Any helpful hints for first time scooter users?

[Marie213]

Hi! My husband and I are taking his father, age 94, on his 3rd Ecstacy cruise. This will be our first time with his Pride Go-go 3 wheel scooter instead of a wheelchair. What helpful hints does anyone have for using a scooter the first time on the cruise? His dad can get up and down out of the scooter by himself and walk very limited distances with a cane on land. He has never used the scooter in public, only at home. We have inside cabins near the elevators.

 

What's the best way to use elevators? Back out?

What's the best way to walk through the ship together? Single file?

Should he sit in the scooter during the shows? Or can he sit in a seat next to the scooter in the handicapped section?

Can you do the buffets in a scooter or do you recommend the dining room for lunch?

 

Thanks for any suggestions. We are a little nervous about this. (His dad is also hard of hearing.) But we expect to treat Dad to a wonderful time!

Marie

[blackrose602]

Hi Marie,

 

My dad has been using a scooter for years. He's only in his mid-50s but has a number of health conditions. I'm not sure I can answer all of your questions, since Dad's pretty mobile except for long distances, but I'll do what I can.

 

Do you have an accessible cabin? We've been told that accessible cabins can handle scooters, but don't have first hand knowledge. We always charge the scooter at the Purser's desk and park it under a stairwell near the cabin at night, since we book cabins on a guarantee. If the cabin isn't accessible, the scooter won't fit through the door.

 

It's definitely easiest to back out of an elevator. Let everyone else out first, except for one person holding the door open, to allow his dad plenty of room to maneuver the scooter....practice beforehand, as it's a little tricky and everything's a bit more difficult on a swaying ship.

 

Walk single file in crowded areas. You may want to have someone walk in front of his dad to clear a path, depending on his assertiveness--I always let my dad go in front, cause he has no problem making people move ;) But if his dad's more polite, he may never get anywhere. People are generally not rude, just inattentive...a polite "excuse me" will usually get their attention.

 

Not sure how to advise you for show seating, since my dad normally parks at the back of the theater and walks to the seat of his choice. But most places it's completely down to his preference, I don't see why a ship would be any different.

 

The buffets could be a bit difficult to manage during crowded times, just due to space/maneuvering issues. If he's good at maneuvering, then it should be no problem, though you'll have to carry his tray. Alternately, he could take a swing around the line, see what's there and decide what he wants, then hold a table for everyone while you go through the line and get the food.

 

The biggest concern we've found is port visits. If you book the ship's shore excursion, make sure that the bus is scooter accessible...also check the measurements of the scooter, some (like my dad's) are too big to fit on wheelchair lifts. If you go on your own, do plenty of advance research. In the Bahamas, for example, we thought we'd just get off the ship and go into town...except the port is miles from the town. There's plenty of shared taxi vans lined up, but they're not accessible. We were lucky that my Dad can walk a bit, he ended up taking the scooter back onboard and suffering through a day of limited walking. Other places it's been no problem. Just another thing to consider when making your plans. Tendering can also be difficult with the scooter, though not impossible.

 

When you board, your party will probably be put on a special emergency list. In the event of an emergency, people on the list will receive extra assistance into lifeboats, etc. An advantage of being on this list is that your lifeboat drill is held in a smaller area and lasts about half as long ;)

 

Traveling with a scooter takes additional foresight and planning, whether on a cruise or anywhere else. But virtually everything is possible. Dad's had his scooter for almost a decade now, and he goes everywhere and does everything. In fact, our next cruise is a 15 day transatlantic, the first leg of a trip around the world. We're doing hostels, public transportation in third world countries, the full length of the TransSiberian Railway... plan well but don't be nervous. You'll all have a wonderful time. If I can answer any other questions, feel free to ask!

[Marie213]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, blackrose! You explained it all very clearly.

 

He has a regular cabin but we bought the scooter for using on ships, so it will fit through a regular doorway I think. We'll take some more measurements tomorrow. I believe the scooter is 19 1/2 " wide and I guess that will barely fit. He is in a 1A cabin that has 2 bunk beds and those cabins have a bit more floor space since there is only a single bed on the floor.

 

Thanks for the elevator tip. We'll have him practice turning in a small space before we go! I guess we got pretty good at the "excuse me" part while pushing him in a wheelchair. We'll most likely let him follow one of us unless he is sure where he is going. (I know he'll find his own way to the casino!)

And eating in the buffet sounds like it will be the same as using the wheelchair since he'll need someone to hold the tray for him.

 

Have a great time on your transatlantic cruise! We did one this summer and absolutely loved being out in the ocean. It happened to be very smooth the whole time! The Transcontinental Railway should be spectacular, too!

 

Thanks again for giving me a good picture of what it will be like to have a scooter along on the cruise! I appreciate your response. Marie

[Hebe]

I would suggest he also try using it a some place that has some people like a mall or grocery store. Sometimes it can be hard to get the feel for speed and people. Sometimes people do not notice the scooter because they do not look down. The mall is a also a good place to practice with elevators.

[Marie213]

That's a good suggestion, Hebe, to practice at the mall. Since he's never driven around people, I like that idea. We can also use the elevators in a couple of stores there! Thanks. Marie

[Arlened236]

Just a few comments that no one has mentioned...bring an extension cord...the electric outlets are not always in a convient place in the cabin and the scooter does not have a really long cord. Also do you have any tender ports? the crew does not like to lift a person and the scooter for safety reasons. On several ships I have been on they are not allowed to do so. Make sure he has a manual w/c for these ports. Depending on where you are cruising to, the sidewalks may not have cut-outs for w/c's or scooters, plus they are usually very narrow and crowded with other people. Only americal ports seem to know anything about ADA and the needs of people with mobility problems.

Have a wonderful cruise with your dad...you are making great memories.

Arlene

[blackrose602]

That's a great tip about the extension cord. Also bring a power strip if you have anything to charge simultaneously.

 

Practicing at the mall will definitely be a great help! The biggest trouble most new scooter users have is learning to speed up/slow down/stop/turn in crowds. If the scooter has a light, turning it on can help make people aware. However, the light can be blinding to little kids, who tend to be the same height as the light, so use it with discretion.

[LuLaLuvlee]

My DH uses a power chair and not a scooter but one thing we found since all of his docs are in the third floor of their respective buildings is this: BACK into the elevator so you can DRIVE out. It sounds like a small thing but the crowd of people waiting are much more polite if you look em in the face as you say pardon just let me out first. More importantly for us, my DH feels much safer seeing where he is going rather than backing into traffic and he squishes less toes, too :)

[Marie213]

Thanks, everyone for all of the tips. I hope the suggestions are helping others as much as they are helping me. There is a lot to think about when in a power scooter/chair. All of the discussions on this board are helping me to be recognize how I can be a more helpful person in situations involving them.

[leoandhugh]

Another thing to think about when using a power chair or scooter in the dining room - talk to the maitre 'd and try to get a smallish table toward the front entry(ies) to the dining room. The further you get back into the dining room, the more difficult it is to get out when others have their chairs all pulled back and are sitting on them. We suggest a smallish table (no more than 4) because when you have a power chair or scooter, it takes up more room at the table and more people have to be squeezed to make room for it. We find the ideal table if for 4 so that the scooter has one side of the square or round table for itself.:) you might even arrange this ahead of time by working through the accessible needs dept of RCCL if that is the line you are using

[KateDen]

I have traveled with both my mother and husband using scooters. With my husband, we try to back into elevators, but that's impossible sometimes. If he does need to back out of an elevator, I always exit first and stand behind him so that no one gets hit. People will try to charge in unless you are there as traffic director.

 

The last time we traveled with my mother, who was in her early 80's at the time, we noticed that she just wasn't too attentive to people around her. If she wanted to back up, she did. And she blamed people she backed into for being in her way! She also couldn't gauge how close she was to things and ran into stationary objects more than once. She was not senile, but her judgment was a bit impaired. You just have to be attentive to these possibilities. After that, we just used a wheelchair. Much easier on everyone!

 

Kate