Carnival Announces Change For Cruisers With Limited Mobility

Carnival to Begin Restricting the Size of Mobility Scooters and Enforcing “No Parking” Policy

John Heald, Carnival’s Brand Ambassador posted the following to his Facebook page recently:

I would like to chat please with those of you who use a mobility scooter when you cruise with us. It is obvious of course the challenges of life you face that have meant that you need to use a mobility scooter and I do wish you nothing but healthy and happy days.

However, we do need to try hard now to not allow anyone to leave their mobility scooter outside I the guest corridors at any time. We are testing this on one of the ships as we speak with guests sailing being sent emails with all the implications and rules ahead of time. The embarkation team will check if the cabin of any guest that comes with a scooter can accommodate the scooter meaning if it is one of the extra large ones then they will not be allowed to board the ship.

We will offer guests a chance to rent a new mobility scooter from Scootaround (our preferred vendor) who will have collapsible scooters available at the pier for guests to rent at their cost if needed.

There will be much more on this in the days ahead but we really are going to be working to make sure that for the safety of everyone on the ship that scooters must be kept in the cabins and never in the corridors.

Again, I realize the challenges that mobility scooter users face, I really do but I am sure most will understand and comply with our requests for which I am truly thankful.

Cheers
John.

Letter Sent to Carnival Scooter Users Informing them of the New Policies

Some guests booked on Carnival cruises who rely on mobility scooters have started receiving the following letter:

Why is Carnival Cracking Down on Mobility Scooters?

If you’ve cruised before, you know how narrow the stateroom corridors are. Scooters parked outside cabins in these corridors present a serious safety problem should the ship ever need to be evacuated quickly and are a major obstacle for those trying to pass by pushing wheelchairs, strollers, and crew cleaning carts. OR for other mobility scooters! OR for those trying to suck in their cruise babies (bellies) while balancing four plates of food!

Will the New Carnival Scooter Policy be Enforced?

As with all cruise policies, how effectively it is actually enforced remains to be seen, but John Heald insisted that once the policy is fully phased in, there will be procedures in place fleet-wide to ensure that it is enforced and emphasized that no passenger will be allowed to board with a mobility scooter that doesn’t fit inside their booked cabin.

How Much Does it Cost to Rent a Mobility Scooter for a Cruise?

An approved mobility scooter rented from scootaround.com will run you roughly $250-$300 for a 7-night cruise. They can be reserved in advance or rented on the day of your cruise.

What’s Next?

Carnival cruisers are anxiously waiting to see if anything will follow this new policy such as enforced speed limits for scooter users and bans on drunk idiots passed out in stateroom corridors (kidding, kidding).

And with that…

Cruise (and scoot) on and Class Dismissed!

Homework (10 points): Share to the comments what you think of these new policy changes at Carnival. What has your experience with mobility scooters been on cruises?

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