Just back from the Glory :)

[ckekjhaze]

I took my sister on her first cruise and she did great!

Special needs at sea delivered her whisper concentrator to our cabin. I brought her CPAP and she slept very well.

[mdvlprof]

Glad to hear. We're on the Glory Saturday.

[ckekjhaze]

I hit reply too soon and by the time I got back to finishing this my 20 min edit time had expired:o

So here is the rest of my post:

She is in her 40s and has mental and physical challenges, including heart problems and also can have really severe bouts of depression and psychosis. Sometimes she yells, strikes out at people, sometimes just won't cooperate or even hear anyone who is trying to talk to her, She is limited in what meds she can tolerate but we finally found a good regimen and started preparing her months ago about how much fun the cruise would be.

She remembered going on vacation when we were kids and thought it would be like Cape Cod or Maine- with a beach. We did the 4 day Canada cruise- only stopping at Saint John but had an awesome day there on Saturday!

She had such a great time and 99.9% of the passengers were wonderful- 100% of the crew were fantastic!

No behavioral outbursts at all-she got a little upset a few times when she couldn't stay someplace she wanted- she loves listening to live music and once we were in Cinnabar and the piano player's set was over but we brought her into the disco for awhile.

She is in a wheelchair for any distance but can walk a little without getting out of breath- She even danced the elecric slide on the Lido deck with new friends on Friday.

I want to book another cruise soon with her- a longer one- although the Caribbean ports will be tough because she doesn't do well with a lot of heat.

My 3 teenagers were out making friends around the ship but we had dinner in the dining room together every night- we got a few strange glances there from nearby tables because she would talk loudly and excitedly, but quieted quickly when reminded. Our waiter and assistants were so sweet!

My favorite memory was in Saint John we were at the Market and then walked through the inside connection and could see ship. I asked her "What's that?" pointing at the ship and she squealed excitedly "That's my boat!"

[xxoocruiser]

So happy that you and your sister had a great time ! It's unforunate that the people in the dining just couldn't see the excitement and joy that your sister was experiencing. There's always someone that has issues but hope that didn't upset you.

 

If I ever happened to be on the same ship, I'd love to dine with you and your sister. I have a special needs great nephew with a severe brain disorder and he too is loud in restaurants at times. I continuously remind my Neice, his mother, that it's the people who take issue with his noises that have the real issue. As I see it the loud outbursts are a sign of progress. Doctors thought he would never be able to do most of what he now does . So everyday with Jake is a joy, though it may be difficult at times. Just as you probably experience with your sister.

 

It was good to test her out on a short cruise. The only issue of concern is that she probably has already started asking when she can go on her boat again ! Sound like you made a real cruiser out her.

[ckekjhaze]

It was good to test her out on a short cruise. The only issue of concern is that she probably has already started asking when she can go on her boat again ! Sound like you made a real cruiser out her.

 

Thank you for your kind reply- yes we were just joking that she found a new hobby- Cruising :)

 

Looking back there were so many positives and she made some huge strides.

1. No potty accidents! At all! I timed her Lasix and kept reminding her throughout the day but she did great!

 

2. Was really happy and engaged all day, every day. There is so much she notices that I don't give her credit for. there was a large family reunion on board and one day they all had on the same colot t-shirts. Getting off in Saint John a large group of them were right in front of us. Then we got off and were on Water St and a few more with the same t-shirts came off behind us. My sister yelled- "hey you're late- they went that way" and pointed to one of the pink buses. I had no idea she was even aware of other people.

 

3. Stayed with me or my kids without wandering off. This had been a huge problem in the past.

 

4. Did well at the buffets and chose balanced foods- although I let her get whatever she wanted- she always got salad or vegetables at lunch and fresh fruit at breakfast. In the MDR for dinner she learned to navigate the menu very quickly and can read so she ordered for herself

 

5. Showed stamina - she stayed up late every night and went to shows. She partied more than my kids:p

 

So many fun memories! Can't wait to go again-here are a few pics of my kids and my sister from my phone- I know I have a bunch of them together on my camera but I haven't uploaded them yet

We had just gotten on the ship and she was the first one in the pool- she loves the water

[xxoocruiser]

Chekjhaze, what lovely pictures !

 

Your sister is so blessed to have you and your children in her life. I'm certain she understands that.

 

My nephew totally loves the water too! He'd stay in the pool 24 hours if allowed.

 

Though it will be some time in the future , do let us know how the next cruise goes. Your postings will help me to convince my neice that little Jake can handle a cruise.

[girlscout99]

Thank you for the lovely photos of your cruise; by any chance, is there a lift to get into the pool? We are traveling on 9/24 with my brother who is disabled and cannot walk or have much arm/hand strength. We booked an accessible cabin for him and rented a scooter which will be delivered to his cabin for our arrival; any thoughts/advice about getting around this large ship without too much frustration, I have heard it can take some days before they can figure out how to get places.....

[ckekjhaze]

Thank you for the lovely photos of your cruise; by any chance, is there a lift to get into the pool? We are traveling on 9/24 with my brother who is disabled and cannot walk or have much arm/hand strength. We booked an accessible cabin for him and rented a scooter which will be delivered to his cabin for our arrival; any thoughts/advice about getting around this large ship without too much frustration, I have heard it can take some days before they can figure out how to get places.....

 

Ill answer more fully from my computer I'm so slow typing from the phone. One real challenge was the lido bathrooms near the slide. My sister can walk a bit which was great because I had to leave her chair outside. There is a large steel speedbump and the doorway is so narrow and that bathroom is often crowded and you have to cut through the buffet line. No lift that I noticed for the pool :( there were other pools that may have though. We had platinum dining room and the service was perfect. For the elevators and people trying to cut in front-I actually don't have any complaints. There were so many wonderful gracious people. At busy times like after shows we waited if possible til the crowds thinned out a little before heading to the elevator. Leave plenty of time on formal night to take photos and get to dining room on time. We cut it close and that hall way was very crowded.

 

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[ckekjhaze]

Chekjhaze, what lovely pictures !

 

Your sister is so blessed to have you and your children in her life. I'm certain she understands that.

 

My nephew totally loves the water too! He'd stay in the pool 24 hours if allowed.

 

Though it will be some time in the future , do let us know how the next cruise goes. Your postings will help me to convince my neice that little Jake can handle a cruise.

 

I'm already looking to book the next one:) hope Jake gets to go on one soon. Im looking at bermuda but my husband misses his all inclusive mexico trips.

 

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[xxoocruiser]

I'm already looking to book the next one:) hope Jake gets to go on one soon. Im looking at bermuda but my husband misses his all inclusive mexico trips.

 

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My neice is still needs more convincing that Jake will be OK. I think in time she'll come around to taking a cruise with him. In the mean time they take little weekend trips to hotels that have fun pools. This way it helps Jake to get comfortable with being away from home and having to deal with crowds.

 

Personally I'm going on the Allure in November. I'm going with a group of other people that have MS. We call ourselves the MS Cruisers. We all have diffent levels of disability due to hainvg multiple sclerosis. We get lots of stares but we have fun ! Never been to Bermuda that sounds like a good one. Will your sister be going on that cruise ?

[ckekjhaze]

My neice is still needs more convincing that Jake will be OK. I think in time she'll come around to taking a cruise with him. In the mean time they take little weekend trips to hotels that have fun pools. This way it helps Jake to get comfortable with being away from home and having to deal with crowds.

 

Personally I'm going on the Allure in November. I'm going with a group of other people that have MS. We call ourselves the MS Cruisers. We all have diffent levels of disability due to hainvg multiple sclerosis. We get lots of stares but we have fun ! Never been to Bermuda that sounds like a good one. Will your sister be going on that cruise ?

 

Yes of course my sister is coming.she lives with us and we do have some staff for the day time there isn't anyone she can stay with. The mexico trips are out for now because I don't want to fly with her. Luckily we can just drive to the new york port.

 

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[xxoocruiser]

Yes of course my sister is coming.she lives with us and we do have some staff for the day time there isn't anyone she can stay with. The mexico trips are out for now because I don't want to fly with her. Luckily we can just drive to the new york port.

 

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Oh forgot that your sister lives with you. Glad to hear you'll all be going on the cruise. It's nice that you can drive to NY. Really helps on the economics of the trip. I'm in the midwest and it's just not practical for me to drive to any port.

 

I know the cruise is sometime off into the future but do let us know how your sister and family enjoy this next cruise.

[ckekjhaze]

I will definitely post updates- unfortunately my sister is in the hospital with a cardiac problem hopefully home soon

I look forward to hearing about your cruise on the Allure. My sister in law has ms and loves to travel

 

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[xxoocruiser]

I will definitely post updates- unfortunately my sister is in the hospital with a cardiac problem hopefully home soon

I look forward to hearing about your cruise on the Allure. My sister in law has ms and loves to travel

 

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Will keep your sister and your family in my prayers.

 

Regarding you sister in law, if she likes to cruise she might be interested in joining our group sometime. We have lot of fun ! Though MS has changed how I travel it won't stop me from traveling. I just say I'm the little pink bunny in the battery commerical but I just have cheaper batteries and move a little slower.

 

I'm already looking into cruise for 2012 haven't decided where yet. Will post after my November cruise.

 

Do keep us informed as to how your sister is doing.

[mdvlprof]

Just back myself. :) Crew was very helpful. Some asked about DS condition. Even a couple px asked whether cruising was a good vacation for disabled. because they knew xxxx was thinking about it.