Mobility scooter in port

[thisismylife]

I have tried to acquire useful details for a passenger needing a mobility scooter to exit the ship while in port from Royal Caribbean special needs department. They have very little to no useful information. First - is it possible to ride a scooter off the ship? Second - we would like to know if there is a secure place to leave a scooter parked at the end of the dock while we go on an excursion. We will be visiting St Thomas, St Kitts and Nassau.

[mlbcruiser]

My husband used a scooter last Feb. on an RCI ship. Yes you can drive the scooter off the ship.  Go a bit slowly and be prepared to brake on any steepish sections of the ramp.   You might inquire  just inside the secured area at the end of the dock to see if there is any place they will let you leave the scooter.  Probably the only way to find this out is to actually drive the scooter down there and ask. It could depend on who is manning the gate at the time. If the person using the scooter can walk a bit (at least to get off the ship) some ports have pedicabs or little trams that will drive you down the dock to where you exit the port.  Although I have been to all of the ports you mentioned many times,  until our last cruise I never paid attention to issues having to do with mobility equipment at ports. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will see this and can give you better answers.

[1025cruise]

Yes you can take the scooter off the ship. If necessary, the crew will assist in guiding you. 

 

In terms of leaving at the end of the pier, don't count on it. 

[itsmeagain]

Remind them, don’t text and drive.  Almost ran over a few times. 🙂

 

[pcur]

I'm going to suggest something else.  I'm going to assume you are renting the scooter at the ship.  I have traveled twice with my MIL who cannot walk, and we took a transport chair with us:

 

We got ours from 1800wheelchair.com, and they are still $99.  Very lightweight, you can gate check them at the airport, and they fold up very nicely in the cabin closet.  

 

Getting off the ship, the crew will assist your husband in the chair:  they basically take him down backwards, and they are trained to do this.  It's easy to push him around in port; I did this when my husband had foot surgery and I had to push him in the transport chair on a cruise.  It's a good alternative to have on a cruise and in the airport.

Edited November 11, 2018 by pcur

[MaryEBS]

yes you can drive the scooter off the ship.  If you prefer the scooter will be 'walked down' the ramp while the user walks off.  As far as leaving the scooter somewhere the answer is no.  Royal will not be responsible for the scooter.

[thisismylife]

18 hours ago, mlbcruiser said:

My husband used a scooter last Feb. on an RCI ship. Yes you can drive the scooter off the ship.  Go a bit slowly and be prepared to brake on any steepish sections of the ramp.   You might inquire  just inside the secured area at the end of the dock to see if there is any place they will let you leave the scooter.  Probably the only way to find this out is to actually drive the scooter down there and ask. It could depend on who is manning the gate at the time. If the person using the scooter can walk a bit (at least to get off the ship) some ports have pedicabs or little trams that will drive you down the dock to where you exit the port.  Although I have been to all of the ports you mentioned many times,  until our last cruise I never paid attention to issues having to do with mobility equipment at ports. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will see this and can give you better answers.

 

[kalliekae]

Just an FYI.....when we were in St. Kitts, there was an oversized golf cart that held 6-8 people that ran between the ship and the front of the port area where you line up for excursions. It was a huge help to us as we had someone with limited mobility. You had to wait in a line, but it wasn't a long wait. We did not see any place to leave a scooter once you left the ship. Perhaps you could ask Royal to help your friend off the ship via a Royal wheelchair and then utilize the golf cart to get you to the excursion area.

[thisismylife]

Thank you mlbcruiser. You said some ports have pedicabs or little trams that will drive you down the dock to where you exit the port. Has anyone else observed this at the ports, especially in St Thomas, St Kitts and Nassau? My friend can walk a short distance, but needs some kind of transportation from the ramp to the end of the dock where we can get on an excursion bus or taxi.

[reallyitsmema]

6 minutes ago, thisismylife said:

Thank you mlbcruiser. You said some ports have pedicabs or little trams that will drive you down the dock to where you exit the port. Has anyone else observed this at the ports, especially in St Thomas, St Kitts and Nassau? My friend can walk a short distance, but needs some kind of transportation from the ramp to the end of the dock where we can get on an excursion bus or taxi.

 

Both St Thomas and St Kitts have golf carts that take those with mobility issues.  In Nassau, there is a van/mini bus that picks people up at the ship and drives to the gates.  The driver offers his blessing and hopes you will bless him too when you get off his van.

[thisismylife]

Thank you kalliekae. Your post is very helpful. We have emailed  and called RCCL many times and did not get any of this helpful information. 

[thisismylife]

13 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

Both St Thomas and St Kitts have golf carts that take those with mobility issues.  In Nassau, there is a van/mini bus that picks people up at the ship and drives to the gates.  The driver offers his blessing and hopes you will bless him too when you get off his van.

Thank you, this is great news.

[kokopelli-az]

On 11/10/2018 at 10:11 PM, thisismylife said:

I have tried to acquire useful details for a passenger needing a mobility scooter to exit the ship while in port from Royal Caribbean special needs department. They have very little to no useful information. First - is it possible to ride a scooter off the ship? Second - we would like to know if there is a secure place to leave a scooter parked at the end of the dock while we go on an excursion. We will be visiting St Thomas, St Kitts and Nassau.

First of all, consider posting your question on the disabled cruise travel board:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

 

Secondly, a scooter can be driven off the ship and down the ramp and the ship crew will assist.  There will not be any place to safely park and leave it.  

 

I agree with the suggestion of renting a transport chair if there is an able-bodied person able to push the person in the transport chair.   For someone with mobility issues, ships themselves are huge and there is a lot of walking.  Not to mention walking at ports or on shore excursions.  Most shore excursions can accommodate a foldable transport chair (but double-check).  They cannot, however, accommodate a scooter unless a vehicle with a lift is used. 

 

Is your person bringing their own scooter or renting it?  My husband brings his own transport chair AND rents a scooter while on a cruise.  We use the transport chair where it's not feasible to use a scooter (like on a shore excursion that does not have a lift).   Having these items has been a dream come true for him being able to enjoy himself on a cruise.