Cruising with an autistic child

[denas]

We have cruised on our own with our special needs son. Accommodations can be hit or miss. This summer, I cruised on RCCL with autism on the seas. It was amazing how much easier/better it is with them. I booked again for a Carnival cruise with them next summer. They offer cruises on RCCL, Carnival, NCL and Disney all year long from all US ports. I posted my review in both the RCCL section and in the family cruise section within the past couple of weeks if you want to check it out. I can't figure out how to link it. Please feel free to PM me with questions. Cruise lines offer various accommodations BUT it can be a real hassle when you show up at port and no one knows what you are taking about!! Anyway, I would strongly encourage you to look at their progrAm and see if one of their scheduled cruises with their staff meets your needs. You wi find it soooooo much easier than trying to do on your own! Having done it myself, tried hiring my own nanny to bring with us, and now sailed with AOTS, I won't do it any other way!! AS an added ad vantage, it is nice to meet other special needs parents in your cruise!

[kitten3008]

I agree - I love the opportunity to talk about our life and struggles and laughs with people who understand!

 

I am definitely being realistic with my expectations. I don't worry much about the pool, as he is used to swimming in crowded pools and is a total water bug, but I do anticipate issues with unavoidable crowds and the like. I am sure we will have our share of positive and negative experiences, and if accommodations can't help us, that's okay, too. I got exactly what I was hoping for in this thread, just a lot of great communication, ideas, and experiences from people just like us!

 

A suite is definitely out of our budget for the time being, especially since this is a special cruise for my mom, as a thank you for how much she does for us and for him. It will also be great to have Nana on hand as another person he feels safe with! My sister and DH's brother have also decided to join us, and we were able to snag connecting rooms so that's great.

 

We're taking advantage of promos and pricing for this one, so we weren't able to look into AotS bookings at the time. It's such a great program though, and definitely something we want to look into in the future! In the past, we've used things like autism friendly movie screenings and the like to teach lessons about behavior and the outside world and they have been invaluable to us.

[denas]

Just FYI, when you book with AOTS, you pay whatever you would booking directly with the cruise line for the cruise so you get all of the same promos and specials and price drops for lines that have those like Carnival. For the cruises with staff, you pay 15-20 or so pp/per day for the staff. So for a family of 4 maybe $400 over whatever the cruise would cost for you to book directly. I was a little confused when I first looked at them because they have some prices listed and it didn't account for some specials so I figured it was too expensive. They don't update all of the sample prices daily on their schedule. When you want to book, they will do an actual quote and you get all the freebies/promotions you would get booking directly through the cruise line. You can even book last minute military rates or Florida resident rates through them or through the cruise line and then transfer your booking. It isn't any more expensive except for the fee for staff which is a separate charge added to your booking to pay for the Autism on the seas staff.

[hunterjackson]

We have done 2 cruises with our non verbal autistic son...most recently Alaska. We will be taking him back to the Caribbean in Feb.

 

As the others have said, contact the access desk.

 

They gave us a phone number to call at the pier and we had a private check in and whisked,on the ship. Even more intimate than the usual suite check in.

 

The kids club knew about him and he had nearly 1 on 1 attention in the kids club, however, this was a low volume sailing.

 

The kids club very politely let us know when would be slower and less organized times for him to go. By day 2, he ran to the kids club to play. They were outstanding.

 

They also had sensory activities designed just for him. Always made us feel welcome.

 

I think NCL handled the spectrum perfectly, or as perfectly as possible.

 

We do stay in suites to dine in the cabin if need be...and have "help" from the butler should we need special snacks etc.

 

We also let the maitre d know. He made sure we had private tables away from others and the noisy kitchen no matter where we dined.

[motleyfan]

Hey everyone! First of all, I am sure this post will end up with people making a ton of "special snowflake" comments and that's fine, I have a thick skin. :)

 

My question is, does anyone have any experience dealing with NCL's accessabilities department in regards to sailing with autistic children? Specifically, my 8 year old son struggles with noise and crowds in general. Why take him on a cruise, you ask? Because he is 8 years old, and he deserves a vacation, and because ultimately, while on the ship, I have a lot of control on whether or not to take him certain places at certain times. A cruise is perfect, because so much is included in the fare. I'm not paying a ton of money to go see a show that it turns out he's having a bad day and can't handle, we can just choose to leave if something becomes too much for him.

 

I am not requesting any sort of preferential treatment during the duration of the cruise, my curiosity runs toward embarkation. I have seen the occasional post about early boarding for special needs, and the occasional inclusion of individuals with autism being included on that list. I am obviously going to call NCL and speak with them on this topic, but I was wondering if anyone had personal experience with this. Thanks!

 

I have no idea, but I wanted to stop and say I hope you and your son have an amazing time. I have volunteered with autistic children and I know how sweet they can be.

[tbitty]

outstanding that you take him. We have a 51 year old with "classic autism" we have been on 6 cruises with her in the past 15 years , never a problem. The only time that was bad is when we went to Las Vegas without her, we were lost. We are the luckiest parents in the world, Who can say that for 51 yrs Santa always comes to our house for Christmas. God Bless

[Sparkygirl]

Thank you all so much for your kind words and ideas! You really have no idea how much it is appreciated. My son is a brilliant, sweet kid and he is SO excited about his first "big" vacation.

 

My husband and I have sailed in an aft facing balcony, and while I loved it, a balcony with my monkey child seems like a terrifying idea. He tries to climb out of ferris wheels, lol! I'm not too worried about meals as he LOVES going out to eat and we can avoid the buffet during peak times, no problem! ZandZ made an interesting point about HIPAA, which makes me want to do a little digging. Lord knows I am tired of explaining to nasty strangers that while my 8 year old is the size of a 12 year old, he functions like a 4 year old :P

 

 

My daughter has special needs (not autism), what ship are you sailing? I would highly recommend looking at the Dawn family suites or forward owners suite without balcony. The pricing is equivalent to a balcony on the newer ships. The pool area at the back is perfect, not crowded and great for kids. The ship isn't overwhelming and is easy to navigate. Also, by booking a suite lunch on embarkation day is in cagney's away from the crowds. With a suite meals in the room are an option by the butler. I had to leave dinner one night because of my little one. The butler saw me and a crying child going back to the room, she went to the restaurant and asked my husband what course from moderno I left the restaurant and brought me a plate of the food I missed out on. The owners suite 12500 had a second bedroom in it and my daughter loved sitting on the floor in our room watching as we sailed from the floor to ceiling windows. The bathroom was also mesmerizing with "twinkle" star lights in the ceiling.

 

We board first with my daughter through the crew gangway dockside as she can't be near the balloons on the guest gangway. We then stay in our room during the muster drill and attend the make up the next day. The access desk can be an great resource. Also, ask on the family cruise and disabled cruise board for additional suggestions.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited August 24, 2015 by Sparkygirl

[kitten3008]

outstanding that you take him. We have a 51 year old with "classic autism" we have been on 6 cruises with her in the past 15 years , never a problem. The only time that was bad is when we went to Las Vegas without her, we were lost. We are the luckiest parents in the world, Who can say that for 51 yrs Santa always comes to our house for Christmas. God Bless

 

This literally choked me up. I feel so much the same; I am so blessed that for some reason, this sweet, amazing child was given into our care. He has taught me more about the world in 8 short years than the rest of my life put together, and in his eyes, it is such a beautiful place.

 

We will be on the Jade; suite prices aren't within our budget right now, but since we are considering expanding our family after this vacation, we will have plenty of time to save for the next! I didn't think to check out the other boards, thanks for the suggestion :)

[chickensmomma]

Our daughter is now 9y moderately verbal classic autism. Started cruising at

5y. We have only sailed NCL and have always had good experiences. This is what we do...

 

1) We pack her favorite things (snacks, toys, books, blanket).

 

2) We get a suite (on NCL they come in many varieties and price points, with or without a balcony). She is a wanderer and a climber but we have never had a problem with the balcony. It is really enclosed and the rail is high. She LOVES to sit out there and watch the world go by.

 

3) We always warn NCL ahead of time. They have someone meet you before security (if the line is long they can expedite). The suites have easy boarding so that is quick and painless. Then we also ask for a private muster in our room (our girl has a problem with crowds and enclosed spaces). The captain or someone else always comes to the room to review the muster.

 

4) We eat a lot in the suite restaurant and the buffet- the MDRs are difficult due to so many voices and noises. We have taken her to several shows- using noise cancelling head phones.

 

5) We have the option of priority disembarkation at ports and last day. We use it every time. You can call when you are ready and the crew will escort you to the front. Lots of dirty looks but it helps us start our port days without trouble (especially when tendering).

 

6) We have not used the kids club for her. It was not her cup of tea because of the enclosed space and voices- they also have directed activities. They do not let the kids sit and play on their own quietly- which is what she would prefer.

 

7) The suites are nice because they have melt down friendly things like separate rooms for the kids that can be dark and quiet, bath tub and shower that kids can calm in, and you can have anything brought to you by the butler-so, if a meltdown occurs and you get stuck in the room, you can still enjoy good food. There is also more space which seems to help her feel comfortable.

 

She loves the slides and going to the ports for adventures.

 

Use the NCL accommodations department and don't be shy about what your child specifically needs (it is different for each ASD family). They are great with accommodations. We have had several wonderful cruises with our ASD girls and two NT kids. Going back in January 2016 on the GA.

 

Good luck and happy trip planning.

Enjoy!

[Misskitty72]

I just wanted to thank everyone for sharing their stories.

 

I don't have kids and I tend to have a short fuse when it comes to other people's kids... especially when they're fidgety or fussy.

 

But now I'll try to be more patient and take into consideration that some kids need a little more understanding. All these stories have helped me realize that every situation is not as black and white as it seems. (Not all parents have "Precious Snowflake Syndrome"). :p

 

Thanks!

[motleyfan]

I just wanted to thank everyone for sharing their stories.

 

I don't have kids and I tend to have a short fuse when it comes to other people's kids... especially when they're fidgety or fussy.

 

But now I'll try to be more patient and take into consideration that some kids need a little more understanding. All these stories have helped me realize that every situation is not as black and white as it seems. (Not all parents have "Precious Snowflake Syndrome"). :p

 

Thanks!

I'm the same way with kids lol, though I have worked with autistic kids in the past so I can usually tell the difference between a kid that has autism and a kid that is just annoying lol. Autistic kids are some of the sweetest kids you'll ever meet.

[Cajunmomof3]

I wanted to share our experience. My son has moderate to severe autism. When we went on our first cruise as a family (Disney), the computers at the terminal went down. We were in line with a thousand other people for over 2 hours. By the time the lines started moving again, my son had decided that he didn't want to get on "the big boat" and was letting us know all about it. My husband and I were honestly trying to decide where my son and I would stay while he and our older son went on the cruise. The man in front of us in line (who, trust me, had every reason to hope that we did not get on that ship) turned around and put his straw cowboy hat on my son's head and said, "No one can see you now, so it's going to be ok." It was like magic. My son calmed down, we boarded the ship, he loved cruising, and we have our third family cruise coming up in Decemeber. My point is even a rough start can get better, and while there are some people who will be jerks, there are many more who will understand and maybe even help.

[evitacruiser]

I wanted to share our experience. My son has moderate to severe autism. When we went on our first cruise as a family (Disney), the computers at the terminal went down. We were in line with a thousand other people for over 2 hours. By the time the lines started moving again, my son had decided that he didn't want to get on "the big boat" and was letting us know all about it. My husband and I were honestly trying to decide where my son and I would stay while he and our older son went on the cruise. The man in front of us in line (who, trust me, had every reason to hope that we did not get on that ship) turned around and put his straw cowboy hat on my son's head and said, "No one can see you now, so it's going to be ok." It was like magic. My son calmed down, we boarded the ship, he loved cruising, and we have our third family cruise coming up in Decemeber. My point is even a rough start can get better, and while there are some people who will be jerks, there are many more who will understand and maybe even help.

 

I teach those on the spectrum and this post really touched me. It is so heartening to read that there are still people who will take the time to to try to help. I firmly believe there are far more nice people than nasty people out there, it is just that we hear so much more about the latter.:D

[SuiteTraveler]

I wanted to share our experience. My son has moderate to severe autism. When we went on our first cruise as a family (Disney), the computers at the terminal went down. We were in line with a thousand other people for over 2 hours. By the time the lines started moving again, my son had decided that he didn't want to get on "the big boat" and was letting us know all about it. My husband and I were honestly trying to decide where my son and I would stay while he and our older son went on the cruise. The man in front of us in line (who, trust me, had every reason to hope that we did not get on that ship) turned around and put his straw cowboy hat on my son's head and said, "No one can see you now, so it's going to be ok." It was like magic. My son calmed down, we boarded the ship, he loved cruising, and we have our third family cruise coming up in Decemeber. My point is even a rough start can get better, and while there are some people who will be jerks, there are many more who will understand and maybe even help.

 

Oh my gosh! How cool that this stranger knew the exact right thing to do to help your son at the exact right moment!

[MareQ]

Another Mom of a Child with Special needs here. My son is not autistic though, he is cognitively impaired, has SID(I'm "old school" lol), hypotonia, was chronically anemic for years but better now and has a motor planning disorder. So we deal with SOME of the issues families here have dealt with mostly because of the SID.

 

My son is 17 now so we've come a long way but crowds used to bother him because of the amount of noise and waiting was like torture. (Like it is for most kids but just a little bit worse for him lol) He would cry and whine (not loud enough to annoy anybody but ME lol) He just deals now by listening to music on his phone with headphones but when he was younger we used to bribe him to help him cope better.

 

We basically found something he wanted and let him earn it by trying hard to be patient. If we were on a long line for something we would tell him for every 5, 10 minutes etc that if he tried his best to wait patiently he'd earn: candy, 10 minutes of time on his play station, 10 minutes in the pool, a ticket towards getting a toy he wanted etc. The teacher did this at school too. We took away free time on his playstation and he had to earn tickets from his teacher at school for being patient, for paying attention, for participating in class discussions etc.

 

It could be something you could try if you think it would work with him. Set a goal first. If there's a game he really wants you can make tickets. Tell him he needs 20 or 30 tickets before you will give him this game and he'll earn one ticket for every 10 minutes he is forced to do something that he doesn't like.

 

Have a great time!!! :)

[bjtravelnews]

We sailed with our autistic daughter for the first time on the Breakaway last June. We had a wonderful experience. We took along her iPod and an iPad loaded with her favorite movies so she could decompress or zone out when necessary. She actually preferred the buffet, despite the noise and crowds, because she could pick out what she wanted to eat. She likes very few foods, so she could always get them and she liked helping herself. We would try to hit the buffet during less busy times, even if it meant eating 5 or 6 smaller meals throughout the day. My daughter wore her headphones while in the buffet to block out noise. The music also helped distract her attention away from the crowds. We could tell she was happy while eating and listening to music because she had a big grin on her face while she was rocking in her seat (for her, rocking is the most obvious sign of autism).

She wanted to see the casino, but couldn't stand the noise. So we walked through in the very early morning hours.

Our daughter is an adult now, but I would not have dared to get a balcony when she was little. She was fast and could climb out of anything. I can remember a time when she climbed out of her high chair, pushed a chair over to the counter, climbed the chair and then stood on the kitchen counter to get at cookies I had hidden in the upper cabinets. I had only left the room long enough to get the mail from the mailbox on our front porch. When I saw her, she was happily stuffing cookies into her mouth. I was mad, but also grateful I was there to see her on the counter because I'm sure she would have just walked off the edge. I learned never to turn my back to her after that!

I also suggest that you have some type of ID on your child in case you get separated. This is especially important if your child is non-verbal.

 

Enjoy your cruise - making family memories is so important!

[floridacruiser2014]

I enjoy reading the comments on this thread. It has provided some other tips that we had not thought of. Our 15 year old is moderately high functioning, but still gets annoyed/upset at the noise and delays. He has his stuffed animals that he brings and we bring his Ipad. It has helped. I like the idea about the cards. It will help when we are in the situations with "the looks". As we all know, if you have met one child with autism, you have met one child with autism. They are all different, with their own uniqueness. But that's what we love about them.

 

We spend a lot of time around the water slides since that is his favorite place. He loves to stand in the water spray. When he's had enough (we can usually tell), we go back to the room for some quiet time.

[rigs32]

What I haven't seen mentioned about meals yet is that there is a free dining room open for ALL meals during your cruise. Including lunch on embarkation day. The staff tries to herd everyone to the buffet, but there is a dining room open, you just have to ask which one if your ship has multiple.

 

I've found that breakfast and lunch in the dining room are usually very quiet. And dinner at the buffet can sometimes be quieter than in the dining rooms.

 

If you can't tell, I try to eat all my meals in the dining rooms.....

[emmak8]

So many great suggestions here. You're sure to have a wonderful cruise.

[Bquirky]

I traveled with my family on the Breakaway last Halloween. My son used to be considered spectrum, but as of this years new guidelines he's Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder, with a big helping of ADHD on top. NCl was wonderful for him though. It was a slower season so the ship wasn't crowded at all. He loved picking out his own food, and we spent everyday by the kids pool. It wasn't crowded at all so DH and I were able to have lounge chairs right in front of pool where we could watch him everyday of the cruise.

 

The only two problems we had on board were the kids club just couldn't handle him. He gets overstimulated and tends to bite. They were very polite about calling us back to pick him up and even offered to have him back once he calmed down a bit. We did settle into a schedule of mornings and lunch by the pool, where he would wear himself out, then before and after dinner he would be calm enough for the kids club so DH and I did get some alone time ;) after all.

 

The only other problem is with the metal doors to the bathrooms. DS has a bad habit of holding it in till the last second, and he would try to run to the nearest bathroom only to get stuck on trying to open the heavy door. His fine motor skills aren't too great at doorknobs. (which is convenient at home since he's a wander risk) Not being able to get those doors open in time led to accidents, and unfortunate amount of them. He was very upset about it because he hadn't that problem in so long.

 

I didn't know I could contact NCL and have arrangements made to accommodate DS. Were going again this Oct, so I'll be sure to call this time.

 

This is an awesome thread with some awesome people. :D

[geocruiser]

Here is a link that you might want to look at. RCCL is the first certified Autism Friendly Cruise Line. It is just some info for the future if you care to go. I sure you will enjoy NCL.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/product.do?pagename=onboard_prod_autism_friendly_ships

[DeBlonde1]

When you all contacted the Access desk, do they typically respond and if so, how long until you hear something? I sent an email 08/24/15 about our upcoming trip in October and have not anything heard back. Just wondering if they will just flag our file or they contact us to discuss options.

[chrisc71]

Hey everyone! First of all, I am sure this post will end up with people making a ton of "special snowflake" comments and that's fine, I have a thick skin. :)

 

My question is, does anyone have any experience dealing with NCL's accessabilities department in regards to sailing with autistic children? Specifically, my 8 year old son struggles with noise and crowds in general. Why take him on a cruise, you ask? Because he is 8 years old, and he deserves a vacation, and because ultimately, while on the ship, I have a lot of control on whether or not to take him certain places at certain times. A cruise is perfect, because so much is included in the fare. I'm not paying a ton of money to go see a show that it turns out he's having a bad day and can't handle, we can just choose to leave if something becomes too much for him.

 

I am not requesting any sort of preferential treatment during the duration of the cruise, my curiosity runs toward embarkation. I have seen the occasional post about early boarding for special needs, and the occasional inclusion of individuals with autism being included on that list. I am obviously going to call NCL and speak with them on this topic, but I was wondering if anyone had personal experience with this. Thanks!

 

Are you set on NCL because Royal Caribbean has a whole Autism program.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/product.do?pagename=onboard_prod_autism_friendly_ships

[KarenR122]

We have an 8 year old, high functioning autistic daughter and she loves cruising. She has been on 3 NCLs, 1 Royal and 2 Disney and NCL has been the best in regards to her needs hands down.

 

We are fortunate that we can get a Haven suite every time we go. The quietness of the Haven is great when she just needs a break. She can also play in the pool without all the kids screaming and jumping all over. The extra room in the suite is great for the hubby and I as we can put her to sleep and still enjoy our evenings in the separate room.

 

The staff has always been wonderful to her and very accommodating to her needs. We always email the special needs desk before we arrive and have her needs put on our profile before we board. We also ask to stay in the room during the Muster Drill and they are fine with that as well.

 

We have always had excellent cruises with NCL and my daughter loves them! Good luck on your vacation!!

[motleyfan]

We have an 8 year old, high functioning autistic daughter and she loves cruising. She has been on 3 NCLs, 1 Royal and 2 Disney and NCL has been the best in regards to her needs hands down.

 

We are fortunate that we can get a Haven suite every time we go. The quietness of the Haven is great when she just needs a break. She can also play in the pool without all the kids screaming and jumping all over. The extra room in the suite is great for the hubby and I as we can put her to sleep and still enjoy our evenings in the separate room.

 

The staff has always been wonderful to her and very accommodating to her needs. We always email the special needs desk before we arrive and have her needs put on our profile before we board. We also ask to stay in the room during the Muster Drill and they are fine with that as well.

 

We have always had excellent cruises with NCL and my daughter loves them! Good luck on your vacation!!

 

That's really cool, I'm glad she enjoys it. Hopefully y'all will have fun on your next Cruise as well.