I have to pay for a wheelchair?

[ExCruiseMe]

Holland America wants $95 for a wheelchair for my mother on a 7 day cruise and it's through a third party company. Is it a mistake for us to go on this cruise line?

[Jim Gallup]

It doesn't matter which Mass Market cruise line you choose, you will still have to pay for the wheel chair rental.

In America you have a crazy law that says a wheel chair is legally a "vehicle". If somebody loans you their vehicle and you have an accident in it, you can sue them for millions of dollars and win. So if you borrow a ship's wheel chair, take it ashore in Rio de Janiero and get hit by a bus, you could be the new owner of the cruise line. (You may have noticed that many Americans like to get involved in litigation with cruise lines.) So the cruise lines have to protect themselves against lawsuits by forcing you to rent a wheelchair from a third party provider who has massive liability insurance. Now when you rent the chair from the wheelchair concession, you are also paying for that massive insurance.

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Holland America wants $95 for a wheelchair for my mother on a 7 day cruise and it's through a third party company. Is it a mistake for us to go on this cruise line?

 

Yes, this is now the policy of all the major cruise lines. Wheelchairs are provided by HAL for assistance in boarding and disembarkation only. My father and mother travelled on Celebrity last year, and my father had to provide his own wheelchair.

 

Here are links with more info for you:

 

Holland America Planning and Advice/Health and Medical

 

Care Vacations Cruise Ship Assist

 

Hope this information is helpful.

[MBeamTX]

We rented a wheelchair for my dad once from Care Vacations. It was very convenient to have. For our next cruise, I just went ahead and bought a brand new chair for him from a reliable vendor on eBay. I believe that it cost less than $150 including shipping. We have used it on 5 or 6 cruises now, so it has been very cost effective even though he doesn't use it much at home. Airlines will check the chair for you at no additional charge and it does not count as part of your baggage allowance.

[the2ofus]

If your mother will be using the wheelchair most of the time, and especially on shore excursions, you will definitely want to rent one which is specifically sized to fit her. You may also want to consider one that is very lightweight and folds a easily as possible, to make your job easier as you assist her. Wheelchairs come in many sizes and configuraitons.

 

If she does not regularly use a wheelchair at home, you might want to visit your local medical supply store to have her measured for a proper chair and to seek advice on what to ask for when renting. Also, check with HAL for their list of preferred vendors. You want to be able to order and rely on the chair being there when you board.

 

Doing this bit of homework now will help you and your mother have a most enjoyable trip. The cost of wheelchair rental will be a small price to pay.

[Tinknock50]

We rented a wheelchair for my dad once from Care Vacations. It was very convenient to have. For our next cruise, I just went ahead and bought a brand new chair for him from a reliable vendor on eBay. I believe that it cost less than $150 including shipping. We have used it on 5 or 6 cruises now, so it has been very cost effective even though he doesn't use it much at home. Airlines will check the chair for you at no additional charge and it does not count as part of your baggage allowance.

 

I agree its better to just buy one. The ones with the smaller wheels that fold up are great. Thats what I use with my Mom.

[wizard-of-roz]

Jim: Well said......and, unfortunately so true....give us a chance; we'll stub our toe; trip on something; or just plain fall down for a few extra bucks!

I personally know of a woman who picked up a hot spoon in the buffet area and then proceeded to sue the ship because she got burnt!:eek:

[Sunshine91]

Excuse me, but why did you think it would be free, as in included in the cost of your cruise fare?

Wheelchairs are not items I would think HAL, or any line, would stockpile, to have available onboard for the duration of the voyage. If the line has to contract with an outside vendor to provide a service or specific item for a guest, there's going to be a fee, which will in turn be passed on to the guest.

Chairs on the pier would be used over & over by multiple guests on turn-around day, so those, of course, should be available gratis. :)

[jcrandle]

DMIL uses a powered chair around her assisted living residence, but since we don't have a good way to transport it, we purchased a manual, fold-up chair at a local discards store for under $25, to use when transporting her. You might check at your local Salvation Army, Goodwill, Veterans. etc. discards store, as wheelchairs are a commodity that often can be found in these stores at very reasonable prices.

[ExCruiseMe]

Oh no no no, don't get me wrong. We have two wheelchairs and one roundabout ...no problem bringing our own. I was (incorrectly) thinking that the cruise line provided this service

 

WAY sorry for offending anyone by asking a question

[Sea King]

 

In America you have a crazy law that says a wheel chair is legally a "vehicle". (You may have noticed that many Americans like to get involved in litigation with cruise lines.)

 

Jim: are there any "crazy laws" in Holland, Switzerland, France, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Canada, Australia, Thailand or Singapore like those in the USA?

 

how about the Dutch, Swiss, French, Italians, Italians, Spanish, Thai and Australians? do they like litigation as much if not more than Americans?

 

do you have a graph that shows which Nationality sues cruise ships the most?

 

sorry; can't help by reach any other conclusion other than you're basically anti American:mad:

 

someone asked a simple question: do other cruise lines charge for use of wheel chairs .. the question wasn't what Nationality sues cruise lines the most:rolleyes:

 

IMO your comment was way off base:(

[Jim Gallup]

Sea King,

Did we accidentally strike a nerve?

 

Sorry, no graphs to show you. But since 93.5% of those who take a cruise every year on planet Earth are American Citizens, it is usually pretty safe to address these issues to Americans.

 

Yes, other countries do have crazy laws, but not about wheel chairs. I thought that was the subject of the question.

 

Do other nationalities sue cruise lines? I don't know - but they probably do on occasion. Although in the past 30 years that I have worked on ships, witnessing many thousands of lawsuits against my employers, the many ones I was involved in were brought only by Americans. That might be the luck of the draw - or it might just be a function of the high percentage of Americans who cruise. But it's still the norm.

 

Having said all that, I learned a long time ago that just because one might be paranoid, it doesn't mean that everyone is NOT out to get you.

 

Sorry for the mis-understanding.

[Tinknock50]

Oh no no no, don't get me wrong. We have two wheelchairs and one roundabout ...no problem bringing our own. I was (incorrectly) thinking that the cruise line provided this service

 

WAY sorry for offending anyone by asking a question

 

Aren't we a happy bunch here?:D

 

Well, at least a few replies were helpful.

 

Have a great cruise!:)

[kryos]

Holland America wants $95 for a wheelchair for my mother on a 7 day cruise and it's through a third party company. Is it a mistake for us to go on this cruise line?

$95 does not sound like an awful lot ... and don't forget, you'll have use of that chair for the entire cruise ... both on the ship and in port. The chairs HAL lets you use for free are only for embarkation and debarkation. You don't retain the exclusive use of them throughout the cruise, and you certainly can't remove them from the ship. So renting one at a very reasonable $95 seems the best alternative.

 

As a sidenote, while I am certainly not an expert on this subject, I tend to doubt ANY mass market cruise line gives you exclusive use of a wheelchair for the duration of your cruise without levying a charge. At least I'd be shocked to hear of any, other than possibly some of the luxury lines that charge you an arm and a leg for the cruise to begin with.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[the2ofus]

Good morning ExCruiseMe,

Please continue to ask your questions. Occasionally some of our posters on this board get up on the wrong side of the bed, or a question or comments pushes their sensitive button. This does NOT mean YOU were wrong to ask for information. Don't let the grumpy replies get you down.

 

If someone seems to continually misinterpret your questions or irritate you, you can always put them on your ignore list and -poof- their postings disappear from your view.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[ventru]

We were on the Rotterdam 14 September 2006 cruise. Unfortunately my mother had a small accident, she could not walk so she ended up in a rented Vacation Care wheelchair. Costs??? $ 275,-- , no matter whether you used the chair just for 2 days or during the whole cruise (15 days). I think that's a lot of money and expected HAL to include this service!

[SanDiego Single]

Was this comment really necessary, perhaps you might reconsider and just think about "there but for the grace of god, go I"

 

I also thought this was just rude and if couldn't answer the question with something constructive then don't say anything. This person is in that "other group" mentioned on another posting. Such a shame!!!

[SarahQ]

The reasoning behind why HAL uses a third-party for wheelchair rentals has already been explained, and that would be the same reason why they are not paid for by HAL...so that answers the OPs question.

 

Now, I have to admit, I'm a bit puzzled. I don't mean this as a flame, but I'm trying to understand the reasons behind why someone would expect HAL to provide a wheelchair solely for one passenger's use throughout an entire cruise? Embarking and disembarking are a different matter, as mentioned earlier, because multiple passengers are using the same wheelchairs for short periods of time. But why would one assume that the cost of a wheelchair would be covered by HAL as part of the cruise fare?

 

This certainly isn't a rhetorical question - I'd like to hear from ExCruiseMe and ventru, who both posted that were surprised by the charge. It just never occured to me that something like a wheelchair (or scooter or any other type of assistive device) would be provide to a single passenger free of charge for their exclusive use. Are there other types of assistive devices that are provided by HAL?

[SanDiego Single]

Good morning ExCruiseMe,

Please continue to ask your questions. Occasionally some of our posters on this board get up on the wrong side of the bed, or a question or comments pushes their sensitive button. This does NOT mean YOU were wrong to ask for information. Don't let the grumpy replies get you down.

 

If someone seems to continually misinterpret your questions or irritate you, you can always put them on your ignore list and -poof- their postings disappear from your view.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Yes please continue to ask your questions. We have some folks along on this cruise who need to be let off at the next port. Soon I am going to start naming names of the people who are just posting to see what they say in writing.

[wizard-of-roz]

Geeeeezzzzzz, why is everyone so defensive....yes, the OP asked a question and it was answered and maybe re-answered.

And, some people expressed an opinion, so what!

That's what these boards are for!

EXPRESS AWAY! OPINION AWAY! IT'S A FREE COUNTRY! THANK GOD!

And, to those of you who always go to the answer of "well, if you don't like what someone says, you can always just put them on your do not respond to list!" What is up with that! Too Junior High School for me!

Come on! I like to hear diverse opinions; and, I like to hear it from both sides of the discussion and it's more interesting when someone shares their side of it.....be it right/wrong/indifferent or with a bit of humor!

I agree with sticking to the subject and to not flaming somone who has something to say or a question to ask.....I've been guilty of that myself! But, let's enjoy conversation/opinion and maybe some facts, without such harsh criticisim!

Just my "2" cents. AWWWWWW, relief! :rolleyes:

[Sunshine91]

We were on the Rotterdam 14 September 2006 cruise. Unfortunately my mother had a small accident, she could not walk so she ended up in a rented Vacation Care wheelchair. Costs??? $ 275,-- , no matter whether you used the chair just for 2 days or during the whole cruise (15 days). I think that's a lot of money and expected HAL to include this service!

 

I feel bad for mom that she had an accident while on vacation. I hope she's doing better. But why in the world should HAL pay for the wheels? If her accident occured on land & she needed the assistance, would you expect someone else, for example her homeowner's association, to provide one for her?

 

While I agree that $275 for 2 weeks is a lot of money, the chair was provided by a 3rd party contractor, just like a shorex tour. My guess is that HAL kept a cut of the cost of the chair for themselves (admin fees, you know).

 

Did mom's accident happen while on the voyage & did she have trip insurance with a medical rider? She may be eligible for reimbursement for the cost of the chair rental.

[ventru]

My mother is feeling better, thank you, but unfortunately she is not not cured. On arrival home she had to go to hospital. We had a good insurance policy, which covered the costs of the rental of the wheelchair. I did not know a 3rd party looked after the rentals, but I still think it is a lot of money and thought it was (and think it should be) a service of HAL. :rolleyes:

[AlohaPride]

My mother is feeling better, thank you, but unfortunately she is not not cured. On arrival home she had to go to hospital. We had a good insurance policy, which covered the costs of the rental of the wheelchair. I did not know a 3rd party looked after the rentals, but I still think it is a lot of money and thought it was (and think it should be) a service of HAL. :rolleyes:

 

The problem with is being a "service" of HAL is that they would then have to provide the chair to every passenger who needs one for an entire cruise.

 

It's a service of HAL to provide clean towels. The reason? Every passenger will need them.

 

Wheel chairs are big and bulky, and extra chairs would be a waste of space on board. However, what if HAL didn't have enough? Would this service then be only reserved to suite passengers? Should a wheel chair be stored in each cabin's closet (taking up precious storage space dearly needed by most)?

 

I'm really sorry about what happened to your mom. And I'm happy to read that she's doing better and that insurance covered the cost of the chair.

 

I'm also really happy that the OP owns a few chairs already and really doesn't need to rent one.

 

HAL provides wheel chair help on and off the ship, IMO, that's more than enough.

 

To the OP, I really hope that you continue to ask questions. :)

[Pete Jackson]

Yes, the HAL chairs are for getting on and off the ship, but not just at the beginning and end of the cruise; a crew member escorts the passenger off the ship to make sure the wheelchair comes back. The wheelchairs are not allowed to go on the shore excursion busses. This service helps make up for the fact that, for security reasons, the walks to the busses are sometimes quite lengthy.

 

You *may*, depending on chair availability, be able to use their chairs to get around on the ship from your cabin to other parts of the ship. But this kind of use should only be for those who develop unexpected mobility problems during the cruise (either tripping, or just getting tired). If you know that you will need a wheelchair, you should bring your own or rent one in advance.