Disabled Cruising

Just curious as to how many of you have seen or experinced cruising with
a disabled person or being disabled them selfs.?
I am disabled and need use of shower chairs and canes and walkers..i
can walk but very slowly and no STAIRS...
I dont require a special room i booked a inside cabin which im ok
with...
I plan on being on deck or around the ship alot so the room isnt that
big of a deal..
But i was wondering about walkers or scooters on ships..do they even
allow them?
I know scooters are bulky so i figure they dont..
I m nervous about my trip cause i dont want to be a burdon to the
staff but i do at times need lots of patience...thank goodness hubby
helps me with this..
Im going on the ship Fantasy...SO i hope its ready for disabled
bodies like me..
any advice or tips ?
chatty cathy

In article , chatty
cathy wrote:

But i was wondering about walkers or scooters on ships..do they even
allow them?
I know scooters are bulky so i figure they dont..

They do allow scooters and I have seen a few on every cruise I have
been on. Seen some walkers too. I think if you have a scooter you would
probably get around a lot better on a ship than with a walker.

--
Charles

chatty cathy wrote:
Just curious as to how many of you have seen or experinced cruising with
a disabled person or being disabled them selfs.?
I am disabled and need use of shower chairs and canes and walkers..i
can walk but very slowly and no STAIRS...
I dont require a special room i booked a inside cabin which im ok
with...
I plan on being on deck or around the ship alot so the room isnt that
big of a deal..
But i was wondering about walkers or scooters on ships..do they even
allow them?
I know scooters are bulky so i figure they dont..
I m nervous about my trip cause i dont want to be a burdon to the
staff but i do at times need lots of patience...thank goodness hubby
helps me with this..
Im going on the ship Fantasy...SO i hope its ready for disabled
bodies like me..
any advice or tips ?
chatty cathy

Cathy, I am not seriously disabled, but I do find that extended standing
and/or walking is quite painful. So, I found a way to really add to my
cruising enjoyment. I rent a scooter for the cruise. I use either Care
Vacations or Scootaround, and the scooter awaits me in my cabin when I
board and I leave it there when I leave the ship the final time. It
fits neatly into even an inside cabin, so I can drive it through the
door, park it out of the way, and plug it into a power strip each night
to recharge it. What a sense of freedom to go zooming through the ship!
And at ports where we dock I can ride it right off the ship and into
town, providing it's fully charged. You should look into them.
Mary

"Charles" wrote in message
d...
In article , chatty
cathy wrote:

But i was wondering about walkers or scooters on ships..do they even
allow them?
I know scooters are bulky so i figure they dont..

They do allow scooters and I have seen a few on every cruise I have
been on. Seen some walkers too. I think if you have a scooter you would
probably get around a lot better on a ship than with a walker.

--
Charles

Fantasy is one of Carnival's oldest ships. I'm not sure how good the
"access" is on it. I remember Century being one of the earlier ships that
was very accessible for scooters/carts. Not sure about Fantasy though.

--Tom

In article , Tom K
wrote:

Fantasy is one of Carnival's oldest ships. I'm not sure how good the
"access" is on it. I remember Century being one of the earlier ships that
was very accessible for scooters/carts. Not sure about Fantasy though.

Also if she needs a shower chair then a handicapped cabin rather than a
regular inside might be required. She needs to contact her travel
agent.

--
Charles

Charles wrote:
In article , Tom K
wrote:

Fantasy is one of Carnival's oldest ships. I'm not sure how good the
"access" is on it. I remember Century being one of the earlier ships that
was very accessible for scooters/carts. Not sure about Fantasy though.

Also if she needs a shower chair then a handicapped cabin rather than a
regular inside might be required. She needs to contact her travel
agent.

I agree that needing a shower chairs requires a handicapped cabin. All
the ships showers I have seen are very small, unless there is a bathtub
in the cabin and I don't think the OP would be able to get into a bathtub.

sue

My cows to fat get into the shower stall, she bathes in the hot
tubs(discretly)
"sue mullen" wrote in message
...


Charles wrote:
In article , Tom K
wrote:

Fantasy is one of Carnival's oldest ships. I'm not sure how good the
"access" is on it. I remember Century being one of the earlier ships
that was very accessible for scooters/carts. Not sure about Fantasy
though.

Also if she needs a shower chair then a handicapped cabin rather than a
regular inside might be required. She needs to contact her travel
agent.

I agree that needing a shower chairs requires a handicapped cabin. All the
ships showers I have seen are very small, unless there is a bathtub in the
cabin and I don't think the OP would be able to get into a bathtub.

sue

Thank you all for your tips and opionions i have been in contact with my
agent and he assures me i will be fine where i am at and that a shower
chair will be provided..i told him my feelings and he said all is fine.
He inquired and said that it will be ready for me...
so thank you all for helping me ask what i needed too..
and for telling me your stories except for Clint..i feel
sorry that he has to joke about fat people....i feel that is very
immature and uncalled for..
thanks....chatty cathy

Ditto the recommendation for Care Vacations. I rented a scooter from
them and it was waiting for me in our stateroom, and I just had to leave
it in there on the last day. No problems, just had to plug it in to
recharge each night. I could even take it ashore - ask ahead to see
what excursions allow it. They had a bus able to take the scooter on
the Victoria B.C. tour and tea at the Empress Hotel, which made it
easier. At each port, they carefully helped me down the ramp in my
scooter - someone behind me and in front of me - and back up when we
returned.

Be sure to ask for help. They took me in a wheelchair through the
shorter handicapped embarkation line and right to our cabin, and they
also took me through the long customs line at disembarkation and then
off the ship right to our bus taking us home, after helping us get our
checked bags. At dinner, they had me ride right up to our table, then
after I was seated, the waiter took my scooter and parked it out of the
way, and returned it when we were finished. At the buffet, they were
helpful in carrying a tray if needed, or finding a table.

Most places onboard were accessible (this was the Dawn Princess), the
only place I couldn't ride the scooter into was one of the clubs/bars
which had a revolving door, so I had to park the scooter outside the
door and walk in (I'm not wheelchair bound, but can only walk short
distances). The elevators can be crowded at peak times, especially with
a scooter. The first day, before the muster drill, apparently everyone
else had the same idea of getting up to the buffet for a quick lunch
after finally arrving and getting settled in their cabins, so it took a
while.

I found the staff very helpful and accomodating. When you book your
cruise, make sure to let them know your situation and what type of help
you'll need, and any situation that arises onboard, be sure to ask for
help.

Diva

Thus spake (chatty cathy) :

Just curious as to how many of you have seen or experinced cruising with
a disabled person or being disabled them selfs.?
I am disabled and need use of shower chairs and canes and walkers..i
can walk but very slowly and no STAIRS...
I dont require a special room i booked a inside cabin which im ok
with...

You say you can't do stairs. Does that a flight of stairs or just one
or two? My mother has trouble with curbs, for instance. If it's the
latter, then you will have trouble with the cabin bathrooms, as they
all have a step up. Six inches or so, IIRC.

I plan on being on deck or around the ship alot so the room isnt that
big of a deal..
But i was wondering about walkers or scooters on ships..do they even
allow them?
I know scooters are bulky so i figure they dont..

Storing one is the issue. Which is where the "handicapped" room
helps.

I m nervous about my trip cause i dont want to be a burdon to the
staff but i do at times need lots of patience...thank goodness hubby
helps me with this..
Im going on the ship Fantasy...SO i hope its ready for disabled
bodies like me..
any advice or tips ?

If you will be stopping at Progresso (you don't say if this is a 4 or
5 night), you'll have to work some with the bus. Which means a
scooter will be useless. At Cozumel, you may dock or you may tender.
If you dock, no problem. But if you tender, you'll most likely be
staying on the ship, as getting on the tender will probably be too
difficult.

chatty cathy
--
dillon

Always get off the first shot. You may hit him and
you're sure to throw off his aim. -- Lazarus Long