Pirate night and autism

[2neverland]

My son is 7 and has autism. He can handle shopping amusement parks if not overly busy. Example: this summer we visited Hershey park he was fine. The chocolate world building he was not. It was crowded and a lot of echoing going on. He actually asked me if he could go to the sensory room(first time ever n no meltdown). Sensory room is a Place he goes during school days to help with his autism. We left immediately. We encourage him to try things but not force. I want to take him to the pirate deck party. We will be on the dream. I was wondering can this be observed in a area not directly in the crowd? Someplace where we could easily leave? Thanks!

 

[Dug720]

Go to Deck 12. MUCH less crowded than the chaos on the pool deck.

And avoid the Pirate Night buffet like the plague. I've seen films of sharks in feeding frenzies that are calmer than the Pirate Night buffet.

 

[2neverland]

Go to Deck 12. MUCH less crowded than the chaos on the pool deck.

And avoid the Pirate Night buffet like the plague. I've seen films of sharks in feeding frenzies that are calmer than the Pirate Night buffet.

Thank you! He's not a foodie so not worried about the food

 

[Chernabog#1fan]

My son is 7 and has autism. He can handle shopping amusement parks if not overly busy. Example: this summer we visited Hershey park he was fine. The chocolate world building he was not. It was crowded and a lot of echoing going on. He actually asked me if he could go to the sensory room(first time ever n no meltdown). Sensory room is a Place he goes during school days to help with his autism. We left immediately. We encourage him to try things but not force. I want to take him to the pirate deck party. We will be on the dream. I was wondering can this be observed in a area not directly in the crowd? Someplace where we could easily leave? Thanks!

My son has sensory processing disorder and does not do crowds. Pirate Night is horrible for him. There is usually a place by the basketball court that we go and sit for the fireworks, but we can not see the show itself, which to me is not that important.

I really wish DCL would rope off a small section for families with children with those needs.

 

[aggiedog]

Honestly, I don't really get the appeal of Pirate Night. I admit I'm not a crowd lover, and we watched from Deck 12, but if we every cruise DCL again, I'll just skip it. It's basically a loud, chaotic dance party, with Mickey zip-lining in at the end. I wouldn't let yourself feel too upset if you just skip it all together and take advantage of the rest of the ship while everyone else is up on deck 11.

I do like fireworks, so maybe I'd just find a spot away from the party to see the fireworks at the end.

 

[DisMommyTX]

Thanks for the tips about Pirate night.

My son has special needs also. Any other tips for first-time DCL cruisers? We will be on the Magic for Thanksgiving. Other than Pirate night, any onboard chaos we night not be aware of? We usually arrive at the port late and debark early to avoid the longest lines.

I am concerned about the character lines. We have been told to line up early, but is it okay if I get in line and my husband brings him to join me when we get close to the front? We usually get a few evil looks this way but not as many as when he has a meltdown from trying to stand in a long line. Anyone know of a better way?

 

[Napoleon Dynamite]

Thanks for the tips about Pirate night.

My son has special needs also. Any other tips for first-time DCL cruisers? We will be on the Magic for Thanksgiving. Other than Pirate night, any onboard chaos we night not be aware of? We usually arrive at the port late and debark early to avoid the longest lines.

I am concerned about the character lines. We have been told to line up early, but is it okay if I get in line and my husband brings him to join me when we get close to the front? We usually get a few evil looks this way but not as many as when he has a meltdown from trying to stand in a long line. Anyone know of a better way?

I would request seating at your own table for dinner. My son is on the spectrum, and that is what we do. Dining with strangers wouldn't be fun for him at all. We get to the port first thing , I find a less crowded ship when we board, and less crowded dining room to eat lunch is great for us. Not to mention our cruise in July we were picked for family of the day at the port. I wasn't sure how he would like that, with everyone staring at us and clapping for us. But he handled it remarkably well, and even waved!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I am an adult with autism and just to let you know I avoid Pirate night. We booked Palo's for that night. I appreciate you can't do that with your son but you could avoid the deck party. Maybe go to see a movie being screened instead!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My 12 year old DD has autism and loves Pirate Night. I, being the old curmudgeon that I am, can't stand it. Go figure. Luckily, we've finally been on enough cruises that my DD doesn't have interest in seeing the show, just the fireworks. But she always insists on going to the buffet afterwards to get ice cream. My preferred spot for the fireworks: along the outside rail, starboard side, on deck 12. Immediately after the fireworks, we make our way as quickly as possible to Cabanas, go directly to where they are scooping the ice cream, get her a bowl, then exit to our room as soon as she is done eating.

 

[bumbershoot]

And avoid the Pirate Night buffet like the plague. I've seen films of sharks in feeding frenzies that are calmer than the Pirate Night buffet.

Yes.

Thank you! He's not a foodie so not worried about the food

Not sure there's anything there that would please a foodie, but might please a hungry kid.

Honestly, I don't really get the appeal of Pirate Night.

Same.

We usually get a few evil looks this way

Fwiw you probably aren't getting looks that are intended to be evil. Looks are misinterpreted all the time. It's likely that they are bummed they didn't think of it themselves.

 

[Dug720]

I am concerned about the character lines. We have been told to line up early, but is it okay if I get in line and my husband brings him to join me when we get close to the front? We usually get a few evil looks this way but not as many as when he has a meltdown from trying to stand in a long line. Anyone know of a better way?

I've never seen anyone have a problem with one parent and one kid joining. Where I have seen the issues is 1-2 people wait and then a gaggle of kids suddenly joins and the family/families want multiple poses in multiple combinations.

 

[2neverland]

I would request seating at your own table for dinner. My son is on the spectrum, and that is what we do. Dining with strangers wouldn't be fun for him at all. We get to the port first thing , I find a less crowded ship when we board, and less crowded dining room to eat lunch is great for us. Not to mention our cruise in July we were picked for family of the day at the port. I wasn't sure how he would like that, with everyone staring at us and clapping for us. But he handled it remarkably well, and even waved!

I'm definitely asking for private dining. He's not a big eater and I don't feel like dealing with misunderstanding of his eating-because yes I will occasionally feed him. He can come across obnoxious when around strangers he gets nervous and acts inappropriate. As much as he needs to learn to adjust this is a vacation. I haven't set my boarding time-torn between early or late! We've been watching YouTube videos to give him an idea of what to expect of the ship. Thanks

 

[2neverland]

My 12 year old DD has autism and loves Pirate Night. I, being the old curmudgeon that I am, can't stand it. Go figure. Luckily, we've finally been on enough cruises that my DD doesn't have interest in seeing the show, just the fireworks. But she always insists on going to the buffet afterwards to get ice cream. My preferred spot for the fireworks: along the outside rail, starboard side, on deck 12. Immediately after the fireworks, we make our way as quickly as possible to Cabanas, go directly to where they are scooping the ice cream, get her a bowl, then exit to our room as soon as she is done eating.

The pirate buffet in cabanas then? I believe will check out deck 12 --give it a try if not working no biggy!

 

[2neverland]

I am an adult with autism and just to let you know I avoid Pirate night. We booked Palo's for that night. I appreciate you can't do that with your son but you could avoid the deck party. Maybe go to see a movie being screened instead!

I'm glad to hear you find enjoyment elswhere!
Need to show my son the pirate night YouTube videos. He may not even care to check it out. His favorite pass time on vacations are pools and mini gulf! Where are the movies screened at? Thanks!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

The pirate buffet in cabanas then? I believe will check out deck 12 --give it a try if not working no biggy!

Yes, the buffet is in Cabanas, but as mentioned, it can be a madhouse. We try to beat the crowds in, then exit quickly. I really don't understand the appeal of the buffet. It's not outstanding food and I'm usually still stuffed from dinner. If I'm not stuffed to the gills, I might get DD settled with her bowl of ice cream and then go grab a dessert for myself but there's nothing that I absolutely have to have.

Does your son have noise-reducing ear muffs? Those helped us a ton when DD was younger. She's now decided she's too old for them so we use her iPod with headphones instead.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I'm glad to hear you find enjoyment elswhere!
Need to show my son the pirate night YouTube videos. He may not even care to check it out. His favorite pass time on vacations are pools and mini gulf! Where are the movies screened at? Thanks!

There are movies in the Buena Vista Theater, on deck 4 of the Dream. There are also On Demand movies on the stateroom TVs on the Dream (and Fantasy).

 

[2neverland]

Yes, the buffet is in Cabanas, but as mentioned, it can be a madhouse. We try to beat the crowds in, then exit quickly. I really don't understand the appeal of the buffet. It's not outstanding food and I'm usually still stuffed from dinner. If I'm not stuffed to the gills, I might get DD settled with her bowl of ice cream and then go grab a dessert for myself but there's nothing that I absolutely have to have.

Does your son have noise-reducing ear muffs? Those helped us a ton when DD was younger. She's now decided she's too old for them so we use her iPod with headphones instead.

He does pretty well with regular loud situations. It tends to bother him when it's the loud echoes sounds. Im going to start bringing headphones for his tablet. Will attempt to watch from 12 and go from there. Non of us prefer the crowds. Im sure we will be stuffed possibly ready for bed!

 

[2neverland]

There are movies in the Buena Vista Theater, on deck 4 of the Dream. There are also On Demand movies on the stateroom TVs on the Dream (and Fantasy).

Might be movie night for us!

 

[2neverland]

So they also have pirate them for dinner correct? This is separate from the deck party?

 

[olookasquirrel]

We were on the Wonder, so that's the caveat here, but deck 12 was pretty empty - you could see the party, but the only people up there were adults who wanted to see the festivities but didn't have kids young enough that would need to be directly supervised. So, not many people! And the stairs were obviously clear so we could make our escape very quickly. Which, we did, because I really shouldn't have asked for a second bowl of that delicious oil bread dip at dinner (#noregrets).

We didn't stay for (or know about) the buffet, but from what it sounds like, we would have been better off ordering room service Mickey bars afterwards. If we were still hungry. Which, I was not

So they also have pirate them for dinner correct? This is separate from the deck party?

Yes, pirate theme for dinner, some people dressed up, waiters are dressed for it, pirate menu, etc. It was cute. The waiters had the kids do a conga-line type thing around the dining room before dessert.