ON FOS Now - Help with AO PLEASE!

[crusinmama06]

Hey everyone. It's been a year wait to get on FOS and it's beautiful!

 

BUT, I am having a problem with Adventure Ocean and I need some advice asap.

 

My youngest just turned 3 on Friday. THIS sailing was to celebrate her birthday and her chance to get in to AO. This is her THIRD cruise. She has been in Camp Carnival with NO problems.

 

Anyway, I dropper her off this morning. I talked to the one counselor about her having ear surgery last week to get tubed in her ears. The fluid in her ears prevented her speech from developing properly.

 

So I picked her up this morning after the 9am-11am session. They said everyone was rowdy at the slides cause it was their "first time in AO"

 

Fine, so later this afternoon I tried to drop her off at AO again cause they are making spongebobs...lol....and ANOTHER counselor says to me...:Can she speak English?" :rolleyes: Um, yeah why. Then she tells me (in HER broken English) that Gabriella can't speak English and they are "giving her a strike" for being one of the kids on the slides this morning who didn't want to move on to storytime. :eek:

 

She said that 3 strikes and she is OUT.

 

I said " She JUST turned 3 last week"...it's tough to get a 3 year old to change gears and go from a SLIDING board into story time.

 

She said "We have 2 other 3 year olds here and they didn't have a problem."

 

This was Gab's FIRST session with AO. And it is NOT promising. I am so upset they they don't know how to deal with 3 year olds.

 

Gab is NOT a bad kid. She had NO problems at Camp Carnival. I REALLY wanted this to work out so we could take more RCCL cruises. I would hate for this to be a deciding factor in which cruises we take.

 

I am just honestly so upset. I don't know where to turn. I asked another camp counselor if they had EVER dropped someone out of AO and he told me In 2 years, only once and the kid was beating up other kids. " :eek:

 

And they want to drop Gab for failing to stop going down a slide. :(

 

Anyone I can talk to about this? The head of the camp? Guest relations? The concierge...lol (yes I was joking about that last one, Francois IS very nice BTW)

 

I will check back here tomorrow. The connection is wayyy too slow.

[wolfcathorse]

Did you explain to the counselors about her hearing difficaulty and speech development? If they approach it as if she couldn't hear then maybe they'd be more patient. Most of the counselors don't have training with special needs kids, and for now, your daughter is special needs. BTW, my son was the same way and with language therapy in school he turned out fine.

[kkshelton]

I would definitely start out with the head of the camp. I recommend that you just keep your cool and be very friendly. Explain that your daughter may have had some hearing difficulty but loves their camp, and has loved other cruises as well. Ask them for suggestions about how to make sure your daughter hears and understands the camp counselor. Then keep sending your daughter to camp. I am sure that she will do better, the counselors will see what a great child she is, and they will forget about the early incident. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. We can't wait to hear about it when you return!

[marci22]

The 'strikes' thing doesn't seem the most diplomatic way of getting a point across ;) Maybe your daughter is having trouble understanding the accents of the counselors? Remind her that it's important to follow the rules so she gets to do all the activities. Say it in a happy voice :)

 

I'm sure you're upset but you need to stay calm. That counselor maybe had an exasperating day (she sounds a bit abrupt) Maybe talk to another counselor privately to 'keep a look out' for your daughter so she feels involved in her positive outcome. That's what I would do (I have 3 kids, and all kids have occasional lapses, don't worry. My youngest refused to go to pre-school and he's a lovely boy. Each his own ;) just like the adults)

[crusinmama06]

UGH I typed out a huge response to you all then the connection failed.

 

Ok retyping...

 

I am practically in tears as I am typing this. I did as you all said to do. I told them about her hearing and said they would need to speak directly TO her and have a little patience.

 

When I went to pick her up during the afternooon session, just left her there 1 hour to test her, the counselor (who asked if Gab could speak English) was there and she said "Gabriella did MUCH better"

 

Great! So after dinner we took her back. During those 2 hours we checked on her TWICE. Both times she was coloring art projects with the kids. Both times she was sitting. And the one counselor told my husband that Gabriella was "doing fine and having a WONDERFUL time"

 

So how shocked were we when we went to pick her up...the original counselor was there and said "Gabriella's behavior was BAD and I will have to give her a second strike tonight" :mad:

 

We asked what did she do? And the counselor said that Gabriella was "running around when they were doing art projects" (funny since Gab came back to the cabin with THREE of them) and that she had put marker on a table during one of the projects. You mean a 3 year old colored on a table with marker? OMG I just can't believe it? :eek: :rolleyes:

 

I said "so should we just not bring her back" and the counselor said "Tomorrow I WILL give her the third checkmark and they you will NOT be able to bring her back" I asked who the supervisor was and I *think* it's her.

 

I am just so heartbroken right now. I know everyone says that their child isn't bad but she honestly isn't. We've taken her to every meal in the dining room and have received nothing but compliments from everyone. She also attends a private preschool and the teachers LOVE her there and have no problems with her whatsoever...so this is coming as a shock.

 

And of course, this is NOT Gab's first cruise. When we told the other counselor that he said that RCCL is more activity based (meaning craft projects) than other cruselines so the kids are expected to sit still longer.

 

My husband is so upset that he said if we were going home today he wouldn't be sad. And that makes me MAD. We planed this for a YEAR. I researched and chose THIS cruise for the program. I have NO problems keeping Gab with us at night but I am just so sad that she won't be able to play with the other kids her own age. :(

 

I am also wondering what they do here about kids who are on the autism spectrum. I had read about other kids camps where the counselors understand and work with the parents. This is NOT one of those programs. If Gab can't concentrate on art for 2 hours then there is NO WAY a child who is autistic can. And that's just wrong. They should try to work with all children...including special needs children. And right now Gab IS special needs.

 

So we'll just keep Gab with us at night. We are cancelling our dinner at Portofino's on Friday. I don't want to take her back and get her THIRD strike. That's just ridiculous.

 

I am open to any suggestions. If you all have anyone else I can talk to, I will be more than happy to. But I don't want to send her back to someplace she isn't wanted. It makes me so sad that we won't be able to do RCCL cruises anymore. :( There were so many ships we wanted to try and we had to wait till Gab was 3. Now I won't want to book anymore for fear of this happening again.

 

I'll check back here later

[kruzerci]

Thats just so wrong. How do they expect a 3 year old child, especially one who is having trouble speaking, to act like an adult. My god, I've never seen the AO counselors around the ship NOT making a ton of noise. They yelled at my kids in the Windjammer one time on our first cruise for "laughing too loud" :rolleyes: .

 

I'm really sorry about your experience, like I said, that just doesn't sound right to me. Good luck with the rest of the cruise.

[willysgrandma]

You should go to guest relations NOW.

[GBRBEB]

Have you gone to guest relations. I would speak directly to guest relations. It does not appear that tour child is being willfully disobedient and I do believe that the counselors need to have th ability to maintain control but I think your case is special. And they could have handled the situation better. I would discuss it with Guest Relations and make sure you find out who the AO manage is..

 

I do not know how Camp Carnival is run but I do know that the AO program is very structured. Would you consider just taking her there for part of the day...

[marci22]

Well it is unfortunate that the counselor is saying she -will- give her a third strike before she has been able to demonstrate unacceptable behavior. If she is 'not listening' it is probably a combination of the hearing issue, the excitement factor, the strange surroundings, and being on the young side of 3.

 

Don't let this ruin your cruise, really. I promise you will look back on this and see it for what it was, a glitch in the whole scheme of things. Keep your daughter with you, and write a calm appraisal of the AO manager later to send to RCCL.

 

Your kids are going to do lots of things their own way because they are all different. Just accept this is where she is right now. I don't think she is misbehaving or bad, but her attention span may be shorter than the workers would like, and since they have many kids it's probably hard for them to deal with in a short time span. They don't have the time to get to know her, unfortunately.

 

I wouldn't go to guest relations. I think I'd put it behind me for now and write a letter when I got home. To keep being upset about it is ruining your cruise and your husband's.

[rosie40]

I am so sorry to hear what you are going though! It sounds absolutely ridiculous to me!:eek: This woman clearly does not have the training or patience to work with that age group. If she is, in fact, the top of the ladder at AO, I'm wondering what authority you could ask to talk to at guest relations... At minimum you could have your experience documented. If there's a history established, hopefully they would give her the boot! :rolleyes:

 

It would only take one substancial bad experience like this to turn me away forever, too. This is your precious child, for goodness sake!!

 

I wish you the very best of luck with some sort of a resolution.... Let us know how things work out.

 

Actually, it would be even better if we don't hear from you. ;) That means things have turned around and you are finally enjoying your cruise as you should have been all along!!!

 

Best wishes!!

[lindy-loo]

so sorry to read your problem.

 

I would go to Guest services NOW! and try and arrange a meeting with the supervisor of the club and yourself in a private place. Keep calm and try and list down what happened in what order.

 

I find it concerning that they worry a 3 yr old put marker on the table? Yikes I teach and some 5 yr olds do this as they are still learning their pen control. Usually a good quallity child care facility would ofer crayon or pencils to the very young.

 

I also am disturbed by the person deciding in advance they will give her a strike! How can that be?

 

Lastly I would state how many times you went and checked her, and was told she was doing fine! Ask the supervisor to speak to those staff members.

 

We have only ever cruised Disney, whos kids clubs are magical!!! My DD will be just 6 when we go on the Independence next year, I am now concerned about all these threats of strikes etc. Believe me I wont be happy if the club is run in the same way, as your expereince!

 

document EVERYTHING!!!!! keep complaining, its your right to have your child in the club if she wans to go.

 

Please let us kow how you get on..... :)

[lindy-loo]

Not sure where you are, but in the UK her treatment may be discrimanative ( under the policies for "disabled" people)

 

May be mentioning that might get them to be move accepting of her hearing.

[Lvs2Cruise2]

Wow.. I'm sorry for your problem.. Sounds like the counselors are "singling" your daughter out.. I also don't see how the counselor can ASSUME she will get a third strike when she wasn't even there yet!! It just sounds like they have "labeled" her a problem from the first day and I think I would DEFINATELY take it up with RCI asap!!

[DPurcell58]

This sounds ridiculous. My son is on the autism spectrum and we've taken him twice on RCL and they were fine. He was older than the OP's daughter, but we wrote down on the sheet his issues, explained to the counselors and everything was fine. These people don't seem to know how to deal with a child with special needs.

[vesw01]

I agree, the counselor is discriminating against your daughter - she is hearing impaired and should not be treated as a "bad" child. I would find out who is in charge or meeting the needs of passengers with disabilities and work with them on this issue.

 

I would go to Guest Relations - at least get this all documented while you are on the ship for follow-up when you get home.

[gerif]

I, too, would NOT wait until I got home to deal with this issue. It is ruining your cruise and guest relations should absolutely be consulted ASAP. I'd ask for a sit down with the head of AO, someone from guest relations, heck, maybe even the loyalty ambassador. Their behavior reeks and should be stopped.

[shancan911]

Michele,

I wish this wouldn't happen to anyone, but especially you. You are always on these boards helping us with our questions, and you have talked so highly of the AO program. We're all feeling your pain. I hope at minimum your oldest daughter is enjoying her AO experience. Looks like you're on Labadee today. That's a great day for you and your family to enjoy the beach and not worry about this other "poop" going on. After a great day at the beach today, why not see if Guest Relations can arrange for a 3 way meeting with you and DH, a rep from their desk, and a rep from AO. Please enjoy the rest of your cruise. I hope everything works out for you. When was Gab's birthday? Does she realize anything is wrong? I hope they are not "punishing", and just letting you know....

[just4kixx]

I am sorry you are experiencing this.

 

My experience with my DS who has global developmental delays and is on the autism spectrum has never been very positive on ANY of our cruises... and he is "not a bad kid" either.

 

These counsellors are not trained to deal with special needs. We have seen them "do the best they could", but unfortunately, that never worked out for us.

 

For what it is worth, the amount of kids in AO has everything to do with how much special attention can be given to a special needs child. Unfortunate, but true.

 

For us though, it has not spoiled our vision of cruising. We just plan it like any other family vacation... we do things together that are geared towards families. I hope you too are able to look past the "baby-sitting/daycare" provided by AO (admittedly, at 3 years old, that is what is being provided) and try to enjoy the rest of your cruise. Maybe when Gab is older she will outgrow her need for ear tubes and things will be completely different. For you, I really hope so. But really your perception of AO doesn't need to be the reason you give up on cruising.

 

Another thought might be to get "in cabin babysitting" available through the front desk for the night you planned for the specialty restaurant... just a thought.

 

Good luck, and I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your long awaited VACATION!

 

A~

[kkshelton]

I agree with the other posters who say that you should deal with this now. You started out in a reasonable way by speaking directly with the staff. Now it is time to step it up a notch. I would verify who the camp director is and if you have not discussed this directly with her, do so. (It did not sound like you are sure that the person you spoke with is the one in charge.) If possible, have a sit down with the counselor who is giving these "strikes" and their supervisor and perhaps one other counselor who has interacted with your daughter in a more positive manner. The behavior that they are concerned about is COMPLETELY DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE (regardless of any possible hearing issues that are going on) and they should have a more positive way of dealing with this. I find it very hard to believe that yours is the first 3 or even 4 year old that drew on the table or got up in the middle of doing art projects (especially if she had already completed a few). I would point out all the art work that she did do and the positive feedback you received when you checked on her. I would also point out that it is absolutely inappropriate for the staff to have predetermined your daughter would be given her 3rd strike the next day.

Most importantly, you should ask for something very specific- ask for the slate to be wiped clean! Your daughter deserves a fresh start and a new attitude from the camp. As long as she will still enjoy herself and feel safe, you should try this so your entire family can enjoy the cruise.

[emdia43]

Anyone who calls a 3 yr old " bad" needs to be kicked out of the job.

Obviously knows nothing about little children. I bet your complaint won't be the first they have had about this person.

[i-m-ed]

How many kids are on board? It almost sounds like they are looking for a reason to lighten their load. I'm wondering if FOS is just a little too big for its own good. We took our kids to AO one time when we were on FOS and most kids were playing video games. It was quickly decided that AO wasn't going to be an option for us.

[relaxandenjoy]

Wow! I, too am sorry for what you're experiencing! It does sound to me like the problem is one particular counselor instead of the whole program. I would definately seek out someone higher up. Even if this is the top person in AO, there's an officer on board who oversees all of the programming. I would also inform this officer that AO is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act for not providing reasonable accomidations for your child. Good Luck!

[jabraun]

This is ridiculous!! What do they want a 3 year old to act like..... So what if she colors the table.....Mine would have done the same thing. If they are using washable markers/crayons...who cares!!!!!

 

We were on Freedom in March.

My daughter was 2 at the time so I was not able to use OA.

I would definitly talk to someone in charge and complain :eek:

[i-m-ed]

Wow! I, too am sorry for what you're experiencing! It does sound to me like the problem is one particular counselor instead of the whole program. I would definately seek out someone higher up. Even if this is the top person in AO, there's an officer on board who oversees all of the programming. I would also inform this officer that AO is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act for not providing reasonable accomidations for your child. Good Luck!

 

I not sure the ADA applies to RCL as they are not an American based company and are operating in international waters.

 

Also, my kids are 8 and 10 and would likely end up coloring on the table as well.

[kellyco]

I'm sorry that you are having problems with the AO. We are going on Freedom on Sunday. You mentioned that the woman in the AO said they had 2 year olds in it? My son is 2 (will be 3 in July) and I wondered if we might be able to get him in to be with his sister. However, maybe we shouldn't try if this is the attitute of the staff?

 

Also, can you tell me if the H2O Zone has a "swim diaper" area? My son is almost 100% PT, so I'm wondering if the ship has been retro fitted for those kids. I've read a few things saying that it was going to be done sometime in April.

 

I hope you enjoy your trip and that things in the AO get better.