Oxygen and mobility issues

[Spender Nui]

My wife has very recently been put on oxygen 24/7. It's all new to us. We have a Celebrity cruise scheduled next month and not sure if we should go or cancel.

 

We wouldn't be flying so that is not a concern.

 

Although she can walk short distances I'm concerned about the rigors of boarding, lifeboat drill and debarking. On board she generally should be OK but could use a wheelchair for the aforementioned activities. We don't have a wheelchair. Will Celebrity provide one?

 

We have both a large concentrator and a portable oxygen concentrator. The portable is not a problem but how would I bring the large concentrator aboard?

 

I'm also pursuing this on the Disabled Board.

 

Any and all help will be appreciated.

[jackdiamond]

I would be surprised if you could bring the large concentrator onboard.

[Spender Nui]

The large concentrator is is 29" X 15" X9.5" and weighs 31 pounds. I don't think (not sure) Celebrity would have a problem with the size. My concerns are handling it delicately in transit and plugging it into a convenient outlet in the cabin.

[138east]

I traveled with my mom and a large oxygen concentrator, a portable, and a suitcase full of oxygen tubes. We brought a long extension cord and duct tape just in case. We purchased a lightweight collapsible transport chair from Amazon.

 

I transported the concentrator strapped tightly to a luggage dolly. It stayed that way for the duration of the cruise. The suitcase rolled. Mom sat in the transport chair for check in and boarding and the portable was in a tote bag hung across the handles. I got assistance with all this at the port and had ready cash for tips. It was an effort to do, but it was well worth it.

 

I always filled out forms indicating we would be bringing all this stuff. What was interesting was that no one at the security check even looked at the suitcase full of oxygen.

[kitty9]

I know from first hand experience with both my mom and myself, Celebrity will not provide a wheelchair for full time on board use. You need to bring your own.

 

Have you thought of renting a scooter? That way your wife has independence and you can handle all the other things like the oxygen.

[H2OH!]

One company we talked to but ended up not using was care vacations. they were great on the phone. we ended up buying mom her scooter instead of renting. care vacations also supplies oxygen equipment so now that mom is on oxygen 24/7, we will try and rent a concentrator to be delivered to the ship for our next adventure.

 

also visit the disabled cruisers section of cruise critic. lots of great folks sharing information.

 

Safe travels and hope you have a wonderful vacation. :)

[Happy2cruise]

You may want to contact Celebrity's Special Needs Department and discuss your concerns with them.

 

For embarking and disembarking they offer wheelchair assistance which is great.

[BamaD]

On a 10 day Med/Equinox trip, MIL and I decided to stay on the ship for a port day. Since she had very limited mobility, on a lark, I requested a wheelchair to give her a "super tour" of the near-empty ship.

 

No problem. It showed up in about 10 minutes. The porter had taken time to clean it beautifully. The guest relations person insisted that we keep it for the entire cruise, including ports, if we wanted. We did - and took that thing all over Italy and Greece. Everyone on Celebrity and the ports were so helpful. Do bring a lot of single bills with you as you will probably be moved to tip - a lot!

 

While I'm sure its not their policy to provide wheelchairs for the cruise - you might just ask. There may be a limited number that they can work with.

[kendracruises]

We just recently cruised on Eclipse and my mom uses a oxygen concentrator and my husband a CPAP machine. We filled out a Celebrity Special Needs form and emailed it back to Celebrity and had no problems. They provided a extension cord for the machines and distilled water as well. We drove so brought our own machines and handed the concentrator off at baggage claim(put a luggage tag on it) and it arrived in our room with no issues. You can rent them and have them delivered to the ship, but it is kind of expensive.

[BamaD]

I vote for you to definitely take the cruise. Allow people to assist you whenever its offered. We did find out that we had to pace ourselves. We were much more "low key" and thoughtfully planned our movement through the ship rather than move "willy-nilly" from venue to venue.

 

It was a lovely cruise for us - we just built in a little more relaxation time.

 

Have fun and let us know how it went.

[memawree]

We are leaving on a transatlantic cruise this Sunday on the Celebrity Silhouette. I called Celebrity and they were very nice about information and said they would take really good care of me. As we have to fly back from Italy via NY to Ft. Lauderdale, I had to have much more battery power than is required on the ship. I have rented an oxygenator with enough battery packs to get me home. I find if I am not rushing about and the air is cool, I can be without the oxygen for a good couple of hours so, that will be helpful. As you are not flying, you will be ok with the battery pack from the oxygenator, you will need at least two. I have no idea if they will allow you to bring the large oxygenator onboard, as it did not apply to me, but, I suggest you call them asap to find out what your options are. The company I rented the exquipment from is Oxygen to Go. 866-692-0040.

As you do not need a lot of battery power, the company that supplies your oxygen on a daily basis may be able to get you a portable machine with a couple of battery packs. This is very doable if you are not flying.

I am sure Celebrity will provide a wheelchair for you. We have purchased a transport chair and have used it before on two other cruises. We purchased it at Walgreens drug store for less than 100.00. It has been a lifesaver. This will be my first trip with the oxygen so I am hoping for the best. My friends on cruise critic have been most wonderful.

Marie:)

[kennelgang]

My wife has very recently been put on oxygen 24/7. It's all new to us. We have a Celebrity cruise scheduled next month and not sure if we should go or cancel.

 

We wouldn't be flying so that is not a concern.

 

Although she can walk short distances I'm concerned about the rigors of boarding, lifeboat drill and debarking. On board she generally should be OK but could use a wheelchair for the aforementioned activities. We don't have a wheelchair. Will Celebrity provide one?

 

We have both a large concentrator and a portable oxygen concentrator. The portable is not a problem but how would I bring the large concentrator aboard?

 

I'm also pursuing this on the Disabled Board.

 

Any and all help will be appreciated.

 

Hi,

 

My wife and I are in a very similar situation. Like your wife she recently went on oxygen 24/7. At home, we have a machine that produces oxygen and she is connected via tubing that provides ability for her to walk through out the house. In addition, we have 2 fairly small portable oxygen cylinders with a roll around cart that we can use for day trips outside the house. The oxygen producing machine has the ability to refill these cylinders. Each cylinder contains 3 hours worth of oxygen. We also have a very large cylinder at home in case the power goes out.

 

In September, we cruise the British Isles on Carnival Legend. We fly SFO/LHR. The flights are 11 hours in duration. Counting 2 hours on both sides of flying (arriving to and from the airports and to and from a pre cruise hotel). This means we have to have 15 hours of battery time unless United can charge batteries in flight. There are very small portable oxygen concentrators on the market that weigh next to nothing. Batteries are another story ~3 lbs each and only last 2-3 hours. The purchase price of the concentrator is ~$3K and batteries are ~$400 each. We are planning on renting the equipment for about $150 per week.

 

We rent the home equipment from a company called Apria. We can rent the portable equipment from them as well.

 

My wife is also on a CPAP machine at night..so we have to take that along as well.

 

Bob

[Spender Nui]

Thanks to all for your input, concern and support. It's really appreciated. I'm prepared to cancel the trip but my wife really wants to go so if I can make happen safely I will.

 

We have both a large 31# Respironics oxygen concentrator and a more manageable 4# Activox portable.

 

I have been in touch with Celebrity and they have agreed to offer wheelchair assistance at the port for boarding and departure. They were clear that they wouldn't provide a wheelchair for the cruise but we didn't expect or think we need one.

 

Still not clear on the lifeboat drill.

 

After the hospital we're seeing many doctors and hope to know more soon regarding her condition and whether or not we should be going. If that's a yes I'll pursue which (maybe both) of our oxygen concentrators we should bring aboard.

 

We've had a long few weeks and are still looking for answers.

 

If we bring the large one I'll have to figure out how to transport it safely. Is there a carrier similar to what luggage may be transported on?

 

Thankfully we'll be driving and no flying is involved.

 

Thanks again to all for your help.

[kennelgang]

Thanks to all for your input, concern and support. It's really appreciated. I'm prepared to cancel the trip but my wife really wants to go so if I can make happen safely I will.

 

We have both a large 31# Respironics oxygen concentrator and a more manageable 4# Activox portable.

 

I have been in touch with Celebrity and they have agreed to offer wheelchair assistance at the port for boarding and departure. They were clear that they wouldn't provide a wheelchair for the cruise but we didn't expect or think we need one.

 

Still not clear on the lifeboat drill.

 

After the hospital we're seeing many doctors and hope to know more soon regarding her condition and whether or not we should be going. If that's a yes I'll pursue which (maybe both) of our oxygen concentrators we should bring aboard.

 

We've had a long few weeks and are still looking for answers.

 

If we bring the large one I'll have to figure out how to transport it safely. Is there a carrier similar to what luggage may be transported on?

 

Thankfully we'll be driving and no flying is involved.

 

Thanks again to all for your help.

 

 

IMO and in all honesty the large concentrator will be way to heavy to consider taking. The stress of handling a 31 pound unit would be too much, at least for me...best bet is to go with portable light weight concentrators (~3lbs) and sufficient batteries (~4 lbs ea). The batteries can be recharged in your stateroom. We plan to rent these, especially since we will be flying 11 hours to London.

 

Whatever you do please consult your doctor on what equipment will best suit her needs while cruising and ease of transporting.

 

Please keep posting and let us know what's happenin'

 

Wishing you and your wife the best,

 

Bob

[Chicago Boy]

My wife has very recently been put on oxygen 24/7. It's all new to us. We have a Celebrity cruise scheduled next month and not sure if we should go or cancel.

 

We wouldn't be flying so that is not a concern.

 

Although she can walk short distances I'm concerned about the rigors of boarding, lifeboat drill and debarking. On board she generally should be OK but could use a wheelchair for the aforementioned activities. We don't have a wheelchair. Will Celebrity provide one?

 

We have both a large concentrator and a portable oxygen concentrator. The portable is not a problem but how would I bring the large concentrator aboard?

 

I'm also pursuing this on the Disabled Board.

 

Any and all help will be appreciated.

 

We have seen people in wheel chairs and on oxygen so that should not be a problem. I would suggest you contact Celebrity to work out the details. Cruise Critic is not the forum for it.

[Happy2cruise]

Lifeboat drills are held in inside areas so if you get there early and get a seat you should have no problem. After the drill, wait for the crowd to leave first.

 

You might also be able to address this concern at Passenger Relations desk and see what they can offer.

 

Wishing you a safe and wonderful cruise:)

[Baseball fan]

I cannot help with your question about oxygen but my parents went on a cruise and rented a wheelchair from a company called special needs at sea. They deliver the wheelchair to the cabin and pick it up in the end. I think my parents paid about $200 for 14 days. The cruise lines generally don't have them for everyday use. I found a lot of good feedback on this company on cruise critic. Enjoy your cruise. Dena

[Annecj]

I travel with a portable concentrator that my home oxygen supplier gives me for travel. If your wife's home supplier can provide one for her to use she can plug it in while in the cabin. Invacare and Sequal both are continuous flow. I only need onygen when I sleep and I plug it in during the night. That way I have fully charged batteries in case I do need to use the machine out if the cabin. With one of these she would not need the large concentrator.

[BamaD]

I have attended muster drills in areas that were brutal. Some were in a "standing only venue and were crowded and hot!

 

You do want to address that - I'm sure Celebrity will take care of you.

[garyinftl]

A few years ago I was on oxygen 24/7 as well (have since had lung transplant, so no longer tethered). I used liquid oxygen because my liter flow was too high for concentrators. We rented a liquid reservoir and portables from a company called Special Needs at Sea. They delivered the reservoir and a portable to the cabin, then at the end we left it there and they came and got it. No problems at all.

 

In that we live in Fort Lauderdale, we did not have to fly to the port, just a 20 minute drive!

 

Best wishes, Gary, Fort Lauderdale

[Az's Cruising Nana]

Contact the company that supplies your home oxygen they should be versed in travel. If they cannot provide you with your oxygen needs at the port they can provide you with the name of a company that can at no additonal charge. There are also suitcase concentrators out there that might be easier to use. Have your oxygen company provide you with this info also. If not do some research and if able purchase one if possible. I am a firm believer in the O2 dependant being able to get out there.

 

Sue

[ehfl]

I would call the accessibility department. They should be able to answer your questions and help with any accommodations.