Disney Cruise Line and assistance for special needs kids

[jlbusk]

We are taking a Disney Cruise next May. Our twin daughters will be 4 (turning 5 on the boat) and one of them has special needs. She's mildly affected with Cornelia de Lange syndrome, which is marked by developmental delays. She has no dietary restrictions or major physical constraints, but she is speech delayed and small for her age. My main concern is have additional supervision for her by a DCL staff member when she's in the play areas, and possibly someone who knows basic sign language. Please comment if you have experience with this. Thank you!

 

[lanejudy]

I believe if they know in advance that a child will need an ASL interpreter, they will try to have one available. It may mean you would have to plan her time in the Club to coincide with that person's schedule. It likely would simply be a regular Club CM who know's signing, not an additional staff member - DCL will NOT provide additional (1:1) supervision for a special needs child, the child must be potty-trained and able to participate in the group setting with minimal support (obviously, a CM will assist if doing a craft project, getting started on a computer game, etc., but not routine supervision). You should attend the Club open house on embarkation day and speak with the CMs, they might "evaluate" how well your DD appears to be getting along as far as attending the Club without additional supervision. Adults are not allowed in the Club except during open house hours. You may also want to complete the "special needs" form in advance to let them know there will be a child onboard needing ASL (I assume you mean standard ASL and not "baby signing").

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[jlbusk]

Thanks for the info. I'll need to do some more investigating, so this is helpful. It's our second Disney Cruise; the first we took when the girls were smaller and could be put in daycare if needed. Now that they're older we have to give consideration to how to manage their time and supervision.

 

[floridacruiser14]

I know of a company that can probably help you with your concerns and cruising but I am not sure about mentioning their name in a public forum so if you would like to PM me I will be happy to give you more information. I am the mother to a special needs child. Thanks

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

Just curious is your other dd any help to your disabled dd. I get that they are both 5 but does she help her out at home at all, if she does maybe she can help her out a little bit well on the cruise.

 

[lanejudy]

I know of a company that can probably help you with your concerns and cruising but I am not sure about mentioning their name in a public forum so if you would like to PM me I will be happy to give you more information. I am the mother to a special needs child. Thanks

Just a note...DCL no longer allows "caregivers" to accompany children in secured programming. An adult can accompany a child during "open house" hours which are typically 1 or 2 hours each day. But no adults other than CMs are allowed in "secured" programming, not even parents, unfortunately not even for special needs children. There was an incident last year and DCL has gone through considerable adjustments over the past several months regarding children's programming. So if your experience was prior to this past winter, it may not hold true today. And even DCL phone reps may tell you that children can be accompanied but it will not be allowed.