special needs child

[wishingtocruise]

Hey!

This is my first time posting on this board!

My question is really two-fold. My family consists of myself, my husband and our daughter who is ten and has Down Syndrome. She is very high functioning and has no problem with travel as she has gone everywhere with us since she was a baby.

My question is this: We have never cruised before and have always wanted to,however, we always thought that we would do a Disney cruise because we love Disney World at least twice a year. After an exhaustive search I found a great cruise on the Enchantment for less money(by 500.00) and lasting one day longer. The time that we're looking to go is in Febuary so this would be after she is stretched so she would be in great shape.

My husband is resistant because he really wanted to go on Disney. He feels that they may be better for our daughter. How is RCCL with children,especially those with special needs?

Thanks for letting me ramble.

[sweetreba]

I hope that my limited information will help. We have cruised on RCCL many times, and everytime, we see children who would rather be with the staff, than with their family. While our children are grown, I would not hesitate to bring my grandchildren onboard a cruise with Royal Caribbean. The children's staff is trained, very caring and loving and really know how to treat the kids. I have no experience with your child, and would never second guess you're choice of cruiselines, but check on both boards and go with your heart.

 

Have a great cruise!

[sailor moon]

Our 13 yr. DD has Aspergers (autism) and has been on Disney (1) and the RCCL Rhapsody of the Seas (2). She had a great time on all three. As long as we were flexible to her needs, it didn't matter what ship we took. The Rhapsody was her favorite experience because they bent over backwards to make sure she had guacomole twice a day :)

Everyone was so accommodating for her.

[Jghendrick24]

I was on the Mariner with my son who is in a wheelchair. The Rcl staff was great with him. We had a babysitter for him who was absolutely wonderful. I wouldn't hesitate to bring him again..

 

On the other hand, it depends on how much your daughter loves the Disney characters. That might be more enjoyable for her as she is familar with the Disney concept.

 

The RCL staff encouraged me to bring my son to the adventure ocean programs, but I didn't because I know what a behavior problem he can be. I didn't want to get dragged away from whatever I was doing all the time to go and deal with problems. It was just easier for me to keep him with me.

 

It's hard to help you make that decision. You know your daughter better than anyone. You know what her behavior is like. If this is your first cruise, you may want to do the Disney just for the familarity of it for her.