In addition to my prior post on Cozumel, does anyone have any suggestions or comments that would assist a first-time mobility scooter user on the Mariner, and at the other ports of Labadee, Ocho Rios, and Grand Cayman? These beach ports have me wondering just how well a scooter will work on land/sand. Even things like where do you sit for the shows seem a bit daunting. RCCL has told us the ship is completely accessible, but pointers from anyone who has been on this ship (or another of RCCL's voyager class ships) with a chair or scooter would still be very appreciated. Thank you.
There is a special area for those in wheel chairs or scooters inthe theater, so on the ship should be no problem. It is very accessible.
However, the ports are going to be another story.
In Labadee, I remember seeing chairs with sand wheels (made to be pushed in the sand, that is) that would open the island up for someone in a chair. A scooter is going to be tough on Laqbadee.
Cozumel would be OK if you disembarked and then took a taxi to Chankanaab for the day (or one of the other accessible beach clubs). Downtown Cozumel would be very diffcult for someone in a scooter. However, if you dock at the downtown pier, the new mall is accessible for shopping.
Cayman is going to be tough. It is a tender port and the tender wharf is not accessible friendly nor is the downtown area, in my opinion.
On my last cruise there was a woman who required a scooter. She was loaded on the tender boat at Grand Cayman with no problems. I was on the same tender and saw them loading the scooter on the boat for her. I don't know how she made out in port though, I was on a different tour.
Thank you for the feedback. Tom, you mentioned taking a taxi to Chankanaab. These are suppose to be fairly compact scooters rented from a company recommended by RCCL (guaranteed to fit through doorways on the ship), but I have not actually seen one. Do you think it would fit in a taxi? Also, are most paths/trails in Chankanaab paved or packed dirt so a scooter would travel over them OK?
There are taxis of all sizes and you might have to wait for a van, but I suspect getting the scooter to Chankanaab wouldn't be a problem. Once inside Chankanaab, there is a very firm trail that a scooter would have no problem with. Many areas of the park are very accesible and I believe that everyone would enjoy them.
Even certain parts of the beach are accessible. One beach club that comes to mind as being very accessible is Nachi Cocum. Easy arrival, easy entrance and a huge covered area to enjoy....but most of the beach clubs would offer the same.
Good idea on the van for transporting the scooter. Someone told me that at the Park, there is a large expanse of soft sand that you need to go over before you can get to the botanical gardens and therefore they would not be accessible with the scooter. Is that what others recollect also?
From the park entrance there is a solidly packed trail that enters the gardens and traverses the entire park. With the exception of access ing the beach itself, everywhere else is pretty solid.
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