Special kids on board

[LisaJoy]

Hi gang-

I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with kids with disabilities in the kids programs. I have a well-behaved 11 year old son with autism, who is a delightful little guy except he is non verbal and has limited interests. When I called for cruise info I was told he could not participate in the kids programs, however while "cruising" these boards I am finding some folks with special kids that did seem to be able to go- does anyone have any info? Is there someone I could talk to before sailing (we go Jan 29 on the Wonder), or should I just go discuss it when I'm onboard? I am happy to have him with me most of the time, but I would love for him to get some fun out of the kids club (I also have a dd, age 6, who is counting the seconds till cruise time), and it would be lovely to maybe swing a dinner at Palo with the hubby.
Any suggestions?

Happy holidays to everyone!

Thanks,
Lisa

 

[kcashner]

While we were on one cruise, there was a "special needs" young lady participating in the 10-12 group with my daughter. However, she was travelling with an attendent who sat on the sides and watched her at all times. Sorry, I really don't know who to tell you to talk with.

 

[CGC33A]

I really don't know the answer also but it seems that from reading these boards, that DCL won't commit to allowing a special needs child (or any child for that matter-I have known some to be asked to leave & not return-bad behavior &/or potty accidents) in the club. It seems that if they do not have too many children they will allow one who needs more supervision but if they are full-forget it. It is on a "trial basis". You'll have better luck if your son is continent. You could also look at the club's Navigators (see them at www.castawayclub.com and other sites) & see if there is something your son would like during the dinner hour (read: Palo time). Try the evening before with you staying with him, if successful, then try for the Palo night. But I don't know who you can call for a definite answer

 

[mickeymom1]

hi lisa,

I was also wondering the same thing because I have a little guy who is almost 4 with Down syndrome. I called disney and got the "text book" answer that they could not accomodate a child if he needed any more supervision, blah, blah (I understand where they are coming from, but it is still makes me a little sad that they discourage participation of special needs kids in the kids clubs). I just want him to have the oppurtunity to mingle & play with other kids his age and be able to participate in some of the kid programs. I am going to go when we board to ask if he can go for a few activities and I will stay with him (he is almost 4 and has that extra toddler energy!!). We are sailing on January 3rd so I can let you know how it goes.
Sorry I couldn't help more!

pam

 

[wide awake]

Hi Lisa,
We took our 13 year old autistic son with us and it worked out great. He is verbal but if he is stressed he isn't going to be able to verbalize his feelings. To be honest his statements of emotion are limited to "I'm happy" when he experiences happiness. Because he can't/won't tell me specifically about a problem I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him with strangers. He loved the cruise though...pretended to throw stuff off the balcony which he knows is forbidden and then laughed about it, he loved the movies in the room, he enjoyed his meals in the dining room (he is very picky about table settings and such), enjoyed the pool and hot tubs, loved swimming in the ocean, and liked the tours of the ports. When we were on the plane going home he said "Cruise again ?". The waiters were great with him...he didn't show enjoyment for the tricks they did, but they never left him out. Another thing I liked about Disney is that were tubs in all the rooms. My son needs to take a bath every day as a way to relieve stress, which is the main reason we picked Disney. I think they must get a fair number of autistic children...at breakfast one morning I was ordering for him, and the waiter finally said doesn't he talk...I explained, and the waiter said Charles was very well behaved and happy compared to some of the other autistic children they've had on board. Please understand there was nothing negative about the above exchange...Charles appears normal, his table manners are good, and I always get strange looks when I order for him. I look like control mom. I remember reading on the board awhile back about a woman who used the child care services for her handicapped daughter...nonverbal and in a wheelchair, so I guess it is a parental choice. My husband and I didn't get to do Palos and the late night things, but we are used to working around the autism and we all had a great time. I'm taking my mother along next year so that DH and I can go to the clubs one night after Charles is asleep. Hope that helps, if you have any more questions feel free to email me.

 

[wide awake]

I forgot...Charles also loved the live shows, and one of his favorite things to do was to sit in the Promenade Lounge and listen to music while he watched the ocean. While I'm aware that all the kids are different...something I've argued about with doctors and school district people for years...speaking of which, did you hear that at one of the conferences in Southern California
a researcher did get up and say that...all of our kids do not have the same thing. Anyway, what I wanted to get across was that there are probably quite a few activities that the whole family can enjoy.

 

[Lisa]

Our 10 yr old DD w/ autism attended several activities with the Oceaneer Lab on our last cruise in January.

Before the cruise, I printed out the navigator for our DD's age group and selected those activities I knew she would enjoy. Either my DH or I would go with her to those activities. Many times we just stood in the background while she partook in the fun.

 

[SweetSpot]

My son now 13 is high functioning autistic. He is verbal and mainstreamed with a one on one aide. He is socially inept, has difficulty communicating at times among other things but he is good, would never hurt anyone and generally always follows the rules (and unfortunately likes to enforce them). The first time we cruised with DCL he was 12 and we were really apprehensive about how he would do. I spent a lot of time researching. I printed the Navigators from his Lab and we went over the things offered until he was familiar with almost everything that would happen on the cruise.

When I signed him up for the Lab I told them he was autistic and that I was sure he would be fine and that I would come running at anytime they beeped me and I kept my promise. They were aware of autism and they were willing to work with me.

He didn't like the structured activities (never has) and they would allow him to play on the computers quietly while they did activities in the lab. He felt he was part of the group even if in reality he really wasn't but to him he was participating. We never let him eat with the group and I did check on him often.

The cruise ended up being one of the most wonderful experiences because he felt "normal". The CM's treated him wonderfully and made so many allowances for him.

We went again last month when he was 13 and we put him back down in the 10-12 club. He had a wonderful time again becuase he was so familiar with the ship. Many of the same CM's were there and remembered him and knew that I would work with them to make it easier on them. I didn't expect them to have to deal with a different child and appreciated everything they did.

We are going again next Nov. when he is 14 and I know he won't be able to go to the 10-12 club because he is so big and would be so out of place. We took him to the Stack to get him familar with it and he seemed to like it. I'm not sure how he will do next year but I'm sure it will be okay. He loves the club and I would hate for him to miss that experience next year.

One very important thing I learned during the first cruise, bring ear plugs (many sets)!! They have the kids scream really loud on the first night of the club and it can get noisy in there at other times. The shows and deck parties are also loud. I was lucky to find a pair in my purse the first cruise and it saved the cruise for us. I now pack many, many pairs.

mickeymom1:

I don't see why they would let your son in his club if you are there with him. They really do want to work to give our kids a wonderful time and as long as you are there it can't hurt to let you come in during some of the activities.

Also, the disboards have a special board just for people with or family of people with disabilities:

http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=20

Let me know if you have any other questions.

Tracy

 

[debm]

Hi all. On our first cruise our son with Down sydrome was just 7. I got the standard answer when I first booked the cruise, that they couldn't accomodate anyone with "anything" special. I can understand because they don't want to commit but....They were wonderful with him!! When we first signed the kids up we explained that Aaron was non-verbal, he signs some but that he would let them know what he needed. We usually tried to hit the times that they had free play because he really wanted to play on the big fort in there. Matter of fact, as we signed him in and it was CLOSED he still managed to climb to the top so we embarrassingly had to go get him down. Anyhow nothing much was said to us and he had a wonderful time in the club. He didn't spend all day but just a few hours at a time though. We cruised again 6 months later and I think they were even more attentive then. ONe gal in particular would sit with him and play the games he wanted to play. We did put him in the younger group though because mentally he is more like a 5 year old.

I did find out that they have a special needs coordinator. If you personally email me I will find out what contact info I can give out.

Personally I think that they are wonderful and it really depends on your child's needs. If they need full time supervised care then that won't work. They don't have enough staff for that and they don't feel qualified for it. The other big thing is bathroom issues. We were worried that he wouldn't be trained by then. We took our chances that he would have an accident though and it went fine. They are just not allowed to help out with the potty. We just make sure he goes when he first goes in and sometimes we go with him with the pretense that we are making sure he goes even though he really still needs some help with his snap or not "playing around" in the bathroom!

Please let me know if you have any questions. Our next cruise is planned for May 04. Debi jmitchell89@charter.net

 

[JanDave]

Hi: This past July we were on the 4 day Wonder with our precious goddaughter who has Down Syndrome (she was 6 at the time). Her mom and I registered her at the kids club and her disability was not an issue. Although Alyssa would not stay alone at the kids club, we were able to stay with her. She didn't participate in the activities, however, she played and watched the kids from a distance. The CMs were great with her. Jan

 

[littleminniesmom]

We cruised with our DS who has mild MR when he was 4 years old and again when he was seven. Both times he used the kids club with no trouble at all--- he had such a great time.

We did not stay in the club with him, however we also made sure that he was not there during meal times (choking is an issue for him sometimes). We also checked in a lot to make sure he was having fun. He did not especially enjoy the activities at Castaway Cay when he was 7 because for his age group the activities were primarily competitive. I think he would have preferred to hang out digging in the sand with the younger group, but it was a huge hassle to change his age group (they will let you adjust the age group for a special needs child) just for Castaway Kay day. So, dh and I enjoyed spending some good 2:1 time with him. Our rule of thumb was that any of our kids would go to the club only if they were having FUN!!!

Also, they were fairly flexible about toileting for our ds. While he was almost completely continent, he had accidents on occasions. When he was four, he was not yet trained. As a four year old, we were permitted to send him in pull-ups, though they of course would not change him. (At four, he would have an accident about once a day). At age seven, he was in underwear but occasionally had accidents--- and he had one in the club. They were great--- paged us, had us bring a change of clothes, we changed him and then they invited to come right back when he was all dry.

Both cruises I saw a number of kids with special needs and it really was a great trip. My son would love to go again.

 

[Talking Hands]

While they say they cannot accommodate these children if you want to press it under ADA I think Disney would find they are required to accommodate them to the extent that they cannot have a different set of rules for a special needs child. IE. if he is potty trained and not a behavior problem they need to accept him. Communication needs they must deal with as well as security of the child.

 

[kcashner]

In my experience, Disney goes a long way to accomadating guests with special needs. We've seen many examples of their going well more than one might expect.

As to the legal issues...I don't want to start a flame, but I'm not at all sure that they are held to the ADA laws. The ships are not registered in the US which is how they get around all the wage and labor laws.

They have very carefully written the policies for the kid areas so that any kid who requires more attention than they can give--for behavioral reasons, continence issues, or even just numbers of children--can be excluded. In fairness to Disney, I've never (on 9 cruises) been aware of them excluding a child. I have seen a parent warned about a behavioral issue. I've also seen Disney provide extra crew to facilitate the cruise in some circumstances.

 

[littleminniesmom]

It is true about the ADA. It does not apply to the ships because they are not registered in the US. I checked this out prior to our first cruise when I got the standard line about not being able to accomodate our son.

But, as stated above, they went out of their way to make his trip special.

 

[TCPluto]

My daughter is 9 years old with cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair. She is very verbal (no problems there!!). We were told that as long as she could move around the lab unattended she could stay. We have had to bring her power chair on two trips but she loved being in the Lab. The first year the counelors paged me often. Our last trip on Dec. 6th was wonderful. She never wanted to leave the lab. The counelors would page me if she needed to use the restroom...that was it.

The lab was wonderful for Courtney and us. I never imagined that I would have so much free time. I was able to be alone or spend time with my husband.

We have found that the cruise is the best way for us to vacation.

 

[yourtravelpro]

Originally posted by LisaJoy



Hi gang-

I was wondering if anyone had any experiences with kids with disabilities in the kids programs. I have a well-behaved 11 year old son with autism, who is a delightful little guy except he is non verbal and has limited interests. When I called for cruise info I was told he could not participate in the kids programs, however while "cruising" these boards I am finding some folks with special kids that did seem to be able to go- does anyone have any info?
Happy holidays to everyone!

Thanks,
Lisa

I don't have an answer for you, but, what I will say is that I will be REALLY REALLY disappointed with Disney if they didn't let your son participate. It would probably be a fun experience for him and also give your husband and yourself a little break.

I am a travel agent, and just out of curiousity, I am going to call Disney when I get to work tomorrow and find you an answer.

Donna

 

[mickeymom1]

I didn't originally post this thread, but I want to thank all of you who shared your posititve experiences.
We are sailing next week on the Magic and you all have eased my mind about taking my son to some club activities.
I must admit that because he is just about 4 years old, that he is just at the age where the gap between his abilities and his peers is really starting to widen (a lot). My emotions about my son can still run a little close to the surface, so I could just imagine them flat out denying him to participate and I would have an emotional breakdown on the cruise. (silly, I know! )

Thanks again, your experiences have really helped me!!

pam

 

[SueM in MN]

I have also heard that the ADA does not apply to the cruise ships (because of where they are registered). It does apply to the WDW on site kids clubs.
But, I have read lots of posts from people who had the same good experiences as the posters here. i think one thing involved is that they don't want to commit to be able to be able to take special needs kids without being able to evaluate/confirm their needs (and be sure they would be able to handle them). So that makes it a "case by case", in person situation.

 

[travel with kids]

As a Special Ed. Teacher, I would be very sad if DCL did not intergrate all children in the different clubs. "Special needs" and "Normal" (I really dislike labels, so I am using them gently) children have a great deal to gain from each other's company.

However, with that said I think that it is a child to child basis. From reading everyone's responses, I think you all have this same thought. I would assume if a child attends a school or play group without an aide then they most likely could attend the DCL children's programs.

I currently work with 9 children. All but 2 could attend solo. One child is low functioning and is nonvervbal and has limited movement on one side ( there is also the licking problem!!) the other child, from the outside looks like a high functioning 16 year old. However, she unable to carry on a conversation and is unable to request her needs. She also gets stressed with too much excitement. To put either of these two kids in a situation where they were not known would not be fair to them, the group or the parents. They both would be great with an aide, parent or someone who could communicate and be a link for their interactions.


Hay! If someone wants an escort for their special needs child--I could handle it!! (especailly Feb vacation--very cold in Maine and our cruise isn't until April).

Enjoy the cruise!!

 

[Amabelle]

Hi LisaJoy.
I'm going as a CM and will be working with the 10-12 year olds.
I'm almost positive I'll be on the Wonder and if so, I'll be on my 2nd cruise as CM while you are there.
I have extensive experience in working with kids with special needs. I have mostly worked with mental health stuff but also a lot of behavioural needs including lots of kids and youth on the autism spectrum.
Of course, not being there yet, I don't know how the DCL policy will work but I hope I have a chance to help out and support you and your son. I'll keep my eye out for you!
Amy~