DCL character interaction and special needs kids (a mini trip report) x-posted

[J&ADisneyMom]

Also posted on the DCL bb:


Hi Everyone,

I have been meaning to do a trip report, but just never seem to have the time. We sailed with my sis, bil, nephews ages 5 and 3 and parents on 10/21. I wanted to share our experience because I know there are many families out there like ours. My oldest nephew is considered "special needs" - autistic. Due to his disablilities, he was unable to go to the kids club but enjoyed himself on our trip regardless. He doesn't speak, but he does use many signs. He often gets over stimulated and excited. He will be very loud and he'll jump around, even on his chair. During our trip, the CM's were wonderful with him. Many made a point to learn some of his signs and anticipated his needs. Everyone was patient with him and treated him extremely well. Even our fellow cruisers were very tolerant of his behaviors. The main reason I wanted to post is that my nephew really enjoyed the characters and they were all wonderful with him. Max and Stitch were especially great. They spent extra time with him and made his visits special. On the last day of our cruise, a photograph found my sister and said he had been looking all over for her. He said that they (specifically Stitch) wanted to invite my nephew to a special, invitation only meet and greet prior to the farewell show in the lobby and that he could bring his entire family. Unfortunately my family didn't make it but my sister said it was the highlight of my nephews week. They were there with approx 4 other families and ALL of the characters. Stitch came over right away and spent the whole time with my nephew. "He" also tried to sign with my nephew and ended up writing a note, saying that he was going to miss seeing him and signing with him. When my nephew kept signing "Goofy", Stitch went right back and brought Goofy to him. That little bit of Disney Magic left my sisters family with a fantastic, lifelong memory.

Just wanted to share,
Shell

 

[JohnnySharp2]

Thanks for sharing, our son too is Autistic and unable to speak - like your nephew though he finds many other ways to communicate.

 

[OKWMom]

Thank you for your post. My daughter with autism is also non-verbal and would not be able to utilize the kids clubs. Our other two children really want to go on a Disney Cruise, but DH and I have been on the fence about it. We have been worried how our autistic daughter would handle being on ship.

Would you mind answering a few questions? Specifically:

1. Does your nephew have any “food issues”? My daughter will only eat a few items and I wasn’t sure we would be able to feed her once aboard the ship.

2. Did your nephew have any sensory problems with the rocking of the ship?

3. If he wasn’t at the kids clubs, how did you fill the days while aboard ship? I read your post about the character interaction, but were they available every day for set times? What else was he able to do? As you can tell, I’m worried about how we will keep my daughter entertained.

Thank you in advance.

 

[J&ADisneyMom]

Hi OKWMOM

Let's see... my nephew doesn't really have food issues (although he does have a sensitive gag reflex and he also tends to stuff his mouth too much-bad combo!!)... he tends to eat many things, but definitely has his favorites. But if your child only ate mac and cheese, for example, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem getting that type of thing. The staff is great about accomodating your needs.

The rocking didn't seem to bother him at all. And we had 13 foot waves, at times. His issues are more tactial.

There were only two full days at sea and we felt like our days flew by. We would take him swimming, to the movies in the theater or on the dumbotron, to the afternoon shows (sitting near the door for a quick departure, if needed), take walks, and watched the activities going on (there are different things going on all day!). He really liked the music at the sailaway party and on pirate night. He even enjoyed the fireworks, even though they were a bit loud. Yes, characters were available everyday. In the daily navigator, they list when and where you can see the characters. Usually, in the evenings, they would be in the lobby on deck 3 or on deck 4. There was a great character breakfast, too and often you would find someone strolling deck 9 in the afternoon. We would keep an IPOD with us and had some of his favorite movies ready for him to watch, or music for him to listen to. That helped gets us through a meal or two. On days in port, my sister's family rented a car in GC to see the island, and we took a walk in Key West to get key lime pie. He loved the water at Castaway Cay and even though it was a bit cold, he refused to get off the float and go in. We kept a stroller with us and he liked to sit in it and watch people. It was also nice to have for walks on deck 4 in the mornings. He certainly had his moments but overall he did great!

Shell

I wanted to add that he could have attended activities in the clubs if one of us stayed with him. We didn't end up taking him because he was busy enough and we figured the extra stimulation would make it hard to get him out of there. But, if was an option.

 

[SueM in MN]

thanks for the report. sounds like fun.

 

[OKWMom]

Shell, Thank you so much for answering my questions. I think DH and I now have something to talk about.