Just returned from taking Segway on Norwegian Cruise

[davegood]

Apologies in advance - I suspect that this is going to be a long post.

I just returned from taking my i180 on a 7 day cruise on Norwegian Cruise lines. Although they have expressly not allowed them previously, I decided to push the issue. I contacted their 'special access' group prior to the cruise, as I did not want to get declined while boarding. They refused based upon the following reasons:

1. against USCG regulations
2. no other cruise lines permit them

I would have respected the decision and just dropped it if they took the Disney response and said "tough s**t". So, I decided to respond to each claim.

I started by saying that I had done research and there are no USCG regulations that forbid Segways. The rep responded with "well, you need to show where the USCG allows them" I tried to use logic and say that the USCG doesn't have a list of things that they allow - it would be like having laws that list everything people CAN do - laws just list stuff that you can't do". Whatever.

So, I forwarded - a PDF copy of the DOT regulations that explicitly state that Segways are permitted as mobility aids on planes - I can send anyone the PDF, but the relevant section is:

Assistive device means any piece of equipment that assists a passenger with a disability to cope with the effects of his or her disability. Such devices are intended to assist a passenger with a disability to hear, see, communicate, maneuver, or perform other functions of daily life, and may include medical devices and medications.

Battery-powered mobility aid means an assistive device that is used by individuals with mobility impairments such a wheelchair, a scooter, or a Segway when it is used as a mobility device by a person with a mobility-related disability.

I figured this was a suitable rebuttal to their first issue. To address the second one, I figured that I would just call Royal Caribbean and get a approval that they permitted them. RCCL said "absolutely no problem". I told them that I would like to confirm that they were allowed prior to booking a cruise. I sent the following email:

As discussed, I intend to book a cruise for May and wanted to obtain a written confirmation that Royal Carribean does permit the usage of 2-wheel Segway "personal transporters" on Royal Caribbean cruise ships for passengers with qualified/valid disabilities.

I have a disability that limits my ability to walking only short distances with a ca ne. If needed, I will provide a prescription from my doctor certifying my mobility handicap and utilization of the Segway.

Prior to booking my cruise, I would like to confirm that Royal Caribbean does permit Segways for disabled passenger mobillity, as long as they are not powered by "wet" lithium-ion batteries, as they a re considered hazardous materials.

My Segway is powered by FAA and DOT-approved NiMH batteries.

In any case, could you please respond to this email confirming that Royal Caribbean permits these devices. Please respond
to this via email.

They responded with:

Hello Mr. Goodrich,
As per your below e-mail, I would like to acknowledge your need for the Segway Scooter onboard and assure you that it will be allowed as long as it is
not powered by "wet" lithium-ion batteries, as they are considered hazardous materials.

We recommend you fax or e-mail us a copy of the doctor's
note at least 30 days prior to your sail date to avoid any issues at the pier.
Please feel free to contact the Access Department with any further questions or concerns you may have regarding your special needs for your
sailing .
Regards,
Kimberly K. Thomas
Access Advocate
Royal Caribbean, LTD
Trade Support & Services

SO, I sent this to NCL with:

Attn: Disabled Assess Support / Michelle Lopez:
I am respectfully requesting permission to bring my Segway personal scooter on my cruise as a disabled mobility device. I have a valid handicapped certification card as well as prescription from my doctor. I have owned this device for 5 years and travel with it regularly. I own a seat that can be attached if required.

When I called on 3/12/10 to confirm that this was acceptable, the Access support person told me that Segways are not allowed. Her 2-point explanation for this was:

1. Segways are not allowed due to USCG restrictions.
I have thoroughly studied this and can absolutely assert that there is no such regulation. In addition, the NCL representative could not provide the regulation number.
2, Other cruise lines also do not permit Segways.
Segways are absolutely welcome aboard all Royal Caribbean ships. I have attached an email from the Royal Caribbean Disabled Support department confirming that Segways are permitted aboard all of their ships.

Finally, as you may be aware, per Dept of Transportation 73 FR 27614, May 13, 2008, as modified by Correction Notice of 74 FR 11469, March 18, 2009 (attached-see page 124), Segways are expressly permitted as a battery-powered mobility aid and allowed on all aircraft, as long as they do not employ "wet" battery (Lithium Ion) batteries. My Segway is not powered by wet batteries.

On the basis of the above, I hope that Norwegian Cruise Lines will permit me to bring my Segway aboard my upcoming cruise. I look forward to your response or further discussion,

Thank you for reviewing my request,
--- Dave.

In about 2 days, they responded with:

Dear Dave,

Thank you for providing this information. I have discussed this request with our upper management once again and they have advised that it will be okay for you to bring your segway onboard based on the information provided and since it is needed due to your disability.

We apologize for the inconvenience and have a great cruise.


Yonaiky Trujillo | Access Coordinator

YAY - I WON!!!

Ok, quick notes about my experience:

1. 7 day cruise, leaving from Miami, Western Mexico ports, including Roaton, Honduras, Belize City, Costa Maya, and NCL's private island.
2. While we had an outside cabin with a balcony, there was not space in the room for the segway - ended up storing it on the balcony
3. If I did it again, I would request a disabled cabin, as I assume that it would be larger and easier to store a 'scooter'
4. My guess would be that the Segway would be more useful on cruises that included more 'developed' ports, as,
5. Only Costa Maya and Roaton provide piers - the other 2 ports utilize 'tendered' port access (you access land via a short commuter boat) - would be a real pain to take a Segway on them
6. I didn't use the segway on the ship other than to visit the two ports. While I could have used it while the ship was underway, I didn't bother because it would be kind of a hassle because the segway was on the balcony and not on the room

Anyway, sorry for the long post, but based upon the fact that I didn't fall overboard or run anyone over, hopefully I served as a good 'first Segway ambassador'.

If you do decide to take your Segway on NCL, you should definitely have printed approval from the access desk, as I was stopped just as I was boarding the ship - the guy made a photocopy of the emails.

[MTOBATTERY]

Great job and I'm sure others using their Segways for disability reasons will be in better standing to plead their cases after hearing your experience. Always nice to hear success stories!

[marshai]

Dave--

Great info that you've shared. I certainly wish Segway would do some of this work for us dealing with airlines, companies, etc. to get pre-approval. By the way, back in 2004 I took my segway on an NCL cruise around Hawaii and was never hassled about bringing it on board or using it on board. I hadn't checked ahead of time to see if it was OK, so i guess I caught them off guard.

--Marsha

[davegood]

I don't really expect Segway to ever do this legwork - while they recognize that they are sometimes used as a disabled mobility device, they have explicitly taken the stance that they are not marketed as such and do not assert that they are ADA certified.

I thought about going without a pre-cleared permission, but didn't want to risk being denied and having to arrange for storage at the port. Plus, as soon as they said the coast guard forbid them, I had to call BS.

[davegood]

Marshai -

Did you find that some of the corridors were pretty tight on the ship? - Did you use it for all of your mobility on the ship, or walk for some of it?

[jamesjensen]

You are correct that hadicap rooms are much larger. The best value on a cruise is a handicap room... even a room without windows is huge compared with others.