TravelingBeyondBoundaries

I'm super excited for this cruise! I'm going with my brother and my daughter. We love smaller ships and hoping Jewel gives that experience. It will be our first cruise in Europe and can't wait to go above the Arctic Circle.

Since my initial posts I have done 3 cruises with my daughter. She has also since been diagnosed with autism in addition to her Down syndrome. The first cruise actually had the Autism on the Seas group on there and it was really cool to see. I highly recommend going on one of their cruises if you can. I'm now hosting group cruises and we have multiple special needs in our group but it's on a different cruise line because we had better experiences with them than Royal. It's not specifically directed at special needs cruising but since that's who I work a lot with that's what naturally I end up booking into my groups.

Thanks, I'll pass lol

We got it for Norway (July 2024). Often it's included for Europe and sometimes Alaska but never for popular destinations like Caribbean.

Is the Solo Cruisers Meetup usually people who are single looking to hookup or people just looking to hang out? I've always cruised with my brother or a friend but I'm taking my first cruise with just my daughter (5 years old but has special needs so is like traveling with a baby) and wondering if it's worth my time to attend.

This is exactly what I think I'm looking for, thanks! Also glad to hear they had fun activities on the boardwalk for families as well. Thanks everyone so much! I will definitely be checking with staff but sounds like there are enough activities for us to do together that we should be good. Can't wait!

Thanks so much. I've been looking at past cruise compasses to see what's available but I'll have to find an AO one. She'll be 5 but she's the size of a 2 year old and has only been walking for less than a year. Developmentally she's about 12-18 months old. I know she will enjoy the baby splash zone (4 out of 5 cruises we have booked right now have one) but sitting there all day isn't the way I want to spend my cruise lol. She loves music so I know we will be listening to that a lot throughout the ship. She's too small for many activities like the rock climbing wall and not sure she can do mini putt. If they had enough staff for very close supervision I would be ok with leaving her for 30 minutes to do one activity but I guess that will depend on staffing and other children. My daughter has zero safety awareness and will just wander without an adult directing her. She's non verbal and puts everything into her mouth. Any kind of craft she needs an adult directly with her to make sure she doesn't eat everything and help with the tasks. We go to library programs frequently and she goes to preschool, she enjoys a lot of different activities but she needs an adult close for her safety and to actually participate.

Thanks. The autism program is insanely expensive and limited. That makes sense though, just sucks that my daughter misses out. Hopefully they will have family activities she can do.

My daughter has special needs, Royal's special needs service said they can give her a potty training exception but that they don't have additional staff to help her. Unfortunately she needs close adult supervision so I'm not comfortable leaving her there alone with the group. Does anyone have experience with a parent being able to attend with their child? I really don't want her to miss out on the kids activities. I do plan on going to AO during their registration event to ask but wondering in advance. Thanks!

Thanks everyone! I actually found a travel restraint called a RideSafer vest that is legal in all states. My daughter is large enough for that so even though it's pricey it's worth having in order to be able to take an Uber. Thanks for all the suggestions, can't wait for our adventure!

Thanks but she's only 30 lbs (even though she's 5). There is one in Canada called the mifold which is also certified for the US that folds very small but I don't think she will be heavy enough for it. I'll be happy when she is though lol

No, she doesn't need one for the flight.

Unfortunately Uber doesn't have car seats in LA

My daughter and I will be sailing from LA and I'm looking for pre-cruise hotel suggestions. Is it better to stay near the port? Or maybe by the airport? I'm a little nervous traveling alone there. What's the best option for getting to/from the hotel? My daughter is small and needs a car seat. I was sad to find out that Royal no longer offers pre-cruise packages and miss the convenience of them just taking care of me lol. Do they still offer shuttles from/to the airport? Thanks!

She can actually sit for a long time. She eats orally and only gets liquid via tube so she's usually happy to sit for an hour or more at restaurants.