outside. Now I do not know how long they will stay with you until say an uber driver shows..but they will get you outside. Makes sure guest services knows you need assistance getting off the ship..  I think they keep a list and staff accordingly.

I see you plan on renting a scooter. A few thoughts: if you are not in an accessible cabin...try to get one with the bed by the window/veranda... that way there is more room to park the scooter in the cabin. Also.. when you arrive at your cabin the scooter will be either in the cabin or just outside. On the last sea day, I would ask the room steward if you can get a wheelchair... this way you can more easily leave the scooter in the cabin and get your father down to sushi on 5.  DH started using a scooter a few years ago after partially successful surgery to reattach his quad muscle... it has made a world of difference.

Thank you... very helpfull we go in late April... so hopefully things will be even better by then

Last few cruises I have made sure DH and I wear the same color... for a simple reason...so I can find him when either one of us wanders off. That way.. I just check my own shirt color to know what to look for across a crowded terminal. I really need to do this when we go to Costco or Home Depot... he will wander off with the cart while I am looking at something and then I have to search for him while carrying a 25 lb bag of potting soil... 🙂 

I had a brother in-law who ..will go nameless... that once suggested packing wine in a box..without the box. Never tried that my self..but since I like red... well, my second biggest fear would be that it leaked.... 🙂 

Odd things that I bring but probably don't need to.... hard copy of the items I have digitally... eg.. copy of passport, travel insurance info and other travel stuff.. in case something happens to my iphone. I am a belt and suspenders type.

But like others... leave behind long dress (and lately cocktail dress as well..replaced by capri pants and nice tops), my husband's suit replaced by sport coat.... cut out shoes ...keep one pair low healed dress shoes or nice flats,...vs multiple options... no evening bag.. (I just give my seapass to DH to hold onto), no camera, carry one paperback but download others (I prefer real books), travelers checks.. as noted by others.  This is a bit embarrassing to admit.. I leave behind perfume... and just try on a different scent a the perfume shop... often picking up a new fragrance before end of cruise. Also bottle of wine... we used to bring one along... now with AI not really necessary...

6 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Yes and then you could more easily do an RT-PCR test which is a better way to deal with asymptomatic cases anyway.

How quickly can you get RT-PCR results? It needs to be within say a few hours... vs days.. The idea would be to learn your status before you leave home vs after you arrive at port. I know the old PCR test was..what 48 hours or so... not familiar with RT-PCR..assume it is shorter??

I wonder if the cruise lines would consider going back to 3 days pre cruise. I am not sure that one day earlier makes a real difference... since you still could get it after you take the test day 2....but by moving it to 3 days.. it makes travel easier for those coming from overseas or going from one coast to the other. Personally I would love being able to test before loading the car to drive to Florida.

5 minutes ago, Torfamm said:

We have had it take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours 

Actually that would work..but it turns out our local Walgreens doesn't use NAAT test..just PCR.. there are other locations around that do..but I may just stick with CVS since that worked well before.... I hope that my my cruise they at least loosen the requirement back to 3 days... that would be much better for traveling passengers and frankly I can't see it being that much better to do it 2 days vs 3

4 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I usually have my results in 30-60 minutes when doing the ID Now test at Walgreens. It is not a PCR test that requires samples to be sent to a lab. It uses a machine that the pharmacies have onsite.

Thanks that is good to know... I was noticing that they didn't to the rapid tests...so I just assumed they were still doing the PCR lab tests... This adds an option

18 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Right, ID Now is a rapid NAAT test, not an antigen test. But they are both accepted by Celebrity. Glad your fears have been alleviated!

The rapid tests results are available within an hour.. how long do you have to wait for NAAT results? I ask because we take two days to drive to Floridia...so in the past I get the CVS rapid test as we start our drive and before we are even out of town..I have gotten a text with the results.  Now if the NAAT is that fast I would rather go to my closer Walgreens... but I don't want to wait until I am in Florida to find out if I can cruise.... thanks in advance

I know that they had a few classes of some kind on one cruise that I was on. I hate to say it, but while I have had an iphone since 2007... I know that I could learn more about its functionality.. would be nice if whomever works the apple products could teach classes for those of us that have one foot in tech... I don't recall classes on other cruises.... the one I recall might have been on an Edge maiden voyage...

13 hours ago, bunzini said:

Curious how you found this info ahead of the cruise.  Would love to see if we have one on our upcoming cruise in two weeks.

 

If you look on the app... you can find it under calendar... on our cruise they are at either 2 or 3 pm

I just took a quick look at our 12 N souther Caribbean cruise april 24 and so far I have found two Beyond the Podiums scheduled... day 2, 4, 7 and 9.

Apex is essentially the Edge with slight modifications...but cabin configuration is about the same... I have attached a few photos of our cabin...including one showing the scooter in the cabin and another showing the chaise lounge with the bed riders. The chaise lounge is only about 15" off the ground ...well below normal seating height... since DH has trouble with his knees and I knew this 'sofa' would be low.. I brought 3" risers to raise the height to a normal 18"... making it possible for him to sit in the cabin.... these are not provided by the cruise line... much of the seating in public areas is very low and deep.   Anyway...as you can see ..if you do not get an accessible cabin and do choose to rent a scooter.. you can get it in a regular cabin provided the bed is by the veranda...  

On the deck plan you can tell where the bed is by where the cabin widens.

I can't help but wonder if they are phasing out the Apple stores... on Silhouette they replaced that location with more cabins and moved the lounge to deck 5..I didn't even notice apple products ..although I assume they had some back in the corner.

My husband has mobility issues resulting from a detached quad muscle..and only modestly successful surgery. He has been renting scooters from Special Needs at Sea. He didn't think he needed on the first time we rented..but since then ..that is the only way to go. They park the scooter in the cabin. Now here is the challenge. To actually get the scooter in a cabin.. it is best to have a cabin with the bed by the window/balcony. I find that the S class cabins are large enough to do so... I think M Class cabins have bed by the bathroom...which makes it tough. Now the other thing is that you can not block the hallway with your scooter... difficult for housekeeping and other wheelchair/scooter traffic ..to say nothing of emergencies. However there are a few spots on an S class ship where you can park one outside the cabin where it does not impede traffic...and there is a plug. This is a good place to park during the day for short stays in the cabin. On deck 7 and 8 near the hideaway area and by the elevators are good spots... you can recharge the scooter in those areas and not impact traffic flow. There are even a few spots where you can part outside the cabin...but discuss with the steward..because they block their closet... however, there is a way to move the scooter without the key... and they should know how to do that...there is a switch near the battery...

Technically DH qualifies for an accessible cabin..but we have never done that since he can still manage the step up into the bathroom and we would hate to take the cabin away from someone who really needs all the features. I wish they put together a guide to help people figure out the best cabins or scooter users... but here is a clue if you see triangle or square on deck plan... that means the bed is by the bathroom (actually it means pullout sofa or overhead pulldown bed)... but that always is closer to the window/verandah. We like to get a cabin on the side of the hump of the aft/midship elevators. We tend to go on deck 6.. to save a few bucks the first two on deck 6 are 1D cabins and have a slight obstruction..but a larger veranda than most..so works out for us.

We then sign up to get wheelchair assistance to get DH to the cabin... and at the end of the cruise..you leave the scooter in the cabin... have your steward get you a wheel chair the night before... and get wheeled down to sushi on 5... for help getting off the ship. I usually do that. Aft is a good location for most activities... except the theater and Sky lounge.  Hope this helps... well worth the $250 or so cost of scooter rental