Autistic Teen on Allure of the Seas

[jubjubjulie]

Hi All,

 

Will be hitting Allure of the Seas in 2 weeks for a family reunion. I currently have a neice that has Autism Spectrum Disorder as well as ADHD. She is 13 but has a lower mental capacity. She seems "normal" but is prone to having some outbreaks of hysteria. I have called Royal regarding their Autism Program however it seems more geared towards younger children. Does anyone know what they offer for teens? I have asked if she can participate in the Kids club for the younger ages (due to her mental capacity) and they said they don't know and will have to ask Adventure Ocean once onboard. But depending on the amount of kids registered for Adventure Ocean, she may not be able to participate.

[reallyitsmema]

They will allow her to age down to the 9-11 age group of adventure ocean, which would also allow you to not allow her to sign herself out. Talk to adventure ocean once on board. I would also ask to see if they will give you a pager, which are usually only available for babies, but also have been given to those with disabilities in the past.

 

Was the call with the Special Needs department or just the regular number? I would call special needs and see what they recommend also.

[dplusd]

I don't have any specific advice for you but I want to wish you, your family and your special niece a wonderful vacation together. I've seen some excellent advice offered here for sailing with special needs.

[jubjubjulie]

I don't have any specific advice for you but I want to wish you, your family and your special niece a wonderful vacation together. I've seen some excellent advice offered here for sailing with special needs.

 

Thank you, that is very sweet! This will be a first cruise for 90% of my family members and hoping everything goes smoothly and they will have a fantastic time. :)

[reallyitsmema]

Sounds like you might have already seen this link but I figured I would put it here just in case you haven't.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/vanity/AutismFriendly

[jubjubjulie]

They will allow her to age down to the 9-11 age group of adventure ocean, which would also allow you to not allow her to sign herself out. Talk to adventure ocean once on board. I would also ask to see if they will give you a pager, which are usually only available for babies, but also have been given to those with disabilities in the past.

 

Was the call with the Special Needs department or just the regular number? I would call special needs and see what they recommend also.

 

I called the regular number and they transferred me so i'm not too sure if i was speaking to Special Needs, does anyone have the number?

[reallyitsmema]

I called the regular number and they transferred me so i'm not too sure if i was speaking to Special Needs, does anyone have the number?

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/accessibleseas/home.do?cS=NAVBAR&pnav=4&snav=10

 

(866) 592-7225

[christine40]

was just on Allure in June with a cousin with a 13yo son with similiar issues. the teen club was too unstructured and mature for him, as it was for my own 13yo son without Autism Spectrum Disorder. The child with needs was super happy in the group lower down and the staff was accomdating! the ship was totally packed with kids as well, so there was no space issue either! I think it will work out just fine!

[Btank]

Tangential comment: I took my mentally disabled older brother on our first cruise on the Celebrity Summit in 2015. I found the crew to be OUTSTANDING with him... very friendly and accepting of him, and very reassuring to me. When I asked about it, I was told that "the company" tried to put a focus on training for crew members who could / would work with special needs passengers. Since my pre-cruise contacts about special needs was through RCI (parent to Celebrity), I'm guessing that the training wasn't limited to Celebrity.

 

One suggestion: if she gets anxious and upset, ask for priority boarding! I did for Mark, and we were immediately routed to the Xenith (or whatever it was called then) / Suites line. They were ready for cases like Mark, and we were through check-in and boarding in very quick order! (although Mark was disappointed that we didn't get a rose like the other passengers in our line got :-) ).

 

If you're like to read more about that trip, you can see it here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2249096

 

Have a great time! --bruce T.

[Esilef]

I have cruised with my serverly autistic brother & my serverly autistic son.

 

Cruising is the only time I really get to have a break & I can relax.

 

Royal Caribbean has been amazing.

 

Contact the special needs department and have the additional needs included on your booking.

 

When you arrive at the port mention to the helpful staff that you need priority checkin & boarding.

 

We have been escorted quickly through the crowds of passengers waiting.

 

Reason: many autistic people can't cope with crowds & lines. It can cause them to meltdown & self harm.

 

Muster drill: that loud sound over the speakers had caused my son to head butt the deck but the staff have taken us inside & gotten us to sit quietly with a carer.

 

Care: my son suffered extreme seperation anxiety from me and wouldn't go to adventure ocean. As a single mum I had no one else to mind him, so guest services spoke to me and arranged to have 2 loverly staff members mind him for an hour whilst I took a break.

 

Medical: Staff are trained to deal with autism. Ensure you take a letter from the doctor listing medications & diagnosis.

 

Travel insurrance: in Australia you can buy travel insurance that covers autism.

 

Room: I travel with an additional travel door lock as my son escapes. I use a walk about travel lock. I spoke to my room attendant about this prior to use and had it cleared as ok to use. You can also use a small travel door alarm that admits a sound if they decide to escape.

 

Security: make yourself known to the head of security & have details noted. Security have always been brilliant with my son & when one of the junior officers were being difficult at boarding at port when my son was in a special needs pram. The head officer stepped in and told the junior off.

 

Guest services: introduce yourselves and explain the situation. They are extremely caring.

 

The captain: I thanked the captain for having staff whom were so caring about autistic passengers. He smiled and said he was glad to hear so.

 

The cruise: my son & brother love cruising with autism. The fact that they are in the same room every night & can set up their routines helps them. They love the feeling of the motion of the ship. If meltdowns occur then it's a quick trip back to the cabin for time out.

 

Cruising is the best holiday for people with autism

[shellunderwater]

Hi All,

 

Will be hitting Allure of the Seas in 2 weeks for a family reunion. I currently have a neice that has Autism Spectrum Disorder as well as ADHD. She is 13 but has a lower mental capacity. She seems "normal" but is prone to having some outbreaks of hysteria. I have called Royal regarding their Autism Program however it seems more geared towards younger children. Does anyone know what they offer for teens? I have asked if she can participate in the Kids club for the younger ages (due to her mental capacity) and they said they don't know and will have to ask Adventure Ocean once onboard. But depending on the amount of kids registered for Adventure Ocean, she may not be able to participate.

For what it's worth, I will gladly cruise with your and your family. As compared to some "normal" folks we've sailed with.

 

A family on our last cruise had a special child/sibling. Seeing their love, support and effort to help him in our "environment" was inspiring. We told mom this after what seemed to be a particularly difficult time at dinner.

 

God bless, enjoy your cruise.

 

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[cageyeff]

I have cruised with my serverly autistic brother & my serverly autistic son.

 

Cruising is the only time I really get to have a break & I can relax.

 

Royal Caribbean has been amazing.

 

Contact the special needs department and have the additional needs included on your booking.

 

When you arrive at the port mention to the helpful staff that you need priority checkin & boarding.

 

We have been escorted quickly through the crowds of passengers waiting.

 

Reason: many autistic people can't cope with crowds & lines. It can cause them to meltdown & self harm.

 

Muster drill: that loud sound over the speakers had caused my son to head butt the deck but the staff have taken us inside & gotten us to sit quietly with a carer.

 

Care: my son suffered extreme seperation anxiety from me and wouldn't go to adventure ocean. As a single mum I had no one else to mind him, so guest services spoke to me and arranged to have 2 loverly staff members mind him for an hour whilst I took a break.

 

Medical: Staff are trained to deal with autism. Ensure you take a letter from the doctor listing medications & diagnosis.

 

Travel insurrance: in Australia you can buy travel insurance that covers autism.

 

Room: I travel with an additional travel door lock as my son escapes. I use a walk about travel lock. I spoke to my room attendant about this prior to use and had it cleared as ok to use. You can also use a small travel door alarm that admits a sound if they decide to escape.

 

Security: make yourself known to the head of security & have details noted. Security have always been brilliant with my son & when one of the junior officers were being difficult at boarding at port when my son was in a special needs pram. The head officer stepped in and told the junior off.

 

Guest services: introduce yourselves and explain the situation. They are extremely caring.

 

The captain: I thanked the captain for having staff whom were so caring about autistic passengers. He smiled and said he was glad to hear so.

 

The cruise: my son & brother love cruising with autism. The fact that they are in the same room every night & can set up their routines helps them. They love the feeling of the motion of the ship. If meltdowns occur then it's a quick trip back to the cabin for time out.

 

Cruising is the best holiday for people with autism

 

 

 

Very informative.

We are going on our first cruise next year (wife, daughter and myself) and my daughter has autism with severe learning and communication problems. So it puts our mind at ease a bit knowing that the there will be understanding staff.

 

 

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[lbjen]

I know you all have all booked already, but for future cruises, check out http://www.autismontheseas.com. I believe you can also transfer your booking to them if you are already on one of their sailings.

[toxicfairy]

On one of my cruises a few years ago while walking around I spoted a boy in the pool area. My mouth droped and my husband said " did you just see an ex- boyfriend" I said No an old student of mine! Turns out thats when I found out about their autism at seas program. He was probably around 16 or 17 at the time.

 

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[Esilef]

Very informative.

We are going on our first cruise next year (wife, daughter and myself) and my daughter has autism with severe learning and communication problems. So it puts our mind at ease a bit knowing that the there will be understanding staff.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

The staff are loverly! So understanding. They go out of their way to help you and ensure that you also get a holiday.

 

i hope you and your family really enjoy your cruise and that your daughter gets a lot from it as well. 😊

[Esilef]

Adventure ocean has a toy lending library. You can go there and borrow a bag of toys to keep your child entertained. These were more for the toddler age group but my son still loved getting his surprise bag of toys everyday.

 

The staff at adventure ocean used to allow him to go into the room & choose a book or a toy he liked and take it away to play with it.

 

They simply wrote down what item he had chosen and I returned it without his knowledge (or meltdown).

[CCC3]

I have cruised with my serverly autistic brother & my serverly autistic son.

 

Cruising is the only time I really get to have a break & I can relax.

 

Royal Caribbean has been amazing.

 

Contact the special needs department and have the additional needs included on your booking.

 

When you arrive at the port mention to the helpful staff that you need priority checkin & boarding.

 

We have been escorted quickly through the crowds of passengers waiting.

 

Reason: many autistic people can't cope with crowds & lines. It can cause them to meltdown & self harm.

 

Muster drill: that loud sound over the speakers had caused my son to head butt the deck but the staff have taken us inside & gotten us to sit quietly with a carer.

 

Care: my son suffered extreme seperation anxiety from me and wouldn't go to adventure ocean. As a single mum I had no one else to mind him, so guest services spoke to me and arranged to have 2 loverly staff members mind him for an hour whilst I took a break.

 

Medical: Staff are trained to deal with autism. Ensure you take a letter from the doctor listing medications & diagnosis.

 

Travel insurrance: in Australia you can buy travel insurance that covers autism.

 

Room: I travel with an additional travel door lock as my son escapes. I use a walk about travel lock. I spoke to my room attendant about this prior to use and had it cleared as ok to use. You can also use a small travel door alarm that admits a sound if they decide to escape.

 

Security: make yourself known to the head of security & have details noted. Security have always been brilliant with my son & when one of the junior officers were being difficult at boarding at port when my son was in a special needs pram. The head officer stepped in and told the junior off.

 

Guest services: introduce yourselves and explain the situation. They are extremely caring.

 

The captain: I thanked the captain for having staff whom were so caring about autistic passengers. He smiled and said he was glad to hear so.

 

The cruise: my son & brother love cruising with autism. The fact that they are in the same room every night & can set up their routines helps them. They love the feeling of the motion of the ship. If meltdowns occur then it's a quick trip back to the cabin for time out.

 

Cruising is the best holiday for people with autism

 

 

Fabulous!!! I'm glad you all had a brilliant time. Did you do the MDR or Windjammer or specialty restaurants?

 

 

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[Esilef]

Fabulous!!! I'm glad you all had a brilliant time. Did you do the MDR or Windjammer or specialty restaurants?

 

 

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My son loves the Windjammer (what boy doesn't), where as my brother at aged 43 loves MDR and Giovanni Italian.

 

Choice for everyone in the family 😊

[Esilef]

With MDR you can always request the menu and order what you want to order earlier on in the day. The wait staff will try their best to have it waiting for you and your ASD family member.

[Esilef]

Also I believe that you can get social stories which will help explain the cruise prior.

[jubjubjulie]

Thanks everyone for all their great suggestions and well wishes. I have contacted the Special Needs department and they have put on the booking that she is Autistic and advised that she along with her family will get priority boarding. They have also mentioned that they will put her in Adventure Ocean (if that is something she wants to do) in a lower age group.

[CCC3]

With MDR you can always request the menu and order what you want to order earlier on in the day. The wait staff will try their best to have it waiting for you and your ASD family member.

 

 

That's wonderful!!!

 

 

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[Summergirl*14]

I am interested to hear about your experience once you return. We are taking our son with autism on his first cruise this September. He will be turning 25 on the cruise. We will be on Harmony.

 

His mental age is about 8, but since physically, he is a man, I know Adventure Ocean is out of the question. We did transfer our booking to Autism on the Seas, but they do not have staff on this particular cruise. I'm hoping that when Royal sees the booking is through Autism on the Seas, that they will give us a table in the main dining room away from a lot of the action. I think he will enjoy all the shows since he has enjoyed many Broadway shows in the past. The only reservation I did not make is for the comedy club since he would not understand the humor.

 

We booked a junior suite since he cannot be in a cabin alone. We'll see how it goes....

 

 

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[Summergirl*14]

I know he will not have the patience to eat In the MDR every night, so we may do the Windjammer, Sorrentos or Johnny Rockets. I Would like to be in the MDR for his birthday, since I know he will enjoy everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to him.

 

 

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[Esilef]

I am interested to hear about your experience once you return. We are taking our son with autism on his first cruise this September. He will be turning 25 on the cruise. We will be on Harmony.

 

His mental age is about 8, but since physically, he is a man, I know Adventure Ocean is out of the question. We did transfer our booking to Autism on the Seas, but they do not have staff on this particular cruise. I'm hoping that when Royal sees the booking is through Autism on the Seas, that they will give us a table in the main dining room away from a lot of the action. I think he will enjoy all the shows since he has enjoyed many Broadway shows in the past. The only reservation I did not make is for the comedy club since he would not understand the humor.

 

We booked a junior suite since he cannot be in a cabin alone. We'll see how it goes....

 

 

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On boarding the ship I would go and talk to the head waiter in the dining room for which you have been assigned and mention where it would be best for him to be situated in the main dining room

 

For my brothers birthday we went to giovannis and preordered. He had a very loverly birthday. He's going with my dad on the queen Elizabeth for his next birthday.

 

My father had a junior suite on radiance of the seas and found the extra space very handy. The bathroom is big enough if assistance is required. Plus plenty of room for quiet time in the cabin.

 

I hope he enjoys his shows. Autistic people get so much out of travel and I'm sure he will enjoy his time on the ship.