July 25 Liberty to Bermuda with Autism on the Seas

[denas]

I posted this on the RCCL board, but wanted to post here as well. Many families with special needs kids are looking for options to cruise. We just did a cruise with Autism on the Seas. As we are experienced cruisers, I wanted to share about what services they provide that you won't get with a regular cruise with a special needs child.

 

We just returned from our kids' first RCCL cruise last week on the Liberty of the Seas. We chose this itinerary because the port is a much easier drive for us than Florida (we live just outside of DC) and we thought the weather in Bermuda in the summer would be better than the weather in the Caribbean in the summer (we tried that last year). My youngest son has multiple disabilities. We have tried cruising without help and hiring a nanny to go with us. This time we decided to book with Autism on the Seas for their staff support on the ship so we could have a little time where he was cared for without us! In this review, I will highlight the areas where Autism on the Seas (AOTS) really added to the cruise experience we have had in the past without them.

 

Our kids are 13, 9 and 5. They have been on 3 Disney cruises (with three different kids program types over the years) and 1 Carnival as well as all-inclusives at Club Med. This gave us some idea of comparison of programming between the different lines. We have sailed without them on NCL, Princess and one RCCL. We had our worst general cruise experience on our previous RCCL cruise, but we also brought my in-laws who are Diamond cruisers and LOVE RCCL.

 

Boarding - This was great. Port was easy to navigate. My kids were really amazed at the difference between a real, working port versus the Florida ports. Drop-off of luggage and parking was fine, but we have HC placards so parked close. They had a shuttle to the port but this seemed a little odd as the walk to the shuttle was as far as the walk to the terminal from most places in the parking lot!! Autism on the Seas greeted us at the door with bright orange shirts and handed us a ballon-on-a stick to identify our party. We were escorted in front of the priority line - even in front of suite and pinnacle guests and the AOTS staff assisted us in breaking down wheelchairs and helping get my son through security. We went to the front of the line to check in, turn in passports and were escorted immediately on the ship. With both Disney and Carnival, we were told we would get priority access on the ship and it sort-of worked, but nothing like the assistance we got with the AOTS staff support.

 

Muster Drill - On Carnival, we were given special instructions and waited in a private room during Muster Drill. I expected even better service on our last Disney Cruise since my son's disabilities were even more obvious as he was in a wheelchair not a stroller and we had our service dog with us and the cruiseline was very aware of his disabilities. However, Disney said there were no exceptionsto attending the Muster Drill and the Muster Drill was a disaster. The strobe lights triggered a seizure and a resulting barking from our seizure-alert dog and then this all triggered a total melt down with my son screaming so hysterically no one could hear. They did come and quietly escort us out and told us that, in fact, we didn't need to be there and could go to our cabins!! With Autism on the Seas, you go to a designated conference well-ahead of muster drill time. RCCL staff was on hand to register kids for the club and provide wrist bands. We were given ample warning to block eyes from the strobes and cover ears for the loud sound. Really a much better experience!!

 

 

Sail-away party. We were really disappointed in this. My kids love the parties where they get to dance and really let loose to start their vacation. The show was highly scripted (like Disney) but didn't have any way for audience participation. You basically sat in a chair or in the pool and watched the staff dance. I think both Carnival and NCL do a better job with sail-away parties. Disney's is an event (like all things Disney) and it is sooo crowded it is just too much for us anymore.

 

Stateroom - We really liked our stateroom. We were in 2 connecting balcony staterooms - in-laws and older kids in one, us and youngest in the other. The balcony was huge. I hate the "split-bath" concept since it takes up a ton of room and we always end up with the stuff in the bathroom that is being used so have no benefit of two people getting ready at the same time - we mostly have me looking for the toothbrsh/hairbrush/sunscreen that is in the other bathroom. I liked the way they did the connecting doors on RCCL and opened the dividers on the balcony. My only complaint was the double sleeper sofa. I didn't realize there wasn't a pull-down bunk to accommodate a 4th person (this was really unclear on both the deck plans and my confirmation). Our stateroom attendant was great with no complaints. Much better than our last RCCL experience. One little thing was that my son's push chair could actually make it through the door (it was a VERY tight squeeze but doable). This is not true of Disney. We were unable to secure a HC accessible room so I was worried about this (last year on Disney I got locked out of our room trying to collapse the chair when my little guy was in the room alone). This was a big plus in RCCLs favor since the only accommodation we absolutely need is a wider door - grab bars and turning space are nice but we can still carry him so not absolutely necessary.

 

Dining - Here again the AOTS was reallly helpful. Our group had access to the Portofino restuarant during breakfast and lunch times at the buffet. This was nice as it was quieter and we didn't have to worry about navigating a crowd with a wheelchair looking for a table. The staff would sit with the kids while we went and filled a plate. They also helped get favorites from the buffet. RCCL provided very considerate waitstaff in here as well providing drinks. In the main dining room, we all sat together in a section in the back. It was nice having a section for our group, but it was REALLY difficult to navigate my son's chair through the entire restaurant - the tables are very close together. The main dining room staff was also trained/experienced with the AOTS group. At our table my son needed french fries almost as soon as we sat down and after the first night they were there every night. One other young man at our table got cookies right away. Those of you with kids on the spectrum know what a pain meals can be and they really tried to help. If kids were fussy, the staff would offer to take them for a walk. One thing Disney did better was if a parent had to leave (on our last Disney cruise one of us left every night). The waiter would send the meal to the room. RCCL had no procedure with that. However RCCL has a much better dinner buffet so there is the option of just going there and getting a plate of the exact same thing as on the main menu.

 

Food - I didn't care for the food. On both Disney and Carnival, the kids menu includes some different selections of the day. RCCL has the same menu for kids every night. My younger kids weren't real happy with the selections. The chicken tenders and burger were great, but other things not so much. My daughter commented that she didn't think she could make it on a 9-night cruise with the meals offered since she didn't like most of the things she tried and ended up with a Minute Steak every night!! I thought the food was just OK. My teen loves chilled soups and was happy they had one every night. We much prefer Carnival and NCL buffet and MDR food to RCCL.

 

Ship Layout - this is where my in-laws LOVE RCCL but it isn't so much for us. My in-laws never get off the ship and avoid the sun, so in general are very happy sitting in the Royal Promenade. It just isn't my family's thing. It felt like sitting in the mall. I didn't like that alternative food wasn't available on the pool deck (pizza, early morning coffee, late night snacks) but rather in the promenade. Also, if you use a wheelchair, the RCCL design only has elevators in two locations versus three like other ship designs. It seemed like a long walk to elevators no matter where we were (and elevators were very crowded). We often had to go up to go down or down to go up. I really hate when certain locations (ie dining rooms/ice rink/show/conference center) on decks 2 and 3 require you to take an elevator up/down to the 5th floor, walk through the promenade, and then back up/down to where you are going since below deck 5 you can't get from one side of the ship to the other.

 

Pool - loved the pool deck. H2O zone was a big hit. The AOTS staff provides 2 hours of assistance in the morning on sea days to help at the pool. They had chairs for us. It was really great and totally changed things from last time when we didn't have help. Didn't even realize how much I would appreciate this until it happened and now can't imagine cruising on our own again.

 

Kids Clubs - So my oldest did the teen clubs last year on Disney and this year on RCCL. He much prefered RCCL. The counselors and programming was more enjoyable for him. He liked that they didn't try and keep them in the teen room, but had activities throughout the ship. My 9-year-old is happy in every kids program she has ever encountered, but her least favorite in general is also Disney. She likes it when counselors play with the kids rather than stage scripted shows/activities. I was a little worried, because the first night she went to the club and the theme was "germs". She told me the next day she didn't think she would do the clubs again because learning about germs was biology not vacation. It did improve after that and she spent time there every day.

 

AOTS Respite - the staff provides 90 minutes of respite in the afternoon on Sea Days, 2 hours every evening after dinner and 3 hours one night over the dinner hour. Our group was HUGE with 26 families! There were six adult children with their families. The staff would take them to the shows/karaoke/or make arrangements to take them to the teen club. The rest of the kids were offered respite in the conference room since there were so many kids already onboard and so many in our group. This worked out great. It was quieter and I wasn't so worried about elopement. They brought in toys and games. My non-disabled daughter went one afternoon because she was having so much fun with the AOTS staff and then asked if she could go to respite instead of her kids club - that is how much fun they had!!

 

Shows - We loved the ice show, air show and illusion show. We were disappointed in Saturday Night Fever. We weren't alone. From about the half-way point there was a steady stream of people leaving. I had forgotten how depressing the movie is with generally unlikeable characters and a suicide. It really isn't a happy show for a vacation! The dancers were good and the female vocalists as well. The male lead had a tough time carrying the role - acting/dancing/singing.. AOTS provided a reserved area for us. It was great! One lady ignored the signs and lifted up the rope and sat down. She then spent an entire show giving dirty looks to one of the adults with autism who was in the show because he kept making noise. It was nice to have an area where we didn't have to worry about "bothering" other guests and I am sure many of the guests may have grumbled at the reserved seats but would have appreciated knowing that they wouldn't be "disturbed" by our group.

 

Excursions - AOTS provided assistance for two hours each morning. Day one was at Snorkel PArk. Day 2 was Horseshoe Bay. This was the one area where we were a little disappointed because our group was so big it took them forever to get us all anywhere and they didn't really have a plan for getting to Horseshoe Bay (I was the one who told them about the minibuses). Weather was terrible. Lightning ruined day one for us (we went to St. Georges and ended up just having to wait out storms and catch a ferry back). Horseshoe bay was great but we had a scheduled snorkel tour for the afternoon so had to rush back. The tour operator had confirmed that they were still going that morning, but then was a no-show. Very frustrating. Our plan to sail to the much-more-expensive Bermuda for "better weather" turned out to be a bust. In hind site, I think I prefer different ports or more days in Bermuda so we would have had a better chance of decent weather.

 

Flow Rider/Rock-Wall-Ice Skating - AOTS provided private events for all of these activities. This was fabulous. They put some of the kids/adults in chairs and pushed them around the ice or held them so they could skate. They pushed my son's wheelchair all around the ice. During the Flow-Rider, the sports deck manager and flow rider manager were both there to help. One young lady who has a condition that results in her easily breaking bones/dislocating joints they boogie-boarded next too to stabilize her and prevent injury. The staff at all of these events was remarkable - both AOTS staff and RCCL staff. I guess RCCL has an entire procedure for helping the AOTS group and it definitely showed in giving these kids access to these things they couldn't otherwise do. Many parents were shedding tears of joy to see their kids on the rock wall/ice rink/flow-rider.

 

General - We are definitely sailing with AOTS again - in fact we have already booked next summer on Carnival. AOTS does a ton of cruises on RCCL, but it won't be our first choice. The ships have a ton of features, but many aren't things we care for and these features really raise the price. This 5-day trip was 20% more than my last 7-day on Disney, and I just didn't feel it was a good "value"! If possible, we will probably stick with Carnival and NCL. However, I am not ship-loyal. Dates, itinerary, departure port and price are my first considerations! Maybe I am just not a one-port person!!

[Kerry's Girls]

What a thorough review - I've never seen such detail related to what AOTS offers. Thanks so much for sharing!

[Texas4808]

There's another agency that does a fantastic job for Autism families as well.

[bcsurvivor05]

I have been wanting to go on an AOTS cruise for a while but they are so much more money (they don't sail on carnival and RCCL is typically more expensive in general). My mission for next year is to suck it up and go with them. I have heard nothing but great things about them. Thank you for your review.

[denas]

I have been wanting to go on an AOTS cruise for a while but they are so much more money (they don't sail on carnival and RCCL is typically more expensive in general). My mission for next year is to suck it up and go with them. I have heard nothing but great things about them. Thank you for your review.

 

You need to go to their website and look at their schedule of cruises. They sail on Carnival, NCL, Celebrity and Disney in addition to RCCL. We have booked on Carnival with them next summer. You pay 15-20 pp/per day over what it would cost you to book directly with the cruise line for staff accompanied trips.