Century or Grand Princess to Alaska for allergic and autistic child?

[ProfTW]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post and I will also be posting on the Princess forum to see what they say.

Just a little background about my wife and me. We have been on over 20 cruises prior to our son being born 10 years ago and are pretty familiar with both Celebrity and Princess. We have been to Alaska about 6 times and have taken only one cruise with our son which was on Disney to Alaska a couple of years ago.

We are currently looking at cruising again to Alaska this summer and have narrowed it down to a Window Suite on the Grand Princess or Sky suite on the Century (both the same price). Based on our criteria, only these two cruises work for us.

 

In our minds the deciding factor is based on answering these two questions:

- Which cruise would be better able to handle my son's severe peanut and tree nut allergy?

- Which ship's children's program works better for a high-functioning (Aspergers) boy? My son loves video games, art, building and science.

 

If you can provide any insight into these two questions (or even a general comparison of these two ships based on recent experience), it would be greatly appreciated. Advice and suggestions are very welcome.

 

Thank you very much!

ProfTW

[rebeccalouiseagain]

The youth program does not generally provide any food items on either line. Occasionally they will have fruit in the youth program but parents are responsible for feeding their child. NO PEANUTS in either youth program. Celebrity offer "kids lunch" and "kids dinner"- this takes place in the buffet and there is a fee involved ($12 per child). The food items are limited to things like chicken tenders, burgers and fries. No peanut items.

 

As for the rest of the ships- there will be peanuts in the bar areas but not enough to trigger allergies I suspect.

 

As for the youth programs- I prefer Celebrity to Princess but only by a hair. Both youth programs include some free play and organized activities. The counselors are usually trained to deal with autism but I would notify the ship in advance, because they often hire more counselors if there are special needs kids on board. It is important to go to the youth orientation program on the day of embarkation. This way you can discuss your concerns with the staff.

 

The deciding factor for me would be- do you want a child friendly ship or a more adult centric ship. Grand will have more activities that will appeal to most kids. The indoor pool and outdoor movie theater on Grand may appeal to your son. I'm not sure if he enjoys these things but I personally do.

 

If you think your son will be better off in a less stimulating environment and more cozy ship- then I'd pick Celebrity Century.

 

You may want to post your questions on the Family cruising board.

Edited March 2, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[ProfTW]

Thank you. This is exactly the type of information I was looking for. Ultimately, if our son is taken care of, then we can relax. From your post, it appears our decision is between the more child friendly Grand and less stimulating Century. Appreciate your insight.

[wwcruisers]

ProfTW -- Sorry, I can't help you with the special needs issues -- except that X does have a good Special Needs Department. If you decide to book with Celebrity, you might want to give them a call, as soon as possible.

 

However, I did just get off Century, after an 11-night b2b. My DH and I also sailed her to Hawaii, two years ago. Not knowing what your son's interests are, I just have to say that Century is not really a ship for kids. I understand that the kids' programs are quite good onboard. But, the ship itself is old, and lacks the "bells & whistles" of the newer ships, which are more family-friendly. There are only two small (outdoor) salt-water pools, a couple of hot-tubs, a ping-pong table, basketball court & jogging track -- and (of course) the requisite shuffleboard court. On our most recent cruise, I saw a couple of older kids wandering around, looking bored out of their minds! :rolleyes:

 

You mentioned a Sky Suite on Century. We had a Sky Suite on Deck 12 for our cruise to Hawaii. It was a wonderful cabin -- for two adults. IMHO, it would have been very crowded for more than that. The Sky Suite balconies are great, on Century. But, being an older ship, all of the cabins are smaller than you'd find on Celebrity's new-builds.

 

Hope this helps, and that you and your family have a wonderful cruise! :cool:

Edited March 2, 2014 by wwcruisers

[ProfTW]

wwcruisers, appreciate your observations. Based on your post (and previous), it appears that the Century may not be as kid friendly as the Grand or newer Celebrity ships. Thank you very much.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

I've sailed Grand Twice and the best location IMO would be to stay on the Lido Deck because everything that a kid likes will be at your disposal. You've got the youth program one flight up. The pools, pizza, burgers and fries and outdoor movie theater right there. The buffet is on the lido deck as well. You can be relaxing by the pool or Sanctuary and pop in to check on your son any time.

Edited March 2, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[BarbaraM]

I also think for a 10 year old, bigger ship may be the better choice. I'd bring his DS or IPad as a backup activity, but think he is the perfect age for the group kids activities. Princess has a good reputation in Alaska. I also like their freestyle concept.

[Texasopa]

I have no clue which is better, but I just saw this article that might interest you.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2014/02/25/autism-friendly-travel-now-available-on-royal-caribbean-cruises/?intcmp=features

[ProfTW]

Thank you everyone. We are leaning towards the Grand based on that it is a larger ship with more amenities. When we cruised Disney, our son only spent 2-3 hours at most in the children's club so we are not expecting him to spend a lot of time in the club. Swimming under an enclosed roof also sounds very attractive to us.

Texasopa, thanks for the article regarding certifying RCI. I was actually aware of this. "Autism of the Seas" the certifying body mentioned is actually a travel agency. We used them when booking our Disney cruise a few years ago. Problem for us is that we are Canadian and if we use this agency for lines like Princess or Celebrity, we would have to pay in US dollars. Right now, both cruise lines have rates of Canadian at par with USD. If we had to pay in USD we would pay a 12--15% premium at current real exchange rates.

Thanks again - everyone!

[Project_gal]

In our minds the deciding factor is based on answering these two questions:

- Which ship's children's program works better for a high-functioning (Aspergers) boy? My son loves video games, art, building and science.

 

I cannot really answer your specific question but you asked for "any insights" so I hope that this is of some help. My only experience is travelling in 2008 on NCL Sun 7-night Alaska cruise with my nephew, then aged 8, who had just been diaognosed with Aspergers and, at the time, loved video games and LEGO construction kits. NCL Sun is a badly designed ship which seems to make it almost impossible to get from and A to any B.

 

My nephew took one look at the Kids Club on board and said that it was not for him. However, within a day, he could tell us exactly what bar was open at any time during the cruise - he had, with no prompting from any of us, learned the location and opening times of all of them [we had no idea from where]. He could always tell us how to get from A to B. He found plenty to keep himself occupied without the Kids Club.

 

At the end of the cruise, when asked what he enjoyed most, he said "everything".

 

In short, he found a cruise ship and three ports in Alsaka totally absorbing for 7 days without any on board programme. I have never been on Century or any Princess ship but I suspect that the Grand Princess is a larger and more complex ship that Century and be the one to choose.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Project_gal