Autistic Child

[christopher10]

Hi there! My family and I are embarking on an upcoming Disney Cruise on the Magic. We are all real excited! One of my children is autistic and the Disney Company assures us that it is no problem, they can accommodate him. Has anyone else had any experience in taking an autistic child on the Disney Cruise? How was the voyage and did your child enjoy it? Thank you for any information!

 

[Talking Hands]

You might want to ask this on the DISabilities Board. Thre are many parents of children with autism there.

 

[Lisa]

Christopher10,

I sent you a PM.

 

[xoxokpxoxo]

We have an autistic girl who is 13 and non-verbal. This will be our third cruise with her. The Disney crew is wonderful. The first one we had her on a gfcf diet and they even made her special bread at dinner. Make sure you let them know in advance if you have any special requests. I've never had babysitting for her or put her in any of the programs. I'm more comfortable having her with me. But you might check; they may have programs for him. If there is any other way I can help just ask?

 

[CM_Mom]

When DD was a CM in the Club we talked about her week every Saturday and she mentioned several times when they had children with different abilities, specifically autism. I remember one time they allowed a 7 or 8 yo autistic child to go with the 3-4s on Castaway Cay since the area where they were playing was fenced in and that would provide a more appropriate level of supervision for him. I think he was functioning more at the level of a 5 yo. She said he was very happy with the younger kids.

The KEY here is to TALK to the CMs when you first get on the ship so that they know what to expect and can better understand how your child functions. They definitely want the whole family to have a Magical or Wonderful time.