scooter-accessible ships

My friend has MS and is unable to leave her scooter. She needs s a Hoyer lift even to get into/out of bed.

I'm sure most ships are wheelchair accessible, but her scooter can't even go over a threshold more than an inch or two and it weighs, like, 500lbs).

Are there any cruise ships that are accessible to her?

Also, I guess, how will she manage the flight?

Also, how does one specify scooter-accessible - as opposed to wheelchair accessible?

My friend has MS and is unable to leave her scooter. She needs s a Hoyer lift even to get into/out of bed.

 

I'm sure most ships are wheelchair accessible, but her scooter can't even go over a threshold more than an inch or two and it weighs, like, 500lbs).

 

Are there any cruise ships that are accessible to her?

 

Also, I guess, how will she manage the flight?

 

Also, how does one specify scooter-accessible - as opposed to wheelchair accessible?

She can rent a Hoyer lift to be delivered to the cabin. It will be manual one so she would need someone traveling with her. The approved rental providers are www.specialneedsatsea.com and www.scooteraround.com, NCL only allows SpecialNeedsatSeas.

The newer the ship the more accessible it is.

Avoid itineraries that have tendered ports. If the tender doesn't have roll-on capabilities she will not be allowed to go ashore.

Accessible Cabins book up very fast . Most needing an accessible cabin book a year or more in advance,

Bariatric Mobility Scooter generally have a 3" - 4" under clearance. So in theory a 1" - 2" threshold shouldn't be an issue.

Wheelchair Accessible is a universal term. If it's a wheelchair accessible it's also mobility scooter accessible.

Airlines - She will be transferred to an airline aisle wheelchair to than transfer in and out of the seat. The airlines is not responsible for getting her to the washroom so she would have to plan accordingly .

Refer to this link https://wheelchairtravel.org/air-travel/aisle-chair-boarding-airplane-disability/

She can rent a Hoyer lift to be delivered to the cabin. It will be manual one so she would need someone traveling with her. The approved rental providers are www.specialneedsatsea.com and www.scooteraround.com, NCL only allows SpecialNeedsatSeas.

The airlines is not responsible for getting her to the washroom so she would have to plan accordingly .

yup. "It's in the bag", so to speak.

She will be transferred to an airline aisle wheelchair to than transfer in and out of the seat.

The power wheelchair will have to come with in cargo. That's not gonna be cheap.

Please do not worry about the power chair. As “medical” it will be transported at “no charge”. However, some airlines may have limited space, thus you will need to contact them immediately when you make your reservations to let them know she will be traveling with it.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Betty

Oh. Duh. It didn't occur to me that the ship might have its own equipment. Of course they would.

My reply did not state that the ship has it's own equipment. The ship does NOT have it's own equipment and CANNOT provide a Hoyer lift. As stated in my Post # 2 in this thread she needs to rent the Hoyer Lift from one of the2 approved cruise line vendors. www.specialneedatsea.com or www.scooteraround.com. NCL only allows www.specialneedsatsea.com. THIS IS NOT ARRANGED BY THE CRUISE LINE. Additionally She has to prearrange this with the rental provider and it should be done no less than 30 days prior to the cruise. The vendors have a limited supply of such items .

The power wheelchair will have to come with in cargo. That's not gonna be cheap.

The scooter travels as Medical Equipment and there is no charge. Your friend will ride her scooter through the jet way. Stop when she gets close to the entrance of the plane. Airline personnel will than transfer her to the airlines' aisle wheelchair chair. If she's the only non-ambulatory passenger she will be the first to board. The ground crew will retrieve the scooter and than transport it down to the tarmac for loading into the cargo haul for items that will than be returned to the jet way at the final destination. Upon arrival at the destination your friend will be the last passenger taken off the plane. The scooter will be returned to the jet way, Ground crew will than transfer her to the airlines' aisle seat to be returned to her scooter.

When booking the ticket pay the fee and speak to an airline representative. Do not book on line. You need to disclose upfront that she is non-ambulatory so everything can be probably noted in the reservation. It's also best to book a direct flight. She will be booked into an aisle seat that has an arm rest the totally collapse to facilitate the transfer. She cannot be booked into a middle or window seat. Being that she has a bariatric mobility scooter is she able to fit into a standard airline seat ? ( This is a rhetorical question but something you need to consider ) If not that she will be required to purchase to seats. If she purchases only one seat and it's determined the at the time of boarding that 2 seats are necessary the airlines may not allow her on the flight.

There are considerations for your friend pertaining to the bathroom. How will she transfer to the toilet? How will she handle the shower? The showers are roll in, but she will have to transfer to the shower seat.

I believe the passenger has a catheter. EM

My friend has MS and is unable to leave her scooter. She needs s a Hoyer lift even to get into/out of bed.

 

I'm sure most ships are wheelchair accessible, but her scooter can't even go over a threshold more than an inch or two and it weighs, like, 500lbs).

 

Are there any cruise ships that are accessible to her? if her scooter truly cannot handle anything bigger than a 1 inch threshold, then no.

 

Also, I guess, how will she manage the flight? thats entirely her problem to figure out. the airline will not do anything other than transfer her to a seat

 

Also, how does one specify scooter-accessible - as opposed to wheelchair accessible?

there is no appreciable difference between scooter and wheelchair. she must be able to take care of ALL her issues.. feeding, bathing, eating, dressing etc on her own.. the cruise staff will NOT assist in any of these things.

Check with the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. They do a Cruise for a Cause every year. They will be able to answer your questions and help you get the equipment you need while on the ship. My mom has MS and we go every year. Although she is more mobile than your friend, I have met others who are not. Your friend will also need a caregiver that can tend to all of her needs, as the ship can not provide this.

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Contrary to what has been stated, wheelchair accessible is NOT the same as mobility scooter accessible, particularly when it comes to booking excursions. Just something for everyone to keep in mind. We found that out, to our dismay, at 3 stops on our cruise this February. We had booked wheelchair accessible tours through the ship, only to be told while onboard that the vendors couldn't accomodate scooters. We were also very unhappy to hear from the Romney Manor giftshop near the pier on St. Kitts that they get scooters "all day, every day, from cruise ships" at Romney Manor itself, and the main giftshop. There is a distinction.

I believe the passenger has a catheter. EM

Most still need to access the toilet for bowel movements. My mother had MS, and we traveled with both a travel rolling shower/commode chair (which rolled over the toilet) and a travel mobile lift (keep in mind that Hoyer is a brand name, and not the best lift on the market by far).

Most still need to access the toilet for bowel movements. My mother had MS, and we traveled with both a travel rolling shower/commode chair (which rolled over the toilet) and a travel mobile lift (keep in mind that Hoyer is a brand name, and not the best lift on the market by far).

Good point about Hoyer not being the best. IMPO Hoyer is more often used as a generic term for a transport lift much in the same Xerox became a generic term for copying.

Hi everyone: just putting my two cents worth in because my mother is handicapped and we've seen examples of your situation. Just to reaffirm: book your accessible cabin asap. They do sell out quickly. We have already booked a cruise that leaves in March of next year. EAah line should have an accessible number and they can usually tell you how big (sq feet) the room is and what all it contains for the person in need. My mom is mobile to some extent so we take her manual wheelchair to the edge of plane door and she can walk to her seat so check with the airlines about your situation. I'm sure there are ways to do it because we have met two couples our past two cruise who had a partner that was confined to their chair. Most importantly, if you want to get off the ship and do excursions, contact the cruise accessibility line about moving your friend on/off ship and if it is a tendered port, she will not be able to get off ship. When we took a 17 day cruise to Asia, we stopped in 8 ports. this one couple was only able to get off on one because of the wording on the cruise excursions. I had questioned the accessibility dept. about excursions and they told me that even though it states "accessible", it more than likely means that the building (for example) is accessible but the transportation is not. I was able to make plans ahead of time through the internet for private tours in each of the stops. I explained what my mother needed (we have a manual wheelchair, we need a car vs a van because she can't step up, etc) and we did fine. So you'll need to make arrangements on your own since you'll require special assistance so you can get off the ship and tour around. That couple was only able to get off the ship in one port because they were lead to believe that the ship tours were accessible to all when in reality, they are not. Everyone's accessibility is different so do alot of research ahead of time and you should have smooth sailing!