question on scooter vs wheelchair

[evgal/nj]

let me start by thanking everyone for all the info i've learned by reading the pages of this board.

we're taking a ta 10/2010 out of venice, 21 days, on the ncl gem. my dh has ms & can walk some but then tires easily & is shaky on his feet. we've used wheelchairs on our last few cruises & i thought that a scooter would give dh sooo much more freedom especially on a longer cruise.i've been contacted by csa [the company that ncl uses for medical support] saying they can't provide a scooter in venice or the greek iles.

since reading that many of you have traveled with your own scooters i thought i'd buy one.

 

soooooo my questions are: 1- what do you do @ the airport,do you buy extra insurance since there not covered under travel insurance?

• 2- if the're checked as baggage, i assume there dismantled, do they come with some kind of carring case or do you buy that & if packed in the same case aren't they heavy?
  
• 3- do they bring them to the gate or do you have to go get to in baggage baggage? air france ,india & luftansia all brought the wheelchair to the gate for us on arrival but british air made us go to the lg baggage to claim it then as were waiting for them to find it i discovered another passenger in our wheelchair!lol
  
• 4-do you need to carry extra batteries? we have a collapsable transport chair should we bring both?
  
• thanks again karen golenda
  

[Queenie2]

soooooo my questions are: 1- what do you do @ the airport,do you buy extra insurance since there not covered under travel insurance?

• 
   
  On US airlines, the airlines are responsible for damage of the assistive device up to the purchase price (not the replacement cost) of the device. Since it will be newly purchased there won't be much difference between these two prices, but when it gets older you might want to get some extra travel insurance. Not all insurance excludes assistive devices. Some homeowners policies cover it too.
   
  On non-us airlines, the airline liability limit is approx $9/pound. So do the math to determine if you need additional insurance. Then talk to you insurance agent about it. It's usually more economical to buy a blanket yearly policy that covers all of your trips, than to purchase it on a per trip basis.
   
   
  
• 2- if the're checked as baggage, i assume there dismantled, do they come with some kind of carring case or do you buy that & if packed in the same case aren't they heavy?
   
  some folks use carrying cases. I've even know of people who made their own.
   
  
• 3- do they bring them to the gate or do you have to go get to in baggage baggage? air france ,india & luftansia all brought the wheelchair to the gate for us on arrival but british air made us go to the lg baggage to claim it then as were waiting for them to find it i discovered another passenger in our wheelchair!lol
   
  yes, you can gate check them. If flying on a non-us airline that arrives or departs the US, they have to abide by the ACAA which states that you can gate check your assistive device.
   
  

 

Candy

[evgal/nj]

candy, thanks for your quick reply. i feel alot better. i guess we'll have to also bring the wheelchair for off the ship, would you suggest checking the scooter or the wheelchair?

thanks again karen

[Hamburg Avon Lady]

:) I have a couple of ideas:

 

I know that www.carevacations.com can put a scooter on a ship departing eastern ports in the US and retrieve them when the ship docks

on the west coast. (We did this in Jan. when we took a 30 day South

America cruise on the Mariner of the Seas. We got off in Santiago, Chile

but the ship continued on to California. The sccoter was put in storage

after we left and then retrieved upon arrival in Cal.'') We also were NOT

responsible for any possible damage after we left the ship.

 

So, I am wondering -- did you look at the sailing on NCL just prior to yours

(same ship) ???? Is it coming from the states and then returning to the

US (the cruise you are one) ???? Perhaps you could contact www.carevacations

and have them put the scooter on the sailing just prior to yours so that

when the ship docks in Venice --- the scooter will already be in your cabin

waiting for you. This may cost some extra money but probably not as much as the expense of buying your own scooter.

 

My other suggestion: You said that he can walk some but is shaky ---- what are you going to do about sightseeing ???? Some of the ports you

visit may be "tendered" and I doubt that you can take the scooter off

the ship (would be great, though). Perhaps taxis and private tours would

be the way to go --- rather than the ship's tours that usually use large

buses.

 

I do wish you luck --- we rented a scooter for DH on the 30 day trip and

even though he made a fuss when I told him what I had done ---- he had

two flare-ups of gout on the trip and was really happy to have the scooter to use. It also fit easily through the cabin door. ;)