Jump to content

Adventure Ocean and special needs


Recommended Posts

Hi our family is going on Harmony of the Seas last week of August 2019. We have two boys, 14 and 8. Our 8 yr old son has Downs Syndrome. He has speech delays, sensory input needs and some behavior issues. We would like to use adventure ocean a few times for date night and to spend time with our older son. I would like to know some other cruisers with similar concerns and your experience with Adventure Ocean? Thanks 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m not sure about the specific situation with Down syndrome, but do remember seeing that at least some of the adventure ocean staff is Autism association certified. I found the below on Royals site

Royal Caribbean offers a wide range of autism friendly products and services, and they include:

Priority check-in, boarding and departure

 Special dietary accommodations including gluten-free and dairy-free

Adventure Ocean flexible grouping by ability for children from 3 to 11 years old

Adventure Ocean toilet-trained policy exception

Pagers/phones for parents of children in the Adventure Ocean program while signed into our care (subject to availability) Availability: These Autism-Friendly products and services are available on all cruises"

TRAINING

All Youth staff are required to have a four year University degree or international equivalent in education, recreation or a related field. They also have at least three to five years qualified experience in working with children ages six months to 17 years.

In addition, all Youth staff have received autism awareness training developed by Autism on the Seas. This training covers following topics: characteristics of autism and developmental disabilities, correct person-first language and terms, and skills to initiate a conversation with a parent about his or her child’s needs. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My son has autism and adventure ocean is very accommodating. We were on harmony last October and have to say the Adventure ocean staff there was the best and most accommodating of all the ships we’ve been on, but to be fair all the ships we’ve been on we’ve had great experiences with adventure ocean. The first day go in to adventure ocean and ask for the special needs form. You can also discuss any concerns you have with them then. You can also call the special needs department at 1(866)592 7225 and can setup pier assistance and a special muster drill in a quite and non crowded space. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My 5 year old daughter has significant behavioral/emotional/social issues, to the point she goes to a special school.  Adventure Ocean was great with her.  I explained to them (in tears, terrified they were going to turn us away) what her issues are, and the staff was amazing.  Each time she went (we never sent her for very long and someone always stayed close just in case) they gave us a phone so they could call us if she had any issues.  They contacted us quickly, before it turned into a huge issue, when she "didn't like her pants" "was cold" - things that wouldn't be a big deal for other kids, but they recognized could become a problem for her.  And the last night of the cruise, when we decided to push our luck and let her stay longer because her twin sister was doing the pajama party, they were FABULOUS when she had a complete break down and couldn't be controlled.  There was no judgement, they didn't get mad, they just helped me catch her, contain her, and get her out without any issues.

My one complaint is that the phones don't work very well.  They would call, but we couldn't hear anything most of the time.  The phone would ring and it would be silence or static - each time we just ran there quickly to see what the issue was.

AND they got her to not only participate in the talent show, but they helped her wait patiently for her groups' turn (the little kids all did the chicken dance, it was adorable).  I was fully expecting to be in charge of her until it was her turn to go up, but they handled her and all the other kids very well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/26/2019 at 8:08 AM, sleepy425 said:

My 5 year old daughter has significant behavioral/emotional/social issues, to the point she goes to a special school.  Adventure Ocean was great with her.  I explained to them (in tears, terrified they were going to turn us away) what her issues are, and the staff was amazing.  Each time she went (we never sent her for very long and someone always stayed close just in case) they gave us a phone so they could call us if she had any issues.  They contacted us quickly, before it turned into a huge issue, when she "didn't like her pants" "was cold" - things that wouldn't be a big deal for other kids, but they recognized could become a problem for her.  And the last night of the cruise, when we decided to push our luck and let her stay longer because her twin sister was doing the pajama party, they were FABULOUS when she had a complete break down and couldn't be controlled.  There was no judgement, they didn't get mad, they just helped me catch her, contain her, and get her out without any issues.

My one complaint is that the phones don't work very well.  They would call, but we couldn't hear anything most of the time.  The phone would ring and it would be silence or static - each time we just ran there quickly to see what the issue was.

AND they got her to not only participate in the talent show, but they helped her wait patiently for her groups' turn (the little kids all did the chicken dance, it was adorable).  I was fully expecting to be in charge of her until it was her turn to go up, but they handled her and all the other kids very well.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...