Transport Chair for long distances?

[Cyn874]

Hello, 

I am going to be cruising with my Mom in the summer, and she is not able to walk for long distances. We're going to be traveling on Ovations of the Seas and it looks like it's a pretty big ship with lots and lots of things to see. I know she's not going to be able to handle walking all over the ship, but she is still able bodied enough that I don't think she'll require a full wheelchair or scooter. My father and stepmother also have similar problems while out shopping or doing anything around town that requires lots of walking. 

 

I was planning on buying a transport chair that I can use to push my Mom around the ship so she doesn't get so worn out, and also to keep in my car trunk at home so I can push my Dad/Stepmom around if I'm out with them and they need some extra help. But I just read on an older thread here that transport chairs are not good for more than 15 minutes at a time for either the sitter or pusher. Does anyone here have experience with transport chairs that could tell me why? I was hoping to have something that I could just keep folded up and stored until it's needed for special circumstances where we might be walking or on our feet for several hours. 

 

Thanks 🙂

[katisdale]

I had a poor experience with a transport chair. We used it in Europe on cobblestones. I was so uncomfortable. Even my teeth hurt as I was pushed over the uneven surfaces. A standard wheelchair, with the large rear wheels is much more comfortable for me. The larger wheels seems to even out the surfaces. My husband says it is also easier to push over carpeted surfaces. You can buy collapsible standard wheelchairs. There is one other problem with the transport chairs which have four small wheels. When you get where you are going, you cannot go elsewhere until your pusher returns. I also found the seat in the transport chair uncomfortable although I made it better by using a pad.

[spookwife]

They are not designed for extended use.  Having all 4 wheels being the smaller size make anything but flat surfaces difficult to maneuver over

[kokopelli-az]

2 hours ago, Cyn874 said:

Hello, 

I am going to be cruising with my Mom in the summer, and she is not able to walk for long distances. We're going to be traveling on Ovations of the Seas and it looks like it's a pretty big ship with lots and lots of things to see. I know she's not going to be able to handle walking all over the ship, but she is still able bodied enough that I don't think she'll require a full wheelchair or scooter. My father and stepmother also have similar problems while out shopping or doing anything around town that requires lots of walking. 

 

I was planning on buying a transport chair that I can use to push my Mom around the ship so she doesn't get so worn out, and also to keep in my car trunk at home so I can push my Dad/Stepmom around if I'm out with them and they need some extra help. But I just read on an older thread here that transport chairs are not good for more than 15 minutes at a time for either the sitter or pusher. Does anyone here have experience with transport chairs that could tell me why? I was hoping to have something that I could just keep folded up and stored until it's needed for special circumstances where we might be walking or on our feet for several hours. 

 

Thanks 🙂

My husband has a transport chair that we bring on cruises AND he also rents a scooter for when we get on the ship and to use at ports. 

 

A transport chair has to have someone push the individual in the chair (also, the individual in the chair can opt to stand up and push the transport chair like a walker, if they choose to walk for a while, but they cannot sit in the chair and push their self).  Transport chairs are a little more difficult with rough terrain because of the smaller wheels.   If you are considering a transport chair, I would suggest you visit a mobility store and try them out.  There are different brands, sizes and qualities.  This is the one my husband has which is a piece of cake on the ship, he loves it and it is very comfortable:  https://www.novajoy.com/our-products/transport-chairs/transport-chairs-heavy-duty/

The mobility store we visited only had the lightweight version, which was too narrow for him, but the wider, 22" version is perfect for him.   You could also rent one to use on the ship (Royal Caibbean's website has some information about rentals).  
 

The scooters my husband has rented for the ship have been life savers.  Ships are huge and there is lots of walking everywhere - in ports and on the ship.   He uses his transport chair up until we get to the ship and then off he goes with his scooter!   (If you visit a mobility store also trying out a scooter might be an idea as long as you're there.)

 

Another note about the transport chair.   It can be accommodated on most shore excursions (but verify this) - just folded up and put in the trunk or luggage storage of the bus.   Scooters typically cannot be accommodated unless the vehicle has a lift. 

 

Here is some information from Royal Caribbean's accessibility department:  https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/topics/accessibility-disability-needs

 

If a scooter is rented (either on this cruise or a future cruise), consider reserving an accessible room so the door is wide enough to get the scooter inside; otherwise, the room attendant has to store the scooter elsewhere when not in use if it does not fit in your room. 

 

The Ovation will be in Alaska next summer.   Is that where you are going?   You could do some research on the different ports about wheelchair accessibility for cruise ship visitors to get an idea of what to expect.   Or come back and post a new topic asking other wheelchair/transport chair users (and there are a lot of them) their experience about a specific port you will be visiting.  

[Cyn874]

Hi Kokopelli, thank you, this is very informative! 

 

My Mom is still able to do most walking around and some stairs on her own, but tends to need to stop and rest every 15-20 minutes or so. That's usually fine in most instances if we're out walking or at a mall or casino (we live in Vegas), and normal day to day activity like that. But I know the ship will be too much for her. A scooter or full wheelchair won't be necessary for her on this trip and I doubt we'd even take the transport chair off the ship for any excursions because we'll be picking ones with very mild activity, like a city bus tour in Victoria (yes, we're going to Alaska.), and one of the dog sled excursions in Juneau or Skagway. (Just the musher camp or dog summer camp, not a glacier one.) I live on the 3rd floor and she comes to my house every week, and we go out and do plenty of the weekend, so she is able to do some walking, but nothing like long hikes all over a cruise ship. What I'm wanting to get is a portable transport chair that I can fold up and keep in the room if we're just going to dinner or a show, but bring with us if we're doing a full ship explore, so she can sit and rest while I push her.

 

The main question I wanted clarification on is why someone would not be able to sit in or push a transport chair for more than 15 minutes or so? That seemed like a really short amount of time, to me. I realize I'll be doing the pushing for her and I don't expect to have any problems pushing a transport chair around a cruise ship on carpet and tile floors. But having never used one, I just wanted to be sure. Thanks. 🙂  And I will check out those links!

[broberts]

There are several different styles of transport chairs. We had one for my father that had larger rear wheels than front (10" vs 4"), rather sturdily built. It worked well in airports and on cruise ships. Port areas, sidewalks etc. were more difficult and I wouldn't suggest attempting any distance on uneven surfaces. Grass and gravel are no go areas. My father found that after an hour or so the chair would start to get uncomfortable.

 

Keep in mind that pushing an occupied transport chair means moving, in my father's case 190 lbs, plus the 20 lbs or so of the chair. On level surfaces it's fairly easy. But it does get tiring after a while and going up or down ramps can be quite demanding.

[Essiesmom]

You have a lot of time before your cruise.  Why don't you visit a medical equipment supply store and see if you can rent one for a short period...a week, few days, even just a day.  And then go to the mall and spend half a day.  See how easy it is to push - or not, and how comfortable.  If it doesn't work, try a different model.  And try it will each person who may be using it.  And pushing it.  Find one that works for everyone.  EM

[GUT2407]

Transport chairs usually have small wheels and are hard to push on carpet and over bumps and lips,  a real chair with 24” rear wheels is much easier

[Midwest Sunseeker]

I found a Karman Ergonomic Ergo Flight for my mom. It was good for the sitter and pusher.  We found another solution and ended up not buy it. I kept the information on the chair because I was so impressed.

[kokopelli-az]

On 11/21/2018 at 1:20 PM, Cyn874 said:

Hi Kokopelli, thank you, this is very informative!

The main question I wanted clarification on is why someone would not be able to sit in or push a transport chair for more than 15 minutes or so? That seemed like a really short amount of time, to me. I realize I'll be doing the pushing for her and I don't expect to have any problems pushing a transport chair around a cruise ship on carpet and tile floors. But having never used one, I just wanted to be sure. Thanks. 🙂  And I will check out those links!

There are different comfort levels and qualities of transport chairs.   Some of the less expensive ones my husband tried were not very comfortable and seemed more for transporting someone a short distance; say, from the car into a doctor's office.  Transport chairs are a little harder to push on carpet; however, our experience has been that the carpeted areas on cruise ships is very low pile and we have had no trouble pushing on the cruise ship carpet (and I am the pusher!).  We learned that some of the bumps in ships are higher than others but we just knew which ones were a little harder to push over; however, none were not manageable. 

 

If your Mom brings a transport chair of her own on the ship, the ship's crew will gladly push her up the ramps when boarding and down the ramps when disembarking.  (If you want the ship's crew to do this, fill out the Special Needs Form ahead of time.)   They will also push her up and down the gangplanks at port stops if she takes her transport chair to the ports. 

 

We  haven't had any trouble using a transport at airports either.  Some airports do not have carpeted floors and some do have carpeted floors (like our home airport) but certainly doable.    She can also ask for wheelchair assistance at the airport(s) and either use her chair or one of the airport's chairs (my husband usually has them push his transport chair).  (If you use this service at the airport, check off the box on her reservation indicating wheelchair assistance is requested.)   The wheelchair pushing people get you through the airport quite efficiently. 

 

Have her try out some transport chairs at a local mobility store.   (I vote for the ones with the larger rear wheels; ie, 12".)   You will see there are different levels of comfort and quality.  I agree with Essiesmom to rent one (or more) ahead of time for a test drive.  You could even check with your local senior center to see if they have any loaners or ones to rent.  (By the way, if you happen to buy one on-line, look at Amazon's Warehouse department; they have quite a few transport chairs to pick from, including the model my husband purchased.)   

Edited November 22, 2018 by kokopelli-az

[NorthernLite]

I use a wheelchair full time and get subjected to transport chairs in hospitals because no one in their right mind leaves their custom fitted chair around because they tend to get stolen. First, transport chairs have no padded seat cushion just fake leather or heavy nylon canvas is used. Custom seat cushions run $500 and up but I have seen plain cushions not meant to prevent pressure sores, etc in mobility catalogs for closer to $50. They are sometimes velcro'd on so no slippage especially on downward ramps and these are easy to just pull off for folding a chair for storage. On ships, transfer chairs have a much higher rate of "flying passenger" when those unused to either pushing them or riding in them hit even low water sills on the halls in common areas of the ship. In the cabin areas most halls are carpeted and that gives less of a chance of coming to an unexpected and very fast stop. Off the ship the back of the transfer chairs rarely have tip bars that prevent a person from accidently doing a complete flip backwards but this risk is rare when someone else is pushing you. Lack of tip bars or a bar that crosses between the back wheels means you will have a difficult or impossible time doing a pop up over curbs on shore. Please remember that cruise towns in Alaska are rather person heavy during the summer so getting in and out of the chair at each uncut curb you find may upset people behind you. On the street please use curb cuts found at intersections (those of us who use chairs fulltime get flack from people who have been abused (their thinking) by part time users who do not follow normal chair ettiquette). Last problem I would worry about most are very helpful ship crew seeing you approach to disembark while seated will be right there as soon as your card is swiped to help you down the ramp off the ship. This is great unless at the end of the ramp there are steps added due to the tide of the moment. Then they will lift you while in the chair and to do so they will grab parts they do on regular wheelchairs. On my chair these are sturdy and welded together. On a transport chair they are often barely clicked into place or your butt is covering all the welded parts. The crew, from what I have seen, do not remotely like the idea of someone who needs the chair for distance deciding to stand up at this point because many part time users tend toward being slightly unsteady on their feet when first leaving the chair. 

 

I seem to remember that Ovation is one of those 3 football field length ships? My Dad also had problems with distance in his last years. There is no way he would have put up with someone always needing to be there to push when all he wanted to do was to maybe look at an exhibit in the WW2 museum at Dutch's Harbor for a bit longer than his pusher. Then again, just walking the length of the ship from an aft cabin to a very forward restaurant would have been beyond his endurance. I would rent a scooter and have it delivered and picked up from your Mom's cabin by one of the 2 companies that RCCL allows to do this. She can call and find out what kind they have and then maybe head to a mobility company and ask about test driving those types of scooters or those closest to them. The crew can carry the scooter or roll it on and off the ship while your Mom walks then boards once back on the flat. Alaska is covered by the ADA and buses and such do have tie downs. Then the only question is 3 wheel or 4 but I will let the scooter experts discuss which is better.

[sdschwrt]

On 11/25/2018 at 4:02 PM, NorthernLite said:

 Lack of tip bars or a bar that crosses between the back wheels means you will have a difficult or impossible time doing a pop up over curbs on shore. Please remember that cruise towns in Alaska are rather person heavy during the summer so getting in and out of the chair at each uncut curb you find may upset people behind you. On the street please use curb cuts found at intersections (those of us who use chairs fulltime get flack from people who have been abused (their thinking) by part time users who do not follow normal chair ettiquette). Last problem I would worry about most are very helpful ship crew seeing you approach to disembark while seated will be right there as soon as your card is swiped to help you down the ramp off the ship. This is great unless at the end of the ramp there are steps added due to the tide of the moment. Then they will lift you while in the chair and to do so they will grab parts they do on regular wheelchairs. On my chair these are sturdy and welded together. On a transport chair they are often barely clicked into place or your butt is covering all the welded parts. The crew, from what I have seen, do not remotely like the idea of someone who needs the chair for distance deciding to stand up at this point because many part time users tend toward being slightly unsteady on their feet when first leaving the chair. 

 

 

Disclaimer:  These are our experiences and from reading the threads on cruise critic I realize others have different opinions and experiences. Have never used a traditional wheelchair so can not make comparisons.

For Reference;, we are at the age for mandatory social security and we use a Nova transport chair with big rear wheels.  My wife can only walk about 50-100ft and we have been using a transport chair at home and for travel for more than 50 years.  The chair has been all over Eastern Europe, Mexico by land and sea, Panama canal cruises, Caribbean cruises and in the past two years Alaska.   I push she rides for as much as 5 miles on a long day walking throughout the areas we are visiting.  She will remain in the chair for a half to a full day without discomfort.  On many occasions she finds the chair more comfortable than the chairs in restaurants remaining in the transport chair to eat.  We have toured cities with cobblestones, Antigua being the most difficult, gone over unpaved surfaces and explored most places in the ports visited.  We can navigate virtually any area except sand.  It is important for the pusher to look at the pavement they are traveling over as when you are moving quickly and hit a raised portion of the sidewalk the chair can tip forward ejecting the occupant.  As the front wheels on a regular wheelchair are small like on a transport chair, I would think this is not a problem unique to transport chairs.Has happened to us when we first started using the chair.  We did not encounter any problems on our recent Alaska trips except for some steep hills which would be difficult to push any type of chair up or control the descent.  For example, in Ketchican we  walked through Creek Street and then ascended to a salmon hatchery and totem park outside and above town.  We did find that some of the permanent concrete docks were below street level independent of tide, I beleive Juneau was the worst, and it was a hard push up and hangon down.  Succinctly stated, the use of a transport chair did not impede our ability to explore the Alaska ports as well as a good portion of the world.  

 

I do wish to add some information regarding the comments above.  Every transport chair we have owned has a metal footrest? on either side which I can place a foot on doing the pop up over curbs.  In Merida the curbs were over two feet high and I had no problem doing the pop up and I routinely do one to get into our house that has a six  inch curb at the door.  Their is a problem with people they abuse the person in the wheelchair.  People stand in the middle of walkways having conversations making it impossible to pass.  People walking down a street suddenly stop and you must remember not to tailgate.  What is perhaps the worst are the people who jump over the foot rests of the wheelchair to cut in front of you.

I agree with the poster that with the transport chair you need to be careful where the crew holds the chair to lift it.  I simply point out  that they must grab the front frame rather than the footrest and have never had a problem or had the chair damaged.  On small boat excursions in Mexico, crew actually carried my wife in the chair down the ramp and onto the boat.

 

In our experience a transport chair is a very good choice

[Cyn874]

On 11/27/2018 at 2:47 PM, sdschwrt said:

The chair has been all over Eastern Europe, Mexico by land and sea, Panama canal cruises, Caribbean cruises and in the past two years Alaska.  

 

Thank you for all of this information, it's reassuring to hear. One other big question I have is regarding air travel with the chair. My Mom has difficulty with huge airports so I'd like to use it until we get to the plane, so I wouldn't be able to check it. Where is the  chair stored during flight? Does a flight attendant put it in a closet or storage area up front, or will it need to go in the overhead bin? (Not sure if it would even fit.)

[broberts]

1 hour ago, Cyn874 said:

 

Thank you for all of this information, it's reassuring to hear. One other big question I have is regarding air travel with the chair. My Mom has difficulty with huge airports so I'd like to use it until we get to the plane, so I wouldn't be able to check it. Where is the  chair stored during flight? Does a flight attendant put it in a closet or storage area up front, or will it need to go in the overhead bin? (Not sure if it would even fit.)

 

When you check in or at the gate you can let the airline know that the chair is to be gate checked. It will get a special tag/label. You can take the chair to the door of the aircraft. It will then be stored on board, generally in a hold. (You do not have to worry about the chair once you leave it at the gate, although I suspect everyone does .) When you deplane the chair should be waiting. It may be very cold.

[NorthernLite]

I have never seen a Nova transport chair but it sounds ideal for part time users. Do you have a photo you could add? I have many friends who need a wheelchair for short periods and would rather buy than rent. 

[Essiesmom]

6 hours ago, NorthernLite said:

I have never seen a Nova transport chair but it sounds ideal for part time users. Do you have a photo you could add? I have many friends who need a wheelchair for short periods and would rather buy than rent. 

 

Mr. Google is your friend:

 

https://express.google.com/u/0/product/2813988581857719724_13524348597690095803_118724597?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=tu_cu&utm_content=eid-lsjeuxoeqt&gtim=CPOWp_-U77illQEQ3JTIv5HcuIx0GNCU9zkiA1VTRCig5JDhBTD1r844&utm_campaign=118724597&gclid=Cj0KCQiAgMPgBRDDARIsAOh3uyJHaPj9boqBryYPaxNxXWgOdcV2WWcfTwHzefGbeUstGJhmCkZMt5saAhzlEALw_wcB

[broberts]

Larger rear wheels and easily activated brakes are important. https://express.google.com/u/0/product/8625618789273197526_4093165380246132678_118724597

[kokopelli-az]

13 hours ago, NorthernLite said:

I have never seen a Nova transport chair but it sounds ideal for part time users. Do you have a photo you could add? I have many friends who need a wheelchair for short periods and would rather buy than rent. 

Be aware of the seat widths of transport chairs.   My husband tried the transport chairs with smaller width seats (appx 18" wide) and they were way too small and uncomfortable (he is 5'11", 240 lb).    He ended up with the larger (22-1/2" wide seat) and it fits him perfectly and (since it's the heavy-duty model) is very sturdy. 

https://www.novajoy.com/our-products/transport-chairs/transport-chairs-heavy-duty/

[Vinylpvc]

Hi Cyn,

I went on the last cruise w/a transport chair. My SO was so gallant to drive me around all over the ship, and onto a couple of ports. The broken streets and lack of cut outs made things difficult for him. I can get up out of the chair and walk for a block, since I require O2. The chair was comfortable enough, but i was glad to sit in the dining room and buffet tables, w/the transport chair folded up in a corner. Handy that the chair would fit into most trunks or back seats for Ubers and Lyfts, and very useful at the airport. We would request a chair and assist upon arrival. SO could stack up our carry-on bags in the transport chair to make it easier for him to maneuver around to the gate.
This cruise, i am looking into a scooter, though. Would like to get around myself, if he wants to go have fun by himself. Seems they are portable and pretty easy to maneuver, too.
Hope that helps.

[Joseph2017China]

On ‎11‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 4:20 PM, Cyn874 said:

Hi Kokopelli, thank you, this is very informative! 

 

My Mom is still able to do most walking around and some stairs on her own, but tends to need to stop and rest every 15-20 minutes or so. That's usually fine in most instances if we're out walking or at a mall or casino (we live in Vegas), and normal day to day activity like that. But I know the ship will be too much for her. A scooter or full wheelchair won't be necessary for her on this trip and I doubt we'd even take the transport chair off the ship for any excursions because we'll be picking ones with very mild activity, like a city bus tour in Victoria (yes, we're going to Alaska.), and one of the dog sled excursions in Juneau or Skagway. (Just the musher camp or dog summer camp, not a glacier one.) I live on the 3rd floor and she comes to my house every week, and we go out and do plenty of the weekend, so she is able to do some walking, but nothing like long hikes all over a cruise ship. What I'm wanting to get is a portable transport chair that I can fold up and keep in the room if we're just going to dinner or a show, but bring with us if we're doing a full ship explore, so she can sit and rest while I push her.

 

The main question I wanted clarification on is why someone would not be able to sit in or push a transport chair for more than 15 minutes or so? That seemed like a really short amount of time, to me. I realize I'll be doing the pushing for her and I don't expect to have any problems pushing a transport chair around a cruise ship on carpet and tile floors. But having never used one, I just wanted to be sure. Thanks. 🙂  And I will check out those links!

So, I have for my wife, a standard wheelchair, a transport chair, a scooter, and a travel scooter.  Each one is special in it's own way, but is used for different reasons.  A transport chair is cheapest and can be bought for under $100.00.  If what you explain is all you need it for, than you would be fine. 

 

A full size wheelchair is easier on carpet, or on the street, but again, if you don't need it, they are much more expensive, and much harder to travel with. 

 

A scooter, is usually big, wide, and bulky.  It's tough to use with taxi's and airlines.  They are the most comfortable, to use under most terrains.

 

A travel scooter, usually fold up into a small package, and is under 60 pounds.  Easy to place in trucks of taxi's etc.  Easy to get into stateroom.  Easier to check with airlines since they usually fold into a suitcase size, and come with covers.  However not as comfortable with bump etc, and they come with hard wheels, not soft. 

 

So on a cruise, the travel scooter comes with me, and if I fly, especially internationally it is the choice.  If I'm going to Disney, the normal scooter.  If I'm flying to visit a relative than the transport wc comes with me for just in case.  The other WC just stays home.

 

My wife can walk, but not long distances.  Each one has a purpose.  Pick what is best for you, and your budget.

[GUT2407]

52 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

So, I have for my wife, a standard wheelchair, a transport chair, a scooter, and a travel scooter.  Each one is special in it's own way, but is used for different reasons.  A transport chair is cheapest and can be bought for under $100.00.  If what you explain is all you need it for, than you would be fine. 

 

A full size wheelchair is easier on carpet, or on the street, but again, if you don't need it, they are much more expensive, and much harder to travel with. 

 

A scooter, is usually big, wide, and bulky.  It's tough to use with taxi's and airlines.  They are the most comfortable, to use under most terrains.

 

A travel scooter, usually fold up into a small package, and is under 60 pounds.  Easy to place in trucks of taxi's etc.  Easy to get into stateroom.  Easier to check with airlines since they usually fold into a suitcase size, and come with covers.  However not as comfortable with bump etc, and they come with hard wheels, not soft. 

 

So on a cruise, the travel scooter comes with me, and if I fly, especially internationally it is the choice.  If I'm going to Disney, the normal scooter.  If I'm flying to visit a relative than the transport wc comes with me for just in case.  The other WC just stays home.

 

My wife can walk, but not long distances.  Each one has a purpose.  Pick what is best for you, and your budget.

My set up is similar except I have a range of power wheelchairs rather than scooters, I’ve long said I really need 3 or 4 chairs.

 

then add in rollators and walking sticks and I’m set