Weight limit for scooters ?

[lyannea]

I have 2 questions 

 

I’ve promised my BFF a cruise for her 70th birthday & will be renting her a scooter, as she can’t walk too far.

is there a weight limit ?

 

second question:

I’ve seen a fellow cruiser assembling their scooter in the hallway- attaching the back on to the base- I wish I had asked about it and, if that would open up what cabins we could get into

Thank you !

Lyannea

[1025cruise]

Yes, scooters have weight limits. You will need to check with the company you rent from for the specific limits. Just a reminder that your scooter needs to fit in the cabin. 

[lyannea]

3 hours ago, 1025cruise said:

Yes, scooters have weight limits. You will need to check with the company you rent from for the specific limits. Just a reminder that your scooter needs to fit in the cabin. 

Thank you ! I’ve been looking At accessible cabins & many aren’t even available.

I’ll most likely have to call the cruise line instead of booking online .

 

[Bloodgem]

In the UK we can hire folding scooters. Try asking about them from the scooter company you choose to hire from.

My DF has rented 4 folding scooters, up to now, and each time he has been in a standard cabin. He was able to drive the scooter through the cabin doorway. He use to fold the scooter up when he was going to be in the cabin for longer than an hour.   

[lyannea]

38 minutes ago, Bloodgem said:

In the UK we can hire folding scooters. Try asking about them from the scooter company you choose to hire from.

My DF has rented 4 folding scooters, up to now, and each time he has been in a standard cabin. He was able to drive the scooter through the cabin doorway. He use to fold the scooter up when he was going to be in the cabin for longer than an hour.   

That’s good news 

I just looked at them online and will definitely research more about them 

 

[kokopelli-az]

23 hours ago, lyannea said:

I’ve promised my BFF a cruise for her 70th birthday & will be renting her a scooter, as she can’t walk too far.   is there a weight limit ?

 

second question:

I’ve seen a fellow cruiser assembling their scooter in the hallway- attaching the back on to the base- I wish I had asked about it and, if that would open up what cabins we could get into

Are you thinking of renting a scooter to have waiting in your stateroom when you board?   If so, the two main companies that deliver to your stateroom are Scootaround.com and  SpecialNeedsatSea.com.  With the majority of the cruise lines, other rental companies are not authorized to board the ship to deliver a passenger's rental scooter.    

 

If you are thinking of picking up a rental scooter prior to boarding the ship, you can rent elsewhere but you will have to get the scooter to the ship and also get it returned to the rental company.  

 

If you need a scooter for a heavier person, both Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea rent scooters for individuals up to 500 pounds.  

 

Consider getting an accessible stateroom which will accommodate the scooter.   Plus the rooms are larger and have accessibility features.  The scooter must be stored in your room and cannot be left in the hallway.   The earlier you book an accessible stateroom the better; they are often sold out.  

 

Every major cruise line has accessibility/wheelchair/scooter information on their website.   You will also have to advise your cruise line's Access Department that you will be using a scooter.  They will email you a form to complete.    (My husband always has a scooter waiting in our room but he uses the porters and/or the ship's personnel to push him (in a wheelchair) onto the ship from check-in (the ramps from check-in to actually getting on board the ship are often long and steep.)

 

Another thought, if your itinerary includes tender ports, scooters are generally not allowed on tenders

 

Does your friend have experience with a scooter?   If not, go to a mobility store to try out their scooters (which will be similar to one you rent) to get a feel of how they operate.  Even operating the scooter/grocery carts they have in the store would be helpful.   There are a lot of passengers who rent scooters on the ship who have never operated one before and it really helps to have some experience ahead of time.   Hint for the ship elevators:   grab the first empty elevator you can, no matter if it is going in the wrong direction, because people will crowd around and in front of scooters to try and squeeze on the elevator first.   And be mindful that many ports of call are not exactly mobility friendly so watch for narrow sidewalks, no wheelchair cut-outs in the sidewalk, and curbs and bumps that can tip over a scooter.

 

Regarding your second question, ask the rental company how far the scooter can be broken down.  The arms on the scooter are what cannot get through the door.   

[lyannea]

2 hours ago, kokopelli-az said:

Are you thinking of renting a scooter to have waiting in your stateroom when you board?   If so, the two main companies that deliver to your stateroom are Scootaround.com and  SpecialNeedsatSea.com.  With the majority of the cruise lines, other rental companies are not authorized to board the ship to deliver a passenger's rental scooter.    

 

If you are thinking of picking up a rental scooter prior to boarding the ship, you can rent elsewhere but you will have to get the scooter to the ship and also get it returned to the rental company.  

 

If you need a scooter for a heavier person, both Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea rent scooters for individuals up to 500 pounds.  

 

Consider getting an accessible stateroom which will accommodate the scooter.   Plus the rooms are larger and have accessibility features.  The scooter must be stored in your room and cannot be left in the hallway.   The earlier you book an accessible stateroom the better; they are often sold out.  

 

Every major cruise line has accessibility/wheelchair/scooter information on their website.   You will also have to advise your cruise line's Access Department that you will be using a scooter.  They will email you a form to complete.    (My husband always has a scooter waiting in our room but he uses the porters and/or the ship's personnel to push him (in a wheelchair) onto the ship from check-in (the ramps from check-in to actually getting on board the ship are often long and steep.)

 

Another thought, if your itinerary includes tender ports, scooters are generally not allowed on tenders

 

Does your friend have experience with a scooter?   If not, go to a mobility store to try out their scooters (which will be similar to one you rent) to get a feel of how they operate.  Even operating the scooter/grocery carts they have in the store would be helpful.   There are a lot of passengers who rent scooters on the ship who have never operated one before and it really helps to have some experience ahead of time.   Hint for the ship elevators:   grab the first empty elevator you can, no matter if it is going in the wrong direction, because people will crowd around and in front of scooters to try and squeeze on the elevator first.   And be mindful that many ports of call are not exactly mobility friendly so watch for narrow sidewalks, no wheelchair cut-outs in the sidewalk, and curbs and bumps that can tip over a scooter.

 

Regarding your second question, ask the rental company how far the scooter can be broken down.  The arms on the scooter are what cannot get through the door.   

Thank you so much for the great information presented.

Ideally, I would like to get the scooter when we arrive a few days ahead of time, so we can enjoy the home Port.

I’ll call both companies to get an idea of what types of scooters they have & if any are collapsible for a larger person.
 

I’ve been checking out cruises in Late 2022 through 2023 and most, if not all,  accessible  rooms are not available.

My next step is to start making some calls in the next week to get the process started.

thanks again ! Lyannea

[kokopelli-az]

I believe the two companies mentioned will deliver to your hotel.   You will have to get the scooter from the hotel to the port so look into transportation companies that have a van with a lift.   Ask the scooter companies if they can pick up the scooter from your ship after your cruise.   

You are not booking too early for the timeframe you're looking at to get an accessible stateroom.     

Edited November 26, 2020 by kokopelli-az

[lyannea]

10 minutes ago, kokopelli-az said:

I believe the two companies mentioned will deliver to your hotel.   You will have to get the scooter from the hotel to the port so look into transportation companies that have a van with a lift.   Ask the scooter companies if they can pick up the scooter from your ship after your cruise.   

You are not booking too early for the timeframe you're looking at to get an accessible stateroom.     

Thank you again !

I left messages with both companies. 

I’ve never booked this far out, but have a feeling that this cruise will be planned and booked before the end of the year. 

If I hadn’t seen a fellow cruiser last year reassemble their scooter in the hallways - and maybe it was an electric wheelchair ? , I wouldn’t have given it an extra thought to check what was available.

[kokopelli-az]

Most of the people who had their cruises cancelled this year will be rebooking cruises for 2021-2 so there will be a lot of bookings by those people.  A lot of cruise lines have refundable deposits right now so you won't lose your deposit if you have to cancel.  And lots of Black Friday sales going on now.   

 

[lyannea]

I found out that the Pride GoGo Sport is what the Scootaround store rents out- it’s a 3-wheel Scooter, with a 21” base , holds 325 lbs and can be disassembled .

I’m now off to research what size Balcony-cabin will fit that scooter

[kokopelli-az]

18 hours ago, lyannea said:

I found out that the Pride GoGo Sport is what the Scootaround store rents out- it’s a 3-wheel Scooter, with a 21” base , holds 325 lbs and can be disassembled .

I’m now off to research what size Balcony-cabin will fit that scooter

Ask Scootaround if the 21" includes the arm rests.   

 

We've rented from both Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea (check pricing on both websites) and they both have had the same equipment.  The scooter we've rented has been the Pride GoGo Sport.  (Many mobility stores with scooters carry the Pride line and will have this same scooter available for a test drive.)

 

The balcony accessible staterooms have a ramp allowing a scooter to be driven out on the balcony and have enough room to allow the scooter to turn around to get back inside.    

Edited November 28, 2020 by kokopelli-az

[sparkygirlfamily]

On 11/27/2020 at 7:11 PM, lyannea said:

I found out that the Pride GoGo Sport is what the Scootaround store rents out- it’s a 3-wheel Scooter, with a 21” base , holds 325 lbs and can be disassembled .

I’m now off to research what size Balcony-cabin will fit that scooter

Can your friend walk a few steps, we made this work with my mom by having her get out of the scooter outside the room, rotate the seat 90 degrees and the drive the scooter through the door.  

 

[lyannea]

On 3/6/2021 at 10:15 AM, sparkygirlfamily said:

Can your friend walk a few steps, we made this work with my mom by having her get out of the scooter outside the room, rotate the seat 90 degrees and the drive the scooter through the door.  

 

Yes, this would work. She can walk with a rollator for a about à block. 
My concern is that she won’t be able to enjoy the ship if we had to continually stop and rest, though I’be seen people do that too.
 

[mexico8]

On 3/7/2021 at 3:50 PM, lyannea said:

Yes, this would work. She can walk with a rollator for a about à block. 
My concern is that she won’t be able to enjoy the ship if we had to continually stop and rest, though I’be seen people do that too.
 

If only everyone had a great friend like you.   Bravo - good luck with your search and my hat is off to you.