My grumpy dad

[waterdave]

I bought my mom and dad a cruise on the Oasis for June 5th, to accompany my wife, myself and my 17month old son.

My dad is turning 80 in June, and I even reserved him a electric scooter that will be waiting in his room.

Only problem is - he doesnt want to go. His eyesight isnt what it used be, and his walking is slower than it used to be, prostate, neck pains, etc etc.

I know I dont have too many more opportunities to do this kind of awesome trip with my dad, and my mom really wants to go.

 

So I have a week to convince him that he will the best time on the boat, and that they will cater to him.

 

Does anyone know how it actually is for someone with mobility issues, for instance, is the emergency drill a requirement to walk many flights of stairs- 1 or 2 flights would be OK, but he wouldnt be a happy camper at all if he had to walk more than two flights for example...

 

Anyother advice would be helpful too

[smann]

My in-laws just went a couple weeks ago and loved it! My father in law is in his 80's and my mother in law is recovering from a serious accident, so both used the electric scooters. They said they were super-easy to use and really helped to make their week an enjoyable one.

The elevators are available during muster for people with mobilty issues.

If you have any specific questions I will be happy to ask them for you.

Hope you ALL have a fantastic time!

[waterdave]

Thanks, that is good to know about the muster.

 

Ok I have another question- our jetblue flight gets in early saturday morning to FLL, so it looks like well be on the boat when the doors open at 11:30, and the state rooms dont open until around 1:00pm, what is the most comfortable place or thing to do during those few hours... (I dont want to have him feel as though he is locked out of his room when we finally get onboard after a morning of airports!)

[joand452]

You should be able to go around the ship and/or head up to the Windjammer for lunch. The dining room may be open, too, and serving lunch.

 

I know there are usually lots of people using scooters, so you Dad should not feel out of place at all.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[lizmit]

My mother in law is 92 and we all just came back from a 7 night cruise on Star Princess. At 92 she is having mobility problems and just feels crummy a lot. She kept telling us that this was her last cruise.

 

When you don't feel good you just don't want to do anything. My suggestion is to respect your fathers choice, find a roommate for your mom and everyone will have a much better time without the grumpy old man.

 

On the other hand --- if your Dad holds going without him against all of you then forget what I just said, get him some good drugs to keep him out of pain.

 

Either way I hope that you'll all have a great time!

Happy sails

~ Liz

[wolfegizmo]

how do you reserve electric scooters? My husband had bypass surgery 6 months ago and still cant get around real well. That would be a wonderful idea -

[waterdave]

how do you reserve electric scooters? My husband had bypass surgery 6 months ago and still cant get around real well. That would be a wonderful idea -

 

off the top of my head it was http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/

 

but i got the phone number from RCL when I made the reservation and did it over the phone.

For the medium scooter, it was $175 for the week, billed separately by this 3rd-party, and its supposed to be waiting in the room when we board.

Hes never used one before, but i think it will allow him to enjoy the size of the ship, and we probably wont use it to go for dinner at the dining room or short walks.

[stateparent]

We will be cruising on the Oasis on 6/19 with my 91yo dad, and I have been racking my brain to troubleshoot ahead of time, so we can avoid the same pitfalls you mentioned. My dad uses a cane....although it would be easier to get him through crowds if he would accept using a wheelchair or scooter temporarily....but no chance of him agreeing to that.

 

Mustering was something I knew would be problematic, and we've decided the best approach will be to get him to his mustering station WAY ahead of the crowd, making sure we take along a cold bottled water. That way the elevator usage will not be such a problem, either. He cannot stand for more than 10 minutes, so if his mustering station is not in an area where there is seating available, we are going to have to think of some way to deal with that. I would also suggest you plan to stay put until the masses leave after mustering, as well.

 

The other pitfall we haven't figured out a plan for yet is dealing with FLL airport on departure day. I understand it will be a zoo, and he does not deal well with crowds or waiting.

I wish you luck!! :)

[Band1Mom]

The other pitfall we haven't figured out a plan for yet is dealing with FLL airport on departure day. I understand it will be a zoo, and he does not deal well with crowds or waiting.

I wish you luck!! :)

 

Let the airline know that you have a member of your party with mobility issues, they will provide transport service from the check-in counter to the gate. It may be a wheelchair or it may be a motorized cart (like a golf cart). It will also get you on board before everyone else too.

[janetz]

My mother in law is 92 and we all just came back from a 7 night cruise on Star Princess. At 92 she is having mobility problems and just feels crummy a lot. She kept telling us that this was her last cruise.

 

When you don't feel good you just don't want to do anything. My suggestion is to respect your fathers choice, find a roommate for your mom and everyone will have a much better time without the grumpy old man.

 

On the other hand --- if your Dad holds going without him against all of you then forget what I just said, get him some good drugs to keep him out of pain.

 

Either way I hope that you'll all have a great time!

Happy sails

~ Liz

 

 

I agree with the above poster. Is he grumpy, or does he just not feel up to it? ;)

[LBumb]

just back from the Mariner. Many people had scooters, walkers and canes. Your father will not feel out of place. Too much to see for him not to have a great time.

[waterdave]

Thank you all for the various tips, I will try to get all these good points covered and arranged.

 

He has a lot of small pains that add up together, with the most recent being a loss of full sensation in his hands, and eyesight issues.

and I think the biggest pain of all for him is me, we argue all the time, because I work for him in his real estate business. But his grandson definitely cheers him up, and for someone who walks with a cane, hes pretty good at suddenly crawling around on the floor with him, and picking him up.

[maureencruiser]

Hi, You can get some good info on the disabled board, as well. From my own experience, a walker is much easier on the body than a cane and he might be too "self conscious" for the scooter. A walker can be folded up and put out of the way...Maureen

[firefly333]

We refuse to do ANY stairs during muster. Once we had someone from RCL kinda get lippy. OK I should have gone early to muster drill, but Id gotten busy. Once it starts they want you to walk, which aint going to happen with us.

 

If you insist they will reluctantly let you use the elevator to get to where you need to go for muster.

 

Your Dad wouldnt be the only one that is HC, there are always a lot of HC people on any cruise.

[libgo cruiser]

My mother had severe COPD, and we ordered O2 along with her travelling wheelchair. We cruised 4 times before she passed and had the best time. She really wanted to cruised and so we took her. Tell your dad to kick back, let it go, and have a great time, cause I'm sure he will. Afterall, he's with family.

[windjamming]

Thanks, that is good to know about the muster.

 

Ok I have another question- our jetblue flight gets in early saturday morning to FLL, so it looks like well be on the boat when the doors open at 11:30, and the state rooms dont open until around 1:00pm, what is the most comfortable place or thing to do during those few hours... (I dont want to have him feel as though he is locked out of his room when we finally get onboard after a morning of airports!)

 

Instead of heading up to the Windjammer for lunch where most people will go, try the Park Cafe and preferably a table outside. It'll be a lot calmer than anywhere else on the ship serving lunch - which will be nice after a morning of travel. If after lunch the staterooms still aren't open, you can find a nice set of chairs in Central Park to relax in.

[windjamming]

The other pitfall we haven't figured out a plan for yet is dealing with FLL airport on departure day. I understand it will be a zoo, and he does not deal well with crowds or waiting.

I wish you luck!! :)

 

If you aren't already planning to do so, I would strongly suggest using the Luggage Valet program offered by RCI. For $20 pp (free for suites) you can check-in onboard, and they'll deliver you your boarding passes the day before you disembark. You just leave your luggage outside your door as you do normally, and you won't see it until you arrive at baggage claim at your final airport.

 

While this may not help with crowds, it does significantly reduce stress on the morning of departure. It took us all of about 45 minutes from leaving the ship to arriving at our gate.

[wolfegizmo]

Originally Posted by wolfegizmo

how do you reserve electric scooters? My husband had bypass surgery 6 months ago and still cant get around real well. That would be a wonderful idea -

off the top of my head it was http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/

 

but i got the phone number from RCL when I made the reservation and did it over the phone.

For the medium scooter, it was $175 for the week, billed separately by this 3rd-party, and its supposed to be waiting in the room when we board.

Hes never used one before, but i think it will allow him to enjoy the size of the ship, and we probably wont use it to go for dinner at the dining room or short walks.

 

 

Thank you! I'll give them a call.

[stateparent]

If you aren't already planning to do so, I would strongly suggest using the Luggage Valet program offered by RCI. For $20 pp (free for suites) you can check-in onboard, and they'll deliver you your boarding passes the day before you disembark. You just leave your luggage outside your door as you do normally, and you won't see it until you arrive at baggage claim at your final airport.

 

While this may not help with crowds, it does significantly reduce stress on the morning of departure. It took us all of about 45 minutes from leaving the ship to arriving at our gate.

 

Thanks for suggesting this! I was under the (mistaken?) impression that only certain airlines participated in this program, but under the FAQ's on the RCCL site, it doesn't indicate that. (We are flying Southwest.) Anyone know anything about this?

 

Luggage valet would be the perfect solution for us, especially since our flight isn't until 1:30pm. If we didn't have luggage to drag around, we could probably disembark and have a late breakfast somewhere else, and not rush to the crowded airport.

[windjamming]

Thanks for suggesting this! I was under the (mistaken?) impression that only certain airlines participated in this program, but under the FAQ's on the RCCL site, it doesn't indicate that. (We are flying Southwest.) Anyone know anything about this?

 

Luggage valet would be the perfect solution for us, especially since our flight isn't until 1:30pm. If we didn't have luggage to drag around, we could probably disembark and have a late breakfast somewhere else, and not rush to the crowded airport.

 

It doesn't look like Southwest participates in Luggage Valet, but they do appear to have a check-in service right outside of the Port Everglades terminal for the Oasis:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1139068&highlight=luggage+valet+southwest

 

From a quick glance it seems that you have to sign up ahead of time. You would still have to get your luggage in the terminal and take it over to their desk, but after that you'd be free to do whatever you want.

[stateparent]

Thank you!! That will definitely take some stress off of us!

 

SP

[dedosr]

I was recently on a cruise with a person that is a double amputee. RCI has a department that specifically handles this type of situation. Contact them and they will help you with your needs. They were wonderful to the person in our party, and can answer all your questions.