Our cruise with Autism On the Seas
Planning a vacation when you have small children is hard to do. When my parents, sisters and I (family of 17) decided we wanted to go on vacation together to celebrate our parents 50th anniversary, there were a lot of things to be considered. My sisters and I have 8 kids collectively, ages ranging from 4-17. While my sisters kids are 9 and up, I have the youngest crew, twin 4 year olds and a 5 year old. We needed to find a vacation that would suit all ages. We considered renting a house on the beach somewhere, but decided that having to cook meals and clean house would be overwhelming - not to mention that there would be very little personal space- a must for my crew, because 2 of my kids have autism, and they need a place of their own for down time. Sourcing a house of that size was difficult. We considered a cruise, but flying my family of 5, especially my autistic sons, would be challenging and expensive to boot. Fortunately my family was very understanding that some of the planning had to take our special needs into consideration. This was difficult for me. Being the parents of kids with special needs requires you to make things about you, hoping that other people will do what works for your family. It's uncomfortable for me, but it's a skill I have had to acquire in my role as Mom to kids with special needs.
I took on the role of trip planner to be sure that the vacation we chose as a large group would work for us as a family. As I was researching cruises I found that we could cruise out of NY or NJ, which alleviated the need to fly. A big plus for us. I started researching cruises and narrowing down a timeframe that worked for everyone. I joined a website called "cruise critic", where I learned about different cruise lines and to see if any other cruisers had kids or themselves were autistic. The first response I got was from a person who told me about a company called "Autism on the Seas" (AotS). I was intrigued! I checked out the website and sent over an inquiry. They responded promptly. It was at this point that I hesitated. Did I really want my entire vacation to focus on my kids and their "disability"? How would this fit in with the rest of my family and what they had planned? I was nervous about how it would all fit together. The bottom line was that I was going to need help, no matter where we all decided to go. I didn't want that burden to fall upon my family, even though they would be happy to help.
We decided to book our vacation through "Autism on the Seas" on a 9 day cruise with Royal Carribean. I can tell you now, it was the best decision I could make. The services AotS provided on our trip was the difference between a barely tolerable vacation and a great vacation. I'm going to describe the trip in detail and explain how and when this service was the most helpful to us.
Arriving /boarding the ship
About 2000 people are trying to get on this ship at boarding time. It's overwhelming for anyone, but it is especially challenging for people with autism. AotS was there, holding up orange signs, easily seen and found by my entire party. As soon as they found us they were able to get us on a priority line, making boarding quicker and easier. What I thought would be a nightmare turned out to be much more pleasant than I expected. Not only that, but all 17 of us got in priority, not just my 5- so my kids odidn't feel singled out and my family benefitted from the situation. We even had a private muster drill after boarding!
Meal times
If you have cruised before, you know how buffets are a free for all especially when it comes to seating. Think of the logistics. If you have are traveling with a person with autism, things like waiting for a seat can be very difficult. As a caregiver, you know that the idea of actually sitting and eating is almost impossible. With AotS, every meal we attended had a reserved section for seating. The staff either stayed with my kids while I made plates of food for them, or got food for them. They also helped attend to my kids so my husband and I were able to sit and enjoy our meal. This was so valuable and really made the trip more enjoyable for us.
Kids programs
Our ship had a kids program called adventure ocean. The ratio of counselor to campers is 1:25. This worked out fine for my daughter, but my boys need a little more help than that. AotS had counselors every day at camp, (respite), twice a day most days, so my boys were able to participate. This gave me and my husband a much needed break. (Hot tub time!) I wasn't expecting to utilize this service- the idea of leaving my kids with strangers sounded nerve wracking to me. Within a day or 2, the staff felt more like family. They also gave us a beeper so we could be reached anywhere on the boat. I was very comfortable with this arrangement.
Events
There are various shows and events that you can attend when you're on a cruise. The hard part is that there are so many people on the boat that things can get over crowded quickly. Because we booked with AotS we had reserved seating for many events. Each day we received 2 schedules. 1 provided by the cruise line, listing all of the events going on around the ship for the day. The other, a schedule provided by AotS, listing which shows/events that they had reserved seating time for meals and shows, what times AotS staff would be at the pool or at respite, or special events like private time on the ice for skating, water slide or rock climbing, sensory friendly movies, etc.
(Private time on the ice)
Ports of Call
Wait, you want me to bring my kids to an island I've never been to? What does it look like? Can I use a stroller? Where's the bathroom? Is it autism friendly? Loud? Bright? Dangerous?
(Easily accessible beach in Bermuda, accompanied by AotS staff)
The staff at AotS knew the ports, so we were able to ask these kind of questions. They had already researched the best excursions to meet our needs, and they were there to help my kids in the water, take photos of all of us together, and just have an extra eye out in case of any darting or roaming that could occur.
One added benefit that needs mentioning is that my daughter, who does not have autism, was able to get time and attention from us and from the AotS staff. If you have a typical siblings amongst your children with autism, you know that sometimes they don't get the time and attention they need. When I asked my daughter what the best part of her trip was, she said it was when her dad and I brought her to mini golf. We were able to focus on just her for a few hours while the boys were at respite. This meant so much to me!
I wasn't paid or rewarded for writing this review. I just really want to spread the word about http://www.autismontheseas.com . They made our vacation possible and really fun. My kids had so much fun together, with us, and with the AotS staff. Cruising with autism isn't just a possibility, it's an awesome time! While I worried that sailing as AotS members would narrow our experience, instead it made it more inclusive. We met other families that I will stay in touch with for life. That was another huge bonus - other people on the cruise who understand the joy and challenges of daily life with autism. So please feel free to share my blog and my review with other families who might benefit from it. Also, please contact me if you have any questions!
