Cruising with special needs?

[kerryk74]

Hello!
We have good friends taking their first cruise in Dec. Their son has Down Syndrome. Can anyone share experience or advice I can pass along? Is there someone they should speak to about the kids’ clubs in advance of sailing. Their son will turn 11 on the cruise, and his sister is 9. I suspect he will not be going to the Edge and will be with his sister in Oceaneer's. Thanks!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hello!
We have good friends taking their first cruise in Dec. Their son has Down Syndrome. Can anyone share experience or advice I can pass along? Is there someone they should speak to about the kids’ clubs in advance of sailing. Their son will turn 11 on the cruise, and his sister is 9. I suspect he will not be going to the Edge and will be with his sister in Oceaneer's. Thanks!

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/guests-with-disabilities/

 

[lanejudy]

They can contact the Special Services department to discuss any concerns or questions, and have their reservation noted.
Phone: (407) 566-3602 Fax: (407) 566-3760 TTY: (407) 566-7455
Email: SpecialServices@disneycruise.com

As an 11-yr-old, the boy is welcome to use either Edge or Oceaneers Club/Lab. However, Edge is essentially "non-secured" as the kids are allowed to come and go as they please. They'll need to consider whether that is appropriate for him. If they'd prefer he be officially checked-in and picked-up by a parent, he can go to the Club/Lab -- and it sounds like that may be the preference with a sibling anyway. As long as he is able to function in a group environment, without direct 1:1 assistance, he is welcome to participate at the Club/Lab.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[dcassetta]

This thread includes a discussion about cruising with a child with Down Syndrome.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/travelling-with-special-needs-down-syndrome.3468446/#post-54847069

 

[kerryk74]

Thank you all so much!!!

 

[finest14]

I have a son with Down syndrome and took him on his first Disney cruise at about that age. He did great in Oceaneers. Absolutely loved it and they loved him. The next cruise he moved up to Edge and went a few times. We were nervous about him being able to "self check out" but he had no issues and never left. When we cruise in May he'll be in Vibe so we'll see how that goes. He really loves to watch movies in the cabin so if we do Palo or a mixology class he's fine doing that instead of the clubs. We communicate with him through the app and it works great. Send me a message if you have any questions.