Cruising in the fall

[tcufrog99]

I am currently trying to figure out my family's first cruise ever. We've the never been on one before so I'm a bit overwhelmed by choices. c

 

We've decided on going in the fall even though we'll have to pull our sons out of school because we hope it will be less crowded. My older son has ADHD and has high functioning Aspergers. He loves being with other kids at school and summer day camps but can find loud and chaotic environments overwhelming. I'm hoping that the fall will make child care on the ship a good experience for him. Will there be other kids on the ship during fall off season for him to play with?

 

I was also wondering how far in advance I should expect to book a fall cruise.

 

Any advice y'all have regarding where to get started with my research would be much appreciated. Thanks. :)

[rebeccalouiseagain]

There are cruises that are designed specifically for children with Aspergers and Autism. Have you checked into them? http://www.autismontheseas.com/

 

There are fewer children off season on most cruise lines however- there are some cruise lines that are more equipped to deal with special needs.

[kelleigh229]

I've often cruised in the Fall because it's cheaper. It's also during hurricane season, so maybe that's why it's cheaper as well. I have always remembered lots of kids on our cruises, so your kids should have plenty of kids to play with. First cruise with my son this coming Fall - beyond excited!

 

I love to book pretty far in advance so that I can pay it off / save for it over time. Plus it gives me plenty of time to plan/research/obsess over my cruise and have something to look forward to!

[tcufrog99]

rebeccalouiseagain...

 

Thanks for the recommendation but my older son doesn't really need special accommodations. He's very verbal, doesn't run off and is able to make friends. According to his kindergarten teacher he sometimes struggles more than other classmates with social situations but he doesn't stand out as a kid with Aspergers if you walk into her classroom. I just know that he would be happier with a smaller group of kids and child care workers who aren't overwhelmed. I'd love to know though which cruise lines are more understanding though.

 

kelleigh229...

 

What do the cruise lines do if there is a hurricane? Will travel insurance cover the cost of cruise and airline cancellations? Can we get a refund through insurance if the cruise is cancelled but the flight isn't?

[OCruisers]

The good thing about cruising in the FALL is that it's less expensive. The bad thing is that it's hurricane season.

 

~~~~

[boulders]

Cruises don't get cancelled due to weather. Ports may be cancelled due to rough seas, weather, hurricane damage etc. The only reasons a cruise may be cancelled is if the whole ship is chartered or it physically cannot sail. Charters generally happen at least 6 months in advance. If there is a hurricane, the ship will sail around it, which may mean that it doesn't go to any of the ports on its itinerary.

 

I would recommend that you avoid Disney. They will have the busiest kids clubs, and a lot of noise and overall busyness. Definitely loud and chaotic. We went in off-season and it was a zoo. They are the least structured kids program that we have experienced.

 

Any of the other cruiselines would be good choices. At 5 years old, he would be one of the oldest in the youngest group. On the first night of the cruise, they will have an open house so the kids can explore the kids area and meet the counsellors. This is a good time to talk to them about any needs your son may have. Each cruiseline will also have a special needs department you can contact before you sail.

[tcufrog99]

boulders...

 

Thanks for the info about Disney. My husband wanted to sail with them although I didn't know if I could handle so much Disney magic plus I wasn't too excited to visit the canned destinations. My older son will be 6 when we go. How much will that matter?

 

It's useful to know that the cruises aren't cancelled. What if the port they are sailing out of is closed due to bad weather?

[boulders]

If the port the ship is in is going to be closed, the ship will sail early. This is one of the reasons why everyone recommends getting to the departure port city at least one day early. If the home port is closed before the ship arrives, the ship will stay out at sea until the port reopens. In these cases, the cruise line will generally give compensation for any missed flights or missed cruise days.

 

At 6 years old, your son will be in the 6-8 age group on RCCL and Carnival. You may want to avoid these, as these groups will move around the ship more, play dodgeball etc and be more active and noisy.

 

I would recommend either Princess or HAL for your son. They group ages 3-7 together. Their programs are more of a preschool/kindergarten atmosphere. My son sailed on Princess for 2 weeks when he was 6 and HAL for 3 1/2 weeks during which time he turned 7. DS liked both cruiselines. He probably liked the Princess ship better.

 

We were on the Diamond Princess. The room for the 3-7 age group was quite spacious, had a ball pit, a small TV watching area, tables where they did crafts, computers for playing games and an outdoor play area. There weren't many kids as it was an Alaskan cruise. It was very well staffed and very well run. One of the counsellors was a kindergarten teacher in my home city and was leaving to return to her regular teaching job at the end of our cruise in late August. Just about every day, ds would come back to the cabin with a prize or two that had been given out at the kids club. He loved it!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

Definitely let the cruise line know about your son's medical diagnosis. While I agree that Princess and Holland tend to have fewer children in general- the counselors may or may not have a background in special ed. I have read that it is important to make your child's needs known in advance- so that the youth personnel are aware. There are more and more diagnosed special needs children going on cruises and lines like Royal Caribbean definitely bring on more counselors when the need arises.

[tcufrog99]

Wow. There's a lot to think about. I hadn't thought about the fact that they could be young clueless 20 somethings running the child care rooms. My son does fine during summer camps and kindergarten with neurotypical kids but the groups are typically 18 kids or less and are run by trained adults who aren't in their 20s.

 

I also need to start thinking about his little brother. He's 2, pretty well behaved in child care situations, and very verbal and physically adept. No signs of Aspergers. In fact, he's quite the opposite. He probably won't be potty trained by then and will throw a fit if he isn't able to get into a swimming pool. He loves water and learned to swim although he probably doesn't remember.

[kelleigh229]

I think everyone already answered the hurricane question for you. We actually said during Hurricane Wilma years ago. When we got back to Miami, we saw the damage to the area, but our sailing wasn't affected. The seas were a little rough the first night, but that's it. The cruise lines go around the hurricane to avoid it. I wasn't too concerned about the hurricane itself. I can see being concerned if the hurricane was headed straight for my house, then I'd might consider cancelling, but otherwise, it has not been too bad at that time of year.

 

I like to have trip insurance for cruises - just in case!

[boulders]

Wow. There's a lot to think about. I hadn't thought about the fact that they could be young clueless 20 somethings running the child care rooms. My son does fine during summer camps and kindergarten with neurotypical kids but the groups are typically 18 kids or less and are run by trained adults who aren't in their 20s.

 

I also need to start thinking about his little brother. He's 2, pretty well behaved in child care situations, and very verbal and physically adept. No signs of Aspergers. In fact, he's quite the opposite. He probably won't be potty trained by then and will throw a fit if he isn't able to get into a swimming pool. He loves water and learned to swim although he probably doesn't remember.

 

I've never come across any clueless 20 somethings in the kids clubs. They're all very well trained, ime. AFAIK, the major cruiselines require their childcare staff to have degrees in early childhood or elementary education. You will find that staff on cruise ships does tend to be young, especially in the kids clubs. The kids club staff is generally from North America or Europe. Working on a ship does not work well for North Americans or Europeans who have kids of their own. Don't expect the staff to have training in special needs though.

 

For two year olds, only Carnival will have a kids club that will accommodate them. Some RCCL ships have for-fee nurseries, but those have to be signed up for. None of the pools will accommodate non-potty trained kids. Some RCCL ships have a baby splash zone, but it's just a wading pool.

[oakville99]

Our family took our first cruise aboard the Disney Dream in October 2011. Our sons were 10 and 12 at the time. We all enjoyed our cruise. Being Disney, there were many children on board. We often travel during this time period and find that there are lots of families wherever we go. I wouldn't worry about having other kids around.

 

I would however, caution you about the season. Weather can sometimes be unpredicable this time of year in the Caribbean. In our case, we got caught behind a hurricane that never made land, but made the weather miserable. We had a lot of rain, high winds and very rough seas. The winds were so strong, that the Dream was not able to dock at Castaway Cay despite two attempts. Our last night the seas were exceptionally rough, hangers sliding around, doors rattling and the ship pitched so far one way that the glass of water and book I had on my nightstand slid off the table and onto the floor. The ship 'groaned' all night with the rough seas. We were all sick and very glad to see land the next day.

 

We have cruised again, but not in the fall. If you chose to cruise during this time of year, be prepared for missed ports and rough weather.

[Noel182002]

I saw this and thought I'd reply....Our family cruises in September and on our last cruise our older daughter was 5 and she has adhd. We told the camp that she becomes overwhelemed when alot is going on and that usually she needs to just be prepared for the upcoming activities and she's fine...she loved it! and we loved it! For dinner they sat us next to a window so she could look out the window which kept her occupied! When we are on Vacation we do not give her the medicine for her ADHD due to her weight loss from the medicine she only takes this while she is in school and we skip during breaks and times out of school.. There were children but not alot that would be overwheleming...she was in the younger group and at most times there was around 10 in the program...we hardly saw kids but i think they were there....

[Julienatul]

We sail Oct/ NOV frequently with our kids. It is less crowded and a nice time to cruise compared with school out weeks. We are already booked for our fall cruise but you can really book anytime. They always have good specials since "off season"