Child with special needs.....kids club?

We are in the beginning stages of booking a cruise on the Wonder in October. We have 6 year old twins, one who has down syndrome. I'm curious about the ratio of counselors to kids? Does anyone have experience or advice with special needs kids in the kids club?

My son is special needs as well and when we sailed we were told that they could not give one on one attention to him, there just aren't enough councelors to do that. The biggest concern of the councelors was if he was able to use the restroom without help. He did fine and the councelors were able to accomidate him just fine.

A big determining factor for you is how high functioning is your child? If your child is farely independant and can take care of personal needs, such as using the restroom, then there should be no problem in the club.

Thanks for the feedback. we are still working on going to the restroom, hope to have this accomplished by October. I don't plan on leaving him more than a few hours at a time. Also, how was the check-in process, and are there security measures in place? I'm a little afraid of him trying to wander off.

We cruised last year with our newly adopted son who had moderate hearing loss (since corrected) and couldn't speak a word of English. He's developmentally delayed (orphanage issues), and had recently had kidney surgery. We informed the staff and they did a good job with him. He could go to the bathroom himself, but couldn't communicate it, so he had an issue or two. He had a great time when he was there, which wasn't often, but he liked it.

Check in and out is very controlled. The little ones (our youngest were both 4) couldn't leave without being signed out by one of adults listed on the contact info.

Oh, I feel much better! I'm not sure how much the kids will be in there, but it would be a nice break for my hubby and me!

When we were checking in at the terminal (where the disney shuttle bus takes you) we kept the kids with us, just because there was ALOT of people around, and we wanted to make sure we kept track of them at all times. There was things to look at in the terminal and we let the kids look around after we checked in and got our Key to the World cards.

Even though we were told the counselors couldn't provide one on one attention for our son (he was 10 at the time) they did let him go in to the lower age group 8-9 year olds instead of the 10 year olds. He just wouldn't have enjoyed the activities for that age group (too difficult for him). And his personality I think persuaded the counselors to give him that extra attention. You may find that they are willing to do that for you. I think it would help to let them have as much information on your son as possible. Since he is 6 he would be in the oceaneers club (for 3-7 year olds) and would have PLENTY to do. We only had the kids go in a couple times and they didn't want to leave- in fact they would throw a fit when we did come get them. We used it (the clubs) when we went to Nassau to do some shopping, let them go to it on Castaway Cay while I went Parasailing. On the daily schedule sheet it also lists what activities are being provided at what time of day, so if they see something that they'd really like to do you could plan your day around it. They make sure to feed them lunch/dinner depending on the time of day. So you don't have to worry if he's going to be hungry while there. If it's around a typical eating time they make sure they're fed. And if you have the late dinner, then it sometimes helps to have them eat a "snack" beforehand around 5ish. It's all very safe. Each kid has a watchband to wear that says their information, and if they go anywhere on the ship it's as a group. And they use separate hallways to take the kids from place to place, so they wouldn't disturb other passengers (and I think for the childs safety). I can't say that I know the ratio of adults to kids, but it was plenty, regardless of age. And they give you beepers each time you drop them off so if there's an emergency they can get a hold of you in a moments notice. You also have to sign them in and out and they check to make sure you are the person allowed to sign them in and out. Hope this helps!

Thank you for all the information! I'm really excited about this cruise and I think my twins are going to love it!!!