Tendering with walker

[crimsonbird]

Has anyone used a collapsible walker or transit chair getting on a tender?  We will be going to Belize and wonder if it's possible.  Are there enough employees to help?  

[nini]

I am fairly sure that wheelchairs and scooters are not accommodated on tenders, however, I would think if the person can step onto the tender and back out on their own, then it would be ok. You would need to collapse the walker and ask for help loading and unloading it.

[skynight]

I do not use a walker but have been on tenders many, many times. You have to be able to walk somewhat while stabilizing yourself with the staff helpers. When getting on/off the tender at the ship's pontoon the tender may move up & down plus in & out moving with the sea while the ship can remain fairly stable. There are always staff there to assist with stability while entering the tender and assisting to the seats. Most of the ship's tenders have their seating on a different level than the entrance to the tender. Once on the tender you have to be able to handle a few stairs to get to the seats.

The walker would be taken and stored while you are on the tender.

I believe that it is fairly easy to exit the dock in Belize City once off the tender. 

[john watson]

Yes, the crew assist passengers boarding tenders and are particularly careful with elderly or frail people.  The walker itself they probably will load but presumably you have a companion who can do that. I think they would regard it in the same category as pushchairs, strollers etc. as parents of young children have which them seem to load/unload without question.

 

Regards John

[pathi]

What about a folding travel electric wheel chair. Folds no bigger than a stroller. This will be for Cabo San Lucas if it matters.

[ldubs]

Our friend has one of those fancy folding walkers with built-in seat.  It is pretty cool.  She is able to walk pretty well without it and was allowed to bring it the tender.  The walker was folded up and handed across by crew and crew assisted her.  This was several years ago.  It may or may not be valid today. 

I think it might be best to check out the "Disabled Cruisers" forum.  If I did it correctly, here is a link: 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/114-disabled-cruise-travel/

[john watson]

5 minutes ago, pathi said:

What about a folding travel electric wheel chair. Folds no bigger than a stroller. This will be for Cabo San Lucas if it matters.

 

I think the two issues crew have in this area are whether the passenger no longer using the mobility equipment can safely transfer without it.  Secondly how big and cumbersome the equipment is and whether a fellow passenger can handle it or will the crew be capable of doing this.  Some mobility scooters are highway capable massive vehicles while others are like an office chair on a skateboard. So whether you are lucky or not depends on a lot of factors including the crew's attitude.

 

Regards John

[SiliconCruiser]

1 hour ago, pathi said:

What about a folding travel electric wheel chair. Folds no bigger than a stroller. This will be for Cabo San Lucas if it matters.

In Cabo they used both locally operated tenders (small boats) as well as the lifeboat tenders operated by Princess.  My wife uses a motorized chair and it was accommodated on the Princess tenders without problem (without folding.)  The only time we encountered a problem was in Cabo, where the operator of the local tender just refused to let the wheelchair on saying that it was too heavy for them to lift.  So this 70+ year old guy folded it up and lifted it onto the boat.  When these two 20-somethings tried to help offload the chair at the ship, I just told them that they should step back because "I didn't want them to hurt themselves." 😉

[Lizabu]

I think the person has to be able to manage a step or two. My mom uses a cane and she’s very nervous about heights and when it was her turn to step on to the tender I just made sure I had ahold of her so if she lost her balance I’d have her. The tender can Bob around on the waves and I found I had to keep her steady until I could get her the few steps over to a bench.

Edited August 22, 2022 by Lizabu

[4x4bob]

One trip to Cabo we departed on the tenders with smooth water.  When we came back the crew on the platform were wearing life jackets and the tender was really bobbing up and down. 

 

The platform crew would tell passengers when to jump for the platform with the platform crew gabbing them when they landed.   If they did not immediately jump they were told to wait. 

 

One poor lady froze and did not want to jump.  Two tender crew helped her and two platform crew caught her.

 

It is the ocean so no one can tell when it will make a change like that. 

Bob