Fractured leg on Beyond; Need Disembarkation Information

[markeb]

You know, I'd probably gamble and just go straight to Raw on 5 when you vacate the cabin. You're driving, so other than your checked bags it really doesn't matter. Will Guest Services give you an earlier bag tag? Do you want off earlier (I'm thinking yes. Tylenol only lasts so long...)

[hcat]

not sure..but I'd get to the wheelchair area on 5 as early as possible..with your stuff.  Husb can grab some buns/ coffee from Cafe baccio..and bring it to you.  We have observed many wheelchairs lined up for the escort  off early on!

 

 

[DUTRAVEL]

16 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

One last question re disembarkation.  Guest Services told me we have to be out of the cabins at 7 and to go to Raw on 5 where wheelchair assistance was first come first serve.  But the disembarkation letter said to go to Raw on 5 at your scheduled departure time…which is 8:15.  So if we leave the cabin at 7 and go to the Elite waiting area in Tuscan…my husband will have to wheel me there…then come back to the cabin to get our one carry on bag and my crutches.  Then at 8 or so when we go to Raw on 5 he’ll need to make two trips again.  Does this sound correct?

It will be more comfortable to wait in Tuscan than Raw on 5. You will be in a crowd of wheelchairs and no food or drinks. They will take you off based on your luggage tag number (even if you get there at 7:00, you will be taken off only when your luggage tag is called). Bear in mind it can be very hard to get an elevator in a wheelchair on disembarktion day because of all the people with their lugggage.

[billc23]

On 5/9/2024 at 11:27 AM, JFontaine said:

Just a note about disembarkation via wheelchair in FLL.  It is a 2 step process, with a handover to a port person at the elevator in the terminal. Here's where we ran into trouble. There was a line of about 20 passengers in wheelchairs lined up waiting for porters. We waited about a half hour.  This will vary because of lots of variables; you might have no wait. But being prepared mentally for a wait might help.  My mom was in the wheelchair, and I was more than capable of maneuvering the chair, but the security guard wouldn't allow it. 

 

I'm sorry to hear about your injury and wish you a speedy recovery.

 

I was in a wheelchair departing Terminal 25 in FLL this January. After reaching the elevator, and the long line of wheelchairs waiting for porters, we asked if my wife could push me the rest of the way. She was able to and it made the trip much quicker. If there is a long line waiting for porters, perhaps your DH would be able to push you the rest of the way.

[hcat]

we always use a porter..they gather  the luggage and  smooth the way out  either to taxi, your van ..etc

 

Our last porter wheeled everything  to our car up in the parking lot for ASCENT. and loaded the luggage. He was great!

 

Def beg for earliest tag..your case was a med emergency not just someone who needs the wheelchair.  Time is of the essence to  get home!

[Northern Aurora]

Since I haven't experienced such a situation I don't know how I would handle it -- but I suspect I would want to be off that ship and on the road driving home ASAP.  Your husband needs to go down to Guest Relations (I am assuming you are not in the Retreat) and demand the earliest luggage tag.  

 

And best of wishes for a speedy recovery.  

 

This won't make our OP feel any better but there is actually a frequent X cruiser (Zenith) who several years ago broke both her ankle and wrist leaving her M-class stateroom bathroom.  The ankle and wrist were on the same side of her body.  And they had to fly home across the world -- not just a two hour flight.

[helen haywood]

We do have the first luggage tag number after self-debark/walk off.  My husband can’t push me and wheel the carry on bag and carry my crutches.  I’ll have him ask at Guest Services tomorrow whether we should go straight to Raw on 5 or bide our time in Tuscan.  Food won’t be an issue…we will have already gone to Oceanview.

 

Thanks for everyone’s help and good wishes.

[awhfy]

3 hours ago, helen haywood said:

One last question re disembarkation.  Guest Services told me we have to be out of the cabins at 7 and to go to Raw on 5 where wheelchair assistance was first come first serve.  But the disembarkation letter said to go to Raw on 5 at your scheduled departure time…which is 8:15.  So if we leave the cabin at 7 and go to the Elite waiting area in Tuscan…my husband will have to wheel me there…then come back to the cabin to get our one carry on bag and my crutches.  Then at 8 or so when we go to Raw on 5 he’ll need to make two trips again.  Does this sound correct?

I’d go to the concierge & ask for assistance with the wheelchair for disembarking. You should be able to go to RAW or Tuscan in your wheelchair. Your crutches should fit in the back of the wheelchair & you could hold the carryon. Only one trip. 
 

it’s much less expensive to buy a travel wheelchair on Amazon rather than rent one. 

[helen haywood]

If I tried to hold my husband’s carryon on my lap…I’d have a whole new set of problems!  🤭  But you were absolutely right about the wheelchair…since Amazon and I are on a first name basis I don’t know why I didn’t think of that!!  I did just place an order for a folding wheelchair, which, sigh, I may need long enough that it certainly was cheaper to buy one.  Got a toilet seat topper with handles too…my new glamorous life…

 

Again, thanks for all the help.

[chemmo]

6 hours ago, helen haywood said:

If I tried to hold my husband’s carryon on my lap…I’d have a whole new set of problems!  🤭  But you were absolutely right about the wheelchair…since Amazon and I are on a first name basis I don’t know why I didn’t think of that!!  I did just place an order for a folding wheelchair, which, sigh, I may need long enough that it certainly was cheaper to buy one.  Got a toilet seat topper with handles too…my new glamorous life…

 

Again, thanks for all the help.

Keep smiling…It is a traditional saying in the UK that when you need to enter a hospital for treatment you are best to “Leave your dignity at the door and collect it on the way out”. Obviously hospital staff and family will do everything they can for you to keep your independence but you are in for a few weeks of accepting help and needing aids. You, as I was, are in the enviable position that your present mobility issue can hopefully be fixed.

 

With reference to your recovery have you thought of booking another cruise? Following scheduled surgery that left me totally none weight bearing for twelve weeks and then a further four+ still needing crutches we booked a cruise to Norway with the blessing of my consultant and physio for week 14 (obviously cleared with insurance). By then I didn’t find the trip to the port (5 hours) too challenging. I was still using my wheelchair for longer journeys but was hopping about on crutches for shorter ones. I was sick of my own four walls and my husband was shattered from looking after me. The cruise gave us both a real boost and quality rest. Every day I was hoisted in/out of the Solarium pool by the wonderful pool staff. I had gone with a list of exercises to do out of the pool and in the pool. It was ideal! Obviously our sightseeing had some limitations but we made the most of what we could do easily. To be honest the cruise would have been worth every penny even if I hadn’t got off the ship. The combination of quality rest, being amused, entertained and being well fed and then doing my standard exercises and pool ones I am sure speeded up my recovery. Just a thought…..

Edited May 11 by chemmo

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Can you leave the carry on outside the night before with the other luggage and get a tote bag for the essentials that you can hold on your lap? You might be able to hold onto the crutches also by putting them on the stands for your feet.

[helen haywood]

The laptop bag has my husband’s meds and he wouldn’t want to put it out.  He went down to Guest Services and they told him just to call when we were ready to leave the cabin and they’d send someone to help us.  And to just go directly to Raw on 5 instead of making the trek to Tuscan and then to Raw on 5.  
 

As to another cruise…I currently have a booking in early September.  That’s 16 weeks away.  Final payment for it is June 4.  I’ll make the call then.  At the moment the answer would be not until I was more independently mobile…and only time will tell with that.  
 

Hopefully near to last question, how much would you all suggest tipping the Celebrity wheelchair assist in getting off the ship…how much to the terminal wheelchair assist and how much to the porter?

[ijscheer]

On 5/9/2024 at 11:27 AM, JFontaine said:

Just a note about disembarkation via wheelchair in FLL.  It is a 2 step process, with a handover to a port person at the elevator in the terminal. Here's where we ran into trouble. There was a line of about 20 passengers in wheelchairs lined up waiting for porters. We waited about a half hour.  This will vary because of lots of variables; you might have no wait. But being prepared mentally for a wait might help.  My mom was in the wheelchair, and I was more than capable of maneuvering the chair, but the security guard wouldn't allow it. 

 

Yes, the handover at the elevator can take quite a bit of time.  We too waited about 20 min.

[JFontaine]

On tipping, it depends on how much time they spend with you.  5 minutes taking you from here to there would be $5.00. If they stop while you search through luggage, $10.  If they do something heroic like pushing you with one hand, luggage with another, bags over their shoulder and helps load cab - $20.  Maybe others will say not enough? 

[helen haywood]

Thank you.  I know it’s subjective.  Just never been in this position so wanted to do the right thing.  Don’t think heroics will be needed 😊 so just assistance.  The Park ‘n’ Go guy will load the bags.

[Arzeena]

1 hour ago, helen haywood said:

Thank you.  I know it’s subjective.  Just never been in this position so wanted to do the right thing.  Don’t think heroics will be needed 😊 so just assistance.  The Park ‘n’ Go guy will load the bags.

I wish you a speedy recovery and all the best. And a Happy Birthday.

 

 

[helen haywood]

Update.  Well, Guest Services had told us we could stay in the cabin until 8 and to call them when we were ready to leave and someone would come and assist us.  Of course when we called at 7:30 Guest Services just said we were supposed to go to Raw on 5.  So I had to stress that I had been told to call and we would be given assistance…that my husband couldn’t wheel me and carry the crutches and pull the laptop.  Something was lost in translation because a lovely young lady appeared with a wheelchair.  Our wonderful cabin attendant said not to worry…he’d see the original one got returned.

 

What was eye opening to me is that it is impossible to maneuver a wheelchair or scooter through the Edge Class hallways unless they are totally clear.  During the normal morning and evening cabin service times the attendant’s cart blocking the hallway could generally be moved by alerting the nearby attendant.  And in addition to the carts are the bags of laundry and trash hanging from the railings.  Those too have to be moved so a wheelchair can pass.

 

Well, on disembarkation morning there were carts in the hallways just parked there…no attendant nearby.  My husband and the wheelchair assistant had to stop at least ten times to move carts or bags so we could make our way down the hallway.

 

But the rest of the debarkation went as expected.  One attendant wheeled me off the ship and parked me in the terminal where once my turn came another nice young lady wheeled me to the luggage area…we collected a porter and our bags and she wheeled me to the Park n Go slot and she knew exactly where it was.  (And for some unknown reason Beyond returned to Terminal 18 instead of scheduled 25…even though she was the only ship in port today.)

 

A snafu occurred when the Park n Go van did not have a front passenger seat.  The driver was very nice and offered me his arm but obviously didn’t understand my right leg is totally non weight bearing.  So I had to sit down on the steps and scoot up one at a time…and then get hauled to my feet by the combined efforts of the driver and my husband.

 

Another snafu occurred when we got to the Taco Bell we planned to have lunch at.  There was a homeless person circling the parking lot gesticulating and mumbling.  I was afraid to get out and make my slow tortuous way on my crutches to the restaurant.  If necessary I would be unable to run.  Eventually the coast cleared and we made our slow progress inside.  Let’s just say that between a slippery floor and long distances I realized I cannot go anywhere at present without a wheelchair.  I’m terribly afraid I’m just going to run out of energy and fall and hurt something else. 😢

 

Wasn’t able to have my leg elevated much on the drive so we arrived home with my leg swollen and a huge hematoma under my right knee.  Sigh.  Have it elevated and iced now.  I want to take a shower more than anything but feel I need to keep on with the elevation and ice right now.

 

And both cats are extremely wary of the wheel, the cast etc…so are giving me a wide berth.  Sniff.  Hope tomorrow is better.

[mahdnc]

I am sorry for your ordeal but I am glad you finally made it home.  I do wish for you a speedy recovery.   Your stories regarding wheelchair navigation was very eye opening to me.  I haven't looked at the world that way before.

[jelayne]

I’m glad you are safely home.  I’m sure you furry friends will be sitting with you shortly.

[hcat]

Here's to HOME SWEET HOME!

 

You did it! Just being home will make things easier!

 

Hope you  get some rest and do well with your recovery!

Edited May 12 by hcat

[mac_tlc]

Glad you made it home and can get some much needed rest. 

 

My wife has a wheelchair most times we leave the cabin and I can relate to the hallway obstacles. It is one of the reasons we get a cabin as close to the elevators as possible. Besides the attendant carts and the hanging laundry bags, the room service trays are another nuisance. At least there are no trays on debarkation morning. 

 

 

mac_tlc 

[Luckynana]

 

Sorry about today's ordeal, Marian, but thank goodness you are home, safe and sound.  Thank you for your update.  I was hoping we would hear from you.  Welcome home!  🌺

Best of luck at the doctor's.

[Northern Aurora]

I am also glad you are now at home.  

 

We spent 40 nights on the Edge last fall boarding in Civitavecchia, through the Suez Canal and leaving ship in Sydney.  Both my husband and I were convinced that the stateroom corridors on the Edge are narrower than on either M- or S-class ships.  Wonder if it is the same on the Beyond.  

 

While I don't have mobility issues my late father spent the last three years of his life in a wheelchair due to advanced Parkinson's.  One of my pet peeves is seeing used room service trays left outside a stateroom in a hallway.  So annoying.

[chemmo]

So pleased you are now home. Hopefully, bruises and aches and pains will ease and you can get further advice.

 

Thank you also for coming back on with the board and sharing your experiences. Much as we all hope we are never faced with your scenario it is always good to know what to expect. Always frustrating when someone puts on a post and we don’t know how things work out.

 

Sincere best wishes for any further treatment required and a speedy recovery and that your pussy cats gets used to the cast and wheels!

[helen haywood]

Surgery this morning.  Cats did come around…