Scooter rental recommendations

[gurksnis]

I plan to rent a scooter for my husband on our next cruise.  I have found 3 companies:  Scootaround, Special Needs Group, and Scoot Anywhere USA.  Can anyone give me a recommendation on which one they prefer?

Thank you!

Gayle

[VirginiaIsForCruisers]

I've used both Special Needs (SNAS) and Scootaround. For my January 2018 cruise on NCL, I used SNAS, because they were the only "authorized" provider for NCL. For my January 2019 cruise on NCL, I used Scootaround, because they were the new "authorized" provider. Both were fine. Scootaround was way cheaper (about $100) for the same sized scooter from the same port at the same time of year, even considering they charge separately for insurance. Both had the equipment on the ship when promised. The SNAS scooter was in slightly better shape, but both were fine. The only hiccup I had with either was that I had paid for a cane holder to be on the scooter from Scootaround. It was not on the scooter. When I called customer service, they copped a bit of an attitude with me, but refunded that part of the rental (I think it was $10).

 

I recently called to reserve my scooter for a March 2020 cruise out of Miami. This time, SNAS was almost $80 less than Scootaround. I've never rented from Scoot Anywhere.

 

Once on the ship, you can ask guest services if there is a place other than your cabin where you can leave the scooter when you disembark. On both of my NCL cruises, they told me it was fine to leave it in the Bliss lounge. I was nervous about it the first time, since the instructions were to leave it in the cabin, but when I got to Bliss, there were at least 30 scooters there. This was a huge help for me, because just getting from my aft cabin to the debarkation area in the forward area was going to be a problem. In my case, I needed wheelchair assistance for embarkation and debarkation, the Bliss lounge was the gathering point for wheelchair debarkation assistance.

 

It's a good idea to test the scooter as soon as possible after you can get to your cabin. If you still have some time in port, they can resolve issues before the sailing. One woman on my last cruise didn't test right away (she was a little more mobile) and she had a problem with her scooter cutting off randomly every few minutes. I did not have any issues with either scooter and used them constantly.

[kokopelli-az]

1 hour ago, gurksnis said:

I plan to rent a scooter for my husband on our next cruise.  I have found 3 companies:  Scootaround, Special Needs Group, and Scoot Anywhere USA.  Can anyone give me a recommendation on which one they prefer?

Thank you!

Gayle

First of all, go to your cruise line's access section on their website (a search for "wheelchair" will often find the page) and see which vendor(s) is authorized by your cruise line (non-authorized vendors are typically not allowed to board the ship with your scooter).   The most common vendors are Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea.  With that information, go to each company's website and price your equipment.   We have rented a scooter from both companies and they are both good but sometimes one is less expensive than the other, depending on your itinerary. 

 

Do you have an accessible stateroom?   You cannot leave a scooter in the hallway outside your room.   If not, check with your cruise line's Access Department and inquire what the policy is for people who have scooters that cannot get them in their room.   In any event, your cruise line will want to know that you are bringing mobility equipment and they will probably have a form for you to complete.  

[smalltimecruiser100]

On 9/3/2019 at 4:56 PM, kokopelli-az said:

First of all, go to your cruise line's access section on their website (a search for "wheelchair" will often find the page) and see which vendor(s) is authorized by your cruise line (non-authorized vendors are typically not allowed to board the ship with your scooter).   The most common vendors are Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea.  With that information, go to each company's website and price your equipment.   We have rented a scooter from both companies and they are both good but sometimes one is less expensive than the other, depending on your itinerary. 

 

Do you have an accessible stateroom?   You cannot leave a scooter in the hallway outside your room.   If not, check with your cruise line's Access Department and inquire what the policy is for people who have scooters that cannot get them in their room.   In any event, your cruise line will want to know that you are bringing mobility equipment and they will probably have a form for you to complete.  

Out of curiosity, if you have a problem after checking it out, what can be done about it? Do the rental companies have extra scooters or batteries on board? or let say, it breaks down after leaving the embarkation port(next day or that evening)? I normally do not purchase Zoom but would it still be a good idea or not since it's not cheap?

[kokopelli-az]

56 minutes ago, smalltimecruiser100 said:

Out of curiosity, if you have a problem after checking it out, what can be done about it? Do the rental companies have extra scooters or batteries on board? or let say, it breaks down after leaving the embarkation port(next day or that evening)? I normally do not purchase Zoom but would it still be a good idea or not since it's not cheap?

While we have never had a problem with any of the scooters we have rented, it is my understanding that you go to Guest Services on the ship and they will contact the rental vendor for assistance to troubleshoot the problem or the equipment will be swapped out for another scooter (if available).   Per Special Needs at Sea, they have backup scooters on many ships.   I suspect Scootaround has a similar procedure.     

 

What is Zoom?

 

This is from Special Needs at Sea's website:

If sailing on a cruise ship and you need to contact us for any reason, we ask that you please go to Guest Services onboard.  A member of the Guest Service staff will place a complimentary call for you and put you in direct contact with us.  When not open for normal business hours, we do have an emergency line, so you are always able to get a hold of one of our representatives.

[VirginiaIsForCruisers]

I asked the same question and was told that in some ports, if you call them early enough, they can get another scooter to you, if there isn't a replacement on board. That's why I make sure to check it out as soon as possible, which has been about three hours before sail away.

 

The ship's maintenance staff may also be able to help fix an issue if they are put in touch with the vendor by Guest Services. Of course, any work would have to be approved by the vendor through GS. I had a problem with my cane on my last cruise (I use the cane to walk short distances). I went to GS and they had a maintenance man fix it in a few hours. I made sure to fill out vacation hero cards for the maintenance man and the GS employee because they were so helpful.

[charmy98]

I have rented from Scootaround  for the past 5 cruises, never had a problem with them.

[kokopelli-az]

Having rented from both companies numerous times, we have always gotten very new scooters in great shape.