The Cruise Skooter Story

It all started with a family cruise to the Baltic states (Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, etc.).  The biggest question was how to make it possible for Grandma and Grandpa to not only come along, but also be a part of all of the fun and activities.

Grandma and Grandpa are in their 70s.  Both are able to walk around the home and community just fine.  No canes or walkers.  However, the thought of long walks through airports, getting around on a huge cruise ship, and especially exploring medieval cobblestone streets in European towns just exhausted them.

So, we came up with a plan.  Grandma had a mobility scooter she was using for some domestic activities.  We purchased Grandpa one of his own for the trip.  They were two different brands.  That trip taught us two key things:

1) With the right scooters, ANYONE can still come along and keep up, no matter location, age, or activity level. 

2) The scooter itself makes ALL the difference and NOTHING on the market could meet all of our needs for world travel.

Here are the absolute essential features we have found a world travel scooter must have:

1) It has to be very light.  No matter how many features a scooter has, if it weighs too much to get in and out of a car or to carry up and down stairs, you will grow to hate “the beast” that kills your back and saps your will to get around.

2) It has to collapse into something that can fit into a trunk and JUST IN ONE PIECE.  Only certain models are small enough to fit in a trunk of a car.  We found that many of these have to remove the seat or be taken apart to achieve this.  We had to use our entire army of people to break down and reassemble Grandma and Grandpa’s scooters every time we took an Uber.  The Cruise Skooter’s ability to collapse into just one piece, in just seconds, is an extremely convenient and essential benefit.

3) It has to use specific airline approved battery capacities.  Airline travel requires removable lithium batteries that do not exceed 300 watt hours.  This is a key requirement.  Most scooters use larger batteries that do not qualify and cannot go on an airplane.  For this reason, the Cruise Skooter uses smaller batteries.  Multiples can be used to achieve long distance use, but also remain airplane compliant.

4) It needs to be stable.  Grandpa was using a 3 wheeled scooter.  One day, he made a sharp turn on an inclined street and tipped over, hurting his shoulder and opening some large, deep cuts on his arms.  We have found most 3 wheeled models have similar instability challenges.  For that reason, the Cruise Skooter only comes in a four wheeled design.

5) It needs a seat back.  Grandma’s model did not have a seat back.  It was fine for short bouts, like getting around the cruise ship.  However, for longer days, it was not very comfortable.  Everyone that borrowed the scooters for personal use preferred Grandpa’s because of the seat back.

6) It needs a grip/pull style throttle.  Some scooters power by pushing a lever forward with the thumb.  Try doing this for hours at a time.  Most hands, especially older, arthritic hands, cannot tolerate it.  The Cruise Skooter operates by squeezing/gripping a lever, making it very comfortable and easy to use for long periods of time.

7) It needs storage.  With large front and back bags included, there is plenty of room for all of the essentials, including portable oxygen concentrators.

8) It needs to fit in a narrow cruise door.  Both Grandma’s and Grandpa’s scooters would not fit assembled into their cruise cabin.  The Cruise Skooter is designed to easily fit inside a cruise cabin door.

9) It needs a covered, removable battery.  Many batteries are not easily removable on mobility scooters.  In Grandma’s case, her battery is removable, but exposed to the elements.  On one occasion it rained and because the wires on the battery were exposed, her scooter took off with her on it!!!  Luckily a caring person saw her plight and jumped in front of her scooter and pushed against it with their weight (with the wheels and motor turning full speed) until she could jump off and disconnect the battery. Yes, you really do want a covered, removable battery. 

When it comes to travel with mobility scooters, trust us that we have looked at just about every model from every angle you can imagine and helped engineer what we feel is a masterpiece.   When it comes to the essential checkboxes mentioned above, there is no better cruise and world travel mobility scooter on the market than the Cruise Skooter.  

The Cruise Skooter is designed for everything from everyday use to world travel mobility.  It is designed so Grandma and Grandpa or anyone with physical challenges will not be left out of even the most active plans.  It is designed so your entire family can be together when you travel or have other family activities.  It has been a labor of love, engineering and hard work to bring our passion to the world.  We hope you and your family enjoy the many freedoms and opportunities it offers.

Please feel free to share your personal experiences with us on our contact form!  Also let us know if we can share your story with others.