Autism ? and special event ?

[connie1042]

Will be sailing on the Fantasy in Nov. 2017. Have a travel agent. First cruise. All I know so far is we are on Deck 2. My grandson is high functioning and on the Autism Spectrum. Who do we contact to let the kids club know ahead of time. I think he will love it in there, but I just don't want to drop him off and say, "Oh he has Autism". All so for the character breakfast and the meet and greets that need tickets. is this something the travel agent can do for us? I know we are low man on the totem pull, having never cruised before, but I am at lost on how to do some of this stuff. How about shore excursions, can this be done ahead of time?

 

[wilkeliza]

Will be sailing on the Fantasy in Nov. 2017. Have a travel agent. First cruise. All I know so far is we are on Deck 2. My grandson is high functioning and on the Autism Spectrum. Who do we contact to let the kids club know ahead of time. I think he will love it in there, but I just don't want to drop him off and say, "Oh he has Autism". All so for the character breakfast and the meet and greets that need tickets. is this something the travel agent can do for us? I know we are low man on the totem pull, having never cruised before, but I am at lost on how to do some of this stuff. How about shore excursions, can this be done ahead of time?

Everything that can be booked ahead of time I believe you can book yourself on the DCL website. Not sure if your TA has to do it since you booked through a TA.

Here is the official disney cruise website for guests with disabilities and special needs. https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/. If you want to speak to Disney directly the phone number is (407) 566-3602.

As long as he doesn't require one to one care he should be okay at the clubs. If they are overwhelming you can always take him in during Open House where adults will be allowed in as well but during the other times an adult is not allowed to stay with him.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Will be sailing on the Fantasy in Nov. 2017. Have a travel agent. First cruise. All I know so far is we are on Deck 2. My grandson is high functioning and on the Autism Spectrum. Who do we contact to let the kids club know ahead of time. I think he will love it in there, but I just don't want to drop him off and say, "Oh he has Autism". All so for the character breakfast and the meet and greets that need tickets. is this something the travel agent can do for us? I know we are low man on the totem pull, having never cruised before, but I am at lost on how to do some of this stuff. How about shore excursions, can this be done ahead of time?

My daughter is on the spectrum. You can pre-register children for the Oceaneers Club/Lab during the online check in process. There is a space there to write out any medical concerns. I use that space to alert the CMs to my DD's challenges. She's high functioning and has always done very well in the clubs. I also tell the CM when we pick up the wristband in the port terminal.

You can book the ticketed meet and greets and character breakfasts during the online check in process. You can either do that yourself or ask your TA to do it for you. I prefer to do my online check in myself. You can book port adventures during online check in as well, or you can look into booking private excursions.

 

[lanejudy]

You or your daughter can contact DCL's Special Services department to discuss any concerns/questions regarding your grandson and the Club/Lab for ages 3-12. The phone number is (407) 566-3602 or their email is SpecialServices@disneycruise.com. As long as the child can function in a group setting without 1:1 assistance, he is welcome to participate in the secured programming. If he needs more direct assistance, a family member can bring him to the Open House times that are scheduled -- usually at least an hour per day in each space.

As to booking character breakfast and/or meet & greet tickets -- that can be done at your online check-in date, typically 75 days prior to cruising for new cruisers. You (or your daughter) can do that yourself online, as well as port excursions, adult dining, spa services and BBB. In fact, you can log-in online now and see some of the pre-cruise information and start planning. Most people do this on their own even when using a TA, though if you'd prefer you can ask your TA if s/he would do it for you.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[minorthr]

you didnt mention the age. We were in contact with disney prior to the cruise regarding our son who is autistic. They gave us some really bad info regarding the the age limits for the kids club. the assured us that even though our son turned 13 the week before the cruise that he would be allowed in the club/lab area since he is not on the level of a 13 year old. That was incredibly wrong info. That age limit is 100% the age limit and if your outside of it even if you turned 13 the day of the cruise your not getting in there unless its during open house. We tried edge, he wasn't really into it since its not as cool as the other clubs. We were traveling with an autism travel group and they gave us some respite care so it all worked out in the end.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

you didnt mention the age. We were in contact with disney prior to the cruise regarding our son who is autistic. They gave us some really bad info regarding the the age limits for the kids club. the assured us that even though our son turned 13 the week before the cruise that he would be allowed in the club/lab area since he is not on the level of a 13 year old. That was incredibly wrong info. That age limit is 100% the age limit and if your outside of it even if you turned 13 the day of the cruise your not getting in there unless its during open house. We tried edge, he wasn't really into it since its not as cool as the other clubs. We were traveling with an autism travel group and they gave us some respite care so it all worked out in the end.

Time was some children were allowed to be in a lower level club than their age would put them in.

But there were major issues with an older (adult) person being allowed to participate in the teen club (big legal problems). So DCL cracked down on the ages allowed.

I'll also point out that anyone, of any age, can attend any club during their Open House hours, as long as they have a responsible adult with them.

 

[cmph]

Will be sailing on the Fantasy in Nov. 2017. Have a travel agent. First cruise. All I know so far is we are on Deck 2. All so for the character breakfast and the meet and greets that need tickets. is this something the travel agent can do for us? I know we are low man on the totem pull, having never cruised before, but I am at lost on how to do some of this stuff. How about shore excursions, can this be done ahead of time?

Your travel agent can most definitely do it for you. Mine was surprised to log in and see that I already had completed it all. Since the booking window opens at midnight EST, and she's on EST while I'm on PST... it was really no big deal for me to do it myself at 9pm. I didn't expect her to stay up late just for that reason. Have your TA (or you) link your reservation numbers in advance so that one person can schedule all the meet-n-greets, etc for the same time for the entire group. My TA has done everything else for me, though - booking the hotel for the night before, etc.

FYI - you can't book DCL excursions until your booking window opens, but you don't *have* to book via DCL for those. My TA's agency sells all the major cruiselines, so they have another excursion company they use. We could have booked via that at any point, even before we had paid in full for the cruise. Since it is the agency's partner excursion company, they have the same guarantees as DCL (such as - if you can't dock at the port, you get a refund), and slightly different options for some ports. Your TA may have something similar to offer. Many cruisers also book excursions independently, just by researching companies online. Be sure to read the fine print if you do that; some have "no refund" policies. That can save a lot of money, though.

Your TA should be able to walk you through all of this stuff, but I have found a wealth of information on this board just by glancing over topics other folks have posted, as well as the handy search box for my more specific questions.

 

[Woodmnky]

One thing which you may want to talk to the child's parents about is how your grandchild will handle the muster drill. Some kids on the spectrum are absolutely fine, my son is not. The extremely loud noise combined with large crowds of people created a situation where my son had an absolute meltdown on our last cruise in spite of the all precautions that we took (noise cancelling ear phones, distraction techniques, social stories beforehand, ect). The experience was so bad for him that he did not want to cruise again and was having serious anxiety issues when we told him of our upcoming cruise. I contacted DCL special needs and was told to check with the front desk onboard and the staff at the muster drill. They advised that we should be able to have one adult accompany DS back to our stateroom so that he does not have to stay at the drill.

As others have said about the kids clubs as long as your grandchild does not need 1 on 1 care, there shouldn't be any issues. The staff are great and work with kids with various disabilities quite frequently. If the atmosphere in the club is too overwhelming during normal drop off times there are open house times daily where adults can accompany the kids to the clubs for play time.

 

[Bree]

One thing which you may want to talk to the child's parents about is how your grandchild will handle the muster drill. Some kids on the spectrum are absolutely fine, my son is not. The extremely loud noise combined with large crowds of people created a situation where my son had an absolute meltdown on our last cruise in spite of the all precautions that we took (noise cancelling ear phones, distraction techniques, social stories beforehand, ect). The experience was so bad for him that he did not want to cruise again and was having serious anxiety issues when we told him of our upcoming cruise. I contacted DCL special needs and was told to check with the front desk onboard and the staff at the muster drill. They advised that we should be able to have one adult accompany DS back to our stateroom so that he does not have to stay at the drill.

As others have said about the kids clubs as long as your grandchild does not need 1 on 1 care, there shouldn't be any issues. The staff are great and work with kids with various disabilities quite frequently. If the atmosphere in the club is too overwhelming during normal drop off times there are open house times daily where adults can accompany the kids to the clubs for play time.

I hope this is true. They did nothing for us in 2014 or 2015. We have a cruise coming up in March and my 13yo DS is not looking forward to muster drill. We can combat the noise just fine, but it's the crush of bodies and not enough personal space that freaks him out. Our musters have always been outside on the deck and they pack you in like sardines. He'd be better off in a theater or restaurant. Yes, there will still be a sea of people, but he has that invisible boundary in his own seat.

 

[minorthr]

We had a private muster which was really nice, but that was arranged by the group we traveled with.

 

[lanejudy]

I hope this is true. They did nothing for us in 2014 or 2015. We have a cruise coming up in March and my 13yo DS is not looking forward to muster drill. We can combat the noise just fine, but it's the crush of bodies and not enough personal space that freaks him out. Our musters have always been outside on the deck and they pack you in like sardines. He'd be better off in a theater or restaurant. Yes, there will still be a sea of people, but he has that invisible boundary in his own seat.

I don't know when they added it to the website, but it is listed as available on a sheet titled Information for Guests with an Autism Spectrum Disorder:

MANDATORY GUEST ASSEMBLY DRILL
To comply with regulations regarding the safety of passengers at sea, Disney Cruise Line requires that all Guests report to their assembly station during our Mandatory Guest Assembly Drill. Prior to assembly station arrival, we recommend that Guests review the safety information on the back of their stateroom door and watch the assembly drill video available on the stateroom TV. Attendance at the safety drill requires standing with your assembly group for approximately 20 minutes while Guests are accounted for and announcements are made.
If a member of your party has a disability that precludes their ability to fully participate in the Mandatory Guest Assembly Drill, we recommend that all members of the party arrive to the assembly station approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled drill time. Once accounted for by the assembly leader, one adult member of your stateroom party can remain for the duration of the drill. Please note that the ship’s alarm is sounded to commence the drill. If you do not have an adult who can remain at Mandatory Guest Assembly Drill, or if you have other questions or concerns, contact Disney Cruise Line Special Services at least 60 days in advance of sailing at (407) 566-3602[phone] or (407) 566-7455 [TTY] or via e-mail at specialservices@disneycruise.com to discuss additional options.​

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[connie1042]

He will be 12 when we cruise. I think he will do fine with everything except the drill. We will get there early. I have printed out the Sailing with someone with Autism paper. Thanks for all the info. It is all helpful.