Ship for mom who can't walk long distances?

[kstmommy]

Hi. I'm taking my mom, 64, and sisters on a cruise this spring. I can't decide which ship to go on. My number one coice is Glory, and 2 maybe Valor. She can walk at like at the grocery etc. but walking around the ship, she may get winded. Most of these ships are fairly centralized for public places right? I figure if we get a cabin near the elevators, it shouldn't be too bad. Am I thinking correctly? My sister is having a corinary and thinks we'd have to push her in a wheelchair ALL the time. I say maybe to just dinner and the shows, which are located at either end of Glory.

[CordovaMom]

I was on the Conquest this November -- I'm motion impared due to a stroke which still effects my left leg and also open heart surgery which left me in a weakened state -- I get tired standing for long periods of time or walking long distances -- I was able to get around the Conquest without aid of a wheelchair. I never took the stairs -- always opting to wait for an elevator -- but there were numerous places to sit and rest if I got tired walking on deck. Our stateroom was not near an elevator -- and the corridor leading to our stateroom is the only area on ship where I had any difficulty finding a spot to rest -- so book a room near an elevator. Your mom should be fine.

[Joanniebop]

Take the wheelchair.

My husband also gets "winded" along with other physical problems and we stopped going on cruises because of his health, but we took our first cruise with the wheelchair in Nov. on the Pride and I am sorry we didn't do it sooner. We are going on another cruise this Feb and will not travel without the chair. It was a breeze getting around the ship. Never had a problem and was so much easier for husband. Remember that there is so much walking and navigating on the ship that the chair just made it so much easier for everyone.Don't hesitate. You can always leave it outside the room if you don't need it if she is able to get around on her own. Better to be safe than sorry.

Hope this helps.

[katgar]

Another thought is to rent a scooter for her! She should have no problem, they aren't that hard to drive.

[Cotton]

I think you should book a cabin near an elevator. That really should eliminate any problems. The long halls in the cabin area would be the only place your mom would probably have a problem.

 

Anywhere else on the ship, there will be little couches or baquettes for her to sit to rest as she walks through the ship.

 

If she doesn't normally use a wheelchair, I wouldn't start now. (If she's anything like my mother, she'd want to start using one all the time.);)

[rickcop44]

My MIL cruises with us all the time and she's 81. If she gets pooped while we're walking on the ship, we stop and let her catch her breath. Simple as that. We're on vacation. There are many, many public areas on the ship where you can stop to re-energize. My MIL refuses to use a wheelchair or scooter, so we just accommodate her. I am, afterall, the perfect son in law (at least according to her). I should add we always book cabins near the elevators to accommodate her needs.

[Wennfred]

Renting a scooter is a great idea, alot of people use them onboard.:)

[CordovaMom]

Make sure you ask your mom what she would prefer -- I wouldn't ride in a wheelchair just because I'm trying to be more mobile, as long as I can walk I want to, no matter how slow I am!!!

[rickcop44]

Interesting. In 14 cruises, I think I've seen a motorized scooter once. The guy would park it in the hallway every night and plug it in to charge it. People starting decorating it as they'd walk by. By the middle of the week, he had a souped up, rainbow color scooter with tassles hanging from the handle grips and a Carnival flag waving off the back. I wanted to know where the tassles came from. I spent the rest of the cruise looking in all the show lounges for a show that would use tassles. I had to conclude they came from the crew quarters. They have all the fun.

[jckvpa0]

I would definitely get a room by the elevators center ship. There is a lot of walking on the ship & in port I agree a scooter sounds great.

[FirsttimersCT]

We went on the Valor last year and my mother in law rented a motorized scooter from a company in Miami. I thiink it was 200 dollars for the week and the company delivered it to our room. She had a handicapped room that had a wider door so she could drive the scooter right into her room.

 

It was a great thing for her because she was able to navigate the entire ship on her own.

 

The best 200 dollars she ever spent

[kstmommy]

Thank you all for your responses! We'll definately be booking midship, near the elevator. I think we may go ahead and rent a scooter, as I found one for $175 /week from Randy's. Even though she would probably be ok, at least this way, she can come and go as she pleases without feeling like a burden to us. She actually kind of "likes" riding them, well at Walmart anyway LOL.....Thanks again everyone!

[Leafpeeper]

I remember getting my Mom a wheelchair at Disney when her legs got tired. Our whole family was able to get first entrance into all the attractions. We were so happy she took the chair.

[Starr Mtn]

Renting the scooter sounds like an excellent idea - it will give her greater

independence around the ship.

 

However, book early and be sure to get a handicap accessible cabin. You will need the wider doorway to get the scooter in and out of the cabin. And there will be more room inside the cabin to accommodate the scooter. There are only a few handicap accessible cabins - so book as soon as you can.

 

In the dining room she can "drive" the scooter to the table and the waiter will move it someplace to "park" it - so that she can sit in a regular dining chair.

[pickpart2]

I am planning a group party for my grandma 100 birthday. 30 people will be going and she currently uses a Merits which is Very comfortable, but very heavy. I contacted www.themobilityshop.com and rented a small folding GO-GO SCOOTER for the cruise. Midwest airlines will stow the scooter for free and it does not count as lugage. Rented a van In California (cheaper then cruise line transfer with a group) and booked a room near the elevator for her. Now she can have her independence around the ship with no problem. I will tell you the seat in the GO-GO is NO way as comfortable as the Merits!!! They also gave me a discount on the rental since we got the Merits scooter from them/MEDICARE. no charge