Wheelchairs on ships

[uppitycats]

So, on other threads (right now on NCL), "Nita" -- who claims to be a travel agent in real life - is telling people that -- within the last year -- cruiselines are now offering wheelchairs for "rent" (someone quoted a price of $50) for passengers.

 

Have any of you travelled recently on any of the mainstream lines that can verify this?

 

My last cruise, on Hurtigruten, won't "count" as it is far from mainstream (and I always use my own chair anyway). But if this is indeed a change of policy (from first having them freely available, then not at all, to now "renting" them), we should know!

[LindaKE]

On all the lines we've been on or will be on, they will help you embark and disembark using their wheelchairs. If you want to use one on the ship or in ports, you have to either bring your own or rent from a company like Cruise Assist or Care Vacations. Those companies will have the wheelchair waiting in your cabin, and you leave it there after the cruise.

[Queenie2]

It sounds like this TA doesn't do a lot of accessible travel. Years ago, for a short time Princess would "pre-reserve" a wheelchair for your exclusive use for a $50 deposit. If you returned the wheelchair at the end of the cruise, then you were refunded the deposit. This wasn't widely done, nor was it done on all ships, and then it was discontinued. So I think she may have just gotten confused. Plus, there's a lot of incorrect information out there on the net, and it keeps being repeated.

 

Candy

[SeattleCruiselover]

So, on other threads (right now on NCL), "Nita" -- who claims to be a travel agent in real life - is telling people that -- within the last year -- cruiselines are now offering wheelchairs for "rent" (someone quoted a price of $50) for passengers.

 

Have any of you travelled recently on any of the mainstream lines that can verify this?

 

My last cruise, on Hurtigruten, won't "count" as it is far from mainstream (and I always use my own chair anyway). But if this is indeed a change of policy (from first having them freely available, then not at all, to now "renting" them), we should know!

 

Nita IS a travel agent (as am I part time when I'm not being an RN), but I doubt that she does a whole lot of accessible travel. When I spoke with the access desk at NCL less than a month ago when I was still trying to decide my power chair versus a collapsible for Alaska cruising, they told me they do NOT rent W/C, have to use one of their vendors. Of course, as always with NCL (and others) the left hand might not know what the right hand is doing....

[uppitycats]

Well, what you all have stated is what I understood, but she was adamant that she'd "just done this for a client in the last 3 months" (reserved a wheelchair), so my information was "old", or "incorrect".

 

You can read the thread here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1221482

 

I was really hoping I wasn't giving out incorrect information...but as I said here, my last cruise was on an unconventional ship, so maybe things have changed.

 

Anyway. Thanks for confirming what I thought I knew!

[wizard-of-roz]

We were on the Carnival Splendor [wonderful ship] a few months ago. DH was not feeling well and, was having problems walking. He has recurring osteoarthritis problems and did not want to bring his chair from home, this trip. While sitting in the show lounge he was having difficulty getting up. I knew he needed a chair.

 

I went to the Information Desk and told them that my spouse needed a wheelchair and could they please get me one [it was the second day of our cruise-a sea day.] The gal behind the counter said, "no problem, would I like someone to assist me?" I told her I could handle it. She then told me it would be $100.00 [charged to our seapass account.]

 

$50.00 would be charged-back once I returned the chair at the end of the cruise and $50.00 is charged to our account for "rental" of the chair.

It was so convenient and made such a difference in the remainder of our cruise.

[Going Coastal]

This is just my personal experience but for what it is worth, here goes:

I have had a long recovery from a surgical procediure, cruising with manual wheelchair, then scooter, then stationary walker, now a rolling walker, 3 or 4 wheel, depending on the circumstances.

On both RCL and Celebrity I have used one of their wheelchairs with a pusher to get on and off the ship in every instance except when I was in my own manual chair. The assigned pusher for boarding on each cruise has offered for me to keep their chair for the duration, and while I have always declined there is one parked close by during the cruise.

My thought is that they want to have easy transport available in case of a shipwide emergency. Which may also be why there are a limited number of accessible cabins.

I appreciate their consideration in these matters.

[Sadikifu]

So, on other threads (right now on NCL), "Nita" -- who claims to be a travel agent in real life - is telling people that -- within the last year -- cruiselines are now offering wheelchairs for "rent" (someone quoted a price of $50) for passengers.

 

Have any of you travelled recently on any of the mainstream lines that can verify this?

 

My last cruise, on Hurtigruten, won't "count" as it is far from mainstream (and I always use my own chair anyway). But if this is indeed a change of policy (from first having them freely available, then not at all, to now "renting" them), we should know!

 

I traveled to Alaska last August on the NCL Pearl. I was able to rent a wheelchair from NCL on board the ship.