ºoº Can you give me some advice using a scooter on the DCL and Nassau excursions?

[RaySharpton]

I will be going on the 2005 Mousefest Disney Wonder Cruise on December 4, 2005.

I had a great time last year, but I didn't get off the ship for the Nassau excursion.

I took one look at the distance from just the pier to the main building and saw no benches to rest, so I didn't think that I could make it. Much less make it back to the ship.

This year I will be taking my Revo 3-wheel mobility scooter and use it for getting off of the ship.

I really would like to participate in the Dave Marx of www.PassPorter.com "walking tour" of Nassau, but I don't know how accessible the tour may to a scooter.

Has anyone taken a scooter off the ship to tour Nassau?

I also would like to take part in the excursion to the large hotel/casino in Naussau, the name, of course, escapes me. (I have a terrible memory...lol.)

Can the scooter access the boat launches that go from the ship to the dock of the Nassau hotel/casino?

Or should I use a taxi cab?

Do you think that the taxi cabs at Nassau will let me take apart my scooter to put in their taxi to go to the hotel and back to the ship?

I would much rather not take the scooter apart and put it back together.

I would much rather use the Disney excusion boat launch to go where ever the excusions go with my scooter.

Please tell me about your experiences aboard the Disney Cruise Line and offshore excursions with a mobility scooter.

On a side not, they want me to use a handicap room to use my mobility scooter or to store it at guest services.

There are no more Category 11 handicap rooms left. I really didn't want to use a handicap room anyway because others would need it more than me, but DCL said that they usually put people with scooter in the handicap rooms just for the extra space. They did offer an upgrade to an handicap room for about $400.00, but I didn't want to pay that much or use it if someone else needed a handicap room more than me.

I hope that I can take the scooter apart and put it in my stateroom.

I think that the only time that I would use it would be off the boat and maybe late at night to tour the boat when it is quiet and I won't get in anyone's way during the day.

I really wanted to walk around the outside where the runners go. And I really just wanted to go where ever I wanted without worrying about having to much pain and being out of breath.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

If this doesn't work, I'll try putting this on the Disney Cruise Line forum.

Sincerely, Ray

 

[videogal1]

I will be going on the 2005 Mousefest Disney Wonder Cruise on December 4, 2005.

I had a great time last year, but I didn't get off the ship for the Nassau excursion.

I took one look at the distance from just the pier to the main building and saw no benches to rest, so I didn't think that I could make it. Much less make it back to the ship.

This year I will be taking my Revo 3-wheel mobility scooter and use it for getting off of the ship.

I really would like to participate in the Dave Marx of www.PassPorter.com "walking tour" of Nassau, but I don't know how accessible the tour may to a scooter.

Has anyone taken a scooter off the ship to tour Nassau?

I also would like to take part in the excursion to the large hotel/casino in Naussau, the name, of course, escapes me. (I have a terrible memory...lol.)

Can the scooter access the boat launches that go from the ship to the dock of the Nassau hotel/casino?

Or should I use a taxi cab?

Do you think that the taxi cabs at Nassau will let me take apart my scooter to put in their taxi to go to the hotel and back to the ship?

I would much rather not take the scooter apart and put it back together.

I would much rather use the Disney excusion boat launch to go where ever the excusions go with my scooter.

Please tell me about your experiences aboard the Disney Cruise Line and offshore excursions with a mobility scooter.

On a side not, they want me to use a handicap room to use my mobility scooter or to store it at guest services.

There are no more Category 11 handicap rooms left. I really didn't want to use a handicap room anyway because others would need it more than me, but DCL said that they usually put people with scooter in the handicap rooms just for the extra space. They did offer an upgrade to an handicap room for about $400.00, but I didn't want to pay that much or use it if someone else needed a handicap room more than me.

I hope that I can take the scooter apart and put it in my stateroom.

I think that the only time that I would use it would be off the boat and maybe late at night to tour the boat when it is quiet and I won't get in anyone's way during the day.

I really wanted to walk around the outside where the runners go. And I really just wanted to go where ever I wanted without worrying about having to much pain and being out of breath.

Thank you in advance for any advice.

If this doesn't work, I'll try putting this on the Disney Cruise Line forum.

Sincerely, Ray

You can post it here or there...I will answer it in either place...
Forget accessible DCL excursions in Nassau. I have been there three times: 1. pre-scooter (took the taxi tour around town...had a hilarious guide and it was very interesting socio-economically speaking...
2. With scooter: DCL provided no wheelchair accessible excursions so I went on the scooter...You will find terrible sidewalk conditions and I absolutely do NOT recommend scootering about town.
3. With scooter:Holland America excursion to the Atlantis resort...Ah, what an adventure...Took water taxi (scooter was lifted on and off by hand onto water taxi over to resort pier but water taxi refused to bring me back after tour of Atlantis. They finally found a taxi van and some dock workers to lift the scooter into the back of the van (so, yes, there are taxi vans available somewhere in Nassau) and I got back to the ship.....last to return...
If you want to do the Mousefest walking tour, be prepared to warn the rest of the walkers that you will need their assistance with negotiating sidewalks and auto traffic (picture autos herding scooters as national sport). Do not go alone...Prepare for an adventure...Take taxi fare in case you fall behind, or get tired, and think you might be better off hailing a taxi van, if you can find one to return...Do not depend on DCL to provide accessible transport anywhere..UNLESS you go to GS when you board the ship and threaten them with dire consequences if they do not help you get the cruise you have paid full fare for. As for the stateroom...You will have a very difficult time getting the scooter through the door of a regular stateroom unless you break it down first...What a pain...I have seen scooters parked near the elevators overnight...key removed...NEVER in the corridor. It is a HUGE ship...with skinny corridors. Hope this helps
aw: aw: aw: aw: aw:

 

[RaySharpton]

Thank you, Lynda. Your advice is very helpful.

I guess that I won't go on the Nassau Tour with Dave Marx and the other Mousefesters.

At least I can get off of the boat onto the pier and look around.

Sincerely, Ray

 

[dclfun]

Ray- I just got back from a 4 night cruise on the Wonder and travel in a power chair with lots of attachments. I will echo the sentiments of Lynda but did find things a bit better in Nassau this time around. Part of it will depend on the water level and thus how steep the ramp is to get off the ship, but I was able to get of easily this time ( much less like a thrill ride) and there are now shops in Nassau that have homemade ramps. I made sure to purchase something at each one and thank the owner for the ramp. Most of Nassau though is not accessible or rather you will find a ramped area, continue down the sidewalk, and then find the end of that sidewalk without a ramp so you'll have to turn around. I did this all solo and was fine. As far as getting to Atlantis, as Lynda mentioned you'd do best to talk to someone at the Shore Ex desk when you get there- if your scooter is small and you can walk some, it might be possible for them to arrange transportation but don't count on it. You might also ask to borrow a w/c from the ship for the excursion only if another person on the tour can push you...they do allow manual w/c's on some of them and it would probably work on the walking tour as long as your companion has some muscle! As for the stateroom if you want the Cat. 11 and there are no more w/c accessibles then be prepared to have your scooter stored or placed in an open area ( no space in the hallways and against fire regulations)- do you have a stateroom booked? If not, ask to have one near an elevator or by the back (aft) area so that there's a place to leave it if you don't want to trek to/from GS every day to retrieve it or if so, ask to have it changed to such an area if possible. Please feel free to ask me any other questions. Although the ship is fully accessible, getting somewhere independently will be a challenge. ---Kathy and Skye

 

[RaySharpton]

Hi, Kathy. Thank you so much for your reply and advice.

I didn't think about the angle of the ramp from the ship to the pier.

One time I fell over backwards in heavy duty rental scooter while getting on the WDW bus at WDW Old Key West.

Ironically, one of those WDW buses from the airport was trying to lift the lift for a wheelchair guest.

Boy that lift was sure high. It looked almost seven feet from the ground. It wasn't a regular WDW bus, but a special WDW bus with storage underneath for luggage, like the Greyhound busses.

They must have tried to haul the bus off without lifting the lift and damaged the bricks on the ground.

The next day they had the drop off area blocked off for repair construction.

This was at the WDW Old Key West Resort's check-in bus stop. They moved the regular WDW pick-up area to the parking lot on the left and set up a tent and benches for guests.

I got on the WDW bus, and asked if I should back up the ramp, and the driver said that it didn't make any difference to him.

Well, the area was sort of tight with the wooden, road block things blocking the extra parking spaces next to the tent for the walkers to enter.

So I rode up the ramp. I had a little trouble getting up the ramp so I added more power. I started moving up slowly when the scooter started to tilt backwards.

It was like slow motion. I was half way up the ramp and fell over backwards with the scooter landing on top of me.

I luckily leaned forward trying not to tip backwards by pulling on the handlebars and that kept my head from hitting the asphalt pavement with a thud.

I was shocked and embarrassed.

I couldn't get up right away because I was on my back, still sitting in the chair, with my feet up in the air, and thights caught under the arm rests.

The bus driver and a guest tried to see if I was O.K..

After gathering my senses, I was able to flip the arm rest up and row over on my side, falling on the pavement.

I did scratch my elbow, but was otherwise just fine.

Thank goodness for the heavy duty scooter.

It didn't bulge with me in it and was heavy enough to stand on its back end without flipping further on its side or over further upside down.

And no damage to the scooter either.

We righted the scooter, I denied emergency care. I told them that I wasn't one of those law suit everything people, and that I wanted to go to MK to see Spectromagic parade.

I agreed to continue to MK, and was met by the MK supervisor and said that I could fix my elbow at the MK first aid center.

So, good reason for scooters to ride up some ramps backwards when asked by knowledgable WDW drivers.

I assume this bus driver will understand why now.

I know that this is not true with power chairs.

My heavy duty scooter has the motor and me on the back side of the scooter which can tip over if the angle of the ramp is too great.

The angle of the ramp was too high.

Instead of letting the ramp down on the sidewalk, it had to be let down six inches further onto the asphalt pavement of the parking lot for the temporary pick-up area.

This increase the angle of the ramp alot.

I also don't think that the driver lowered the bus all of the way.

This also increased the angle of the bus.

I didn't notice the difference until riding the WDW buses the rest of the week. I was keenly aware of the two different ramps on the two different buses.

I would watch to see if the driver lowered the bus before lowering the ramp. Most of the time the bus seemed to have a safety device that made the driver lower the bus before being allowed to lower the ramp.

So, I am very concerned about riding a scooter up any ramp and the possibility of falling backwards.

I have no problem using the WDW bus transportation, because it is so easy to get around WDW.

I am just observant now.

Sorry, I got side tracked and I had a flashback of being on my backside after flipping my scooter.

Sincerely, Ray

 

[dclfun]

Ray- sorry you had such a painful and frightening experience! I've had "experiences" with the lifts too but have never tipped over. I'm glad drivers now seem to be more educated to know to allow my power chair to go forward but to ask those in ECV's to back on. I normally back down the ramp on DCL ( except on Castaway Cay where the ramp angle isn't as steep) and a crew member helps to guide me down. This isn't so much for tipping but there's a bolt under my chair that locks me in the driver's seat of my van which will catch on the ramp where the slope meets the top. I wait for all guests to clear the ramp first then I head up or down. Good luck on your trip and please post about your experience when you return.- Kathy