Trinity4evr

We are going to be in the Carnival Freedom in October. Does Carnival do anything special during October for Halloween. For example, like any Halloween themed events for the kids during the month. We want to be ready.

18 minutes ago, IPlayWithString said:

We have looked at Autism on the Seas. Their schedule doesn’t work with ours sadly. 

 

 

 

We've actually never used camp on Carnival because the first time we sailed, he was 9 and we questioned them on embark day about how they'd handle certain situations. We weren't satisfied with their answers so we've never chosen to utilize that particular option.

 

One of the reasons we have always found cruising to be a good option for us is that if one of us wants to take a break for a little while, we can. So like Hubs and Son will go play trivia and I'll go to tea, so I have an hour or so of grownup time to have actual grown up food and grown up conversation. 

 

I think if the child is very young (like a toddler), they'll handle it better than they would have an older child like mine was the first time we sailed.

 

Also..I know that you said you sail soon but maybe file this thought away for future vacations, but check out Autism On the Seas. This is their bread and butter and they'll send what is essentially a nanny/babysitter with you, so that you can have respite throughout the cruise instead of having to always be with your child. We've never used them, because we've never felt the need honestly (we're pretty good about handling stuff ourselves for the most part) but I think if maybe they'd be of use to you or you want to use that kind of service, absolutely go ahead and do it! Our lives as special needs parents are hard enough as it is! 

 

 

On 1/20/2019 at 7:01 AM, IPlayWithString said:

It found me. 🙂

 

You can either keep responding here or go to my blog (which is in my signature below) and drop me a note. 🙂

 

No worries. I've been doing the whole "take your autistic child on vacation to places that are definitely absolutely 10000% triggering because of reasons" thing since he was 4 and we took him to Disney World. 😄 I'm kind of like Tyrion Lannister at this point...I drink (coffee) and I know things. That's what I do.

I tried to figure out how to drop you a note on your blog but couldn't figure out how...lol

I had a question did you issues with carnival camp ocean. we cruise in a few weeks and I am really nervous on how they will handle our son. I just want to be sure they aren't calling us every five seconds. this is our little break from the world. any advice or assurance will be good.

Can anyone tell me about VIP Indoor Cruise Parking? Is it safe? Has anyone had any bad experiences?

On 1/17/2019 at 8:51 AM, IPlayWithString said:

IPlayWithString. I hope this finds you. I agree us special needs moms need to stick together. your help is greatly appreciated. I am really nervous. I would love to PM you but for some reason I can't. I would love to be able to talk for further questions. 

 

Hi Trinity4evr!

 

I'm also the mom of an autistic kiddo (he's almost 15) and I would definitely call Carnival (or your TA) and make sure you're on the list to attend the special needs safety briefing as opposed to the regular safety briefing. It's a bit quieter and usually held indoors (the ones we've attended were either in the library, one of the clubs or in a dining room) and much easier for kiddos to deal with.

 

If he uses sound reducing headphones, make sure to bring them with you. 🙂 Also, if he has any special food needs, don't hesitate to talk to the maitre' d on day 1 (embarkation day) to help get those sorted out.

 

One of the reasons we love cruising with Carnival is that it's very easy for us to switch off so that both of us don't have to be with our son (and each other because honestly? There's only so much family togetherness we can stand, yanno? 😄 )all the time. We coordinate our schedules for the day using the daily FunTimes, so we can figure out what activities we want to go do that day and when.

 

Please don't hesitate to PM me or even stop by my blog (the link is in my signature below). I'd be happy to help in whatever way I can, because us special needs mamas gotta stick together, yanno? 

 

A fair wind and a following sea to you.

Thank you all

We are cruising in May with Carnival. Our two-year-old was diagnosed on the spectrum recently. We were just kind of looking for some advice. Currently he has a limited vocabulary. But he is very self-sufficient and can gesture for what he wants. He’s not a big fan of loud noises. You wouldn’t even be able to recognize him from a typical kid. We’re just looking for any advice.

We heard that there is tax on alcohol. Is this true? How much are u allowed in before having to pay tax? 

Also so we might jewelry on board or off in Cozumel. Is there a tax on that? How much are u allowed in before having to pay tax?

We are traveling on the Carnival Dream when it returns to Galveston next May. We will never traveled out of the Galveston port before. We will have our 7 year old and our 2 year old with us. Which means stroller, diaper bag, my carry on/camera bag, my hubby's backpack, and of course the kids. We are planning to drop the big bag at the terminal. We would like to find a safe, covered (like parking garage covered), close place to park. We have a hotel for the night before and we have the faster to fun pass. So getting there early isn't an issue.

Any suggestions.

It's free and kids are allowed.

thank you so much. this is our first time cruising to costa Maya.

is there a pool at the port? If so is it free? Or what does it cost? Are kids allowed?

we will cruise for the first time to Costa Maya in May. Is there shopping outside the port? Can u just hang around the town?

I ask because when we went to porgresso there was a bus that took u into town that we could go and explore outside the port.

I need some advice as to what to pack for an excursion for one year-old. I’m a first-time cruiser. And we’re going to Cozumel.

We are going to cruise with our 1 year old. He loves the water but carnival says no on him swimming because of his swim diapers. We aren’t going to put him in the pools out of respect for others. But I am looking for advice for anything that we can do to let him be able to cool down and not leaving him inside all day. We are going on the carnival triamph.

We are on the Miracle in May, so I called and asked about this. The Triumph had a similar pool on the same high deck (windy as hell up there too! :mad: )

 

This is a children's pool which is 1 foot deep and 9 feet in diameter. It is for small children. The Carnival Rep told me swim diapers are not a problem here, and they have never enforced this rule in the children's wading/splash pool

 

The other pools, different story. If Carnival doesn't kick ya out I bet other passengers would based on what I read on these boards! :eek:

We are going on the triumph in December. So there is a pool for my one year old . I am trying to understand so I can gather some options like a small blow up pool or something

Jackie

 

I don't believe toddlers in swim diapers are allowed in any pool. As

stated in another thread, we brought a small blow up pool which our

room steward was very happy to get blown up for us. We used it

in our shower and also took it up to the aft pool and found a little

niche beside the pool to put it. It was in no ones way and there

were no other blow up pools there.

 

A couple of the other toddlers aboard came over to play and enjoy.

We filled the pool from the shower rinse water and disposed of the

water the same way. The aft pool is less crowded and our toddler

was able to cool off on the days at sea.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise!!!

Was this on a carnival cruise? We are cruising with our 1year old. And we were planning to bring a small blow up pool and we have a travel bucket.

You have 2 options - 1 bad and 1 good.

 

good - obey the rules and keep him out of the pool

 

Bad - break the rules and let him go in to the water which will result in them having to drain and disinfect the pool. This will mean that the rest of us will not be able to swim.

 

I hope that you select the good option.

 

DON

I don’t plan on putting him on the actual pool. I am looking for options or ideas for him to be able to enjoy something similar.

We are going to cruise with our 1 year old. He loves the water but carnival says no on him swimming because of his swim diapers. How do I solve he problem on letting him play in the water like his older brother. We are going on the triamph

We are going to cruise with our 1 year old. He loves the water but carnival says no on him swimming because of his swim diapers. How do I solve he problem on letting him play in the water like his older brother. We are going on the triamph

Is a camera bag counted as a carry on?