Cruising with Child with Special Needs

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

Any parents with children with special needs? Looking for advice/tips/suggestions on how to make our cruise go smoothly.

Planning far in advance to be best prepared and hoping to make cruising our yearly trip.

This will be my 4th cruise, 2nd on Royal, but first as a mother. I will also be traveling with my brother (usual travel companion) and my parents. Next cruise (2024) I will most likely be going alone with my daughter. My daughter will be 5 for her first cruise but developmentally maybe a year old. She is also very tiny and most likely to be about the size of a two year old by then. We are booking Oasis because they have the "baby" pool so she can have some water fun while in a swim diaper. She is just starting to walk (almost 4 years old) but will be walking by then. Not long distances though and I will still be bringing a small stroller. She is non-verbal and has some sensory issues.

Looking for general tips, excursion advice, dining suggestions (she has dietary restrictions for eating plus feeding tube for all liquids), mobility advice, activities for sea days etc.

Thanks!

[PPPJJ-GCVAB]

Hello 'OurSlowSimpleTravel' and welcome to the forums!  I am not able to provide any advice to you...however...I would like to commend you for your upbeat inquiry and am sure you will receive some great tips, etc.  Your beautiful and positive attitude shines through in your writing!!  From what I just read, I believe your sweet daughter is very lucky to have you as her MOM!!  I truly hope your cruise (and hers) is amazing!    

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

1 hour ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

I believe your sweet daughter is very lucky to have you as her MOM!!  

Thank you so much! I'm very lucky to have her as a daughter. It was a long journey to motherhood and she was worth every moment. I'm very excited to finally start travelling with her. I adopted her from Eastern Europe so we have a bit of travel experience together but nothing fun like cruising is

[wordell1]

This Royal Caribbean program may be appropriate to your situation.

Autism Friendly Ships | Accessible Cruises | Royal Caribbean Cruises

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

9 minutes ago, wordell1 said:

This Royal Caribbean program may be appropriate to your situation.

Autism Friendly Ships | Accessible Cruises | Royal Caribbean Cruises

Thanks but sadly that program (Autism at Sea) is only occasionally offered and is very expensive.

[Reigert2008]

3 hours ago, OurSlowSimpleTravel said:

Any parents with children with special needs? Looking for advice/tips/suggestions on how to make our cruise go smoothly.

Planning far in advance to be best prepared and hoping to make cruising our yearly trip.

This will be my 4th cruise, 2nd on Royal, but first as a mother. I will also be traveling with my brother (usual travel companion) and my parents. Next cruise (2024) I will most likely be going alone with my daughter. My daughter will be 5 for her first cruise but developmentally maybe a year old. She is also very tiny and most likely to be about the size of a two year old by then. We are booking Oasis because they have the "baby" pool so she can have some water fun while in a swim diaper. She is just starting to walk (almost 4 years old) but will be walking by then. Not long distances though and I will still be bringing a small stroller. She is non-verbal and has some sensory issues.

Looking for general tips, excursion advice, dining suggestions (she has dietary restrictions for eating plus feeding tube for all liquids), mobility advice, activities for sea days etc.

Thanks!

I would certainly reach out to your travel agent or Royal to ensure you have correct information direct from the source.  However these links may be able to assist as well.

FAQ about accessibility — https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/topics/accessibility-disability-needs?country=USA

special needs form — https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

 

the special needs form covers a ton of things and there’s an option to have Royal contact you.

 

good luck!

[Jess4214]

Hi and welcome to the blog!! I'm a mom of 2 special needs kiddos ages 5 and 7 and a cruise fanatic! It might a little lengthy so I'll message you directly. As every family needs are different, I hope what we experienced can assist you and your daughter in some way. Royal has gone above and beyond to assist us with our children's needs and I'm sure they will do the same for you. 

You are an AMAZING MOM!!

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

Thanks everyone. Cruising is my favourite way to travel and I can't wait to explore the world with her!

[SteelersNationVA]

Good luck.  We have triplets, all 3 with special needs.  They are now 25 YO.  Boy it makes me feel old every time I say their age.  

When they we little, we took them every place.  The advise I would say is get your daughter involved in activities.  Special Olympics was important for them and us.  The interactions with other parents was critical.  

If another parent/adult says something on the cruise, ignore them.  This is your vacation and your daughter's opportunity to learn.  Have fun.

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

47 minutes ago, SteelersNationVA said:

The advise I would say is get your daughter involved in activities.  Special Olympics was important for them and us.  The interactions with other parents was critical.  

The Special Olympics here just restarted and we joined. I'm very excited for her to have lots of experiences.

I adopted her in September 2020. The first two years of her life she spent in a crib. Since coming home we haven't been able to do much due to closures and getting her medical stuff figured out. I'm so happy that we are going to be traveling. We just booked and will be trying a promenade view room. I was hoping to get my parents beside us but wasn't able to. I did get them across from us so maybe we can wave through our windows lol.

I've never been a fan of the dining room but decided it's probably best for us this trip (with dietary stuff) so we are doing traditional dining. I'm hoping we can all sit together since we are in the same family even though we aren't in the same room.

[SteelersNationVA]

Go with the flow.  If the MDR does not work, fine.  Find the things that she likes and do it over and over again.

[smokeybandit]

I grew up with 2 special needs brothers. One mild, one more severe.  I'm not afraid to say I have no idea how my parents did it.  My son has mild ADHD and some mornings I rip my hair out. Yet it's still doesn't compare to what my parents did.

[Butch R]

Hi @OurSlowSimpleTravel!  I cannot speak to cruising, but as a father of two sons with autism (who are now grown), I can speak to just traveling in general with a child with special needs and sensory issues. 

1. Keep your expectations flexible as to activities. Go with their flow.  
2. Take frequent breaks.
3. Avoid sensory overload
4. Get a note from your child's doctor, and make copies.  It can be handy.

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

12 minutes ago, Butch R said:

1. Get a note from your child's doctor, and make copies.  It can be handy.

What should the note have in it? Just her diagnosis?

[steverk]

I know it is expensive and limited,  but Autism at Sea is probably your best option. 

[Funeegal]

Hi!  I am a mom of two exceptional kiddos and we have been cruising with them for 6 years.  I can speak to my wonderful experiences with RCL as well as Autism on the Seas, who provides volunteers for respite and support on cruise ships.  You can check out their website or just Google it.  They also have a Facebook group you can join called Autism on the Seas Community. There is also financial assistance available if you qualify.

They have over 50 cruises a year where you travel with their volunteer staff who assist you and your family with your kiddo.  All volunteers are highly trained (i.e. special education teachers, therapists, BCBA's, etc).

RCL staff is also very accommodating.  Call their special needs department.  My biggest piece of advice as a parent of two extra special kiddos....don't be afraid to ask for what you need politely.  This is true especially if you need to wait in lines, which can be difficult for our kids.  Politely say excuse me and make your way through if your child is having a hard time.  You may get the all too common dirty looks, but just ignore them (we have lots of practice with this) and do what you need for your family.

I am happy to go into more details.  Please shoot me a private message.  I am here to help.

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

31 minutes ago, steverk said:

I know it is expensive and limited,  but Autism at Sea is probably your best option. 

Might be but it's not even available for when my work allows me to have time off, nor do they have the itineraries we are looking for. 

[Butch R]

On 2/24/2022 at 12:51 PM, OurSlowSimpleTravel said:

What should the note have in it? Just her diagnosis?

Yes. For example when my youngest son was between the ages of 3-11, his behavior because of his autism was sometimes sporadic, unpredictable and to the outside eye loud and unruly.  Our doctor wrote a short letter explaining his diagnosis, why he may exhibit certain behaviors, and explaining that accommodations that could be made because of his condition would be beneficial to everyone involved.   It may not be needed, as I am sure most cruise lines have had issues of a similar nature.  But, it may come in handy in other venues as well.  We showed it a couple of times, once at Disney World in 2005 when getting his Guest Assistance Pass (Now renamed the Disability Access Service).  

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

1 hour ago, Butch R said:

Yes. For example when my youngest son was between the ages of 3-11, his behavior because of his autism was sometimes sporadic, unpredictable and to the outside eye loud and unruly.  Our doctor wrote a short letter explaining his diagnosis, why he may exhibit certain behaviors, and explaining that accommodations that could be made because of his condition would be beneficial to everyone involved.   It may not be needed, as I am sure most cruise lines have had issues of a similar nature.  But, it may come in handy in other venues as well.  We showed it a couple of times, once at Disney World in 2005 when getting his Guest Assistance Pass (Now renamed the Disability Access Service).  

Thanks! My daughter doesn't usually have many behaviour issues and her disability is quite visible. Our biggest issue is usually people thinking she is much younger than she is and therefore treat her as a baby. Currently she is almost 4 but developmentally (cognitive and physical) only about 12 months and she's the size of an 18 month old. I will definitely get the letter though because there are some accommodations that might be helpful as well as giving them a heads up of her feeding needs (restrictions plus feeding tube).

[ikillratz]

On 2/23/2022 at 9:37 PM, TravelingBeyondBoundaries said:

Thanks but sadly that program (Autism at Sea) is only occasionally offered and is very expensive.

I think you are getting two programs mixed up.  Royal Caribbean itself offers many Autism friendly activities it seems from the link provided.  Autism on the Seas (which is what I think you meant by Autism at Sea is a separate program of volunteers that offer their services on a cruise for a fee.  The activities that Royal Caribbean provides on their own are included as part of your cruise at no extra cost.  It is only the services that Autism on the Seas provides with their staff that have a fee.  Hope this helps. 

[nanlindgren]

I wish there would be group cruises arranged for  families with children with diverse needs.

I think it would take someone used to pulling conferences together to pull a vacation one together and advertise it? It could include special lectures and adventures, especially swimming.

 

[Riley]

Side note: as soon as you board send someone from your party to the main dining room front desk (either deck 4 or 5) and request your whole family be assigned a table together. They should be able to make that happen without a problem.

[Supersport71]

I'm totally with you Riley

, I'm traveling with all my family as a retirement gift to myself, 2 of my grandkids has autism and we are trying to get any information that would help us go through check in and this cruise to notable for all of us .I'm blessed that they both are not severe but as many people know its the social gathering that gets to them.Any information anyone can share would be great .

[TravelingBeyondBoundaries]

23 hours ago, nanlindgren said:

I wish there would be group cruises arranged for  families with children with diverse needs.

I think it would take someone used to pulling conferences together to pull a vacation one together and advertise it? It could include special lectures and adventures, especially swimming.

 

 

3 hours ago, Supersport71 said:

I'm totally with you Riley

, I'm traveling with all my family as a retirement gift to myself, 2 of my grandkids has autism and we are trying to get any information that would help us go through check in and this cruise to notable for all of us .I'm blessed that they both are not severe but as many people know its the social gathering that gets to them.Any information anyone can share would be great .

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.

 

[ikillratz]

On 5/29/2024 at 12:34 PM, nanlindgren said:

I wish there would be group cruises arranged for  families with children with diverse needs.

I think it would take someone used to pulling conferences together to pull a vacation one together and advertise it? It could include special lectures and adventures, especially swimming.

 

Check out Autism of the Seas.  https://autismontheseas.com/

[YellowBrickRoad]

I have traveled many times with my son who has autism… from 9yrs old to our Aug cruise in which he will be 16. 
We go through TA, and have always had on our documents that he is special needs. 
This has allowed us board when they open. We always did get an early boarding time and have a suite that gives us an earlier window but the one time we didn’t, they allowed us to board as if we did. 
For dinner, when in MDR, we were accommodated with a window, since it is just three of us, so it would be less overwhelming with my son. 
Happy to say, last year he went into the Teen Club on his own and loved it! We did let the person running it his situation just as a heads up and she was very nice. It made us very nervous since it’s just him, but he had a phone to contact us if any issues and met us at the shows promptly when we asked. That was a definite milestone! 
We don’t need really need accommodations now but we have it written in our documentation in case anything comes up. As we know, you meet one kid with Autism, you’ve met one person with Autism. 
On our Aug cruise, we do see the Autism Of The Seas group and we end up talking to them. They are wonderful and caring group! 

[WoodsTravels]

Keep up the good job! Have you ever considered a Nurse to travel with you? Most home health companies pay the nurse to travel on vacations with you. I have a special needs child and I am a traveling nurse for special needs kids. I have gone on cruises with them. We make up custom shirts that are awesome and explain to rude onlookers that we are special in a fantastic way. It has helped. And being the nurse gives family a break while on vacation.