Wheelchair use-need help

[krisnme]

as a Mom of a disabled child in a wheelchair, may I suggest a backpack for the wheelchair? it hangs perfectly on the handles, and if you decide to leave the chair or need to fold and transport it, it is nice to have your hands free. also, I keep a bicycle lock in the bag to lock up the chair when we must leave it, and clip on flashing lights that I clip to the sides at night for better visibility when crossing streets, crowds, etc. have a great trip!

[LindaKE]

Our cruise is to New England on Celebrity Summit. Boston, Newport, Portland, Bar Harbor, Halifax, Quebec & Charlottetown are the ports. She's fine with getting on & off tenders, and buses, so that shouldn't be a problem as long as we can carry the wheelchair with us.Lisa

 

We did a Canada/New England cruise in October. I, like your mom, can walk on my own, just not far, and climbs (up or down) give me problems. I was using a rollator (rolling walker with a seat), but from hindsight a wheelchair would have been better. Our cruise incuded Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax, and Quebec from your list. At several ports, (I can't remembr which ones, but I think maybe Halifax was one.) the gangway was an accordian going up for sections and down for sections, then up, then down again. They did it that way because of the extreme tidal variations. It was extremely long, DH estimated about 1/4 mile, by the time you navigated the entire length. They had benches placed at at several of the turns, but even with a rest, I was still totally exhausted just getting off, then there was walking on land and getting back aboard. That one problem, repeated at at least one additional port, made an otherwise great cruise, just so-so. So, for Canada/New England, I would definitely recommend a wheelchair.

[maelee]

Can anybody tell me if using a wheelchair on the Royal in the halls will be a problem? As I know this is an older ship.

[broberts]

Can anybody tell me if using a wheelchair on the Royal in the halls will be a problem? As I know this is an older ship.

 

Are you asking about the Royal Princess or Royal Clipper?

[elizbbw]

Lisa,

 

You've gotten great advice here. I'd just like to add one other thing that should be considered when deciding between a manual wheelchair (or a transport chair) and a scooter. How important is it to the person using the equipment to be able to be independent? Being pushed everywhere would make me feel like an invalid. I use a scooter and no one has to help me navigate.

 

I know there are issues (good and bad) with any type of mobility aid you choose, but cruising with a scooter is really not that difficult. There are scooters that fold up for easier transport. The one I'm familiar with is the TravelScoot, at http://www.travelscoot.com . It weighs 29 lbs. and folds up like an umbrella. It wouldn't matter if you were in a handicap cabin or not, because you can fold it to get it through the door. You can also fold it and put it in the trunk of just about any vehicle. With some practice, folding or unfolding takes less than a minute.

 

If your mom is facing declining mobility what you do on this cruise may set a precedent for how you will handle future mobility problems. Having pushed my own mother's wheelchair for miles, I can tell you that it's much better for you AND for her when she can move on her own.

 

TravelScoots are available to be rented for anyone who is interested. One company that rents them is Scoot Anywhere.

 

Another thing you may not be aware of is that there can be a LOT of walking and standing and waiting between your vehicle and the ship. If your mom has trouble walking from a parking lot to a museum, she would really benefit from having a wheelchair or scooter to get her from the car to the ship.

 

Elizabeth

[shamrockace]

We did an Alaska tour with a manual wheelchair and a Southern Caribbean with a scooter. My personal observations......... Hubby can walk short distances only. A matter of balance and leg weakness.

 

I prefer the manual wheelchair. It is easy to talk to DH while I'm pushing him, it is easier to store and less hassle for crowds, etc. Although he is a full sized person (250 lbs), I didn't get tired of pushing him. At the dinner, it was easy to fold the chair and put it out of the way. The scooter seemed to be in the way no matter where he tried to park it. Also, the airlines are rough on the scooters.

 

He preferred the scooter. Said it gave him independence. He did take it off the ship to shop, but not for excursions. Most seemed hesitant to mess with scooters, but had no problems with manual wheelchairs. He also has a problem thinking I'm embarassed by the scooter. I am not. There are rude people that will comment that he walks sometimes and sometimes is on the scooter. Ignorance not malicious.

 

I think he preferred the scooter because he thinks he is inconveniencing me and making me tired. But to me, I was always trying to part the crowds for his approaching scooter and had to wait at elevators, etc for him to catch up to me.

 

We used the Pride gogo ultra and it BARELY fit through a non-handicap room door on the Carnival Victory. It does help to have a room close to the elevators. We did not use the HC room to leave it for someone with no walking abilities.