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How to find the right Travel Agent for us


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We are planning a vacation to Alaska in 2024.  We need a travel agent to help us navigate all of the issues.  We are a unique family.

We are a family of 6 including 25 YO triplets with cognitive disabilities, including 1 (DS2) on the Autism spectrum.  All are fully mobile.  DD1 and DW are hesitant, but will go.  DS1 and DD2 should be able to be somewhat independent on the ship once they learn to navigate the ship.  DS2 will need additional help and supervision.   

In our mind, the trip will start with a self directed land based trip to Denali and Kenai Fjords NPs.  Then the cruise from Seward to Vancouver.  Everything I have heard is that RC has the best reputation with young adults with disabilities. 

Once we are on the ship, we should be ok, but not 100% sure.  We will need help with the check-in process and a personal tour of the ship to help the triplets learn how to navigate the ship.  We also do not know what we don't know.  

This is a trip of a lifetime.  A bucket list destination.  The hiking and excursions in ports are the priorities.  Water slides in Alaska are not important on 60 degree-rainy days.  But how our children are treated and respected on the ship and in port is by far the #1 issue. 

We know that things will change and we will need to go with the flow.  We will do our best to help all, especially DS2 (autism) adapt to the change in schedules.  We just will need a bit of help in understanding what may change so we can prepare him for the changes.  

Ok with that said, we need a travel agent who either personally or professionally has experience with individuals with disabilities.  DD1 is a special education teacher and DW and I have dealt with these issues for 25+ years and can see through BS when a person does not understand working with the disability community.

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MEI is a sponsor on this site.  I'm not sure if any of their agents have experience with your situation. I do know that Royal is set up to deal with many different disabilities - I'm not sure whether they would be able to provide a personal guide for a tour.  There are also some special cruises that Royal offers where there are staff dedicated to your situation, I'm not sure if any are offered on Alaska cruises but you can check at this link

Autism Friendly Ships | Accessible Cruises | Royal Caribbean Cruises

@Sharla from MEI may have an agent that has experience

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3 minutes ago, Reigert2008 said:

I’d recommend interviewing several agents to find one that meets your needs.  I’d also reach out to a local spot that you already deal with to see if they have any travel agent recommendations.

Thank you for the suggestion.  We had planned to do that.  Please keep the suggestions coming.

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I remember someone recently posting a live blog about Autism on The Seas or something to that affect. Not sure if they're specifically on certain cruises but if you poke around in the live blogs you might be able to find some posts about that to help.

 

I don't know about TAs with that experience level since I haven't had to do that but I agree that it would be helpful to find what you need. Wishing you the best of luck in your search and with your vacation.

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There is a certification available for agents through IBCCES that trains agents in assisting clients with autism and special needs.  You can check their website for a list of certified agents.  Of course, that doesn't guarantee the agent has personal experience, but it is one more level of training that you could look for.  you might want to try asking around on Message boards dedicated to the special needs community to see if anyone there has an agent they have worked with that did a good job.  As an agent, I know about the programs for autistic and special needs families, but I don't have direct experience using those programs.  if you want someone who knows it on a personal level, you'll definitely have to do some interviewing or get referrals from other families that have similar needs.  

The world is becoming much more in tune with special needs travelers, I'm sure you will be able to enjoy a wonderful vacation on Royal with your family!  

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Choosing the right travel professional to assist with your bucket list trip is clearly important but there may be limits to their planning capabilities.  A personal ship tour for example is not something I've heard of before.  Perhaps that is a thing and only because I have never been involved with one I am not aware of them or perhaps that isn't something the ship offers and therefore it's not something anyone can pre-arrange, not even the best travel agent in the world.  

I hope you can come back from time to time and update this thread with your experiences as they evolve going forward.  Your observations and notes along the way could be extremely valuable for another family with similar requirements.  

Alaska is beautiful and I hope you are successful in meeting and exceeding the needs for your family. 

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23 hours ago, SteelersNationVA said:

We will need help with the check-in process and a personal tour of the ship to help the triplets learn how to navigate the ship.

2 hours ago, twangster said:

perhaps that isn't something the ship offers and therefore it's not something anyone can pre-arrange, not even the best travel agent in the world.

I can't offer much in the way of help with the travel agent, but for the ship navigation/tour concern, I think you may find that you can nominate one of your party to do this yourselves- there are incredibly detailed tours of each ship on Youtube, done by this site and several others. I've used these to get a feel for ships we would be on, and by the time you board, it's like you've already been there. I'd start by having this nominee do that, then they can go scout the ship on their own while the rest of your party settles in your rooms, to fill in the gaps and see things in person. In less than an hour, they'll be ready to give the rest of the party a more than adequate tour. They'll also know the unique needs & concerns of your traveling party better than anyone, so can focus on areas of concern in their guidance.

The check-in process is much like that of a hotel, just with many, many more people. This might be a place where your TA and/or working with Royal can help, if crowds & chaos represent a challenge, by helping get an ideal arrival time. In the Before Times, the advice would be to get there incredibly early, even 9 or 10 AM. Arrival times are apparently more enforced now, but nobody will be able to predict procedures that far out.

Good luck with your planning, being this far ahead will serve you well!

 

 

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Because I'm both retired and curious, I looked at both links provided earlier in this thread. 

I also followed some of the links from those pages.

Although I truly can't specifically help with advice for the OP, other than try contacting Royal directly.

there were contacts provided in those previous mentioned links. 

On some cruises they will provide a ratio of staff to cruiser of 1:2 or 3.

I do want to add I was absolutely impressed with what I read that RCCL has to offer in this area.

 

@Matt this might make a good blog article.

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Thanks for all the help and support. 

By the way, "the American Institutes for Research (AIR) calculated in 2018 that the 20 million US working adults with disabilities—not including their extended families, support networks, and allies—had a collective after-tax disposable income of $490 billion, slightly lower than those of Black ($501 billion) and Hispanic consumers ($582 billion). "

Companies that recognize this, get my business.  

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