broadwaycam Posted June 22, 2019 #1 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Does anyone know at the Fort Lauderdale port at what point they start boarding people in wheelchairs? Is it around the time of pinnacle or is it after all loyalty boarding has happened? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted June 22, 2019 #2 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broadwaycam Posted June 22, 2019 Author #3 Share Posted June 22, 2019 9 minutes ago, Host Clarea said: Ship? Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
broadwaycam Posted June 23, 2019 Author #4 Share Posted June 23, 2019 5 hours ago, Host Clarea said: Ship? Do different ships do it differently? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted June 23, 2019 #5 Share Posted June 23, 2019 5 minutes ago, broadwaycam said: Do different ships do it differently? Both ship and cruise terminal can affect boarding order/groups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mek Posted June 23, 2019 #6 Share Posted June 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, broadwaycam said: Do different ships do it differently? My husband has his own transport chair so all we need is a pusher, but they take us to the handicapped area to wait and people who don't have their own chair are waiting there for wheelchairs and pushers. It has been our experience that it is all based on availability and has nothing to do with when anyone else is boarding. In our experience this is pretty much the procedure for all lines and all ports where we have sailed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryred Posted June 23, 2019 #7 Share Posted June 23, 2019 12 hours ago, Host Clarea said: Both ship and cruise terminal can affect boarding order/groups. Tide conditions can also affect mobility impaired boarding. Some ships at some ports will have those using mobility assistance devices board at the crew deck gangway as their "normal" accessible boarding option to avoid having to use elevator(s) in the terminal or speed up crew "pushers" by not having to travel up and down very long, possibly crowded gangways. If a port normal follows this and an extraordinary tide causes access to the normal crew deck entry to be unusable it throws the whole "normal" accessible boarding into confusion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dat Cruisin Couple Posted June 23, 2019 #8 Share Posted June 23, 2019 17 hours ago, mek said: My husband has his own transport chair so all we need is a pusher, but they take us to the handicapped area to wait and people who don't have their own chair are waiting there for wheelchairs and pushers. It has been our experience that it is all based on availability and has nothing to do with when anyone else is boarding. In our experience this is pretty much the procedure for all lines and all ports where we have sailed. Serious question and in no way I want to be snarky, but... how does a person who needs assistance like this get around the ship once it's underway? I saw several people being pushed to the pool deck on embarkation, but I'm sure they had to get around later. Do you have to get the motorized scooters? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cru1s1ng2009 Posted June 23, 2019 #9 Share Posted June 23, 2019 12 minutes ago, Dat Cruisin Couple said: Serious question and in no way I want to be snarky, but... how does a person who needs assistance like this get around the ship once it's underway? I saw several people being pushed to the pool deck on embarkation, but I'm sure they had to get around later. Do you have to get the motorized scooters? My mom gets pushed from the terminal to the ship. Its just a really long walk for her and usually in the heat. Once on board she will ride to elevator up to the windjammer and use her cane until we can get in the rooms to get her scooter rental. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snit13 Posted June 23, 2019 #10 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Cousin will be using her own wheelchair when we sail on Harmony in November. Her husband will push her chair for her. Where there is a will there is a way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRF Posted June 23, 2019 #11 Share Posted June 23, 2019 3 hours ago, Dat Cruisin Couple said: Serious question and in no way I want to be snarky, but... how does a person who needs assistance like this get around the ship once it's underway? I saw several people being pushed to the pool deck on embarkation, but I'm sure they had to get around later. Do you have to get the motorized scooters? When we cruised with my parents, my Dad had one of the walkers with a seat. They offered wheelchair boarding, so we did. Once on board, he used his walker. Many do rent scooters. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dat Cruisin Couple Posted June 23, 2019 #12 Share Posted June 23, 2019 25 minutes ago, SRF said: When we cruised with my parents, my Dad had one of the walkers with a seat. They offered wheelchair boarding, so we did. Once on board, he used his walker. Many do rent scooters. @Cru1s1ng2009and @SRF. Thanks for the responses makes sense. My wife broke her leg just before our last cruise, she was basically mobile, but it would have been nice to have the assistance with the longer lines at embarkation and debarkation. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryred Posted June 24, 2019 #13 Share Posted June 24, 2019 1 hour ago, Dat Cruisin Couple said: @Cru1s1ng2009and @SRF. Thanks for the responses makes sense. My wife broke her leg just before our last cruise, she was basically mobile, but it would have been nice to have the assistance with the longer lines at embarkation and debarkation. I'm surprised that the port authority personnel did not direct you through the HC accessible line and ask if she needed a wheelchair to assist boarding. My DH uses a cane when we have lines to wait in but is otherwise mobile (it's the standing without moving much that aggravates a heel surgery he had years ago) and every cruise port has processed us through the HC dedicated check-in line or told us to go through the priority line (both of which tends to have a straighter route to to the check-in area). Additional they ask him if he would like a the courtesy wheelchair and crew member to get on board but he usually declines but will accept the use of the HC accessible alternative dock level boarding ramp (to the crew deck) at ports it's available at. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mek Posted June 24, 2019 #14 Share Posted June 24, 2019 5 hours ago, Dat Cruisin Couple said: Serious question and in no way I want to be snarky, but... how does a person who needs assistance like this get around the ship once it's underway? I saw several people being pushed to the pool deck on embarkation, but I'm sure they had to get around later. Do you have to get the motorized scooters? My husband only requires assistance to get on and off the ship - I can't get him up or down ramps but I'm perfectly capable of pushing him around the ship. As mentioned previously, he has his own transport chair that is very compact and easily stored in our cabin. He is able to walk short distances, but when we have to go from one end of the ship to the other it is a lifesaver. I'm not sure what others do who don't have their own chairs - rental companies deliver to the ship and scooters are left in cabins, so perhaps they have one waiting for them onboard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snit13 Posted June 24, 2019 #15 Share Posted June 24, 2019 10 hours ago, mek said: My husband only requires assistance to get on and off the ship - I can't get him up or down ramps but I'm perfectly capable of pushing him around the ship. As mentioned previously, he has his own transport chair that is very compact and easily stored in our cabin. He is able to walk short distances, but when we have to go from one end of the ship to the other it is a lifesaver. I'm not sure what others do who don't have their own chairs - rental companies deliver to the ship and scooters are left in cabins, so perhaps they have one waiting for them onboard. I rent a scooter from Scootaround and pick it up in terminal at Port Canaveral. I do not have it waiting in cabin as I need it to board. In addition, they charge less if you pick it up in terminal. I will be renting one for my November cruise on Harmony. Scooter is great for scooting around large ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph2017China Posted June 24, 2019 #16 Share Posted June 24, 2019 On 6/22/2019 at 3:00 PM, broadwaycam said: Does anyone know at the Fort Lauderdale port at what point they start boarding people in wheelchairs? Is it around the time of pinnacle or is it after all loyalty boarding has happened? When you asked this question, my first thought was why does it matter when? For example, why did you use the word Pinnacle or loyalty? Does it matter your status? A person in a wheelchair gets on the ship, after they check in, based on their loyalty status like everyone else. They have that choice. After reading through the posts above, I realize your question really is, "What is the process for getting pushed onto the ship, with help", which has nothing to do with loyalty. Usually, there is a group of people, who push, and they take the first person, take them inside, and then walk back out, to get the next person in line. Different ships, and different ports have different process, but in the end, all you need to do, is show up, and wait. It's not like, the pusher will just stand around and wait for your "group". Their job is to get you on the ship. So basically all you need to do is get to the port, ask for assistance, and wait in the assistance waiting line. If you arrive before 11:00, than be prepared to wait your turn. If you arrive a little later after the crowds thin you, your wait time will be less. Your other option, is just buy a travel scooter, and bring that with you. It saves a lot of work, easy to bring on planes, and in cars. No special vehicles needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ONECRUISER Posted June 24, 2019 #17 Share Posted June 24, 2019 (edited) At times assistance boarding gets backed up and will be a wait. Have seen an hr at times depending on how many. Getting off have seen longer. 20 yrs ago they'd wheel all off at once.... Edited June 24, 2019 by ONECRUISER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snit13 Posted June 24, 2019 #18 Share Posted June 24, 2019 8 hours ago, ONECRUISER said: At times assistance boarding gets backed up and will be a wait. Have seen an hr at times depending on how many. Getting off have seen longer. 20 yrs ago they'd wheel all off at once.... Some ships only have 4 wheel chairs and you are assigned a slot and when it is your turn they wheel you onto the ship and then you must get out of the wheelchair so the employee can return to the terminal to wheel another guest onto the ship. If you have your own chair they will take you from terminal to ship and then you wheel yourself or someone traveling with you will have to wheel you. At Port of Tampa as soon as you clear security you are directed to an area where they take your name and then they check you in and after that you wait for your turn to be taken to the ship. Works really well. Have not had as great an experience at Port Everglades but Port Canaveral has been quite organized and easy to use. Normally do not attempt to check in before noon thus miss most of the crowd. Always make arrangements immediately with Guest Services for the wheel off. Last time they had someone taking names and you were taken off in the order you signed in even if you had prior arrangements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ONECRUISER Posted June 24, 2019 #19 Share Posted June 24, 2019 (edited) 33 minutes ago, Snit13 said: Some ships only have 4 wheel chairs and you are assigned a slot and when it is your turn they wheel you onto the ship and then you must get out of the wheelchair so the employee can return to the terminal to wheel another guest onto the ship. If you have your own chair they will take you from terminal to ship and then you wheel yourself or someone traveling with you will have to wheel you. At Port of Tampa as soon as you clear security you are directed to an area where they take your name and then they check you in and after that you wait for your turn to be taken to the ship. Works really well. Have not had as great an experience at Port Everglades but Port Canaveral has been quite organized and easy to use. Normally do not attempt to check in before noon thus miss most of the crowd. Always make arrangements immediately with Guest Services for the wheel off. Last time they had someone taking names and you were taken off in the order you signed in even if you had prior arrangements. Cruise almost exclusively longer 10-12nite, Repo and always B2B sailings and see back ups all the time at Port Everglades and Tampa. More then once have seen long as 2+ hr wait leaving the ship with Wheelchair assistance. Now 20yrs ago they'd take all wheelchairs off all at once, first off, that was nice Edited June 24, 2019 by ONECRUISER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snit13 Posted June 25, 2019 #20 Share Posted June 25, 2019 But when we sailed out of Tampa the ship only had 4 wheelchairs. So they took 4 people off and came back and got 4 more. Seems like they had about 8 on Enchantment if I recall. Ships simply don't carry a lot of wheelchairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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