Does anyone know?

[Tompo8190]

On September 10th I will be cruising with my parents out of Port Canaveral on the Carnival Dream. My Dad suffers from Pulmonary Fibrosis and uses oxygen. Unfortunately he doesn't have the stamina he once did and is concerned about walking down the long pier when in port. I looked into wheelchair and electric scooter rental but his concern is that he CAN walk around the shops and etc, he just needs to stop and rest often and he doesn't want to be stuck on the scooter. He is worried that if he leaves the scooter it could be stolen. This is a first for us, so I don't know what to do. Does anyone know if Carnival has any type of golf cart (similar to what they have in airports) that they could provide a ride just down the pier? I just want my Dad to enjoy what will most likely be his last cruise as his disease is advancing and still let him have some independence of walking around as he can. I hope this post makes sense! Thank you so much to anyone that can offer advice.

[Mike M]

I strongly suggest that you get the scooter or the wheel chair. There is no guarantee that there will be transportation on the pier. There often are "rickshaws" but they are not always available and not every port has them.

If he doesn't need it on the ship then he doesn't have to use it.

Also, once you are ashore the mobility of others in his group will be less effected if he is using a chair or scooter. They will not need to slow down as much or wait.

I have some mobility issues and there are concessions that must be made in order to have a more enjoyable time for those with the mobility issues and those they are with.

Take care,
Mike

[zydecocruiser]

I'm thinking Carnival isn't going to provide any transportation.

You probably should contact Carnival to find out
Special Requirements | Guests With Disabilities |Carnival Cruise Lines

[email protected]

Giving up independence is very hard for many people.

If he can walk, but just needs to sit down now and then, perhaps a walker with a built in seat would work, or perhaps something as simple as this:

Sport Seat – WA222 | Magellan's Travel Supplies

[Trip]

I will add that, if you end up with a wheel chair, please keep it in your cabin at all times. I know someone who kept it outside their cabin, and, it was taken.

I hope your family will have a wonderful cruise,and your Dad enjoys every second.

[Tompo8190]

Thank you everyone for your response. I think we will end up getting the scooter. It will be well worth the money to know my Dad can do what he wants without feeling like a burden. Not that he ever would be, but he hates to have to depend on others. We talked today and he said he really wants this cruise to be just like all of the other amazing cruises we've taken with Carnival, and only minimal changes due to his declining health. This will be his last cruise, and I'm bound and determined to make it the best. He even wants to try the waterslide! My Dad is one in a million. ♥ Cheers.

[flowers]

Carnival does have wheelchairs on a first come basis and you have to put up a despoit, I think $50, if you find you need one onboard.

Id bring a folding one myself that you can push him in, if he cant push himself. They are fairly inexpensive.

Scooters will not fit in the cabin, so you have to get a HC cabin, and probably get a more expensive cabin. They say you cant store them out in the hallway.

[Kuki]

Originally Posted by flowers

Carnival does have wheelchairs on a first come basis and you have to put up a despoit, I think $50, if you find you need one onboard.

Id bring a folding one myself that you can push him in, if he cant push himself. They are fairly inexpensive.

Scooters will not fit in the cabin, so you have to get a HC cabin, and probably get a more expensive cabin. They say you cant store them out in the hallway.

I've often seen scooters parked in the landings near the elevators. I would guess those belonged to people with some mobility. Cabins for the handicapped are not more expensive than others in the same category, but availability might be limited depending on the sailing.

There are several companies who specialize in scooter rentals for cruise vacations.

[ruthlessboss]

Perhaps it might be of help to post if it's east or west Caribbean. Then some may recall if transport along a pier was available. On western, there was a shuttle at one port, and at Belize, it was tendered.

[Tompo8190]

Originally Posted by ruthlessboss

Perhaps it might be of help to post if it's east or west Caribbean. Then some may recall if transport along a pier was available. On western, there was a shuttle at one port, and at Belize, it was tendered.

Oops, sorry I forgot to add that. It is an Eastern Caribbean destination. Nassau, St. Thomas & St. Maarten.

[cruiseloverJaneymae]

that is the cruise my husband and I will be on, I can't wait...hope you and your dad have a great time!!!!

Janeymae

[Katiel53]

I think renting the scooter is the way to go. In Nassau there is a shuttle but it's not close to the area of debarkation for Carnival ships. In St Thomas, there is an open air van kind of thing, but then again it's not very close to the exit from the ship.

In St Maarten there is a man who has a golf cart and charges $1 per person each way to go from the ship to the taxi area. He is the only person I've seen doing this, so at times there is a long wait for him to get to pickup people from the ship. It's really bad when Oasis of the Seas is in port as well as other ships.

My husband had to use a scooter once and my dad used one several times. The scooter would fit through the cabin door, but there was no area to turn it around. We didn't have a handicapped cabin nor did my father. We just had standard balcony cabins on Dream.

We were allowed to keep the scooter in the hallway. Our cabin was right near the center elevators, so he kept it in the hallway by the elevators. My dad kept his outside his cabin.

We were given information by Carnival Special Needs as to names of companies that rented scooters and I think it was maybe $250 or so for the week. It was worth it as the Dream is a pretty large ship and getting to the dining room for breakfast etc. was quite a long walk. Then from the dining room to other areas of the ship was made a lot easier using the scooter.

I hope your dad has the best vacation. We did that for my dad too and even though he passed away in January at 97, we knew that his last cruise in October on Carnival was a great one for him.