Can you rent a mobility scooter for a cruise?
Yes. Royal Caribbean and Princess point guests to two rental companies, Scootaround and Special Needs at Sea, which deliver the scooter to your stateroom. From Fort Lauderdale, a scooter from Scootaround is about $260 for 8 days (checked September 2026). You pay the rental company directly, and you still need to fill out your cruise line's forms.
Video coming soon
Should You Rent a Mobility Scooter for Your Cruise? — Episode #3
The three numbers that decide everything
- 21 inches
- The scooter width Carnival says must fit a standard stateroom doorway. Wider than that and you need an accessible cabin or a smaller scooter
- 32 inches
- The doorway on a fully accessible stateroom. Standard cabin doors on some ships are as narrow as 23 inches
- Zero
- Scooters that may be stored or charged in a corridor. It must live in your cabin, with you
Bringing your own
The advantage is obvious: it's yours, it fits you, and you already trust it. The risk is that it's built for your house rather than a ship's doorway.
Measure it before you book the cabin
Carnival states that a personal scooter should fit a standard stateroom with a 21-inch entry doorway, and that guests whose scooters are wider — or who bring more than one scooter to a cabin — must book a fully accessible stateroom with a 32-inch doorway or rent a smaller scooter. They have also said guests may have their scooters measured at check-in. Other lines set similar limits.
- Measure the widest point, not the seat. Then the length, height and weight, and the combined weight of you and the scooter. Every line asks for all of it.
- Note the battery type. Lines generally accept non-spillable dry-cell batteries — sealed lead-acid or lithium-ion. Wet cell is where problems start.
- Does it fold or come apart? Some lines ask specifically, because it affects whether it can be moved in an emergency.
- Tell the line before you sail, on the accessibility form. See every line's form and deadline.
It has to live in your cabin — and that is being enforced
Royal Caribbean: scooters "must be stored and recharged in your stateroom so fire doors, corridors and elevator lobbies are kept clear."
Princess: batteries must be dry cell, gel or lithium-ion, "stored and recharged in the stateroom."
Carnival has been enforcing this harder through 2026, sending advance notices and warning that boarding can be refused. Guest Services will not store a scooter or charge its battery.
Never leave it in the hallway. And picture the room honestly: a scooter, two suitcases and two people in a standard cabin is tight. That alone is why many people take the accessible cabin.
Accessible cabins are held for you, for a while
Royal Caribbean reserves accessible staterooms for guests with disabilities until every other non-accessible cabin in the same category is sold. Their accessible cabins run from about 159 to 298 square feet with a five-foot turning radius in the sleeping, sitting and bathroom areas — which is what actually makes a scooter livable.
The tender catch
- Royal Caribbean: "Motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters can not be taken on tenders, unless roll-on capability is available." Roll-on is not guaranteed — ask at Guest Relations on board.
- Princess: guests using mobility devices won't be transferred into or out of the tender if lifting over 50 pounds is needed, and many tender ports have no wheelchair access ashore anyway.
- Celebrity: guests may need to walk a few steps down to the tender platform, and staff cannot lift guests or equipment.
Bottom line
Lots of tender ports on your itinerary? A scooter may mean staying on the ship those days. Check which of your ports tender — and remember it depends on your line, not just the port.
Gangways can also defeat a scooter depending on tide and angle, and some excursion vehicles won't take one. Ask the operator about the step and whether the scooter travels with you.
Will it fit? Sizes by cruise line
| Cruise line | Standard cabin | Accessible cabin | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Caribbean | Standard doorways 23 in | Doors at least 32 in. Wider devices — call the Access Department, (866) 592-7225 | royalcaribbean.com, Mobility Disabilities page |
| Princess | Device no wider than 22 in | Device no wider than 31 in | Princess Mobility Questionnaire |
| Carnival | Fits a 21 in entry doorway | 32 in doorway; wider scooters must book one, or rent smaller | Carnival's published scooter policy |
| Celebrity | Not published on its accessibility page — ask on the Accessibility Accommodation Request form | celebritycruises.com/special-needs/accessibility | |
Measure the scooter's widest point, including armrests and baskets — not the seat.
Forms and deadlines
- Princess: Mobility Questionnaire at least 60 days before you sail — required for rented scooters too, since it asks whether the device is "a rental to be delivered to the ship."
- Royal Caribbean: Guest Special Needs Form, with 30 days' notice for special equipment. [email protected] or (866) 592-7225.
- Celebrity: Accessibility Accommodation Request form, linked from their accessibility page.
- Every line's form, deadline and contact →
Renting one instead
Renting solves the two hardest problems at once: getting the scooter to the ship, and getting one narrow enough for the cabin door. It arrives in your stateroom and disappears at the end of the week.
The two companies the lines actually name
Scootaround — 1-888-441-7575 — named by Royal Caribbean and Princess, and has a Celebrity rental page.
Special Needs at Sea — 1-800-513-4515 — also named by Royal Caribbean and Princess, and has a Celebrity rental page.
Both deliver to your stateroom or the terminal, depending on the ship and port. You pay them directly, and it does not replace your cruise line's forms.
| Size | Holds up to | Roughly | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | About 249 lb | 43″ × 21″ | Built to fit a standard cabin door. The one most people need. |
| Heavy duty | About 349 lb | 45″ × 22″ | An inch wider — enough to matter on some ships. Confirm your cabin door. |
| Bariatric | About 500 lb | 49″ × 27″ | Requires a fully accessible stateroom. Book the cabin first, then the scooter. |
Those are Special Needs at Sea's published sizes; Scootaround's are similar. Cruisers also report a narrower 19-inch base model from Special Needs at Sea for people who couldn't get an accessible cabin — worth asking about by phone.
What it costs
Scootaround's published prices for a three-wheel travel scooter, checked September 2026:
| Port | 5 days | 8 days |
|---|---|---|
| Miami / Fort Lauderdale | $225 | $260 |
| Port Canaveral | $200 | $225 |
| Galveston | $265 | $295 |
| Seattle | $265 | $295 |
- A standard wheelchair from Fort Lauderdale is about $100 for 5 days or $125 for 8. Wheelchairs start around $80 at Port Canaveral.
- Special Needs at Sea quotes by phone or online booking — call 1-800-513-4515.
- Ask both companies two questions: is a damage waiver included, and is delivery to the stateroom or to the terminal for my ship?
- Book early. Four-wheel models are in limited supply.
Which one is right for you
Bring your own if it's narrow enough for the cabin door, you can get it to the port easily, and you're used to how it drives. Rent if your scooter is wide or heavy, you're flying to the port, you only need wheels for the ship, or you couldn't get an accessible cabin and need something narrower than what you own.
And there's a third answer people forget: on a smaller ship like Jewel of the Seas, some people who need a scooter on an Oasis-class ship manage comfortably without one.
Check with your cruise line
- Ask the exact doorway width of the cabin you're booking — not the category, the cabin.
- Tell them the scooter's measurements and battery type in writing, and keep the reply.
- Ask how tendering is handled for scooters at your specific ports.
- Ask whether an accessible cabin is required for your device. Some lines now require one for any powered device.
- Ask about charging — and note Royal Caribbean bans surge-protected power strips, so request a medical extension cord instead.
We'll remind you before the deadlines
Tell us when you sail and we'll time the reminders to your date — the accessibility form, pier assistance, and the equipment requests that need booking early.
The sail date is optional — we only use it to time your reminders. Unsubscribe anytime.
Where this comes from
- Royal Caribbean — guest special needs, including the rental companies they name.
- Special Needs at Sea — scooter sizes and weight limits
- Scootaround — cruise rentals and delivery
- Carnival's published scooter policy and its 2026 enforcement notices, as reported in the travel press.
- Cruiser reports from public accessibility forums, where noted as reported rather than published.
- How we check things — our method, and what "last checked" means.
Last checked 28 September 2026. Rental prices checked September 2026.
Prices, sizes and policies change without notice and differ by line and ship. We are not affiliated with any rental company or cruise line, and none of them paid to appear here. Found something different? Tell us and we'll correct the page.