bunchesofun

It's HAL's island. They let Carnival use it (for a price, I'm sure). ;)

LOL I thought it was the other way around! Learn something new every day. :)

We have had YTD on our last 3 trips. For us the biggest pro is the flexibility. Some nights we eat early and others we eat late depending on our days activities. The con's for us is never really getting to know your waitstaff.

It's quite simple to tell them when you check in that you want to be in the same section every night. We did and got to know the waitstaff.

We ordered a cake for my husband's birthday. The staff took our dessert order and brought the cake after they served the dessert! Ruined the event.

Just checked and Pride is the only ship scheduled (at this time) for HMC and Grand Turk. So if that stays the same we should have the larger tender.

That's okay because I always forget HAL uses the island too! :)

Good luck. Please let us know how you make out with this. I hope you get your stuff. Ugh!!

 

Sending a virtual hug to the posters who were kind enough to post helpful info. Nice. :)

 

One thing I've started doing is remembering our Bag Count number, and telling DH "Honey, our bag count is 6." Because it's just too easy to overlook a small bag, or for each person to think that the other one grabbed it. Every time we move from Point A to Point B (loading the car at home, checking bags at the airport, loading a taxi at our destination, etc.) I try to remember "What's the Bag Count?"

 

Good luck with this! :)

Excellent suggestion!

We were on the Carnival Pride in February. It was my 3rd time with my Pride GoGo Elite traveler Plus (3-wheel). After boarding, DH goes to the MDR to see our assigned table. If it doesn't look like it will work, he talks with the Maitre'd who helps to find a workable table.

 

In Sept. 2015, we sat just behind the desk and I was able to park the scooter under the stairs, step off the scooter and sit at the table. In February 2016, again talked with the Maitre'd, drove my scooter into the MDR, past the desk to the right (maybe 1/4 into the MDR), drove up to the table, exited the scooter, gave the key to the waiter, he drove the scooter away, and returned to our table with the key. Same thing after dinner; I gave the waiter the key, and back he came with the scooter always advising me that he "filled the gas tank."

 

We had 8:15 dinner and I always waited until about 8:20-8:25 to drive into the MDR, that way I wasn't in anyone's way as most people were seated.

Thank you for your input, specific to the Pride. Now we know our friend has the option of driving to the table or parking it outside the dining room. These are all things that I never thought about before helping her plan to join us on our cruise.

Thank you for your detailed reply. I did not know about the steep slope to the beach. So we better either get #1 or sit near there on loungers. She can walk short distances, I think even in sand if someone helps. And a few stairs are not a problem. Just trying to make it the easiest we can for her.

We are going there with Carnival, and I don't think they have butler service unfortunately.

Well everyone has been very helpful in explaining wheelchair at Baltimore, and mobility scooters on the ship. Now I have another question. :)

We are planning on going to Half Moon Cay and will have a collapsible wheelchair for my friend. I understand about how the weather can be somewhat rough and them still tendering but not allowing wheelchair passengers.

I think I read somewhere, can't find it now, about Cabana #1 having a cement path going to it. Is that correct?

Our plan, should we be able to get a cabana, is to get to shore excursions early and rent #1 (if that is the accessible one). Should that not be available, are the other cabanas do-able with the balloon tire wheelchairs they have on site? Our choice would be an alternate cabana, or just sitting in loungers in the sand close to #1. My friend can walk short distances.

Comments and suggestions?

Definitely keep trying for FTTF. This is one of the instances where immediate access to your cabin is extremely helpful.

 

Having said that, it may be quite a walk from the cabin to the Lido for lunch. If you are planning to have lunch there, it may be best to have the attendant take your friend to the Lido and you and the others can go drop things off in the room. As stated before, the scooter may not arrive until around 2:00 or later.

The cruise is not until a year from now, April 2017, but trying to get our ducks in a row! I keep checking for FTTF and cabanas. I put in another post our rooms are two cabins away from the atrium elevators and her husband generally fixes her plate of food for her, so she only has to get to a seat, but will probably follow your advice and have them lead us to the lido (while I stop at the excursion desk).

Commonly discussed here, Cabana #1 is the one designed to be accessible. It has a sidewalk to it, and a ramp. Otherwise, yes, many of the paths away from the central compound are sand. The compound, including the food area and "town square" is concrete (or pavers, something like that). The walk ways to the beach immediately adjacent to the town square are concrete, but, IIRC, they come to stairs quickly, and then sand.

 

If you were on HAL, you would want to purchase the #1 cabana, as soon as it is available. As you are on Carnival, not sure how you assure you get cabana #1. There has been mentioned a "sand wheelchair" with balloon tires, although haven't seen it mentioned much lately.

With Carnival you have to go to the excursion desk when you board to get your cabana assigned, so it's pot luck. But thank you for telling me that is the one we want to get.

This morning, 6:30 am they were sold out But thanks to this board, I was able to snag two. Thanks!

It's been my experience that the cruise line staff are more than accommodating to help get one on and off the ship with a wheelchair - and it's always nice to offer them a small gratuity for their service.

 

Please be aware of passenger safety needs and store the scooter inside the cabin overnight so that it does not partially block the corridors and/or exit stairways.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Aware of the law stating no scooters in public places over night. Wouldn't think of doing that anyway. Glad to know we can get help for boarding, and wouldn't think of not tipping. :)

Confused NCL's Pride of America with Carnival's Pride.

 

Regardless the dining room staff cannot refused your friend from riding the scooter directly to the table. People do it all the time. I being one of those individuals, regardless of the ship that rides their scooter directly to the table.

Just wanting to get correct information so as not to be embarrassed by trying something not allowed. :) My only concern at this point is based on another person's reply to me that with YTD (Your Time Dining) it is sometimes hard to get a table that can be ridden to, and we don't want set time dining. We don't want a schedule dining time on vacation. But appreciate all the good information in this thread.

Hi, we will be traveling with someone who will need a wheelchair to get from the pier to (hopefully) a cabana. Are all the paths shown on the map, paved? I think they end at steps, then all sand from thee bottom of the steps, correct? Trying to plan which cabana to try for. We need to be near a bathroom. Thanks for any comments.

Though the original post was pertaining to Celebrity, my response to you was that what was stated in Post # 5 of this thread applies to all cruise lines when traveling with a scooter.

 

It's important to note that Carnival's Pride of America is the ONLY cruise ship registered to the USA, permanently based in the USA and only sails to USA ports .Therefore the Pride of America is required under the Federal Department of Justice to be fully ADA compliant unlike the hundreds of other cruise ships registered to a foreign flag despite the fact the fact that the parent company may be based in the USA. Which means that the dining staff cannot make your friend park the scooter outside of the dining room and walk in. Nor should your friend feel that he/she should have to walk into the dining . Being that you stated in another post that you friend has Parkinson's it's advisable that he/she ride the scooter to the table and let the dining room staff deal with parking the scooter.

Thank you for clarifying. However I believe the Pride is registered in Panama,

The further you can get the scooter into the dining room, the more popular you will be with the staff - they love to be the one to ride it outside and park it.:D

I bet they do! lol

We've done Freeport/Nassau twice and are booked now for HMC/Grand Turk and would really be disappointed to miss them. BUT with a 50% refund and 50% off next cruise, I'd be more than happy.

Thank you for a very comprehensive reply. My friend CAN walk, but has Parkinson's which varies as to how it affects her walking, plus she has a bum knee which also varies, so no telling how mobile she will be on the day.

Having said that, our cabins are two doors down from the antrium elevators so she is capable of getting from the Lido or Atrium to the room. We hope to get FTTF so hopefully can go directly to the rooms.

Knowing there will be an attendant to take her up the ramp to the ship is a load off my mind. We are fine with waiting to be helped. The ship isn't leaving without us (especially as we are usually there around 11am).

Thanking you again for your reply.

I hope all the CC scooter users enjoy every minute of their time at sea. I bring my GgGo Pride scooter with me and the the only problem I have encountered is that when I go out of the dining room my scooter is parked behind so many other scooters that it is difficult to get it out so I can go. I have to ask a staff to shuttle other scooters to free mine.

More and more people are traveling with mobility devices and the cruise lines need to plan for that. We need more HC rooms and great thought about where we will be during our cruise.

I also will now plan on using set time dining as when I had anytime dining it was more challenging to find a table each night that was fairly close by the entrance. I swear the Maitre'D rolled his eyes at me when I requested a table close to the entrance. I can walk to the table with a cane so it was a simple request.

Have fun and I will watch for you on my next cruise. Smooth sailing and happy rolling.

 

4boysnana

Thank you for this post. I was wondering if, when they let you take your scooter to the table, it was a table close to the entrance, as I don't see how scooters could maneuver further back. My alternate thought was that if they only let the scooters drive to tables near the entrance, my friend is capable of walking that far without the scooter, and could park it outside without inconveniencing a staff member. You answered my question that it is acceptable to park them outside the dining room. Thank you very much for your comment.

Suggest you go back and read the information stated in Post # 5 of this thread as it applies to any cruise line and answers your question.

Helpfull hint - Suggest always read the entire thread before posting you're question as most of the time previous posts already contain the answer.

With all due respect, I DID read the entire thread including #5. However they were specifically asking about Celebrity. We have cruised on three Carnival cruises and I don't recall there being any room for a scooter to move through the dining room. That is why I was asking about Carnival specifically. I have learned from reading Cruise Critic that every line does things their own way. There are some similarities, but many difference.

Hi, my friend will be renting a scooter in Baltimore for the cruise. However I understand they are delivered to the cabin, so she would need help boarding. I hear you can get a wheelchair at the port for boarding. Is there someone to take her, or does one of our party push her? Just planning ahead re: luggage, etc., for boarding and if we want to try and take ours. Not doable if no help with wheelchair. Thanks in advance for any replies :)

I have the same question but with Carnival Cruise lines, specifically the Pride. I don't recall there being enough space to drive a scooter to a table, though, of course, I could be wrong since I wasn't specifically checking at the time. We have friends going with us and the wife needs a scooter to get around and they asked us where the scooter gets left when you dine in the MDR. So with Carnival, is it also either to the table or outside the MDR?

Please do not think you can leave a scooter in the hallway. It is against regulations and a fire/safety hazard. One cruise we took had so many scooters in the hallway where our cabin was that I could not get my son's wheelchair down it. I had to report them to the front desk and they were subsequently removed.

I did mention in my original post that I knew they had to fit INTO the cabin, so not to worry, we would NOT be leaving it in the hallway. Heck, departure night is bad enough with just suitcases lining the hallway!

For some really good information, check out the disabled cruisers forum.

 

If she either buying or renting (I am an advocate of buying, but that's just my opinion), please make sure that the scooter is less than 21" in width. Otherwise, she will need a handicapped or modified cabin. BTW, it is really worth it to get at least a modified cabin. The doors will remain open and you don't have the stress of "will it fit or not".

 

Scooters CAN NOT be left in the hallways. This is a SOLAS regulation, not some arbitrary rule that Carnival made up. It is for everyone's safety.

 

As far as rentals, you have two options. She can rent from specialneedsatsea or carevacations, OR she can rent locally and transport it to the ship herself. It will cost less to rent locally, but then you have the added hassle of transporting it. If she were flying, I would recommend this. Since you are driving, you will have to decide if you have the appropriate space available to transport one (they normally will break down into pieces that can be stored in the trunk of a car, but they do take up a great deal of space).

 

Call the Special Needs department and work with them on this. They are extremely helpful.

 

Most of all, just do whatever is necessary to make her cruise easier for her. It will make it easier for those cruising with her as well :)

We knew that they had to fit IN the cabin, so that's not news, but thanks for explaining WHY. We will probably pay for delivery just to make things easier. Yes, I want them to have a memorable trip. IT will be their first cruise. He has cancer (in remission) so twice as special for them. I was just remembering the long walk from one end of the ship to the other and thought that a scooter would make it more enjoyable for her. She's like a sister to me and I want her not to have to worry about getting around.

We were on the Pride in February; 4th time on the Pride and 3rd time with my mobility scooter. Same experience as a previous poster..... We were in an AFT Standard Balcony cabin on the Main Deck (a 4K) I think. We were the last cabin before the suites, plus there were no inside cabins across from our cabin, and a hallway next to our cabin, so it helped when getting the scooter into position to enter the cabin. DH removes the armrests, he enters the cabin, holds the door, and I drive right in. I then turn the scooter around and park it right in front of the sofa. If necessary, at night we plug the charger into the outlet near the mirror.

 

If your friend is thinking of using a scooter, she should practice on one first; get the feel of it, especially for her safety.

 

Also, the rental companies that can provide scooters, wheelchairs, etc. are:

 

Care Vacations and Special Needs at Sea. There contact info is on Carnival website.

 

Here is other info:

 

Standard Cabins: These cabins have an entry doorway measuring approximately 22", an 8" lip into the cabin bathroom, a 4" lip into the shower stall and a 7" lip to the balcony (if applicable).

 

Mobility Scooters: Passenger scooters must be stored and batteries recharged in your stateroom. Due to safety considerations, wheelchairs and scooters cannot be stored in the corridors. Your personal scooter should be able to fit in a standard stateroom with a 21" entry doorway. If your scooter is larger than 21", you must purchase a modified stateroom or rent a smaller scooter. Segways and other similar vehicles are not permitted on board our vessels.

Thanks for the info on the door sizes. For some reason I thought that they were 29" so good to know only 21". I tried looking for the info on the Carnival site, but it didn't come up.