Walker storage

[dontpanik]

Hello.  I am new to HAL and sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 3 weeks.  I have a rollator walker that I need when going farther than about a half mile which means, for the most part (unless I am having a rough day) I shouldn't need it too much on the ship.  I do not need, nor did I get, a wheelchair accessible room.  I was wondering, am I able to fold and store it under the bed?

[GUT2407]

You may be surprised how much you need it on the ship, especially with lines.

 

But to answer tour main question depending on how flat yours folds you can probably fit it under the bed, many suitcases fit.

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, dontpanik said:

Hello.  I am new to HAL and sailing on the Nieuw Amsterdam in 3 weeks... I was wondering, am I able to fold and store it under the bed?

Hi dontpanik! What sort of cabin and maybe deck are you booked in? There may be photos to help you gauge or plan.

Edited November 13, 2022 by crystalspin

[dontpanik]

Oops, sorry, that would have been helpful: VF Verandah stateroom on deck 8.  Everyone seems to have their stateroom in tip top shape for photos so I can't gauge if there's room under the bed.

[RuthC]

Depending on your cabin, you can probably find a place to put it without folding it. Just lock the wheels when not in use. Then, if it is in the way, unlock, move it, and return it to the place later. Rollators are easy to deal with in a cabin; it's scooters that are tough in non-accessible cabins. 

If there's an end table next to the sofa, then it can fit in the aisle there. Or fit it in the aisle next to the bed, then leave it at the foot of the bed when you retire for the night. 

The stewards will work around it when they clean your room. 

[crystalspin]

1 hour ago, dontpanik said:

Oops, sorry, that would have been helpful: VF Verandah stateroom on deck 8.  Everyone seems to have their stateroom in tip top shape for photos so I can't gauge if there's room under the bed.

Many cabins have drawers under the foot of the beds, making it awkward to get the folded walker into the open area. Looking at Deck 8 Verandahs on N.A. and Eurodam, I'm thinking Ruth is right, leaving it unfolded and putting it between the bed and the bathroom wall in day and by sofa or desk at night is going to work just fine. It makes a little shelf, too!

 

https://halfacts.com/signature-class/

[SusieKIslandGirl]

I had a walker with me last October just before hip replacement surgery. I had a short bungee that I used to keep the walker folded up and there was room to put it at the window end of the sofa. I can't remember if I put it in front of or behind the curtain but it worked well there. I only used it for long distances and had a walking stick for around the ship.

[BeachBum47]

My mom and I were on Alaskan cruise last June and she brought a walker. Similar to you, she really only needs it for long distance but she found it quite nice to hold onto when the ship was rocky. So she did end up using it more than she thought she would. We found that it did not get in the way in the cabin at all. We just squeezed it together (compact) and kept it upright and either put it between the bed and the wall or right outside the bathroom door. We had a veranda cabin as well. 

[luvn2cruzzz]

On 11/12/2022 at 8:47 PM, RuthC said:

Depending on your cabin, you can probably find a place to put it without folding it. Just lock the wheels when not in use. Then, if it is in the way, unlock, move it, and return it to the place later. Rollators are easy to deal with in a cabin; it's scooters that are tough in non-accessible cabins. 

If there's an end table next to the sofa, then it can fit in the aisle there. Or fit it in the aisle next to the bed, then leave it at the foot of the bed when you retire for the night. 

The stewards will work around it when they clean your room. 

Wondering if a scooter can fit in a non-accessible verandah cabin or is a Vista suite needed?  Thanks.

[highscar]

Depends on the size of the scooter.  Mine is 3wheel. No armrests. It will, with practice, go past the bottom of the bed to charge at the desk.  Regular balcony cabin. Using it since 2008.  

[HAL4NOW]

1 hour ago, luvn2cruzzz said:

Wondering if a scooter can fit in a non-accessible verandah cabin or is a Vista suite needed?  Thanks.

There was only 17 inches between the corner of the bed and the wall in our Koningsdam verandah cabin. 23 inches between the tv wall and the bed. That might be tight, even for a small three wheeled scooter.

 

[highscar]

Don’t tell anyone but on the Eurodam one year my scooter handle left a black smutch on the wall at the bottom of the bed.  Following that cruise the Eurodam went into dry dock. The following year I had the same cabin and my autograph was still on the wall.  Shhh

[luvn2cruzzz]

1 hour ago, highscar said:

Don’t tell anyone but on the Eurodam one year my scooter handle left a black smutch on the wall at the bottom of the bed.  Following that cruise the Eurodam went into dry dock. The following year I had the same cabin and my autograph was still on the wall.  Shhh

Ha!  Thanks!  When you say three-wheel--is that standard for a rental scooter?

[highscar]

This is my own scooter.  Don’t know about the rentals. 

[highscar]

Had this scooter for many years. With the 3 wheels I can do a three point turn in the glass elevators. 

[RuthC]

8 hours ago, luvn2cruzzz said:

Wondering if a scooter can fit in a non-accessible verandah cabin or is a Vista suite needed?  Thanks.

It might depend on which class of ships, as the older the class, the larger the cabin. Configuration of the cabin matters, too. The space after the doorway can be too narrow, and for too great a distance, to allow the scooter to pass. 
I have been in inside cabins with a lot more available floor space than the Neptune suite on the same ship. I easily fit my scooter in my cabin, while I had to find a place to park it when I went to a party in a Neptune. That was a Vista ship. 

It can also depend on the size of the scooter. Standard size rentals are larger than some of the more lightweight scooters purchased for travel. 

[crystalspin]

^^^^This^^^^

 

We travelled with a 'larger' lady, and I obtained a LARGER rollator which turned out to be invaluable when the airport turned up with a wheelchair that she could NOT sit in at all. We had her sit on the rollator and used it as a wheelchair! Then she used it the conventional way for the rest of the trip (not a cruise).

 

Presuming that a std rollator, a three-wheeler, and this larger one, are all the same as far as fitting in a stateroom, would be in error.

[liketraveling]

This is what my father did with his on the Eurodam.  This was a balcony cabin on the Lower Promenade deck.  He doesn’t like to fold it.  He only kept it that way for a day.  Those are the two coat hooks.  I think we were in a quad cabin.

 

The R&S ships he usually can park it between the bed and sofa.  One time there were 3 of us so we got a signature Suite and there was more room for it.  Most balconies on the Eurodam and Nueuw AMsterdam you cannot get the walker past the bed.  We have stayed in obstructed view cabins on the Vista ships and he will fold it up against the sofa.  
 

we had the beds split.  It could make a difference if you left it as a queen.  My dad uses a rotator all the time and never wants an accessible cabin as long as he can get a shower stool for the shower.

[five.]

22 hours ago, luvn2cruzzz said:

Wondering if a scooter can fit in a non-accessible verandah cabin or is a Vista suite needed?

I had in my mind (from memory) you might could put it in the shower, but watched a video or two and it looks like there are step ups for both the bathroom door and the shower, so that wouldn't work. On our koningsdam cruise there were tons of scooters in the hallway. They say not to do that, but I've never been on a cruise where there were not scooters in the hallway. But no, in our verandah cabin (8143) it would not have fit. It would have fit in the door without armrests, but not anywhere to conveniently leave it. In our in-laws accessible cabin (8145) there was tons of space. They had two scooters and there was plenty of room. Another nice thing that 8145 had was a button to hit and the door would open automatically. They could theoretically hit the button once and both zoom in, but they had to be ready. Otherwise, they'd have to hit it a second time for the trailing person.

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, five. said:

Another nice thing that 8145 had was a button to hit and the door would open automatically.

Marvelous! It is impossible to open the door and come into the cabin when using a scooter, if one is all alone. Getting out may be possible, depending on the cabin. 

Since HAL stopped having cabins with the magnets to hold the door open I have had to get a door stop from the steward. When returning to the cabin I have to stop outside, get off the scooter to open the door, then place the doorstop to hold the door, return to the scooter and drive in, park, then walk back to the door and pick up the doorstop. 
When you can't walk easily, and get out of breath in a few steps, that takes a lot out of  body. 

Retroactively installing automatic openers at least in accessible cabins would be tremendous. 

[Euby]

@RuthC I use an upright walker when cruising and hsve used a scooter when vacationing at Disney.  I use a Wedge-It brand door stop.  I love it because it doesn't have to be put on the floor and picked up again (I don't very well that way).  This door stop will hook over a door hinge.  I highly recommend it.  I hang it from a hook (with a string) inside my cabin next to the door.

 

Edited November 16, 2022 by Euby
pic

[aliaschief]

How about storing on the verandha if it can’t go under the bed?

[five.]

2 hours ago, aliaschief said:

How about storing on the verandha if it can’t go under the bed?

That's always an option and for a walker, easily doable. For many balconies though, there will be a lip or step up, so for a scooter, it would have to be picked up. And of course, it'd be open to the elements.

 

At one point I had my in-laws in a Ambulatory Accessible Cabin instead of Fully Accessible Cabin on a Carnival ship, with the understanding that the second scooter would stay out on the balcony. (As in that was the direction from the special needs team that called us to discuss our options for two scooters.) That cruise was canceled due to covid, so we never did it in practice. I believe that room did have a ramp on the balcony door, so that part would have been easier.

 

I will say the ramp on the Koningsdam 8145 would have been fine for a walker or rollator, but it would have been rough for a scooter. And you probably would need to have them take the existing furniture or stack it out of the way in the corner. With the furniture out there, it wasn't really ideal for a scooter as well.

[five.]

The other concern I would have about storing them out on the balcony, take a look at your room plans if you can, there are some rooms where you simply can't get by the bed without it being rotated, no room at the foot of the bed to squeeze by. In our 8143, I don't think you could get by.

 

Here is a screenshot from 8135 walkthrough on youtube:

 

(Oops, I scroll up in the thread and see that someone else has already posted this concern, with actual measurements. Oh well, I will go ahead and post since it's typed.)

 

If you didn't already know, you can go to cruisedeckplans.com and choose your ship and floor and often times there will be pictures and youtube video walkthroughs that will get a good idea of what to expect. Definitely encourage you to check your ship and area.

[highscar]

@five.I am in 8142 next door.  My scooter width is 19”.  I told the rep I had the scooter and they gave me that room.  I have recently reinforced that info to them with no reply.   Now I am very concerned.