Special Needs Order Of Boarding

[kenzie]

We are due to sail HOS in January with my elderly father who will have a mobility scooter with him, do they board Special Needs as priority?

[Clarea]

No special boarding that I've seen for scooters.

[SRF]

Depends on the port.

 

In Baltimore, they board differently, and as they can handle them. So sort of priority, but not boarding before boarding starts.

[kenzie]

Port is Fort Lauderdale, Harmony of seas is the ship. Our last cruises have been NCL and they always board us first before even suites.

[spookwife]

We are due to sail HOS in January with my elderly father who will have a mobility scooter with him, do they board Special Needs as priority?

 

 

no. In order:

 

Back to Backers

Wedding Parties

Pinnacle

Suites

General boarding by number

 

those using mobility aids board separately and can actually take much longer as the elevators can only take so many at a time.

[Havingfun2010]

Two things. First, the question of priority boarding. Only for one period of time from 11:00 - 3:30, does any type of priority boarding matter. That is when everyone arrives at 10:00 and waits for the doors to open. The rest of the day, there is really no priority. When you arrive, you get on, after check in.

 

As far as getting on the ship. If you are driving your scooter you will get on with everyone else, in the same line of people. No need for priority. Usually on embarkation, the ramp is simple, and getting into the ship is easy. No need for special assistance. But with any "threshold", he might want to be prepared to get off the scooter. They have a tendency to have a low clearance, and sometimes bottoms out.

 

If you need assistance, such as a wheelchair, than you don't have priority, you just need to wait for help. They load as fist come first serve basis.

 

We never had any type of priority, or special loading. Just always go with the flow. Actually, when they try to put us in the wheelchair section, we decline, because, that actually hold you up for boarding.

[Hypo]

A word of warning about scooters and the boarding ramp. When riding a scooter up the boarding ramp, be extremely careful of that last little ramp that connects the pier ramp to the ship. The slope of the ramp is often very steep and it is easy to tip the scooter over backwards. This happened to my wife, fortunately she was not hurt. Now I position myself behind her to "push" if need be, to prevent her falling backward. She also knows to shift her weight forward on the scooter so that the center of gravity is further forward from the back wheels.

[BillOh]

We are due to sail HOS in January with my elderly father who will have a mobility scooter with him, do they board Special Needs as priority?

 

No special boarding that I've seen for scooters.

 

In January is Harmony still in Port Everglades? If so, special needs to me meant requiring assistance from Port Personnel and my 3 times thereon an Oasis class the staff availability was low, so those people waited, but with a scooter he should be able to board when the rest of his party does/wants.

[kenzie]

In January is Harmony still in Port Everglades? If so, special needs to me meant requiring assistance from Port Personnel and my 3 times thereon an Oasis class the staff availability was low, so those people waited, but with a scooter he should be able to board when the rest of his party does/wants.

Port Is Fort Lauderdale

[BillOh]

Port Is Fort Lauderdale

 

The City is Fort Lauderdale, but the port is Port Everglades, so at least we are on the same page. Good! I believe the current plan is to move Harmony to Port Canaveral sometime in the future.

[Clarea]

Port Is Fort Lauderdale

Actually, the port is Port Everglades, which is in the city of Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Harmony does her last cruise out of Port Everglades on 28 April 2019, and starts cruising out of Port Canaveral on 06 May 2019.

[Mikeandliz]

Why does EVERYONE think they are entitled to special treatment? How narcissistic we have become.

Wait, I witnessed a car fender-bender last week. I think i have PTSD. Can I board with my therapy rat early?

 

 

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[BillOh]

Actually, the port is Port Everglades, which is in the city of Ft. Lauderdale.

 

Harmony does her last cruise out of Port Everglades on 28 April 2019, and starts cruising out of Port Canaveral on 06 May 2019.

 

 

That will be the weekend I board Symphony in Miami. Can't wait to start seeing those reviews come in.

[SullytheBFG]

When I have boarded in Southampton or Barcelona with my Mum who is in a wheelchair we have always been guided to the front of the check in and have always been given priority. Staff have always been really helpful both port side and onboard.

 

Scooters have been put with us, not sure about the USA.

[Ourusualbeach]

Why does EVERYONE think they are entitled to special treatment? How narcissistic we have become.

Wait, I witnessed a car fender-bender last week. I think i have PTSD. Can I board with my therapy rat early?

 

 

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Lighten up.:( It wasn’t everyone. It was one person asking a reasonable question.

[Havingfun2010]

Why does EVERYONE think they are entitled to special treatment? How narcissistic we have become.

Wait, I witnessed a car fender-bender last week. I think i have PTSD. Can I board with my therapy rat early?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

1. People in wheelchairs need special treatment, or treatment that is different. Ramps, are often times difficult to go over, therefore, many cruise ships, will have people to monitor, and help. Yes, it is special, but is it priority? Not really. Does the person really want special treatment? I would think most would rather have the ability to walk.

 

2. We always get on an airplane first. Priority boarding right? What does that mean? Well, we get to go from the seat in the lobby, to the seat in the plane. Some people will say, we got special treatment, and priority. While others say, glad they got on early, now I don't have to stand behind them, while they try to get on. .

 

3. Someone that is disabled, it makes no difference to. We just want to get on safely, and we also hate, holding up traffic and the flow of people.

 

4. It is always in the best interest of the cruise ship, to give special treatment which is nothing more than giving extra help.

 

5. What does a rat have to do with a scooter? Wouldn't you carry the rat? Also, someone with PTSD should try not to board at 11:00 with the crowds, but when the lines slow down. That would be the same with others that have certain disabilities that are similar.

[spookwife]

Lighten up.:( It wasn’t everyone. It was one person asking a reasonable question.

 

 

maybe, but I have begun seeing far more people demanding 'priority' due to all sorts of reasons, to the point where those of us who pay extra to get 'priority' often end up with the short end of the stick.

 

I just flew to Minneapolis last weekend and did so First class. Not counting the 21 Baby Squids who boarded our flight from Atlanta back to Pensacola( due the airlines policy of permitting AD to pre board and factoring in three major Navy installations, two of which are training commands) each flight had a minimum of 4-5 wheelchair pre boards. at least 3 families with strollers and one or two others who decided they needed 'extra time'

 

I used to BE the one in the wheelchair full time. so yes, I have in the past benefited from such policies, but as we as a nation get older, and more broken and classify every little thing as a disability, it is taking its toll and contributes to the attitude and eye rolling that goes on when they get special treatment.

 

especially since you also seem to have all those memes about "we just want to be treated normally." and that means.. no special front of the line access just because you are in a scooter/WC.

[ONECRUISER]

Why does EVERYONE think they are entitled to special treatment? How narcissistic we have become.

Wait, I witnessed a car fender-bender last week. I think i have PTSD. Can I board with my therapy rat early?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Was just a question. As they said it's how done on NCL and were wondering about Royal way of doing thing's. Know question was about Scooter's but 18-19 yrs ago in Miami and Port Everglades wheelchair passenger's were first off. Took my Father In Law on couple cruises and we were 2nd off before all passengers in 2000. They'd wheel them all off at same time, 8-10 of them. The Royal worker in Miami wheeled him off the ship and right to our car in the parking lot. He got a great tip.. Now there are so more older wheelchair assistance passengers. When I do B2B's I see some sit there and almost last to be wheeled off...

[Ourusualbeach]

maybe, but I have begun seeing far more people demanding 'priority' due to all sorts of reasons, to the point where those of us who pay extra to get 'priority' often end up with the short end of the stick.

 

I just flew to Minneapolis last weekend and did so First class. Not counting the 21 Baby Squids who boarded our flight from Atlanta back to Pensacola( due the airlines policy of permitting AD to pre board and factoring in three major Navy installations, two of which are training commands) each flight had a minimum of 4-5 wheelchair pre boards. at least 3 families with strollers and one or two others who decided they needed 'extra time'

 

I used to BE the one in the wheelchair full time. so yes, I have in the past benefited from such policies, but as we as a nation get older, and more broken and classify every little thing as a disability, it is taking its toll and contributes to the attitude and eye rolling that goes on when they get special treatment.

 

especially since you also seem to have all those memes about "we just want to be treated normally." and that means.. no special front of the line access just because you are in a scooter/WC.

 

And again it was a question pertaining to one person in a scooter NOT all the other reasons that you listed.

[SullytheBFG]

We don’t demand priority airlines and cruise ships kindly provide it! It is a great help when it just myself and my Mum. If we get on first, last or somewhere in the middle I am grateful.

[Bloodgem]

When I have boarded in Southampton or Barcelona with my Mum who is in a wheelchair we have always been guided to the front of the check in and have always been given priority. Staff have always been really helpful both port side and onboard.

 

Scooters have been put with us, not sure about the USA.

Never experienced this at Southampton and we travel from Southampton twice a year. At Southampton there is a separate queue for wheelchair and scooter user. Just like there are separate queues for suite guests and diamond and above. Using the wheelchair queue does mean we tend to board before other guests, that are in the normal queue but we have never " been guided to the front of the check in" nor been "given priority". Even the port agents pushing passengers in wheelchairs have to wait in the wheelchair queue.

[SullytheBFG]

Apologies if my post was misleading, yes we get guided to the wheelchair queue however we have never had anyone in front of us. I guess we have just been lucky.

 

My Mum lives on the IOW so Southampton is great to go from.

[Bloodgem]

Apologies if my post was misleading, yes we get guided to the wheelchair queue however we have never had anyone in front of us. I guess we have just been lucky.

 

My Mum lives on the IOW so Southampton is great to go from.

Can I be nosy what time do you turn up at check in? On a good day there is normally 5 in front of us on a bad day 15. The last time we cruised, May 2018, we were advised to use the Diamond line, as we are diamond because we would be quicker.

[SullytheBFG]

Can I be nosy what time do you turn up at check in? On a good day there is normally 5 in front of us on a bad day 15. The last time we cruised, May 2018, we were advised to use the Diamond line, as we are diamond because we would be quicker.

 

I normally pick Mum up from the Red Jet between 10 and 11 and Park my car in the disabled parking at Southampton Port as she has a blue badge. Last cruise from there was May 2017. We only have Gold status with RCCL but platinum with NCL. Maybe we have just been lucky?

[Bloodgem]

I normally pick Mum up from the Red Jet between 10 and 11 and Park my car in the disabled parking at Southampton Port as she has a blue badge. Last cruise from there was May 2017. We only have Gold status with RCCL but platinum with NCL. Maybe we have just been lucky?

Thank you for answering, we normally stay at the Holiday Inn by gate 8 and turn up at about 11:30. I guess we time it wrong. :D