Scooting around the Baltic

[casaloma]

Hi Everyone.  We just got back from a 12 day Baltic cruise roundtrip Southampton.  It was my first time overseas with a scooter and I thought I'd post details here, as I was searching for such information before we left and had a hard time finding much.  I'm going to briefly details my scooter experiences from home to back again.  Might be long! 

 

Flew out of SeaTac.  We had previously gotten TSA pre check because of prior terrible experiences flying with the scooter to Vegas.  We didn't get in the right line apparently and it was no different lol.  I went through fine with the scooter, DH had the full meal TSA deal.  Though we had previously informed the airline of all the particulars of our scooter (SOLAX Transformer) we had to inform them all over again.  This was true of every airport.  There was also great debate about taking out the battery or leaving it in.  Outbound with British Airways they wanted it out.  

 

Flew into Heathrow.  Weird business with landing on the tarmac and going to the terminal in a bus.  Scooter was waiting for me. There are handicap lines for everything that I tried to take advantage of. 

 

Four days at the London hotel went fine.  Elevators are very small, our party of three often had to take separate elevators.  I found London to be very scooter friendly.  We did a morning in Hyde Park that was great and also did Hampton Court which was also great.  (The back gardens are no go, full of gravel, but we did get in the horse drawn  cart for a turn around the grounds.  ALSO you need to take the elevator up to the apartments of King Henry and they take you through areas of the palace not open to the public, so that was very cool.  My scooter folds up, so the hop on hop off buses everywhere were easy to use.  

 

We took the train to Southampton which we've done several times before.  No problem with the scooter then we took a quick taxi to the cruise terminal.  I had notified Princess we were sailing with a scooter.  Embarkation was fine and quick.  Unlike Holland America, where we cruised last summer to Alaska, Princess has identified staff to assist with scooters and wheelchairs coming on and off the boat.  As some of the gangplanks had quite steep bits, I found this very helpful.  

 

We did not get an accessible cabin.  I have trouble walking distances which is the reason for the scooter, but I don't require a wheelchair so I feel bad taking an accessible cabin from someone who really needs it.  Our standard balcony cabin worked out fine.  Though I think the cruise was full, we really didn't have any trouble getting an elevator and everyone was very kind and accommodating.  I even ventured out a couple of time on my own.  

 

Ports: 

 

Imjuiden.  This was a port we hadn't planned on because Hamburg and Arfus were cancelled because of the weather.  We'd made no plans and somewhat recklessly got what turned out to be a gypsy cab to Haarlem.  Haarlem itself was great, very quaint and old with fascinating shops.  However, there were many many cobblestones and bike riders who are fast and ruthless.  So it was a strain riding the scooter there and I wouldn't do it again.  On top of that, just for anyone who may visit there, taxis are not plentiful and we had some very suspenseful moments thinking we weren't going to make it back to the ship.  All the taxis had apparently gone to Amsterdam to be at a big dance contest.  

 

Copenhagen.  We did the hop on hop off bus and then tooled around on our own.  There are some cobblestoned streets in Copenhagen but it seemed as though I could easily find my way around them.  You do have to collapse the scooter to take it downstairs to restaurants, which was a bit of a pain.  

 

Goteburg.  I didn't get out at this port but DH reported it would have been great to scoot around and there were a lot of pedestrian only areas.  I'd been there before.  

 

Oslo.  This was also a very easy city to scoot around in.  The big problem here was how cold and windy it was.  We went up and down one of the main shopping streets and in and out of stores with absolutely no problem.  

 

Rotterdam.  Again, a very easy city to navigate on a scooter.  Again we did the hop on hop off with no problem and then investigated the market hall which was awesome.  

 

Zeebrugge.  We took the shuttle to Bruges.  This is the main reason I wanted to do this post.  I have an absolute love/hate relationship with this beautiful town.  The shuttle drops you off at the edge of their old town.  There are nothing but cobblestones between you and anything you want to see.  There is no way around them.  I got through to the church DH very much wanted to see (which was awesome, Madonna of Bruges) but then me and the scooter was done.  We got on the very unreliable free tram and got to the market square which was incredible (a symphony was playing) and from there we got a taxi back to the shuttle.  My advice is this:  open up the pocketbook and take a taxi from the ship to the market square.  Then you can wear out your tires a little exploring around there and perhaps take the tram to the Madonna, which is truly not to miss, then get a taxi back to the ship.  I would have enjoyed the day so much more if we'd done it that way.  

 

Le Havre.  I didn't do this port but DH took a ship excursion to Rouen.  We had planned to both go but somehow two excursions were not ordered.  He said that I would have had trouble at Monet's house, just muddy roads and lots of stairs.  Otherwise find with the cathedral.  

 

Getting off the ship was fine except I guess they hadn't realized how much luggage people had because they needed another bus to get us all to London.  Heathrow was the usual madhouse but the scooter had a relatively easy time, always need to get checked for bomb residue, etc.  This time British Airways decided the battery could stay in the scooter but also decided we needed another long bus ride to get to the airplane out in the middle of nowhere.  I thought it was really strange but my son says this had happened to him occasionally.  

 

Back home to Seattle and the only comment there is how ungodly long it took to get to the baggage area from the plane.  Here I'd scooted all over Europe and the only time I was afraid I was running out of battery was at SeaTac! 

 

So there it is.  I am so glad I had that scooter, it made all the difference and I learned a lot.  We'd like to go back to Bruges armed with the knowledge we have to make it an even better experience.  I guess the bottom line is that it's really worth getting out there and trying, even with a few bumps along the way!  Sometimes literally.  

[ozscotart]

Thanks very much for this report, we are doing the same cruise next year (all being well) and looking forward to Arhus and Hamburg. We’ve been to IJmuidin, which is really just another port for Amsterdam and has little of interest, beach cafes and sand dunes and difficult access. I would recommend a shuttle or taxi that goes to Amsterdam. I’ve already booked the accessible shuttle to Bruges, we’ve been there before so I may reconsider our options, but they are limited, we’ve been to Zeebrugge several times before, maybe the coastal tram. 
I’ve also booked the Rouen accessible excursion, again I’ve been before but would be keen to see the cathedral again, and DH hasn’t been at all. 
We’ve spent a bit of time in Copenhagen, there are some restaurants and cafes that have no steps but finding an accessible loo is harder. 

[GoHuskies!]

Thank you, casaloma, for this great and detailed report.  I don't know when or if I'll get to those ports, but this interest me because I currently use a foldable rollator aboard ship and the writing on the wall says a scooter is in my future.  Last year I could put in 4,000 steps daily on the ship, but now I am much more limited and I appreciate your experiences.  Thanks.

 

[mexico8]

On 10/31/2023 at 2:59 PM, casaloma said:

Hi Everyone.  We just got back from a 12 day Baltic cruise roundtrip Southampton.  It was my first time overseas with a scooter and I thought I'd post details here, as I was searching for such information before we left and had a hard time finding much.  I'm going to briefly details my scooter experiences from home to back again.  Might be long! 

 

Flew out of SeaTac.  We had previously gotten TSA pre check because of prior terrible experiences flying with the scooter to Vegas.  We didn't get in the right line apparently and it was no different lol.  I went through fine with the scooter, DH had the full meal TSA deal.  Though we had previously informed the airline of all the particulars of our scooter (SOLAX Transformer) we had to inform them all over again.  This was true of every airport.  There was also great debate about taking out the battery or leaving it in.  Outbound with British Airways they wanted it out.  

 

Flew into Heathrow.  Weird business with landing on the tarmac and going to the terminal in a bus.  Scooter was waiting for me. There are handicap lines for everything that I tried to take advantage of. 

 

Four days at the London hotel went fine.  Elevators are very small, our party of three often had to take separate elevators.  I found London to be very scooter friendly.  We did a morning in Hyde Park that was great and also did Hampton Court which was also great.  (The back gardens are no go, full of gravel, but we did get in the horse drawn  cart for a turn around the grounds.  ALSO you need to take the elevator up to the apartments of King Henry and they take you through areas of the palace not open to the public, so that was very cool.  My scooter folds up, so the hop on hop off buses everywhere were easy to use.  

 

We took the train to Southampton which we've done several times before.  No problem with the scooter then we took a quick taxi to the cruise terminal.  I had notified Princess we were sailing with a scooter.  Embarkation was fine and quick.  Unlike Holland America, where we cruised last summer to Alaska, Princess has identified staff to assist with scooters and wheelchairs coming on and off the boat.  As some of the gangplanks had quite steep bits, I found this very helpful.  

 

We did not get an accessible cabin.  I have trouble walking distances which is the reason for the scooter, but I don't require a wheelchair so I feel bad taking an accessible cabin from someone who really needs it.  Our standard balcony cabin worked out fine.  Though I think the cruise was full, we really didn't have any trouble getting an elevator and everyone was very kind and accommodating.  I even ventured out a couple of time on my own.  

 

Ports: 

 

Imjuiden.  This was a port we hadn't planned on because Hamburg and Arfus were cancelled because of the weather.  We'd made no plans and somewhat recklessly got what turned out to be a gypsy cab to Haarlem.  Haarlem itself was great, very quaint and old with fascinating shops.  However, there were many many cobblestones and bike riders who are fast and ruthless.  So it was a strain riding the scooter there and I wouldn't do it again.  On top of that, just for anyone who may visit there, taxis are not plentiful and we had some very suspenseful moments thinking we weren't going to make it back to the ship.  All the taxis had apparently gone to Amsterdam to be at a big dance contest.  

 

Copenhagen.  We did the hop on hop off bus and then tooled around on our own.  There are some cobblestoned streets in Copenhagen but it seemed as though I could easily find my way around them.  You do have to collapse the scooter to take it downstairs to restaurants, which was a bit of a pain.  

 

Goteburg.  I didn't get out at this port but DH reported it would have been great to scoot around and there were a lot of pedestrian only areas.  I'd been there before.  

 

Oslo.  This was also a very easy city to scoot around in.  The big problem here was how cold and windy it was.  We went up and down one of the main shopping streets and in and out of stores with absolutely no problem.  

 

Rotterdam.  Again, a very easy city to navigate on a scooter.  Again we did the hop on hop off with no problem and then investigated the market hall which was awesome.  

 

Zeebrugge.  We took the shuttle to Bruges.  This is the main reason I wanted to do this post.  I have an absolute love/hate relationship with this beautiful town.  The shuttle drops you off at the edge of their old town.  There are nothing but cobblestones between you and anything you want to see.  There is no way around them.  I got through to the church DH very much wanted to see (which was awesome, Madonna of Bruges) but then me and the scooter was done.  We got on the very unreliable free tram and got to the market square which was incredible (a symphony was playing) and from there we got a taxi back to the shuttle.  My advice is this:  open up the pocketbook and take a taxi from the ship to the market square.  Then you can wear out your tires a little exploring around there and perhaps take the tram to the Madonna, which is truly not to miss, then get a taxi back to the ship.  I would have enjoyed the day so much more if we'd done it that way.  

 

Le Havre.  I didn't do this port but DH took a ship excursion to Rouen.  We had planned to both go but somehow two excursions were not ordered.  He said that I would have had trouble at Monet's house, just muddy roads and lots of stairs.  Otherwise find with the cathedral.  

 

Getting off the ship was fine except I guess they hadn't realized how much luggage people had because they needed another bus to get us all to London.  Heathrow was the usual madhouse but the scooter had a relatively easy time, always need to get checked for bomb residue, etc.  This time British Airways decided the battery could stay in the scooter but also decided we needed another long bus ride to get to the airplane out in the middle of nowhere.  I thought it was really strange but my son says this had happened to him occasionally.  

 

Back home to Seattle and the only comment there is how ungodly long it took to get to the baggage area from the plane.  Here I'd scooted all over Europe and the only time I was afraid I was running out of battery was at SeaTac! 

 

So there it is.  I am so glad I had that scooter, it made all the difference and I learned a lot.  We'd like to go back to Bruges armed with the knowledge we have to make it an even better experience.  I guess the bottom line is that it's really worth getting out there and trying, even with a few bumps along the way!  Sometimes literally.  

Great post and so helpful for other users of scooters.  Thank you.

[casaloma]

thanks!