Cruising with TBI and PTSD

[MandAmommy]

This is a sensitive post for me, but I need some information. My husband was injured during his last deployment and is now medically retired due to a traumatic brain injury and PTSD. Disney World is SUPER accommodating and we have been able to have several amazing trips there with our kids with the help of their disability services team. We are looking at our first cruise and I am trying to get my ducks in a row. My main concern is noise and crowds that he CAN'T get away from. We are booking a 1 bedroom concierge, mainly to make boarding easier, but also to have the option of the verandah, cabana at CC and ability to eat from the dining rooms in our room. We are also sailing at off peak times and on the Magic, which I have read will help with the crowd levels. I am worried about the muster drill. I have only ever cruised a few times (with other lines) and those muster drills were lots of crowding and very confined spaces and loud horns. don't get me wrong, I totally understand the reasoning for them, but if there is a way I can help him be more comfortable, I want to do it. Does anyone have any ideas for things I might have missed? Any pointers or things I should look for? I plan on contacting Disney when we confirm our dates to see what they can tell me, but thought I would ask here first.

 

[CrawfordMomof2]

I know someone else will be able to give you more information, but coming from a Navy/Army question myself I just wanted to say THANKS! I have an Autistic son, and have asked some questions on here about accomadating him, and everyone has been very helpful. Wishing you the best of luck on your cruise.

 

[OKW Lover]

I believe you are correct that the only time your husband would not be able to avoid a crowd/loud noise would be during the lifeboat drill. All other events on board ship that might present a crowd problem can be dealt with. Some thoughts:

• When checking it at the port, there will be a bit of a crowd going through the metal detectors and a larger crowd inside, however there is a separate Concierge waiting area that won't be crowded once you make your way to the back-right part of the terminal.
• At dinner times, don't leave your cabin until a couple of minutes before your assigned dining time. By the time you get down to the MDR the majority of folks will have been seated already.
• You may want to avoid the sail away deck party because of the crowd and loud music. A pleasant alternative is to just sit on your balcony as the ship pulls out of port.
• You may want to avoid the pirate deck party because of the crowd, loud music and fireworks. Plan a nice dinner in Remy or Palo that night and then get back to your cabin by going down to deck 10 and walking all the way forward before going back up to your concierge level cabin.
• In the ports, there is always a crowd wanting to be the first off the ship. Wait about a half hour and things will be much simpler. Of course that assumes you decide not to do an organized shore excursion.
• Enjoy the serenity of the Concierge Sun deck during the cruise.

 

[OKW Lover]

I believe you are correct that the only time your husband would not be able to avoid a crowd/loud noise would be during the lifeboat drill. All other events on board ship that might present a crowd problem can be dealt with. Some thoughts:

• When checking it at the port, there will be a bit of a crowd going through the metal detectors and a larger crowd inside, however there is a separate Concierge waiting area that won't be crowded once you make your way to the back-right part of the terminal.
• At dinner times, don't leave your cabin until a couple of minutes before your assigned dining time. By the time you get down to the MDR the majority of folks will have been seated already.
• You may want to avoid the sail away deck party because of the crowd and loud music. A pleasant alternative is to just sit on your balcony as the ship pulls out of port.
• You may want to avoid the pirate deck party because of the crowd, loud music and fireworks. Plan a nice dinner in Remy or Palo that night and then get back to your cabin by going down to deck 10 and walking all the way forward before going back up to your concierge level cabin.
• In the ports, there is always a crowd wanting to be the first off the ship. Wait about a half hour and things will be much simpler. Of course that assumes you decide not to do an organized shore excursion.
• Enjoy the serenity of the Concierge Sun deck during the cruise.

And many thanks to your husband (and you) for your service.

 

[MelSpees]

I believe you are correct that the only time your husband would not be able to avoid a crowd/loud noise would be during the lifeboat drill. All other events on board ship that might present a crowd problem can be dealt with. Some thoughts:

• When checking it at the port, there will be a bit of a crowd going through the metal detectors and a larger crowd inside, however there is a separate Concierge waiting area that won't be crowded once you make your way to the back-right part of the terminal.
• At dinner times, don't leave your cabin until a couple of minutes before your assigned dining time. By the time you get down to the MDR the majority of folks will have been seated already.
• You may want to avoid the sail away deck party because of the crowd and loud music. A pleasant alternative is to just sit on your balcony as the ship pulls out of port.
• You may want to avoid the pirate deck party because of the crowd, loud music and fireworks. Plan a nice dinner in Remy or Palo that night and then get back to your cabin by going down to deck 10 and walking all the way forward before going back up to your concierge level cabin.
• In the ports, there is always a crowd wanting to be the first off the ship. Wait about a half hour and things will be much simpler. Of course that assumes you decide not to do an organized shore excursion.
• Enjoy the serenity of the Concierge Sun deck during the cruise.

Is there a concierge sun deck on the Magic? I thought that was just on the larger ships.
Good recommendations!

Thank you for your service--sounds trite, but I mean it. My husband is retired Navy.

 

[bumbershoot]

At dinner times, don't leave your cabin until a couple of minutes before your assigned dining time. By the time you get down to the MDR the majority of folks will have been seated already.

Yes.

You may want to avoid the sail away deck party because of the crowd and loud music. A pleasant alternative is to just sit on your balcony as the ship pulls out of port.

Yes.

You may want to avoid the pirate deck party because of the crowd, loud music and fireworks.

YES.

Enjoy the serenity of the Concierge Sun deck during the cruise.

Alas, not on the Magic.



OP, earplugs might help tremendously. Dampens everything but you can still hear the good stuff. Even during muster; they don't make things silent, but get rid of the painful noises.

And it's entirely possible that you can call Disney and talk baout this, and again once onboard, to see if you can get an alternative muster station. While we've had stations outside before, on our last one (or second to last) we were in the theater (on Dream). That was lovely and nowhere near as noisy.

There's a thread floating around here of the muster stations for specific cabins, I think, and that might be helpful. Shoreside concierge might be helpful, too.

 

[MandAmommy]

Each of you have been amazing. Thank you for your kindness and willingness to help! I just called DCL and they gave me the email to special services and had me send them all of my questions so I can start there. I will utilize shoreside concierge also. I appreciate the tips! Keep them coming!

 

[OKW Lover]

Is there a concierge sun deck on the Magic? I thought that was just on the larger ships.
Good recommendations!

Thank you for your service--sounds trite, but I mean it. My husband is retired Navy.

I missed the part that they are sailing on the Magic. No, there isn't a concierge sun deck on the Magic. That also invalidates the part about going down to deck 10 to walk forward to the concierge area. On the Magic I believe that most concierge cabins are at (or near) the stern. So, the concept would be better stated to simply take the elevator from Palo down to your stateroom floor.

 

[kiford]

When checking it at the port, there will be a bit of a crowd going through the metal detectors and a larger crowd inside, however there is a separate Concierge waiting area that won't be crowded once you make your way to the back-right part of the terminal.

Although there is a Concierge waiting area, if you get to the terminal early, there is still quite a crowd that you have to navigate to get to it. If you get to the terminal at 12:30 or later, there is practically no one there and you can check in without line ups, walk right onto the ship and head right up to your stateroom.

 

[OKW Lover]

Although there is a Concierge waiting area, if you get to the terminal early, there is still quite a crowd that you have to navigate to get to it. If you get to the terminal at 12:30 or later, there is practically no one there and you can check in without line ups, walk right onto the ship and head right up to your stateroom.

Good point! By doing this you miss a lot of congestion.

 

[Quellman]

We too have a TBI in our family. Blessed every day.

As someone else said, ear plugs would be beneficial an not something that would cause someone to unduly stare potentially making him feel uncomfortable. They are cheap and he can pick up a few pairs and just keep them in a pocket.

For dining, you may want to request concierge to seat you along a wall or towards a corner instead of in the center of the room. This gives him the option of staring into the corner if visual stimuli, or stare into the room so no one can be behind him, which can help with certain forms of PTSD. Also, show up 5 minutes late for each meal. They don't start letting you in until it is time to eat anyway. So no need to be there first thing.

Spend time doing adult only events or in adult only areas. Things won't be too hectic. I think you might be able to do the Pirates party if you take a position at the front of the ship.

Have a great voyage.

 

[bumbershoot]

Pirate party...they might not do it the same way as we experienced, but just in case, this might be worth a head's up.

On out first dream cruise, feb 2013, they had everyone sit down during the pirate show. So a whole deck of people on their rears. The CMs told us they would have people stand soon but they never did. We left the area because sitting in a crowd like that seemed beyond unsafe.

If that's something that he might feel is unsafe (I'm not a person with a profession that looks at exit strategies in case of disaster but it's in my nature lol, and I imagine that a military person might see the same issue I did?) stay at the fringes or avoid it.

And stay aware of when the fireworks will be if you aren't going to be right there. Since we don't do pirate night stuff anymore we were settling into bed and 5 minutes later, BOOM!!!! The fireworks started. Scary. If sound is a trigger, stay on top of that timing.

 

[mumto2]

We found my imaginings of the muster drill to be far worse than the reality. DD is a stroke survivor, so some TBI symptoms (loud noises literally are painful, exaggerated startle reflex, etc.) DH has claustrophobia and anxiety disorder (has meds). Our muster station was outside on deck 4 (Dream), but DCL was aware of my concerns, so we were in a separate area with a couple of families, not lined up in a sardine like crowd as our travelling companions were. DD wore earbuds, but she did not have to turn on music, so the noises weren't loud enough to cause problems. Our location, and the small number of people in our space, meant that DH was good with the crowd (didn't need anything extra to keep calm). What also helped: we made our way to our station early and CMs released us a few minutes earlier than the rest of the crowd. Being outside was also helpful, as we had a view of the lifeboats (which in a strange way, made DH more comfortable with them). We had an early port arrival time, and honestly, it was a little crazy, but manageable. If you think you would be ok navigating through a crowd to get to the concierge boarding area, I'd try to get there early as well - since concierge board first, you can focus on getting on board quickly instead of risking even a small bottleneck on the gangway as you enter the ship.

I second what has already been stated above about avoiding Pirate Night activities - the buffet was our only slightly negative experience (I was shocked to see how quickly people could forget how they were raised just to get a crepe or two!). We had a verandah, which helped tremendously as a place to go for calm and some fresh air. DH said it was our most relaxing vacation ever - so I booked another on board before he had a chance to change his mind!

Have a great time - I know for our family, Disney (World, Land and Cruiseline) is the one provider we can count on to make us forget that we have any issues or struggles. And that means the world to our family.

 

[thumpie's mom]

My daughter is disabled, in a wheelchair and does not do well in crowds. DCL will always have my gratitude for the way she is treated. Their special services people are fantastic. When we booked our first cruise (we have been on six, which tells you how much we love them!) they spent as much time as I needed going over things to make me feel comfortable. For the mustering stations, ours is usually in Animator's Palate. we sit near the entrance and they let us leave before they release the entire room. We have been on both the Magic and the Wonder, and for the most part, we are able to avoid crowds. We love both Disneyland and Disney World, but the cruise is the best. If there is a crowd and she is uncomfortable, we simply go a different direction. One area to be aware of that has not been mentioned, is the elevators. They can be very crowded, both waiting for them and getting on. This is particularly true of the ones in the atrium lobby. We have found that the forward elevators are the least crowded. When we are in port, we stay on the ship and that is a fun time to go on the glass elevators in the lobby, as most people are off the ship. We have actually had crew members get us a empty elevator and hold people back so we can get on. I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing cruise.

 

[jrabbit]

"Late Night" in the Adult area: Fathoms they have some great shows that he and you might want to watch: Match Your Mate and some of the main stage entertainers (comedians, magicians, jugglers, etc). Good Shows and even though they are adult only --- its only 'Disney Dirty' which is still usually pretty family friendly (if you have 13yo's they've heard much worse at school).

BUT

GET OUT As Soon As the Show Is Over. Right afterwards they want to crank up the dance parties .... but they run everyone out because the music is TOO DANG LOUD (I guess that makes me too old).

The Family shows between your dinner and main stage shows are also fun and geared towards families .... so the kids can get a little loud depending upon the show.

The main stage shows in the Walt Disney Theater - there are NO bad seats, so sit at the back of the theater. Makes for an "easy exit" if need be and you can be the first out after the show is over.

Good Luck and have a Magical Trip

And like everyone else has said .... Thanks a Lot to BOTH of you for your Service!!!!

 

[kaseyC]

I missed the part that they are sailing on the Magic. No, there isn't a concierge sun deck on the Magic. That also invalidates the part about going down to deck 10 to walk forward to the concierge area. On the Magic I believe that most concierge cabins are at (or near) the stern. So, the concept would be better stated to simply take the elevator from Palo down to your stateroom floor.

On the Magic concierge suites are spread through out deck 8- forward, midship and aft.

 

[redsonja76]

My husband has a TBI (thanks to Afghanistan) and I suffer from PTSD. Crowds and stress are bad for both of us. While we will brave some of the crowds for a little bit because of our daughters, we do tend to avoid them most often. Sometimes he handles them better and sometimes me. We can't afford concierge but we always get a verandah room for the space (important for me) and the solitude (important for dh). We like to spend time in the adult only areas, they tend to be much quieter, and with less people.

Good for you for planning this ahead of time, it can be the difference between a wonderful vacation and a scary one.

 

[kiford]

the elevators. They can be very crowded, both waiting for them and getting on.

Avoid the elevators if possible and take the stairs. Not only does it take forever for them to come and people try to push everyone out of the way to get into them, but even with only 4-5 people on the elevator, you'll feel like you're real friendly with them. They're very small. Even with just DH and I, it feels tight. So we always take the stairs (well, because of that and the amount of food and drink).

 

[MandAmommy]

Each of you has been amazing. Thank you for taking the time our of your night to help me! Gives me warm fuzzies

 

[thumpie's mom]

Each of you has been amazing. Thank you for taking the time our of your night to help me! Gives me warm fuzzies

You are more than welcomed! I truly hope you have a magical cruise. Your family deserves it!