Scooter rental

[ASolosailer]

I need to rent a scooter for my cruise. I have researched two companies, Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea. Has anyone had any experience with either of these companies?  I did book a handicapped room so it will fit.  Thank you.

[ColeThornton]

40 minutes ago, ASolosailer said:

I need to rent a scooter for my cruise. I have researched two companies, Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea. Has anyone had any experience with either of these companies?  I did book a handicapped room so it will fit.  Thank you.

 

Which cruise line will you be sailing on?  That can make a difference.  For instance, the only authorized vendor for NCL is Scootaround.

[Mary229]

Exactly, first check with your cruise line. 

[Host Kat]

6 hours ago, ASolosailer said:

I need to rent a scooter for my cruise. I have researched two companies, Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea. Has anyone had any experience with either of these companies?  I did book a handicapped room so it will fit.  Thank you.

 

Hello @ASolosailer

 

Thank you for your new thread on the Ask s Cruise Question forum. However, it is the forum for general questions regarding cruising. Your inquiry is off topic there. To help you out your new thread has been moved to the Disabled Cruise Travel forum where it will be on topic. It is where your fellow Cruise Critic cruisers with physical limitations share their advice and experiences.

 

Perhaps something in this Cruise Critic article (last updated January 14, 2019) will be helpful: How to Rent a Scooter or Wheelchair for Your Cruise

 

The Cruise Critic website and message boards are both great resources for new as well as experienced cruisers and we are so glad you are posting. Please feel free to browse the Cruise Critic Community categories list of the various forums. I suggest you put the page link in your Favorites for quick & easy access in the future. Please read a few threads in the different forums to get a feel for what each forum is about. Make sure you read any pinned threads (aka stickies) on the top of the first page of threads in most forums. You will find very important instructions or information there. 

 

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I sincerely hope this will be helpful and glad to have you aboard Cruise Critic! 

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat

 

[kokopelli-az]

We have rented from both Scootaround and Special Needs.  They basically rent the identical scooters.   We have never had any issue with either of these companies.   Do a dummy booking on each website for the same type of scooter and rent from the one that is less expensive.  Be sure you are comparing apples to apples as I know that Scootaround adds in extras like insurance (which we've never bought) so you want to be comparing the same thing.  

 

And like others have said, be sure to check your cruise line's website to be sure they accept scooters from whichever company you choose to rent from.   Also on your cruise line's website, there will be a form to complete where you let them know you will have a scooter.  

 

If you need help with links, post which cruise line you will be on and people on this board can help. 

 

 

[darstamp]

On 6/20/2024 at 10:07 AM, ASolosailer said:

I need to rent a scooter for my cruise. I have researched two companies, Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea. Has anyone had any experience with either of these companies?  I did book a handicapped room so it will fit.  Thank you.

I have rented from Scootaround several times with no problems.  I rent an oxygen concentrator.  They are knowledgeable about my requirements.  It is always in my stateroom when I arrive on the ship and they pick it up at the end of the trip.  I usually arrange for the rental well ahead of my trip.  You must make sure the company is approved by your cruise line.

[mark46]

We've used Special Needs several times on Holland America.  All went well. 

[Nilbog]

I've rented scooters and wheelchairs from both sites.  Just check with your cruiseline as I can attest that NCL has an agreement with Scootaround that lets them deliver your medical equipment to your stateroom.  If you need the scooter to help you through the check-in process, you will need to pick the scooter up outside the terminal, and Scootaround with NCL may or may not do this.  I've rented from Scootaround once on NCL and specified that I needed to pick it up outside the terminal and it was still delivered to our cabin.  Made it difficult to get through security and check-in.  On the flip side, though, NCL will troubleshoot a Scootaround scooter if you have troubles on board, and they sometimes even have spares if you have a complete breakdown.

[DRS/NC]

Princess Cruise Lines use both Special Needs at Sea & ScootAround.  I've rented scooters from both, tho I mostly use SNatS.  They include the insurance in their price which makes them a bit cheaper than SA (who add the insurance).

SNatS also has a smaller scooter (19" base) that barely fits thru the door of non-HA cabins (if you can't get an HA cabin).

 

 

[Nilbog]

4 hours ago, DRS/NC said:

Princess Cruise Lines use both Special Needs at Sea & ScootAround.  I've rented scooters from both, tho I mostly use SNatS.  They include the insurance in their price which makes them a bit cheaper than SA (who add the insurance).

SNatS also has a smaller scooter (19" base) that barely fits thru the door of non-HA cabins (if you can't get an HA cabin).

 

 

You can decline the insurance on either company.  I've always declined the insurance as I've been willing to take the risk.  Several of our cruises have been on NCL and their agreement with ScootAround lets them work on the scooters if you have a problem.  I've just never had a problem.  Now I travel with my own scooter, though.

[kokopelli-az]

9 hours ago, Nilbog said:

You can decline the insurance on either company.  I've always declined the insurance as I've been willing to take the risk. 

If you read the fine print on the rental agreements from both scooter rental companies, they offer very little protection to the renter.  We never take the rental insurance.   

 

Here's an excerpt from the Scootaround agreement regarding cancellation (from Nov 2024):

 

1. If seven (7) or more days’ notice is provided before the scheduled delivery date, the Customer may cancel and receive a partial credit for a future rental. Scootaround will hold a $60 cancellation fee for motorized equipment and $35 cancellation fee for
non-motorized equipment, per item, plus applicable sales tax. This includes either full or partial cancellations.
2. If less than seven (7) days’ notice is provided, but before the scheduled delivery date, the Customer may cancel and receive a partial credit on the order. Scootaround will hold a $110 cancellation fee for motorized equipment and $60 cancellation fee for
non-motorized equipment per item, plus applicable sales tax.
3. Any cancellation on or after the delivery date is non-refundable and no credit will be issued.
4. “Credits” are placed on file with Scootaround and are not eligible to be refunded for any reason. They can be applied to any type of rental and do not expire

[qoap24]

We are going to be cruising on Princess in Oct and my mom is renting a scooter for the first time. She is using Scootaround. Can anyone give me an idea how long the batteries last on scooters? I went to Scootaround's website and wasn't able to find this information. 

[kokopelli-az]

13 hours ago, qoap24 said:

We are going to be cruising on Princess in Oct and my mom is renting a scooter for the first time. She is using Scootaround. Can anyone give me an idea how long the batteries last on scooters? I went to Scootaround's website and wasn't able to find this information. 

The battery life of scooters depends on numerous factors:  going uphill, larger scooter, large person, going fast etc etc.   Much like the MPG on your car.   The scooter will be fully charged when you pick it up.   We drive it all over during the day (although mostly flat surfaces) and the battery has barely budged from fully charged.   We plug it in every night.

 

We have rented many times from Scootaround and always receive a Pride Go Go Sport (3wheel) (they call it their transportable scooter).  According to Pride Mobility's website for this particular scooter it says its maximum range is 12.75 miles but also that this "Varies with user weight, terrain type, battery amp- hour (AH), battery charge, battery condition and tire condition. This specification can be subject to a variance of (+ or -) 10%."

 

PS   Do you have an accessible stateroom?   The scooter has to be stored in your stateroom (and be able to fit through the door).   And let Princess know you will be bringing a scooter.  

[qoap24]

We do not have an accessible stateroom, but a large suite and she was told it would fit through the cabin door. She also. let Princess know by filing out a form. 

 

thank you for your info. There is only one port that i think she will need the scooter for. I'm thinking 2 hours max.

[kokopelli-az]

This was probably the form that was submitted to Princess:

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/faq_answer_legal/Princess-Mobility-Questionnaire.pdf

 

I would contact the Princess Access Dept (contact info on mobility questionnaire) to verify the width of the door to your stateroom (unless that's the department that said the scooter would fit through the door).  

 

I don't know what port the scooter will be used at but scooters are usually not allowed on tenders.