Which cruise line for 3 yr old with autism spectrum disorder?

[ohboy2011]

Hi,

 

Our son was recently diagnosed wit asd, & I am wondering which cruise line might be better for meeting his needs. He gets overwhelmed by too much noise & thingslime that. I have already booked on the Allure for Jan. 4th, but am wondering if maybe it might be too many people...too much stuff, etc. I originally thought he'd like to watch the carousel & look at the trees in Central Park. We have an owner's suite booked, so we'll be planning on spending tine in the room to wind down if we need to.

 

I was also looking at the Epic...I can get a 2 br suite for a lot less, or the Disney Magic I can even get a 1 br for less.....too many choices!

 

And it's a surprise for my husband, so I can't ask him!

 

Thanks for any thoughts you might have.....oh...this will be our first cruise :)

 

Andrea

[cb at sea]

You'll be fine. Contact the "Special Needs" dept...you can find that online. The number of folks on Allure will not be evident...the ship is built to distribute the passenger load...it feels no more crowded than any other ship.

 

I have to say, if you can get a suite on NCL for less...do it! NCL has some of the best "suite perks" in the cruise industry!

[Silverhues]

I have heard positive things about autism on the seas. I am not personally familiar with the program, but it might be something to look into.

[The Mister]

I have heard positive things about autism on the seas. I am not personally familiar with the program, but it might be something to look into.

Agreed.

 

Since this is your first cruise, Autism on the Seas is likely to be of great benefit, helping you to coordinate and communicate with the cruise line about your son's needs. RCI is AOTS's primary partner, and is now certified "autism friendly" (Google for articles about this new certification), so you at least chose the best line to start with, even if you ultimately decide to book a different ship.

 

We are very likely to choose RCI for our next booking. Price was just to good to pass up on our upcoming NCL cruise.

Edited May 4, 2014 by The Mister

[ohboy2011]

Thanks for the replies....will go look into Autism on the Seas.

 

Andrea

[earthchild618]

I would not automatically say "you will be fine". My son has SPD and I know exactly where you are coming from. I booked my son's first cruise for next summer on Carnival. I booked a 4 day cruise out of NY so there is no flying involved and it is as short as I could get (aside from the cruise to nowhere out of NY). My plan is to make this as low key and laid back as possible. I didn't book any excursions as walking around and heading back to the ship when needed is the best plan for him. I will not be going into the main dining room for dinner at all. We will not attend any of the activities onboard that draw large crowds. I booked the Canadian cruise so we are not in tropical temps. I will bring OT tools with me and will not be upset if I have to spend time in my cabin getting him regulated.

 

If this cruise works out, I plan on booking a longer cruise. Autism of the Seas is something I will also be looking into. Good luck! I hope that it all goes well. It will not be easy but you will find a way!

[ohboy2011]

Earthchild.....what made ou choose Carnival over the other lines, if you don't mind me asking? I am still wondering if I should be looking at the Epic because of the 2 br suite & the space it would give us, or a smaller Carnival ship.

 

I did look at the Autism on the Seas website & it looks really good! I want to make sure I've fully committed to my ship before I contact them though ;)

 

Good luck with your cruise, I hope your son has a wonderful time :)

 

Andrea

[earthchild618]

The one and only reason that I chose Carnival is because they had the shortest Canadian cruise. I wanted short (for the trial cruise). NCL and RCC both had only 7+ days during the time that I was looking to travel (I will not go during the school year when school is in session). I was open to any of the lines-it was only a matter of who had exactly what I was looking for and when I was looking for it!

[alj1208]

Hi... If you are looking for a kids club that is less crowded where your child might get more individual attention, you might want to consider Celebrity. My son enjoyed the club on the Eclipse when he was 4. He has ADHD and can easily get over-stimulated. They were great with him, very sensitive to his needs, and he had a good time. The club was not crowded and didn't have too much visual stimulation (lights.. wild colors and sounds), but the activities were really fun. Also, the decor on the ship is very understated and calming. You will not see crowds.The downside of Celebrity is that it's less family oriented overall.

[kitkat343]

I would also suggest that parents of children with disabilities consider traveling against school holidays and breaks. When our son was two, we took a Panama Canal cruise on Princess that departed on January 8th. The previous cruise over New Years had 150 children, and the January 8th one had only 9 kids. So the counselors were able to give each of the children the individual attention young toddlers or children with disabilities may need.

Edited May 14, 2014 by kitkat343

[The Mister]

Hi... If you are looking for a kids club that is less crowded where your child might get more individual attention, you might want to consider Celebrity. My son enjoyed the club on the Eclipse when he was 4. He has ADHD and can easily get over-stimulated. They were great with him, very sensitive to his needs, and he had a good time. The club was not crowded and didn't have too much visual stimulation (lights.. wild colors and sounds), but the activities were really fun. Also, the decor on the ship is very understated and calming. You will not see crowds.The downside of Celebrity is that it's less family oriented overall.

FYI, AOTS has recently started working with Celebrity as well. (Makes sense, since it's an RCI brand.)

I would also suggest that parents of children with disabilities consider traveling against school holidays and breaks. When our son was two, we took a Panama Canal cruise on Princess that departed on January 8th. The previous cruise over New Years had 150 children, and the January 8th one had only 9 kids. So the counselors were able to give each of the children the individual attention young toddlers or children with disabilities may need.

Yes. We did this last fall and are doing so this fall as well. Didn't bump up SO close to holidays that the kids were super-sparse, but then again, it was also a Carnival ship, so having 90 kids signed up from ages 3-11 is actually pretty low for them compared to mid-July or TG week. If we had done one of the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it probably would have been lower.

 

Our sailing for the smaller, fewer-bells-and-whistles-having NCL Jewel should have fewer children than the Carnival Liberty regardless.

 

Fall 2015's tentative plans for either the RC Navigator or RC Liberty (date dependent) will probably have more children than a Celeb or Princess regardless, but we can still try to time it to off-weeks. I'll definitely be looking for kids-sail-free discounts for those dates when the time comes. :)

Edited May 14, 2014 by The Mister

[The Mister]

One more thing: While many here (including myself) have mentioned Autism On the Seas, you may also want to look into Autism Adventure Travel. Pretty much the same thing, but organized by an Autism Mom™, with a bit more personal touch.

 

As I mentioned, my first cruise and upcoming second cruise are booked with AOTS. However, having just had a phone conversation with AAT, it's obvious that both organizations are worth looking into.

 

I'm sure that as an Autism Mom™ yourself, you are used to doing LOTS of research ahead of time, so hopefully it's worth getting both names out there.

[alj1208]

Also, good for you OP! I am glad you are taking a family vacation. Having a child with challenges can be very hard, and it's easy to let those challenges dictate what you can/will do as a family. This will be good for you and your son going forward. You are doing your research and planning ahead. Have a great time!

Edited May 15, 2014 by alj1208

[ohboy2011]

Wow....thank you for the suggestions! I will also look into the other resource as well.

 

And yes, we do need a family vacation desperately, but even as I plan & read, I find myself worrying I may be in over my head! :p

 

Andrea

[The Mister]

One thing to keep in mind that hasn't been mentioned in this thread (but probably has been elsewhere on CC) is that just because (say) 90 kids are registered for a ship's kids' club doesn't mean that there will ever be 90 kids in the room at once. On our Carnival cruise last October, the Camp manager said that the busiest day at Camp is the first full day (usually a sea day), and even then only about half of the kids are in there at once. On any given sea day, some parents only do mornings, others only the afternoon or evening, and others sign them up as a "maybe" and end up using it hardly at all for whatever reason (typical of the younger age group).

 

In other words, if you have concerns about crowds, those can be tempered somewhat, though of course it is still smart to pay attention to the seasonal trends.

Edited May 15, 2014 by The Mister

[williamsk]

Something else to consider is length of cruise. My dd does not have autism, but at that age 4 or 5 days was the max amount she could handle being off schedule before she became cranky. She is a great little polite traveler, but past that point it was too much. Now she can go a bit longer. Also consider using a flexible dining time or the buffet, dinner can be very long in the main dining room. The hardest part in cruising with kids is to recognise that they set the schedule now.... sometimes it means canceling something last minute because a nap is in order. At that age do not worry about keeping them entertained when selecting a ship... you will find that their favorite things about the trip can be very different than what you might think. My dd loved the fish carpet print on the sky and hot chocolate on our Alaska trip.

[luvsviola]

My 5 year old son has significant special needs--feeding tube, ODD, ADHD, possibly may end up with a spectrum diagnosis eventually.

 

We have done Carnival Dream, which was a disaster (they had too many kids, and couldn't handle his behaviors--they called us within an hour of him being dropped off every time)

 

and Carnival Fascination---fantastic. There were never more than 10 kids in there with a ton of staff and they were able to have a one-on-one with him most of the time due to it being a smaller ship. He spent hours a day in the kids club and they were amazing with him. It was also quieter with less chaos, which helped him a lot.

 

For us, the smaller ship with significantly fewer kids meant a way way way better kids club experience.

Edited May 17, 2014 by luvsviola

[ohboy2011]

Thanks for the thoughts. I have wondered if a smaller ship might be less overwhelming in some ways..

 

I had thought Celebrity was not very child friendly, but do like the sounds of calmer & all that rather than a busier atmosphere...will maybe also have a look at their schedule.

 

Thanks again :)

Andrea

[Esilef]

We recently cruised with our autistic 5 year old.

 

Cruised on voyager of the seas.

 

My son really really loved every minute of our cruise to the point he didn't sleep for 10 nights.

 

The Cruiseship over stimulated him & he was off & running.

 

Rci kids club was full constantly and they could not handle his one on one needs. Baby sitting was full with no extra spaces as all the poor mums & dads whom had their kids on kids club all day needed babysitter for when the club was closed......

 

We attempted the MDR but he would not sit still.

 

Rci had a toy lending program which was amazing plus one of the bars the upper level of the ship had been turned into a toddler & mum sitting area. OMG this area was amazing. I finally got a break there and could chat to other mums.

 

We took a walkabout travel lock for our cabin door. Best thing ever.

 

Our son loved loved loved the cruise.

 

After the cruise he was placed on autism medication to slow him down. Think about talking to your doctor if you think your son would need this.

 

Don't plan too much as often things are how the child wants it not what you want.

 

Caught my son looking at rci brochures and playing with a Cruiseship toy last night. Wonder where he wants to go?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

RCL or Carnival ..

[chickensmomma]

We cruise with three kids (5y, 7y ASD and 9y). We have enjoyed NCL and they have been very accomodating with our autism needs. We have setup an escort through security to bypass the lines through NCL special needs department. We have stayed in suites to take advantage of the wonderful NCL suite perks.

 

There are two different levels of family suites- Haven and non-Haven. The non-Haven suites have all the same perks but no access to the quiet courtyard (which we would not use). The smaller ships have these suites. The larger ships only have Haven suites.

 

The suite is nice because there is more room to move and there is a DVD player and a large tub to use for meltdowns/ diversion. We found that the suite was a nice retreat whenour ASD 7y was "out of sorts". Cagney's or the Haven restaurant is nice,quiet, and less crowded than MDR or buffet. The suite also allows for specialty dining food delivery- so, if ASD takes over and you need to tale respite in your room, you can get good food.

 

The suite also allows for priority tenders- we called the concierge and bypassed the line. We also took advantage of walk off departure.

The suite level depends on the ship. Most NCL ships have Nickelodeon activities. Our ASD child did not use the kids club due to noise and sensory issues but that would depend on how autism manifests in your child. Our two NT children loved it.

BTW, our daughter is moderate autism (slightly conversational with echolalia, sensory issues, problems with transitions, wanderer). We took her fav blanket, small toys, DVDs, and ear muffs). She can be quite flappy and loud so we felt a little out of place in the Haven. We liked the non haven suite better. Not sure where you are in your autism journey or the issues that you must plan for because they are all different. We have found that all of our kids love cruising. Our ASD became fixated on it she loved it so much. So, do your research, pickout a line and cabin that will suit your needs and have a great time. It is good to research and have expectations but play it by ear once on the ship. Have a great time!!

Edited June 11, 2014 by chickensmomma

[ArchMom]

I admit I haven't read through this whole thread, but in searching for info on nut allergies, came across this bit about ASD on royal's website. I remembered seeing this post question on the boards and thought I'd share. I hope you are able to find a good vacation for your family!

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/product.do?pagename=onboard_prod_autism_friendly_ships

[Marie51]

We sailed on Independence of the Seas in April with my granddaughter age 5 with ASD. She did great. We requested a table by the window so she could look out (she is tube fed, doesn't eat but likes to have a plate of food in front of her like everyone else). Also we went to guest services when we boarded the ship..... they gave her and my DIL permission to stay int the cabin for muster drill.

[momof3cruisers]

I admit I haven't read through this whole thread, but in searching for info on nut allergies, came across this bit about ASD on royal's website. I remembered seeing this post question on the boards and thought I'd share. I hope you are able to find a good vacation for your family!

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/experiencetypes/product.do?pagename=onboard_prod_autism_friendly_ships

 

Just FYI, I had also been encouraged by that info prior to our cruise on Allure in April. However, we found Royal to be the least accommodating cruiseline we have been on. When I tried to speak with someone in guest services about alternate muster arrangements (which is what their special needs department told me to do) they acted like I was totally out of line for asking and that they had never heard of such a thing. Their response was "everyone needs to participate in the muster drill." I told them I knew that and tried again to explain. Their suggestion was to go early so we could take the elevator. :confused:

 

We also had a waiter who took the kids menu away from our son and told him he had to order off of the adult menu. First of all, he is 12 so right on the cusp and I'm pretty sure you can order off of any menu. Since he is a rule follower (obsessively) he refused to believe us that he could have Mac and cheese if he wanted it. Dinner was unpleasant to say the least and we ended up not going to the main dining room on the last few nights.

 

The absolute best and most helpful service we received was with Carnival. They notify the ship ahead of time so that they are prepared for what you will need.