Anxious toddler on celebrity Silouhette

[Anxioustoddler]

My family is taking our first cruise in March on the Celebrity Silhouette. My son will be 4.5 years old but has social anxiety and possible autism. Any tips for packing entertainment, quiet spots for playing, etc? Can we bring his favourite snacks and juice on board or will we have to stick to the buffet? Anything you can do to help us have a great time will be very helpful!! Thanks in advance!

[cruisestitch]

You can definitely bring his favorite snacks and soft drinks -- unlimited quantities of each allowed. There is a section of Cruise Critic devoted to Family Cruising -- I'd go there and you should get lots of practical advice from other parents.

[missthesea]

I think I read somewhere that the kids' club staff has recently had special training in kids on the spectrum, and certain activities are planned that are "autism friendly". You may prefer to stay with him, still, but good to know.

 

 

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[Anxioustoddler]

Thanks, wading through the family section now. Not finding much specific to the ship though. Does anybody know if we can bring cords to hook a portable DVD player up to the tvs? That would help a lot to calm our son!

[cruisestitch]

Usually the inputs are disabled. There have been a few tech-savvy passengers who have figured out workarounds so they can hook up their DVD players to the tvs but most report that they were not able to do this. But you can always bring a small portable DVD player with you. Or use a tablet or laptop.

 

If you are bringing a lot of electronics, don't bring a power strip for them. They are generally not allowed. You can bring a power cube that doesn't have a surge protector. It's the surge protector that is the problem. They are fire hazards on ships.

 

Celebrity has received some sort of certification as an "autism friendly" cruise line. On the Celebrity website, go to the menu on the far left side and choose Accessible Cruising. One of the choices there deals with Autism and what kinds of things they offer.

[Sailingkidswine]

We have an 8.5 yo will anxiety and he went on his first cruise last year. He claims its his favorite vacation (and we travel a lot.) His favorite place was the stateroom (and this was a DCL cruise so very family/kid friendly.) We did everything could to get him into the kids club -- bribes, threats, etc. We are on the Summit in a few weeks and while we will want him to check out the club and perhaps spend some time there, we are also going to try to be understanding about the fact that his idea vacation is eating cereal in the stateroom. I like to lounge by the pool and my husband hates that. He likes to watch movies and I'd rather do anything and our oldest is a social butterfly all over the ship...everyone's idea of a good vaca is different. I'd specifically have an "exit" plan from everything you do -- who is going to take him, where, how long, etc. Food with anxious kids can be tough so just plan ahead!

[Anxioustoddler]

We have an 8.5 yo will anxiety and he went on his first cruise last year. He claims its his favorite vacation (and we travel a lot.) His favorite place was the stateroom (and this was a DCL cruise so very family/kid friendly.) We did everything could to get him into the kids club -- bribes, threats, etc. We are on the Summit in a few weeks and while we will want him to check out the club and perhaps spend some time there, we are also going to try to be understanding about the fact that his idea vacation is eating cereal in the stateroom. I like to lounge by the pool and my husband hates that. He likes to watch movies and I'd rather do anything and our oldest is a social butterfly all over the ship...everyone's idea of a good vaca is different. I'd specifically have an "exit" plan from everything you do -- who is going to take him, where, how long, etc. Food with anxious kids can be tough so just plan ahead!

 

Thank you so much! I love to hear that you travel a lot with your son. I hope we can do that as well. His anxiety makes me anxious so the two of us need a lot of nudging and advice!

[Anxioustoddler]

Usually the inputs are disabled. There have been a few tech-savvy passengers who have figured out workarounds so they can hook up their DVD players to the tvs but most report that they were not able to do this. But you can always bring a small portable DVD player with you. Or use a tablet or laptop.

 

If you are bringing a lot of electronics, don't bring a power strip for them. They are generally not allowed. You can bring a power cube that doesn't have a surge protector. It's the surge protector that is the problem. They are fire hazards on ships.

 

Celebrity has received some sort of certification as an "autism friendly" cruise line. On the Celebrity website, go to the menu on the far left side and choose Accessible Cruising. One of the choices there deals with Autism and what kinds of things they offer.

 

Thanks so much for the power strip advice! It was one of the things we were going to bring so I'll look into a power cube! We are hoping to "unplug" a little but need a lot of backup for meltdowns!

[Travelbug750]

Understanding that every situation is different, I can say that cruising has been our son's favorite type of vacation. He's an adult now and is a very good traveler. You will find some quiet spots on the ship that may offer him some respite from the crowds. We also found that room service was a great help when he had trouble waiting for our assigned seating for dinner. We didn't have today's electronics when he was a child but he always traveled with a walkman and his tapes. So take what makes your child comfortable. A portable DVD player is a good idea in case you can't connect with the TV. The kids' program may be too stimulating for him - all you can do is visit and see his reaction. The pool and hot tubs were always a hit, even in the cold of Alaska. Our son doesn't have any food sensitivities, in fact we really found out just how much he is capable of eating. The buffet was his friend, although we always had dinner as a family in the dining room. Our cruises as a family allowed each of us to have the type of cruise we wanted. That's the stuff that makes memories.

[Anxioustoddler]

Understanding that every situation is different, I can say that cruising has been our son's favorite type of vacation. He's an adult now and is a very good traveler. You will find some quiet spots on the ship that may offer him some respite from the crowds. We also found that room service was a great help when he had trouble waiting for our assigned seating for dinner. We didn't have today's electronics when he was a child but he always traveled with a walkman and his tapes. So take what makes your child comfortable. A portable DVD player is a good idea in case you can't connect with the TV. The kids' program may be too stimulating for him - all you can do is visit and see his reaction. The pool and hot tubs were always a hit, even in the cold of Alaska. Our son doesn't have any food sensitivities, in fact we really found out just how much he is capable of eating. The buffet was his friend, although we always had dinner as a family in the dining room. Our cruises as a family allowed each of us to have the type of cruise we wanted. That's the stuff that makes memories.

 

Wow, thank you so much for this! It makes me a lot more excited to go!

[MEcruzr]

Do you have noise cancelling headphones for him? Get some if you don't!

 

I hope you're all able to enjoy your cruise. Try to ignore people who just don't know what you're dealing with. You know what I mean. If there's something that might make your cruise better or easier, ASK. Your waiter and assistant waiter will bring you whatever you need if they can. Your room steward will also be a great help. If you need dinner to be delivered sooner than usual, ask. If you need his food to be served on separate plates (not all on one or foods touching), ask. Speak with the M' D the first night. They really will do all they can to help.

 

I don't know if it's possible, but it would be worth asking... see if you can have access to the kids' play area after/before regular hours.

[cruisestitch]

A lot of anxiety is fear of the unknown. There are many, many videos of tours of the ship. If he would sit still for one while you talk him through it, you could say "here is the indoor pool, here is the hallway to the rooms, here is the buffet where we will have lunch" things like that.

 

Talk to him about the muster drill. It's mandatory that he attend. He won't have to wear his life jacket. But they will talk about them. No sense frightening him, but if he knows it's going to happen, that will help. There will be loud noises -- the sounds of an emergency. He can cover his ears or wear headphones or have earplugs. Again, if he knows what to expect, it will help.

 

Tell him about the wrist band they will require him to wear. Maybe make a practice one to wear around the house. The wrist bands are color coded so that in case he should get separated from you, the staff can help him find his way in case of an emergency. He doesn't need to know that, but he does need to know that he will be wearing one.

 

Do as much role-playing as you can ahead of time. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

[Anxioustoddler]

Do you have noise cancelling headphones for him? Get some if you don't!

 

I hope you're all able to enjoy your cruise. Try to ignore people who just don't know what you're dealing with. You know what I mean. If there's something that might make your cruise better or easier, ASK. Your waiter and assistant waiter will bring you whatever you need if they can. Your room steward will also be a great help. If you need dinner to be delivered sooner than usual, ask. If you need his food to be served on separate plates (not all on one or foods touching), ask. Speak with the M' D the first night. They really will do all they can to help.

 

I don't know if it's possible, but it would be worth asking... see if you can have access to the kids' play area after/before regular hours.

 

Great ideas, thanks! He seems to be ok with most kids if I am there so we may be ok with kid's club if one of us sticks around for cuddles if needed. Noise cancelling headphones go with us everywhere so we are already comfy with that! Thank goodness for them!!

[Anxioustoddler]

A lot of anxiety is fear of the unknown. There are many, many videos of tours of the ship. If he would sit still for one while you talk him through it, you could say "here is the indoor pool, here is the hallway to the rooms, here is the buffet where we will have lunch" things like that.

 

Talk to him about the muster drill. It's mandatory that he attend. He won't have to wear his life jacket. But they will talk about them. No sense frightening him, but if he knows it's going to happen, that will help. There will be loud noises -- the sounds of an emergency. He can cover his ears or wear headphones or have earplugs. Again, if he knows what to expect, it will help.

 

Tell him about the wrist band they will require him to wear. Maybe make a practice one to wear around the house. The wrist bands are color coded so that in case he should get separated from you, the staff can help him find his way in case of an emergency. He doesn't need to know that, but he does need to know that he will be wearing one.

 

Do as much role-playing as you can ahead of time. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

 

He's a little young to grasp the concepts of the ship having problems or getting lost but all very good ideas. The muster drill sounds like an ordeal that will scare the crap out of him so I'll prep a calm down bag for him after that. Thanks so much for your comment, I would not have known how much to expect from that! The wristband may be trouble but not much we can do about that but hope it isn't!