Anne has some questions for us. I'm going to include my answers here, and hopefully others will comment as well.
1. Any advantage (other than price) to having a lead battery as 2nd battery as opposed to a 2nd Li-ion? I'm thinking in particular on excursions, heat issues.
I do own an SLA battery but it almost never leaves the trunk of my car. I keep it there because I don't have to protect it from the heat, and I store my scoot in my trunk. If I need to use my scoot and hadn't planned in advance for it and brought a lithium ion battery, I use the SLA. This means I always have the choice of using my scoot.
2. Speaking of excursions: How does it work w/ the TravelScoot (TS)? Other than Princess Cays, all our ports this trip are non-tendered, which will make a big difference. But how to find out which excursions will accommodate the TS? How do tour operators/bus drivers respond to it?
3. What do you do about securing your TS when you're not actually sitting on it, for example in the dining room, or at the pool, or while on some part of an excursion that doesn't accommodate it?
4. OK to scoot to muster drill?
I'll pass on all of these in favor of someone with cruise experience. You may also want to search the cruisecritic.com message boards. After my cruise in March I hope to have better answers!
5. My memory of Princess ships is that they are not very size-friendly. Are you able to use the TS as seating in the buffet area or the theater, for example?
I don't know about the Princess ships seating, but I do know that you're only going to want to sit on your scoot as a last resort. The TravelScoot (as Rhonda says) is NOT a recliner on wheels. It's intended for getting you from point A to point B, but it's not intended to sit on for hours. I have my seat on the highest setting, and it's too high to sit at a table or in a theater. I think I'd be talking to the crew about making sure there is comfortable armless seating available for you.
6. Do you "scoot" thru the buffet lines? What do you do with your tray?
I can open doors while seated on my scooter, and I can carry something in my left hand while I use the right for the throttle, but it would be difficult to carry a tray. What I did at the NAAFA Convention was to just make several trips if I used my scoot, so I could carry one item at a time.
7. How do you manage getting in/out of elevators w/ no reverse?
This is super easy. You just Fred Flintstone it! Put your feet down and scoot backwards. The TravelScoot is small and has a tight turning range so you'll find it much MUCH easier to get in and out of elevators than with other scooters.
8. Are other pax generally helpful or PITAs?
Just like in the world in general, you're going to find some of both. I regularly have people stop and ask if they can help me load it into my car. Folks are also great about opening doors. Just keep a big smile on your face. You'll probably also end up in situations where you want to scream. I was at an outdoor craft fair recently and I was near a table looking at some art. A woman backed into me and turned around and gave me a dirty look. I was sitting still, and she backed into me. This was NOT my fault. Most of the time other people are great but you really have to keep your eyes open all the time to avoid problems.
9. Any recommendations for TS accessories -- for example, should I buy either of the baskets? What accessories do you have on yours?
I highly recommend two things -- the Think-King soft buggy cup (cup holder) and the Think-King mighty buggy hook. They're both available at http://think-king.com/. If I don't have a drink in the cup holder it's great for my camera or any little things I'm carrying. It will hold a HUGE soft drink. I use the hook for my car keys or a shopping bag. I have both of the baskets and have never used them because I just don't like how they are mounted. Other people use them and love them. The cloth triangle that comes with the scoot will hold a LOT of stuff too. It's a great place for your purse or packages.
10. Any tips, beyond Hardy's, for air travel with TS?
None that I can think of. Hardy's instructions are really very good.
http://mytravelscoot.blogspot.com/2009/05/new-and-easier-way-of-airline-travel.html
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Elevators: If you have it to yourself, you can sometimes doughnut it around – or half doughnut it and backup. Sort of a two point turn. Usually if there are people, I just zip in, wait for my floor, and back out smiling.
ReplyDeleteBuffets: Had my first adventure with our luncheon at work. I scooted up to the table, got off, grabbed a plate, and proceeded to pull my TS along while stopping to fill my plate. Most people take their time going around the table so I didn’t feel guilt about taking my time either. When we got to the desserts, they were covered so I placed one in my cloth triangle, the drink went into my cup holder. The best part was when we were going back to our office to eat. The guys had their hands full and couldn’t figure out how to open the door. Me, I just rolled up, opened the door, and baby walked the TS through. (OK, so I was nice enough to hold the door for the poor helpless men.)
Accessorizing: Definitely get a cup holder. From experience I can tell you that the wire bike ones aren’t the best as they don’t hold the largest or smallest water bottles. Also, it doesn’t come off quickly if you need to put something else there. Hooks are great to have to hang things from. Mori Gifts and Luggage has a water bottle holder made to strap onto suitcases. I find it perfect for my shades (or the small bottles). Kids R Us has some colorful hooks that are made for strollers that swivel to different positions. REI has rock climbing bags for chalk that will close and can also be used for those bigger bottles among other things – I really like the fact that it pulls closed. I even have two wire shower curtain rings since they fully close. One of the shower rings has a wire clothes pin attached – it’s for my shopping list. I probably won’t do the attached basket thing. The back one looks like it needs to be removed all the time and the front one may interfere with turning. (Yes, I LIKE doing doughnuts.) If you have lots of shopping to do, just pull one of the store buggies. For small shopping, I have used one of the stores hand baskets, but it was awkward. I have tried using my shopping cart – the type that folds with the stationary wheels. Personally I’d stay away from them as they don’t like to follow the TS nicely. I’ve got a Trolley Basket on order. You can check out Cynth’s review in the Sept section of Elizabeth’s blog.
Hope this all helps.
Thanks so much, Elizabeth and Krystal. Yes, it all helps!
ReplyDeleteAmpleHugs,
-Anne, soon-to-be "ScooterMama"