transport chair vs. wheelchair

[melika091900]

Im wondering if anyone has ever taken a transport chair instead of a wheelchair on a cruise.?

the transport chair is less bulky and the wheels are smaller,

my mom uses the wheelchair when we go around the ship or off, but she can walk sometimes, so shes not in it 24/7

I want to order one for her, but im worried about the small wheels ? is this chair just for short transports ? or can we use it all day ?

shes not a large person, so weight isnt the issue , im just wondering how durable it is . i dont want to bring that only , and then if it broke we would have nothing .

 

 

any suggestions ?

 

thanks

Melissa

[daveco58]

I would be leery of a transport chair in Mexico. Puerto Vallarta has some steep curb cuts, and also some cobblestone streets, and the small wheels could be a problem. Sidewalks in Mazatlan are not the smoothest either, and you might get stuck on a bump and pitch forward.

I use a "small wheel" chair, sometimes, with my brother, but they are innertubed wheels and take bumps a little better, but still I have to be careful.

[melika091900]

thank you for the info, i was wondering about them ... they are smaller, but like you said on the streets they are hard ..

Melissa

[GRBlizz]

The other issue with transport chairs is that the person in them can't move themselves at all. They are completely dependent on someone else.

 

My DH has MS and uses a wheelchair pretty much all the time. We use the transport chair when going to church or a restaurant where he will just go in and transfer to a regular seat and stow the chair, but anywhere else we use the regular chair.

 

On vacation, your Mom would not be able to browse around shops or check out the buffet offerings on her own or generally mingle. I would take the regular chair.

[melika091900]

yeah she doesnt push herself or anything .. my husband will be pushing her. she has really bad knees. she can walk , just not long distances..

thank you for your responses.

Melissa

[Arlened236]

Another problem with the tranport chairs is that many of them do not fold. Unless you have a wheelchair accessible cabin they will not fit thru the door in the open state. (some of the very light weight ones do fold) ;

Also the very small wheels make a transport chair very difficult to push over the carpet on the ship...many people suggest buying one at home, then she can use it at the airport and from the pier to the ship ..which can be a very long walk. Or you can rent one that will be waiting in your cabin and you leave it there at the end of the cruise. I use CareVacations.com (also known as Cruise Ship Assisit. toll free 1-877-478-7827

Arlene

[JackWP]

My wife is small and I am large. She can not do long walks without a lot pain. We purchased a transport chair that has larger wheels on the rear, has brakes for me, and only weighs about 23 pounds. She can walk into stores to shop and I have a nice seat for people watching. Curbs are not a problem since I can tilt the front of the chair and lift the rear over the curb. If we come to steps, she can do them and I carry the chair up the steps. Cobblestones give her a nice free massage. We have used the chair on at least six cruises and far too many airports. We have only had to use the chair one day during rough seas aboard ship. This chair has met our needs, but is not a good choice for many. Everyones needs are different.

[Darlipoo]

We just purchased a transport chair last week for my husband for the express purpose of using it on a cruise. He can walk, but not long distances and walking to the dining room 3X a day on our last cruise did him in. The chair weighs about 15# and folds up easily. Are you saying this won't work? The medical store where we bought it had carpet and it rolled just fine. My only concern is once I get him to the dining room, will he be required to sit in it to eat or can they store it for him? Anyone know?

[Arlened236]

Dont worry about the dinning room...your waiter will be happy to fold the chair and put in a safe place for you till you need it after dinner...Make sure you put your name on it in several place, some folks seem to think that any chair is theirs to use (not trying to steel it only use it for a while lol) He will not have to sit in it unless he wants to...I use a scooter on the ship and they all like to drive it to a safe corner for me.

Not every wheelchair is difficult to push, but we have found that the carpet on the ship is more difficult than most. Have a great time

[daveco58]

We just purchased a transport chair last week for my husband for the express purpose of using it on a cruise. He can walk, but not long distances and walking to the dining room 3X a day on our last cruise did him in. The chair weighs about 15# and folds up easily. Are you saying this won't work? The medical store where we bought it had carpet and it rolled just fine. My only concern is once I get him to the dining room, will he be required to sit in it to eat or can they store it for him? Anyone know?

 

I would say a transport chair will work fine on the ship. OP's question was about going ashore in Mexico with one, and that is a different kettle of fish altogether.

Ships have nice smooth floors everywhere, few if any lips, etc. Main St. in Tropical cruise land is often fraught with peril for all but heavy duty equipment.

[Splinter]

I don't know what ships you have been on, but that is not our experience. There is lots of carpet everywhere on ships, which makes pushing a transport chair more difficult (and more dangerous is it is easier to tip the chair if you are trying to push across carpet) than with a regular wheelchair. Also, there are lots of bumps...in and out of doorways, the "seams" in the floor in hallways going to cabins, etc. which make it easy to catch a small wheel and tip the chair. Even with regular chair we have perfected the semi-wheelie (with me pushing) to get over these obstacles and bumps. I would NOT want to have to push a transport chair around any of the megaships that are out there on the current market!

[daveco58]

Splinter - I will defer to your experience. I have never used a transport chair, and I guess I didn't really think about it, except that it has to be better than the cobblestones in Puerto Vallarta:)

[dkathi]

There is a bathroom problem since the occupant of the chair cannot pust it themselves. That means they have to get out of the chair at the door to any public restroom and walk into it the rest of the way. This has been a big problem for me and one I didn't think of ahead of time. kathi

[bcmorgs]

Hi Kathi,

We were from Cherry Hill. we moved to Pa. about 5 yrs ago. Its fun to see some one from the same area on here. Are you disabled or is it someone you travel with?

[melika091900]

There is a bathroom problem since the occupant of the chair cannot pust it themselves. That means they have to get out of the chair at the door to any public restroom and walk into it the rest of the way. This has been a big problem for me and one I didn't think of ahead of time. kathi

 

 

its the same for us since my mom never pushed herself anyways,

we take her to the restroom and let her off the chair ,then she uses her cane,

 

its not tooo bad,,

[PennyAgain]

The carpeting on cruise ships of of the 'anti-slip' variety so that passengers are less likely to slip and fall in rough sea conditions but it has some drawbacks as indicated above.

 

If someone if prone to tripping, the carpet is a hazard. I know as I can trip over just about anything. My late MIL caught the front of her shoe on carpet on a cruise ship and had a very hard fall.

 

The carpet is not sticky or wet to the touch, but does slow down the turning of wheels.

 

The step ups in regular cruise ship bathrooms are very difficult for many people to manage.

[dkathi]

Hi bcmorgs. I am the disabled one but I love to travel. We leave 3 weeks from today. I have an electric scooter and an electric wheelchair. We take the scooter and the transport chair on cruiises with us. Kathi

[snowmen]

I have used the transport chair for my 88yo mother. I am 60 yo and not real big. Never had any problem with the carpet or anywhere on the ship. She can stand and walk short distances. Sometimes she will use it as a walker. It has always been fine off of the ship also. I like that it only weighs 15 lbs. It makes it easier for me to get it on and off buses or anytime I need to lift it. Have fun.

[bcmorgs]

Hi bcmorgs. I am the disabled one but I love to travel. We leave 3 weeks from today. I have an electric scooter and an electric wheelchair. We take the scooter and the transport chair on cruiises with us. Kathi

 

Kathi,

I'm the one in our family who needs the scooter. I have Parkinsons and while I can walk some. The scooter allows me to get around the ship much easier. I've also used it off ship and it has been fine up to now. we will be in the Eastern Caribbean in April and we'll see what happens.

[bcmorgs]

Hi bcmorgs. I am the disabled one but I love to travel. We leave 3 weeks from today. I have an electric scooter and an electric wheelchair. We take the scooter and the transport chair on cruiises with us. Kathi

 

Kathi,

I'm the one in our family who needs the scooter. I have Parkinsons and while I can walk some. The scooter allows me to get around the ship much easier. I've also used it off ship and it has been fine up to now. we will be in the Eastern Caribbean in April and we'll see what happens.

[letsgosomewhere]

I have severe and chronic plantar fasciitis and can walk at home and sometimes in very small stores, but that is about it. I bought a transport chair with the larger rear wheels since the one I rented last cruise was a killer on the cobblestones in St Martin. Everyone is different, this works well for me. I need it to get from point A to B. Like from the room to the dining room onboard, then I get up and walk to my chair, fold up the chair and our waiter tucks it out of the way. Then the waiters, usually say, "My God, she can walk!" It is good for a smile, too. I plan on buying a bicycle lock for the times I visit stores in port. Or maybe DH will just sit in it while I shop. :)

[letsgosomewhere]

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[melika091900]

thats the kind of chair we got for my mom, the rear wheels are bigger,

they are about 8 inches and the front ones are like 6 inches,

she loved sitting in it to try it out ,and it seemed like the handles were alot taller, so we dont have to scrunch down when we push her..

so thats always good..

Take care

Melissa

[lesharona]

If your Mom has some mobility I think I would lean toward the transport chair, we have both and my Mom uses both of them, but we have found for going out the transport chair is so much easier to handle. Much lighter and less cumbersome. We will be taking Mom on a Southern Caribbean cruise in Oct on the Emerald Princess we do have a handicap room, so that is good. We haven't decided yet which chair to take. She does fine with her walker around the house, but she cannot walk long distances. She broke her hip in August and had a hip replacement she has not yet gained back the mobility she had prior to her fall and at 83 she may not. The important thing at this point is to guard against another fall.

[Darlipoo]

I have used the transport chair for my 88yo mother. I am 60 yo and not real big. Never had any problem with the carpet or anywhere on the ship. She can stand and walk short distances. Sometimes she will use it as a walker. It has always been fine off of the ship also. I like that it only weighs 15 lbs. It makes it easier for me to get it on and off buses or anytime I need to lift it. Have fun.

 

Snowmen: Thank you for your words of encouragement. I am in my 60's and my husband will be 86 in March. I was just on the Elation alone last week and asked a lady pushing a transport chair if she had any problems. She said it was fine. We have booked the Elation for May on the 4 day just to try this out. He "can" walk, it's just long distances like getting on the ship and to and from the dining room that is a problem. I got a handicap room. Can't remember if they have a step up into the bathroom or not, but he can handle that just fine. I peeked at one on the last day and I saw a handle on the wall by the commode and a chair in the shower. Other than that it looked just like the other cabins. It is on the Empress deck which will be VERY handy.