HAL experience for an overweight 1st time cruiser?

[Kingofcool1947]

DW and I are thinking of taking a 1st time 7 day Caribbean cruise on HAL.

A good friend and her partner want to join us. They have never been on a cruise. They want to try a cruise.

She is overweight @400 pounds. Plus size 7X(?). She is a “Mature” mid 60’s, enjoys eating, scrapbooking, reading, and playing bingo.

She uses a mobility scooter.

 

Questions:

Inside cabin with two twin beds large enough?

Can she request additional support for her bed?

Is the shower large enough for my friend to fit? Is there a helper handle bar in the shower? Can she get a stool to sit on in the shower?

Is there room in HAL bathroom for her to sit “normally” on the commode? Or would she need to sit sideways?

Do the chairs in MDR have arms or armless? In the buffet?

Will she be able to sit in the theater seat? In the other entertainment venues?

Is there a ladder to lift herself in and out of the swimming pool?

Are the ship sponsored shore excursions identified by level of physical or walking requirements? Use of mobility scooter OK on some tours?

At port calls, how is her mobility scooter taken on and off the ship? What if the ship is in a tender port?

Or does she ride it on and off the ship to the pier?

Can she take her mobility scooter on bus shore excursions?

 

Thank you for any advice to assure my friend and partner that cruising will be a good experience for them.

[NMLady]

A mobility scooter is going to require booking a handicap accessible cabin or there won't be room inside the cabin.

Scooters cannot be left in the hallway.

Accessible cabins are limited so must be booked far in advance.

 

An accessible cabin's bathroom will have hold bars at toilet and shower.

The shower will have a seat.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

DW and I are thinking of taking a 1st time 7 day Caribbean cruise on HAL.

A good friend and her partner want to join us. They have never been on a cruise. They want to try a cruise.

She is overweight @400 pounds. Plus size 7X(?). She is a “Mature” mid 60’s, enjoys eating, scrapbooking, reading, and playing bingo.

She uses a mobility scooter.

 

Questions:

Inside cabin with two twin beds large enough?

Can she request additional support for her bed?

Is the shower large enough for my friend to fit? Is there a helper handle bar in the shower? Can she get a stool to sit on in the shower?

Is there room in HAL bathroom for her to sit “normally” on the commode? Or would she need to sit sideways?

Do the chairs in MDR have arms or armless? In the buffet?

Will she be able to sit in the theater seat? In the other entertainment venues?

Is there a ladder to lift herself in and out of the swimming pool?

Are the ship sponsored shore excursions identified by level of physical or walking requirements? Use of mobility scooter OK on some tours?

At port calls, how is her mobility scooter taken on and off the ship? What if the ship is in a tender port?

Or does she ride it on and off the ship to the pier?

Can she take her mobility scooter on bus shore excursions?

 

Thank you for any advice to assure my friend and partner that cruising will be a good experience for them.

 

Here is a good story on cruise critic that will provide you some valuable insight.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=9

 

An older thread - but still has relevant information -

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=413616

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2532421

 

More on mobility scooters and tenders

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2070803

 

From the Know before you go

 

"Also, please note that scooters and wheelchairs weighing more than 100 pounds without the battery are not allowed to be transferred from the ship to tender and/or from tender to shore. For persons not capable of walking on their own, the use of a wheelchair will be the primary mobility assistance aid for getting on and off the ship. Situations may occur in which guests with limited mobility may not be able to go ashore at the time they desire or are unable to go ashore at all in certain ports"

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-vacation-onboard/KBYG.pdf

Edited November 30, 2017 by The-Inside-Cabin

[TiogaCruiser]

If you could tell us which ship(s) you are considering I’m sure there are plenty of people who can provide more detailed information on specific cabins, etc.

[Stpatsirish]

I have been on the Maasdam, the Nieuw Amsterdam and the Koningsdam. The dining rooms have mostly armed chairs but all three have also had armless chairs. Just ask your server for one and it will be there every day for you. I have not seen armless chairs at the Lido but I have at the Pinnacle Grill.

 

The single bed should support her, if her weight is what is listed.

 

As mentioned above, a handicapped room will be needed. They do have to be booked ahead but it is not unusual to have vacant ones close to cruise time. We have been given them as a Guarantee during the last week.

[RuthC]

What ship are you looking at?

All the Main Deck inside cabins on the Vista and Signature ships will accept a scooter easily. There are a couple of inside cabins on the S- and R-class ships that will also have room for a scooter.

All the showers in inside cabins will have room for your friend; there are bars to hold on to while stepping over the approximately 4" lip into the shower, as well as while in there.

I don't know if a shower chair will fit in a non-accessible cabin, as I have never used one.

The aisle between the beds will give adequate room to maneuver if they are set in the twin configuration. There may or may not be enough room if it is set as a queen, depending on the class of ship and configuration in the cabin. Vista and Signature ships that are connecting cabins have plenty of room between one side of the bed and the closets, in the insides on Main.

She can ask for an armless chair in the dining room; there are some available.

Scooters that can be folded up can be brought on tour busses. Depending on the size of the van, sometimes they fit on those. I expect at her weight, your friend is using a heavy-duty scooter, though, so it may not fold. If it comes apart easily, that might work.

She would ride the scooter right off the ship, over to the busses, then fold it and board. If the gangway is too steep, your friend can walk down while the stewards stationed there ride or walk the scooter on/off the ship.

In tender ports the smaller ships have a staircase on the outside of the ship that she would have to be able to climb, while the folded scooter is carried; that could be tough. Vista and Signature ships have an elevator to the tender dock level.

[Kingofcool1947]

What ship are you looking at?

All the Main Deck inside cabins on the Vista and Signature ships will accept a scooter easily. There are a couple of inside cabins on the S- and R-class ships that will also have room for a scooter.

All the showers in inside cabins will have room for your friend; there are bars to hold on to while stepping over the approximately 4" lip into the shower, as well as while in there.

I don't know if a shower chair will fit in a non-accessible cabin, as I have never used one.

The aisle between the beds will give adequate room to maneuver if they are set in the twin configuration. There may or may not be enough room if it is set as a queen, depending on the class of ship and configuration in the cabin. Vista and Signature ships that are connecting cabins have plenty of room between one side of the bed and the closets, in the insides on Main.

She can ask for an armless chair in the dining room; there are some available.

Scooters that can be folded up can be brought on tour busses. Depending on the size of the van, sometimes they fit on those. I expect at her weight, your friend is using a heavy-duty scooter, though, so it may not fold. If it comes apart easily, that might work.

She would ride the scooter right off the ship, over to the busses, then fold it and board. If the gangway is too steep, your friend can walk down while the stewards stationed there ride or walk the scooter on/off the ship.

In tender ports the smaller ships have a staircase on the outside of the ship that she would have to be able to climb, while the folded scooter is carried; that could be tough. Vista and Signature ships have an elevator to the tender dock level.

 

We are concidering:

7 day Western Caribbean, March 4, 2018

Ms. Rotterdam

Roundtrip Tampa, Fl.

 

My friend and her partner (normal weight and size) sleep at home in separate beds.

And her partner helps with lifting the scooter when needed.

 

Thank you very much for the information you have provided.

Edited December 1, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[RuthC]

We are concidering:

7 day Western Caribbean, March 4, 2018

Ms. Rotterdam

Roundtrip Tampa, Fl.

 

My friend and her partner (normal weight and size) sleep at home in separate beds.

And her partner helps with lifting the scooter when needed.

 

Thank you very much for the information you have provided.

There are only a couple of non-accessible inside cabins on that ship that will have room for a scooter; one of them is 2619. She would be looking for a 'sideways' inside cabin, or an accessible one.

The beds would have to be separated in that cabin for her to have room to get in/out of bed.

The commode is on an angle, so there should be adequate room on each side for a person of size.

That ship has the outside staircase to the tender dock, for ports that are tender in.

If going to Half Moon Cay, though, and using the island tenders, she could ride the scooter right on the tender, use a ramp to the lower level, and disembark to the island from there. Reverse to return.

 

You're quite welcome. I have taken inside cabins since I started cruising, and have used a scooter for the last several cruises; I have never had an accessible cabin. I've been in many Main Deck insides on the larger ships, and in 2619 on all the R-class ships, using a scooter on both classes of ship.

Good luck to your friend.

 

[Homosassa]

There are HAL excursions that are specifically designated for those with mobility issues. They are limited in number and not available in every port.

 

We are on the Rotterdam the week after you. Because our reservations are linked with a couple with a husband that uses a mobility scooter and is booked in an accessible cabin, I see the special excursions that are for those with mobility issues.

 

Those excursions are the same as those for those without issues. The person requiring the scooter (and one traveling companion if space is available) books the mobility version. Others wishing to go on the same excursion with that person book the regular tour and the party meets up at each site on the tour.

[knittinggirl]

DW and I are thinking of taking a 1st time 7 day Caribbean cruise on HAL.

A good friend and her partner want to join us. They have never been on a cruise. They want to try a cruise.

She is overweight @400 pounds. Plus size 7X(?). She is a “Mature” mid 60’s, enjoys eating, scrapbooking, reading, and playing bingo.

She uses a mobility scooter.

 

Questions:

 

 

Will she be able to sit in the theater seat? In the other entertainment venues?

There are some seats w/o arms, but not many. I think I saw some short rows so they could just sit on the scooter with the companion in a chair next to them.

Are the ship sponsored shore excursions identified by level of physical or walking requirements?

 

Yes, mild, moderate and strenuous. Some will say not suitable for wheelchairs. I used a cane, and they suggested only mild excursions. Bus seats may be too narrow. Some buses have very steep steps to board.

 

Check princess.com. I look for a similar shore excursion, and check their outline for number of steps, yards to walk. I think they even have a wheelchair category in some of their descriptions.

 

Chatted with a couple where they both used scooters. She said many times she brought her scooter for her husband because it was lighter, and she could walk a little bit.

 

Thank you for any advice to assure my friend and partner that cruising will be a good experience for them.[/quote]I'm always on the look out for seats w/o arms, and I often find some booths tucked away on the two ships we've sailed. But if the table is not moveable, I've found it a too tight fit.

In the MDR, I've seen many waiters ride the scooter back to the entrance so it's not in the way.

[summer slope]

To answer your question about a lift at the pool, I have not seen one, but have not cruised on the Rotterdam.

[knittinggirl]

Didn't know it was going to be on Rotterdam.

 

They have some nice booth type tables in the Lido near the aft elevators that you can slide it w/o arms.

 

Inside staterooms are the only rooms w/ showers. The rest have tubs, and it's pretty hard to climb into a tub.

 

I tried a shower chair in a tub on the Radiance of the Seas.

 

Our Vista Suite had an adjustable height table. Something to look for. Made it easier to eat our room service.

[katrina915]

Hopefully, your friend can get an accessible cabin. If so, I am dealing with HAL for my sister with one on another ship and I am filling out forms online for what is needed in the cabin (size of scooter, shower bench, distilled water for cpap, etc). They are pretty organized with this. If can't get accessible cabin, listen to other poster on what cabin to get. Accessible cabins go very quickly so they should jump on this now. Good luck.