"Carnival Cruise Line Cracking Down on Mobility Scooters"
"Carnival Cruise Line has begun sending emails to guests about the mobility scooter policy and what size scooters are permitted."
by Melissa Mayntz, Modified Date: Mar 7, 2024
https://www.cruisehive.com/carnival-cruise-line-cracking-down-on-mobility-scooters/125481
"Carnival Cruise Line has begun reaching out to guests booked in accessible cabins to alert them to mobility scooter policies onboard, noting that the assistive vehicles must be stored inside the stateroom and may not be stored in corridors or public areas."
"While the policy has been in place for some time, enforcement is becoming more stringent and guests with larger scooters that cannot be accommodated in the booked stateroom will be denied boarding for their cruise."
"Carnival Cruise Line Amping Up Enforcement on Scooter Policy."
"In emails sent to select passengers based on the stateroom they’ve booked, Carnival Cruise Line is bringing greater visibility to its mobility scooter policy and what is required if guests travel with a scooter."
"For example, for an upcoming sailing aboard the Excel-class Mardi Gras, the email outlines options for guests with respect to scooters."
“This message is being sent only to guests booked into specific staterooms aboard Mardi Gras and is intended only for those traveling with a scooter,” the email begins.
"Some guests will occasionally book larger accessible cabins due to other accessibility needs – wheelchairs, knee scooters, canes, etc. – or simply because the rooms are generally more spacious. At times, travelers may be unaware that the stateroom they’ve selected is an accessible room."
"If guests are not traveling with a scooter, the email does not apply and they may disregard the notice. Otherwise, the guidelines in the email outline what is necessary to accommodate a scooter."
“The stateroom you have secured does not accommodate all types of scooters,” the email explained. “If you or another guest in your stateroom will be traveling with a scooter, it must collapse for safe storage in a designated area inside the stateroom.”
I have never traveled with Carnival Cruise Line, but I have traveled with Disney Cruise Line using my 3-wheel scooter and now a foldable electric wheelchair.
But if I had to rent a scooter, I would use Carnival's previously preferred vendor at port.
I would also use a 3-wheel scooter since it is easier to maneuver and make tighter turns than a 4-wheel scooter. The larger the battery and the larger the motor of the scooter will carry a heavier person and bags you hang on the scooter. The ship's decks may be flat, but getting off or on at another port on a steep ramp is like adding extra weight and your scooter's motor and batteries may stop mid-ramp if over-stressed.
If you can't reserve a handicapped cabin with a wider cabin doorway and you have to reserve a regular cabin, I would consider the following tips.
1. Ask the width of your cabin doorway so the scooter you rent will fit.
2. Ask the height from the bottom of your bedframe to the floor to make sure the 3-wheel scooter you rent can be collapsible and fit under the bed.
3. Always charge your 3-wheel scooter batteries before you retire for the night. Make sure your battery charger will reach the electrical outlet.
4. If you have a full cabin, and use the foldout sofa as a bed, your space may be too small if your scooter won't collapse to fit under the bed. Sometimes the regular bed doesn't allow enough room to drive your scooter between the end of the bed and the cabin wall depending on the design of the cabin.
Don't be afraid to rent your scooter to use it on the ship.
I would rent from the preferred vendor to get the correct scooter for you in advance in case the one you need has already been rented out by other cruisers.
And use Google to search the specific rental scooters for weight limits, widths, and collapsable heights.
Someday I hope to venture out on other ships.
Ray
