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Down Syndrome teen kids club question


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We're cruising Dec 2021 on Symphony of the Seas. My son will be 14 and has Down syndrome. His age qualifies him for the teens club, which I guess he'd love but the lack of security (kids can come and go as they please) worries me. He needs supervision and is prone to wandering/getting lost. His two younger sisters will be ages 9 and 11, and therefore will be in the Voyagers age group. On our last cruise the kids club let him stick with his sisters even though he was a little older--but now I feel like he's so much older that maybe they wouldn't let him. Has anyone had experience with something like this? Just wondering what to expect but hoping he can stay with his sisters in the younger group.

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16 minutes ago, shassyloraine said:

We're cruising Dec 2021 on Symphony of the Seas. My son will be 14 and has Down syndrome. His age qualifies him for the teens club, which I guess he'd love but the lack of security (kids can come and go as they please) worries me. He needs supervision and is prone to wandering/getting lost. His two younger sisters will be ages 9 and 11, and therefore will be in the Voyagers age group. On our last cruise the kids club let him stick with his sisters even though he was a little older--but now I feel like he's so much older that maybe they wouldn't let him. Has anyone had experience with something like this? Just wondering what to expect but hoping he can stay with his sisters in the younger group.


I have no experience with your specific situation, but have a young niece with medical concerns and have become familiar with looking for this type of information for our travels.  I did some searching and wanted to share some links I found.

first, if you have a travel agent, they may be able to get a lot of information for you.

Royal has a page dedicated to accessibility and it’s here - https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/accessible-cruising

Royal has included Down Syndrome under the Autism & Developmental Disabilities page - https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/accessible-cruising/autism-friendly-ships

 

Stay Safe.

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Welcome to the message boards!

This tends to be handled on a case by case basis partially dependent on the numbers involved for that cruise.  Royal staff are trained specially for many different guest needs in the kids program but if one age group is close, or at capacity they may not have the resources to be as flexible compared to another voyage.

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@shassyloraine, below you will find a wealth of information from Royal Caribbean that will be helpful to you and others on this board:

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AUTISM FRIENDLY SHIPS 

Royal Caribbean offers an autism friendly initiative for families living with autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities. This includes sensory friendly films and toys, dietary menu options, and overall autism friendly training for Adventure Ocean staff and more.

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 3 to 11 years old
  • Adventure Ocean toilet-trained policy exception
  • Pagers/phones for parents of children in Adventure Ocean program while signed into our care (subject to availability) Availability: These Autism Friendly products and services are available on all cruises


In addition, Autism on the Seas offers “Staffed Cruises” catering to families with children, teens and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. These “Staffed Cruises” include:
  • Extra professionally trained staff in caring for individuals with developmental disabilities (provided at one staff member for every 2-3 special needs guests)
  • Assistance with Royal Caribbean’s products and services
  • Specialized respite sessions
  • Private activities and sessions
Availability: Autism on the Seas “Staffed Cruises” are offered on select cruises. For a list of Autism on the Seas group cruises, click here.

 

THE AUTISM CHANNEL

Royal Caribbean International is the first in the hospitality industry to offer complimentary on-demand access to exclusive content from The Autism Channel® onboard most of its ships.

The Autism Channel is a streaming television service providing information and resources to families and professionals supporting and improving the lives of people with autism spectrum disorders. Educational and entertainment programming on The Autism Channel ranges from a look inside the daily lives of families with children on the spectrum, to interviews with medical and legal professionals.

The Autism Channel is available on all Quantum, Oasis, Freedom, Voyager and Radiance class ships. To access The Autism Channel content, select The Autism Channel folder under OnDemand Movies from the iTV (interactive TV) menu.

 

AUTISM FRIENDLY FILMS

 

Autism friendly films are presented in a low-lit and low volume environment. Guests are encouraged to freely talk and walk around during the film. These films will be offered on all sailings on Oasis class ships and on other ships, when there are autism groups or at least five individuals with autism onboard. Dates and times will be highlighted in the Cruise Compass.

 

AUTISM FRIENDLY TOY LENDING PROGRAM

Autism friendly toy lending is available in our Adventure Ocean Youth Program on all ships. Upon request, we will provide a tote bag of autism friendly toys that may be used in Adventure Ocean or in their stateroom. Parents may select other autism friendly toys that are more appropriate for their child. Examples of Autism Friendly Toys include: non-toxic crayons, markers, water colors, building blocks, dominoes, and picture books.

 

AUTISM FRIENDLY ACTIVITIES

We offer activities for children of all abilities. Families are encouraged to consult with Adventure Ocean staff regarding any special needs that their children may have in order to identify which activities are appropriate for their child and any possible modifications.

 

CRUISING SOCIAL STORY

A Social Story is a written or visual guide describing various social interactions, situations, behaviors, skills or concepts. These Social Stories help individuals with autism to better cope with social situations. Royal Caribbean offers a Cruising Social Story about cruising to help families with autism prepare for their cruise vacation. 

Download our Cruising Social Story.

 

WHAT DO YOU OFFER FOR TEENS WITH AUTISM?

  • Expedited check-in, boarding and departure
  • Special dietary accommodations including gluten-free
  • Autism Friendly Toy Lending
  • Autism Friendly Films
  • Social Story
  • Our Teen Program with teens-only hangouts and activities. Please note while some activities are hosted, they do not provide supervision or one on one attention.

 

 

WHAT DO YOU OFFER FOR ADULTS WITH AUTISM?

  • Expedited check-in, boarding and departure
  • Special dietary accommodations including gluten-free
  • Autism Friendly Toy Lending
  • Autism Friendly Films
  • Social Story
  • Our Cruise Activities Program. Please note while some activities are hosted, they do not provide supervision or one on one attention. (Adults are not permitted in Teen or Adventure Ocean spaces.)

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

To customize your accommodations to meet your specific needs, please complete the Guest Special Needs Form
 

 

We encourage you notify us of your needs at the time of booking, to guarantee availability of specific equipment or services. Please provide 60 days advance notice if you need sign language interpreting services during your cruise, 30 days advance notice if you need special equipment or services to accommodate your disability during the cruise. If we do not receive enough advance notice, we will make reasonable efforts to provide requested equipment and/or services. You must provide 72 hours advance notice if you are traveling with a group of 10 or more passengers with disability.

 

 

 

MORE INFORMATION

Call our Access Department at (866) 592-7225,  or send an e-mail to special_needs@rccl.com, or have your local travel agent or International Representative contact us. Our fax number is
(954) 628-9622.

 

ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE

 
Feel free to ask for a Complaint Resolution Official (CRO). Our CROs have been trained and are aware of applicable U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) disability regulations as well as our policies and procedures regarding guests with disabilities. Our CROs are available at all U.S ports of departure and ships.
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11 hours ago, shassyloraine said:

He needs supervision and is prone to wandering/getting lost.

Every child is different, but your son may respond to either a walkie talkie or a Simple Smartphone device to keep in touch aboard the ship in the event that he gets "lost".  I am sure the other kids in the teen group will help look after him too.

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Found this related PDF:

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Autism/15047662_Autism_Trifold_Brochure.pdf

 

ADDITIONAL SERVICES FOR TEENS AND ADULTS WITH AUTISM

• Our Cruise Activities Program with autism friendly activities.

• For Teens Only: Our Teen Program with autism friendly activities. Note that adults are not permitted in Teen and Adventure Ocean® spaces

 

ADDITIONAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

• Adventure Ocean® flexible grouping by ability instead of age for children 3 to 11.

• Adventure Ocean toilet-trained policy exemption.

• Pagers/phones for parents of children in Adventure Ocean while signed into our care (subject to availability). 

 

Since your child is above age 11 you may need to discuss the situation with the AO staff on board. 

 

The Accessible Seas brochure also has related information starting on pages 13.

https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Accessible_Seas/20074179_Accessible_Seas_Brochure_2020.pdf

 

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