Cruising with a child with autism

[Yillup]

I'm hoping to get some advice. My family and I are cruising in early February (Radiance of the Seas departing from Sydney) with my 6 year old son who has autism. I'm wondering who I should be contacting at Royal Caribbean about this? I don't really want any big fuss made, I'd feel uncomfortable getting lots of "special" treatment. He's quite high functioning, and loves new and exciting things, but I'd prefer if the staff of the kids club at least knew, and may need a bit of extra patience with a child who isn't as good at following directions, etc.

 

Does anyone have any tips or advice on cruising with a child with special needs?

 

 

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[benjamindyllan]

Hiya, RCCL have special policies in place which support children with Autism. We can do as little or as much as you would like. The best person to contact is your travel advisor and give them any requirements you wish to have. When you arrive at the port and you board the ship ask to speak to the Guest Relations Manager or the Senior Cruise Director and they will be able to support you further.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Have a wonderful journey with us.

 

 

 

Benjamin Dyllan

Cruise Director

Royal Caribbean International

[WhoKnowsWhere]

Hi,

We sailed on Adventure of the Seas this year with our 9 year old son who has Asperger Syndrome and is also pretty high functioning. When we registered him at the kids club I made a note on his registration form and spoke to the staff about him, they were friendly and listened to my concerns and gave us a pager in case they needed to contact us if he was distressed. They never needed it, he loved the club and spent as much time as he could in there without any problems. Some of the sessions were on the sports court and we were able to watch from a higher deck, he was joining in just fine and the staff were on hand to give a bit of extra encouragement or help to anyone that needed it.

[Lunarclipse]

Hiya, RCCL have special policies in place which support children with Autism. We can do as little or as much as you would like. The best person to contact is your travel advisor and give them any requirements you wish to have. When you arrive at the port and you board the ship ask to speak to the Guest Relations Manager or the Senior Cruise Director and they will be able to support you further.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Have a wonderful journey with us.

 

 

 

Benjamin Dyllan

Cruise Director

Royal Caribbean International

 

I don't see you in the employee directory Benjamin Dyllan =P

 

You need to speak with the Access department at RCI. You can call any number on the RCI website and explain you have a child that may require special accomodations and that you wish to speak with the Access department and you can be transferred to them. Also request a Guest Special Needs Form and fill that out and return it to the address at the bottom of the form.

[JasonTehGreat]

Royal Caribbean has a "Special Needs" department whom you can contact and they can make sure the staff are alerted and that any arrangements are made that may be needed (like guaranteeing you have a pager on board).

 

Their website is:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/home.do

[Proudmom1120]

My daughter has high functioning autism. I took her on 3 cruises. However, 2 were on Carnival, one on Norwegian. I feel cruise lines are more similar than different so I wanted to write you in hopes I can give you a little help. I contacted Special Needs Department ahead of time. We had special check-in and special muster drill (helped with lines and crowds). They offered other things like special dining, but I didn't feel like we needed it. Unfortunately, my daughter refused to go to the childrens activities. I didn't push it. I wanted her to enjoy her vacation. My daughter is 16 so she might also be outgrowing them. I put money on her card and she enjoyed going to the arcade on her own. She even went to the funshop and signed for something she wanted from the cashier. (This was huge for her. She never would go up to a cashier). We also did an excursion that she will never forget. She went parasailng. I prepared her by showing her pictures and talking to her about it. She was nervous at first but loved it.

 

Have fun on your cruise. Just communicate your needs. The crew on the ship is wonderful.

[Yillup]

Thanks to you all for your suggestions. I'll give them a call on Monday and see what I need to do. I saw the online special needs form, but as we don't have a special diet or equipment or anything, the "tick this box" kind of thing didn't work for us. Slightly faster check in would certainly be very helpful. My plan was to wear one of my long dresses so he could "hide" from all the people and noise by going under it. It's worked ok in the past, even if I get some rather strange looks! Getting through that process a little faster would certainly make the rest of the day heaps more comfortable. Once he's worked up, it can be a lot harder for the rest of the day.

 

 

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[reallyitsmema]

Thanks to you all for your suggestions. I'll give them a call on Monday and see what I need to do. I saw the online special needs form, but as we don't have a special diet or equipment or anything, the "tick this box" kind of thing didn't work for us. Slightly faster check in would certainly be very helpful. My plan was to wear one of my long dresses so he could "hide" from all the people and noise by going under it. It's worked ok in the past, even if I get some rather strange looks! Getting through that process a little faster would certainly make the rest of the day heaps more comfortable. Once he's worked up, it can be a lot harder for the rest of the day.

 

 

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Definitely contact the special needs department. If you look at this link which is "other needs", it directly speaks of autism.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/otherNeeds.do

 

You will be able to get early boarding and boarding assistance so your son will not have to deal with the chaos. Discuss the muster drill with them also. That can be very loud and people are squished into tight spaces that will be an issue.

 

There is a US based company called Autism on the Seas that you might want to google. They have group cruises but they also have counselors that go on cruises to expedite services. Check out there list of cruises that they will be on, you never know if your cruise is one of them.

[Esilef]

We are travelling from Sydney with our 4 year old with autism. He is non verbal.

 

Call royal Caribbean in Australia and explain your situation.

 

We also emailed rci cruise admin & provided a certificate of diagnosis.

 

Rci provides priority boarding for people with extra needs.

 

This means you won't need to stand in a queue & risk melt down. Huge help.

 

Kids with autism can also go to kids club without being fully toilet trained & use the pools in swim nappies (of course us mums are aware of their needs & they will be toileted prior)

 

The muster drill is a concern but I was told to speak to guest services. We will attend muster drill but it will be difficult.

 

You can choose what kids club is best for your son.

 

Our behavioural physc told us to set up a holiday routine ie breakfast at 8am, playtime, kids club 10am until lunch ect.

 

I'm hoping other passengers will be understanding and non judgemental because tantrums will occur.

[Esilef]

We are also considering seeing if we can pay for an extra person to care for him at the kids club ie 1 on 1 care.

[Esilef]

Have you heard of a sensory tent? It's a small black tent where the kids can go into & relax & not be over exposed to things that will hype them up. Could be handy for some quiet time in the cabin

[Yillup]

We haven't used a sensory tent with him yet. He has a weighted blanket for sleeping and a "chewie" that he uses otherwise in his excitement/boredom/anxiety he'd chew the side of his hand to pieces. The room itself should hopefully be enough of a removal from stimulus for him. At least, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that it is! Lol

 

 

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[Esilef]

We haven't used a sensory tent with him yet. He has a weighted blanket for sleeping and a "chewie" that he uses otherwise in his excitement/boredom/anxiety he'd chew the side of his hand to pieces. The room itself should hopefully be enough of a removal from stimulus for him. At least, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that it is! Lol

 

 

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My son loves raw silk fabric. It keeps him calm. I made a weighted blanket which is at Childcare. I buy the chewy toys off ebay. They are great. We are going to try an osteo to see if that will help calm him down. He will be in a stroller but is really getting too big for it.

[boulders]

We are travelling from Sydney with our 4 year old with autism. He is non verbal.

 

Call royal Caribbean in Australia and explain your situation.

 

We also emailed rci cruise admin & provided a certificate of diagnosis.

 

Rci provides priority boarding for people with extra needs.

 

This means you won't need to stand in a queue & risk melt down. Huge help.

 

Kids with autism can also go to kids club without being fully toilet trained & use the pools in swim nappies (of course us mums are aware of their needs & they will be toileted prior)

 

The muster drill is a concern but I was told to speak to guest services. We will attend muster drill but it will be difficult.

 

You can choose what kids club is best for your son.

 

Our behavioural physc told us to set up a holiday routine ie breakfast at 8am, playtime, kids club 10am until lunch ect.

 

I'm hoping other passengers will be understanding and non judgemental because tantrums will occur.

 

No one can go in the ships pools without being toilet trained or in diapers. It's a health issue.

[motherof]

My experience was with cruising with autistic adults (my daughter and her BFF, both high functioning) who shared their own room across from ours, so take it for what it's worth. We all had a blast. Cruising was pretty much the perfect experience for the two of them. They were able to be very independent on the ship, going to activities and swimming whenever they wanted to, without having to wait for someone (me...) to take them. There were days when we saw them only at dinner.

 

The staff passed the word and looked out for them. The ones I spoke with were charmed by the enthusiasm and delight of the young women.

 

Do contact the special needs department. They will help you with whatever is needed. My daughter has a fear of the Happy Birthday song, so we requested a table near the exit so she could leave when needed. Our wonderful waiter alerted her when it was coming up near her. My experience is that they "get" autism, and will help wherever they can to make the cruise experience successful.

[gerif]

No one can go in the ships pools without being toilet trained or in diapers. It's a health issue.

 

Agreed - they can use the kids' club without being trained but absolutely NOT the pools, so please plan accordingly.

[sergeant655]

For muster drill. Try to stand in the front row if you have a outdoor station. Indoor stations have seats except x1. Also the alarm is very loud. Having mild autism I find the drill hard to handle. Radiance is a wonderful ship to cruise on

[littlemidge]

I'm hoping to get some advice. My family and I are cruising in early February (Radiance of the Seas departing from Sydney) with my 6 year old son who has autism. I'm wondering who I should be contacting at Royal Caribbean about this? I don't really want any big fuss made, I'd feel uncomfortable getting lots of "special" treatment. He's quite high functioning, and loves new and exciting things, but I'd prefer if the staff of the kids club at least knew, and may need a bit of extra patience with a child who isn't as good at following directions, etc.

 

Does anyone have any tips or advice on cruising with a child with special needs?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

 

Hi, we just got off the Radiance last month and there were some special needs kids on the boat and they attended the kids club regularly. They had a great time, the staff were fantastic and the other kids were great as well. Actually bought a tear to the eyes of many to see them so involved in the talent show performance.

 

I worked for many years with special needs kids and their families. Do you planning and have your strategies in place but please do trust that the staff on this boat are fantastic and will do everything they can to make it a great holiday for everyone in your family.

 

Kirsten

[RubyDog08]

Our adult daughter has autism, sensory integration disorder and Tourette Syndrome, and the muster drill is by far the most stressful event for her. However, it is necessary, so we talk about it (social stories!) frequently before we go, and the staff has, for the most part, had a fair understanding of her needs. This time, we will be trying her iPod with ear buds during the drill to help mask the loud sounds that bother her so much. We'll see how it goes. ;)

[Iaminspired]

My 16 year old daughter was just diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome this past August plus she already had diagnoses for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety and Panic Disorder. We are cruising on Explorer next month.

 

Our TA contacted the RCI Special Needs department and there are Special Needs notes attached to our reservation. I am also taking letters of diagnosis to verify her special need requests and letters from doctors saying what special needs assistance would be best (avoiding lines and loud noises, access to exits, etc.) We have early boarding, as the crowds and waiting in line would be beyond her tolerance. I will also be talking to Guest Services once aboard to arrange one of the last disembarking times plus a quiet place to wait.

 

I emailed RCI Dining with a list of specific requests for a dining room table (quieter floor, quiet alcove, a table facing the wall or window, etc.) and they quickly got back to me with a description and a table number for a table beside the wall and the window for us.

 

We are taking ear muffs plus ear plugs for the muster drill and I will be speaking to Guest Services staff about making that process as easy as possible for her as soon as we board. I will also explain her sensitivities to whatever crew member is responsible for our muster station in hopes of getting her to the quietest, least busy place. She'll probably have her ipod with her with some relaxation apps (watching fish in an aquarium) to help.

 

She wants to take advantage of Optix, the teen club aboard and I will definitely be speaking to the staff in charge of that. And I will also quietly be speaking to the wait staff so they can understand her difficulty with decision making over the menu. I'll probably also mention it to the Head Waiter so he can keep an eye on her if she bolts or needs to quickly exit the dining room and wait in the lobby for a few minutes.

 

We'll be loading a white noise app on her ipod for night (though just the wave noise might do it) and she'll have her weighted blanket plus a selection of fidget items and sensory soothers that I've picked up for her.

 

I'd far rather have the staff know so they can help us in advance rather than trying to deal with an escalating situation on my own.

 

We've been on Explorer before so she is familiar with the ship and knows all the quiet nooks and the routine, which will definitely make it easier for us all. And we talk a lot about things like boarding so she is very aware of the accommodations that are in place to make it easier for her.

 

It will be a challenge, but it will definitely be worth it!

 

Colleen

[Esilef]

My experience was with cruising with autistic adults (my daughter and her BFF, both high functioning) who shared their own room across from ours, so take it for what it's worth. We all had a blast. Cruising was pretty much the perfect experience for the two of them. They were able to be very independent on the ship, going to activities and swimming whenever they wanted to, without having to wait for someone (me...) to take them. There were days when we saw them only at dinner.

 

The staff passed the word and looked out for them. The ones I spoke with were charmed by the enthusiasm and delight of the young women.

 

Do contact the special needs department. They will help you with whatever is needed. My daughter has a fear of the Happy Birthday song, so we requested a table near the exit so she could leave when needed. Our wonderful waiter alerted her when it was coming up near her. My experience is that they "get" autism, and will help wherever they can to make the cruise experience successful.

 

The happy birthday song is enough for my son to have a melt down! It's my birthday on the cruise so I hope no one remembers.

[motherof]

The happy birthday song is enough for my son to have a melt down! It's my birthday on the cruise so I hope no one remembers.

 

Mine, also, on our upcoming cruise. I've told her that being on a cruise is enough of a celebration.

[Esilef]

I'm just worried that the waiters will sing happy birthday. Might have to request that they don't but if anyone else in the room is having a birthday it's melt down time!!!

 

Should I try singing it to him at home??

[reallyitsmema]

I'm just worried that the waiters will sing happy birthday. Might have to request that they don't but if anyone else in the room is having a birthday it's melt down time!!!

 

Should I try singing it to him at home??

Speak to your waiter and explain the situation. They will know when others in your area are going to be sung to and will be able to warn you. If they are going to sing, they usually will pull a few waiters or asst. waiters together so it will be easy for them to give you time to leave or put in ear plugs.

[Esilef]

Good idea!!!