Advice/experience with scooter rentals?

[lefty squeeker]

we will be cruising next year on the Coral Princess from LA via Panama Canal to Ft Lauderdale (and maybe once before that). have cruised previously using scooter, once with a rental picked up at home and once with my personal scooter, both times worked out fine (except for an airline leaving the scooter one transfer behind us). the local dealer no longer wants to do this trype of rental and i'm wondering who has used what services that deliver to your ship? any/all info on service, quality/reliability of scooter and cost will be appreciated.

thanks

[xxoocruiser]

we will be cruising next year on the Coral Princess from LA via Panama Canal to Ft Lauderdale (and maybe once before that). have cruised previously using scooter, once with a rental picked up at home and once with my personal scooter, both times worked out fine (except for an airline leaving the scooter one transfer behind us). the local dealer no longer wants to do this trype of rental and i'm wondering who has used what services that deliver to your ship? any/all info on service, quality/reliability of scooter and cost will be appreciated.

thanks

 

 

The following 2 companies are regularly used by cruiser. I have uesd CareVacation. In fact using them this weekend. Scooter will be deliver to my hotel than I will ride the scooter onto the ship. On the last day , I just leave the scooter in my cabin for carevacations to pickup.

Cost is dependent on the type of scooter needed to accomodate the persons weight and height. Cost is also varies based on port. Both companies will be ahppy to quote you over the phone. They are not high pressured.

 

CareVacation http://www.carevacations.com/cruiseshipassist/mobility-equipment/

 

Special Needs At Sea http://www.specialneedsatsea.com/reserve-equipment/scooter-rentals/

[Peery5]

I use Care Vacations. It is in the stateroom when we board and I leave it in the room when we disembark the last day. They are very dependable. Cost is based on your weight (used to determine what scooter is best for you) and the length of the cruise. If you choose the insurance, there is an additional fee.

 

I have never incurred any problems with the scooters that I have rented thus far.

[patseacruiser]

Have used special needs at sea and worked out great.

[MandD]

We have used both companies, and both are good. We are using Special Needs At Sea for our next cruise.

[uppitycats]

YOu should check directly with your cruise line, contacting the special needs department. These days with tight security many of the cruise lines are restricting access to the ship, and will only allow on those companies that have been pre-approved. I've rented from both Care Vacatoins and Special Needs at Sea, and had no problems with either. The power chair has been in the cabin when I got there, I leave it when I leave the ship at the end of the cruise, and haven't heard anything afterwards, so assume all is well.

[Arlened236]

I have used both companies over the years and found them to be very reliable..I had a scooter stop working on a cruise to Hawaii and the maintenance department called Carevacations from the ship(in the middle of the ocean) and they told them how to fix the scooter. Cruise saved!

On my last cruise I used Special needs at sea...they were much less expensive and I was also very happy with this company.

Get a quote from both and then decide which one to use. Be truthful about your weight and height so they can prove the best sooter for you...I have seen people have problems because the scooter was too small for their needs or it was too big.

 

Both of these companies were recommend by all of the cruise lines I have used in the past, but check before you book with the special needs department of your cruise line. (or have your TA check)

enjoy your cruise

Arlene

[CrusingJoe]

I might need one for my traveling partner, what is the average cost for a 7 day cruise?

[Arlened236]

I might need one for my traveling partner, what is the average cost for a 7 day cruise?

 

Joe...I would call each company and ask the cost.(no charge) because I have found the prices vary at time of year and if they have a sale or special at the time you call.

both numbers listed are free phone numbers.

[GRBlizz]

If your local company no longer wants to do this, there is probably another local company that will. It is usually far less expensive to rent locally than to rent on the ship, plus you have the benefit of the scooter for embarking/disembarking and in the airport.

 

I'd say, call around and find another local mobility equipment store.

[lefty squeeker]

thanks to all for the advice, we've got plenty of time to investtgate all the options.

[coldcdn]

For those renting scooters, I would suggest going to travelscoot dot com. My wife bought one last year and used it on our recent Celebrity cruise. Wonderful! It is very light and versatile (33 lbs). You can drive it down the jetway, have it gate checked and delivered for you right outside the airplane door when you arrive.

 

On the cruise ship, it stores in your room easily, can be used all over the ship and in the ports. If you need one at home, or if you travel a reasonable amount, why rent when you can own?

 

Make sure you contact the airlines at least 48 hours before you travel though. Delta will reject scooter batteries (stupid US airlines).

[kitty9]

The one negative of a travelscoot is the fact that it has no reverse. So, if your legs cannot move much, and you have to back out of a place, like an elevator, the travelscoot isn't a good choice.

 

I've never had Delta reject my scooter or batteries. They've been pretty good about scooters, and I fly Delta a lot.

[xxoocruiser]

The one negative of a travelscoot is the fact that it has no reverse. So, if your legs cannot move much, and you have to back out of a place, like an elevator, the travelscoot isn't a good choice.

 

I've never had Delta reject my scooter or batteries. They've been pretty good about scooters, and I fly Delta a lot.

 

Also another negative of the Travelscoot is that it does not have a flat footbed. Your feet have to rest on pegs similar to handlebars extruding from the base of scooter. Because of not having a flat footbed to place your feet on the Travelscoot is not a good idea for anyone that has balance issues. I have MS and need to have my feet firmly seated on a flat footbed.

[uppitycats]

Also, not having a flat footrest is a problem for some of us who have spasticity in our legs and feet -- the bar can trigger the spasticity. I also have MS. Balance and spasticity are huge problems for me, so the travelscoot wouldn't serve at all.