Disability help

[Ampurp85]

Hello all,

I am traveling soon with a couple of new "vintages" who require assistance at the port. One has had hip surgery and needs a wheelchair to get on and off the ship for embarkation/disembarkation. How do I arrange that? Do I just tell a crew member when we arrive?

Second, I have a blind "vintage" and he needs help but doesn't like to ask for it. I would like a crew member to help him on the ship. Mainly because I will have my hands full with other wondering vintages and such.

Thanks. 

[Xaa]

The Guest Special Needs form has a place for Wheelchair needs at the pier.  I think I would fill that out, but still expect to have to tell the crew when you arrive.  They also have a place to note a blind traveler but recognize it's just for information's sake.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

[Ampurp85]

@Xaa Thanks for the link, I will fill it out. 

[Neesa]

You are amazing and kind taking the vintages, when I think of you with them it makes me smile. My father and his wife went on the Mariner (PC terminal 5) in June and they could not walk up the ramp I'm told. Dad reported while they were out of breath hanging on to the side rails other passengers reported their situation and Port employees showed up " out of no where" and put them in wheel chairs and placed them on the ship. My dad said they were compassionate and kind. They were fine once they were on the ship, it was the long steep ramp. I know this doesn't answer your question but there are angels in the most unexpected places. I wish you and the vintages the most amazing sailing!

[Ampurp85]

@Neesa No it helps. The one vintage went on a cruise in April, on CCL, and this happened to her. So, she asked if I could request the wheelchair beforehand to save the embarrassment and energy. She said she was fine all throughout the cruise but something about that ramp was rough. She said her hip locked halfway up and she spent the first day in a jet pool trying to loosen it. She would prefer to have her energy the first day. 

[WAAAYTOOO]

Sorry, I know this is unrelated to your story, @Ampurp85 but I had a very similar situation with my dad a number of years ago.  My daughter was getting married in Vegas (yes, really) and we really wanted my mom and dad there but my dad hated to fly (even though he was a military jet pilot for 20+ years.  It’s a “control” thing).  He was very mobility challenged (too many years playing catcher in all-Marine baseball) but he was waaaytooo proud to use a walker or God forbid, a scooter.  I knew he would be miserable in Vegas with no mobility assistance so I went behind his back and rented a scooter for him anyway.  OMG he was a motorized terror with that thing !  He went EVERYwhere and had the best time.  He would NEVER have done it himself but since I rented it for him and basically presented it to him and told him to “ride like the wind” he was in heaven.  I know for sure that if he had had to walk on his own while we were there, he wouldn’t have gone anywhere.  Instead, he was the life of the party - the way I remember him in his youth.

PS.  That marriage lasted less than a year.  Glad we at least had fun at the wedding !

[Ampurp85]

@WAAAYTOOO It is in a sense . The scooters seem to bring out the worst in folks .

The blind gent doesn't like to ASK for help. So, I get the sense that if I book him help, he will partake but if it makes him seem like a burden or uncapable, he won't.