BeachMom2 Posted May 31, 2007 #1 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Does anyone have any experience with an Autistic toddler/child on a cruise? He runs faster than my 5 year old, doesn't speak very well, at all really but is very social. Would AO on RCI still let him participate in the activities? Any advise would be great. Thanks a bunch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccalouise Posted May 31, 2007 #2 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Children have to be three to participate in AO. If he is three and potty trained I would think it wouldn't be a problem. Otherwise, you will be on your own just like the rest of the parents with kids under three. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachMom2 Posted May 31, 2007 Author #3 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Okay, thanks. :) I just didn't know if there were any restrictions. I can always call the cruise line though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted May 31, 2007 #4 Share Posted May 31, 2007 He must be three and potty trained. Also, they have the "strike program" so if he misbehaves, they can restrict him from the program. Is your son a "runner"? If so, I'm not sure if AO would be a good place for him. I'm a former special ed teacher, and I understand Autistic kids quite well. If he's the kind of child who runs away, AO isn't something I, as a parent, would be comfortable with. While they have counselors, they aren't trained, and they don't have enough personnel, to handle a child who runs away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted May 31, 2007 #5 Share Posted May 31, 2007 Hey, welcome to the Family Board. :D So now I gotta show you the strike system thread. It's what happened to my 3 year old on RCCL. She is not autistic (we don't think she is)...she *may* be on the spectrum. At the time she had just had tubes placed in her ears the week before. She attends speech therapy every week and her speech is behind. Her hearing had been diminished for the first 3 years of her life. So she does not focus very well. And she has had seizures (this kid has been thru so much in 3 years :( ) So we went on RCCL Freedom to celebrate her 3rd birthday and this is what happened... http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=551116 We did get it resolved but it was a stressful first 2 days. I would advise you to call RCCL and see what they do for kids who are autistic. I was told on RCCL by the adventure ocean STAFF that the program at AO is much more activity/sitting centered than Carnival. And I believe it since Gabriella had no problems at Camp Carnival because they had more physical activities than sitting actitivites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeta3 Posted June 1, 2007 #6 Share Posted June 1, 2007 I have taken my 4 yr old DD on several cruises, she Autistic with most delays in speech and social. We have been on Carnival and Celebrity. Camp Carnival has never been a success for us because it is just way too over-stimulating and stressful for her. She did very well on Celebrity, there were less children and the counselers seemed to understand her issues and how to interact with her really well. Our next cruise will be this Dec on HAL so we shall see how their program is for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccalouise Posted June 1, 2007 #7 Share Posted June 1, 2007 One of the previous posters made a good point- it may be best to travel during off peak times and I too highly recommend Celebrity. They don't have as many kids- so the ones on board are well looked after. That's why I like it because it is not a zoo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeachMom2 Posted June 1, 2007 Author #8 Share Posted June 1, 2007 My son is a runner. Scary fast too. :eek: Obviously, we'll check out all the different lines before we go. If it comes down to it, he can just stay with me the whole time and we'll get a sitter after he goes to sleep nap times, however they do it. He loves being in the stroller and loves to swim so no worries there. We'll see how it all goes. I love this board! Stuff you could never get from the cruise line themselves! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeta3 Posted June 1, 2007 #9 Share Posted June 1, 2007 The other thing to think about are the more crowded situations like embarkation and debarkation also the life boat drill can be difficult if waiting/crowds/noise are an issue. I would be happy to share any info or answer any questions you may have. We are taking DD will be taking cruise #6 in Dec. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebeccalouise Posted June 1, 2007 #10 Share Posted June 1, 2007 My son is a runner. Scary fast too. :eek: Obviously, we'll check out all the different lines before we go. If it comes down to it, he can just stay with me the whole time and we'll get a sitter after he goes to sleep nap times, however they do it. He loves being in the stroller and loves to swim so no worries there. We'll see how it all goes. I love this board! Stuff you could never get from the cruise line themselves! :) I am not knowledgeable about autistic children but all of the kids programs are held inside in the Fun Zone (Princess), Fun Factory (Celebrity) or Adventure Ocean (Royal), etc. The 3-5 year olds rarely leave the youth facility. They play there all day. There are some exceptions- there is a daily printout of the activities provided to you each day. This will let you know what activities are happening at what time. Say your child is a runner- they play free tag and things like that. They also do solitary things like computer games and group things like art projects. They change things every 30 minutes. They also offer lots of free play in the morning (usually from 9-10)- where it is completely unstructured. Remember the kids can not escape and are not allowed to leave the youth facility unsupervised. You may not want your child to do the dancing in the disco or the pirate parade if you think he might be disruptive or try to escape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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