|  Author | Topic: I am considering a cruise (Read 126 times) |
ckkoehler
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Karma: 0 |  | I am considering a cruise
« Thread Started on Oct 7, 2009, 7:59pm » | ![[Quote]](http://s4.images.proboards.com/buttons/quote.gif) |
My son has mild autism but he is not a good traveler. I found this site while searching the internet because I would love to go on a cruise. My husband and I have not had a vacation for some time. Well I guess you could say since he was born 6 years ago. I am interested to see how people feel about these cruises? Was it worth the money? What was it they liked and what did they dislike? I am considering the one that leaves from San Diego next year in May. Is there anything that I would need to know about the services they offer. I am a little scarred about taking him on a cruise.
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Heather
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Karma: 1 | | Re: I am considering a cruise
« Reply #1 on Oct 8, 2009, 12:57pm » | |
Hi! I was scared to death to go on a cruise and almost backed out. I thought it would be a complete disaster. I prepared for the worst and hoped for the best.
It was fantastic! The staff was great. They helped us when we needed it. There were activities for us and we could decide how much we wanted to participate. My son loved everything so much that we booked our next cruise before we left the ship. Cruisining has greatly improved my son's socail skills and he keeps trying new things when he cruises. On our cruises he learned he loved salad, he tried the rock wall and overcame his fear of heights, and even learned to ice skate. Going on a cruise was amazing. You can read about our cruises on AutismOnTheGo.com and please feel free to ask any questions
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Cruises:
Aug 2010 - Grandeur of the Seas - CocoCay, Cozumel & Key West
Aug 09 - Mariner of the Seas - Mexican Riveria
Jan 09 - Grandeur of the Seas - Cozumel
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jagshaw
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Karma: 0 | | Re: I am considering a cruise
« Reply #2 on Oct 15, 2009, 6:45am » | |
Hi,
Our 6 yo son also has mild autism, but has always been a good traveller. He has been on 5 cruises of varying lengths, and has enjoyed them all. The 5th cruise we took him on was a Disney cruise through Autism on the Seas this past July, as we had wanted to go on a Disney cruise, and we also had read good things about AOTS. As it turned out, we did not participate in any of the AOTS-scheduled activities, as we were having a good time on our own, but I was impressed by the pre-cruise coordination AOTS had done with Disney to make sure that Disney was prepared to work with all of the AOTS families, and I have read that Jamie Glover (who seems to work the Royal Caribbean cruises for AOTS) really goes all out to make those cruises enjoyable for every AOTS family. Cruising is extremely safe for our kids, and you owe it to yourself to have a vacation (in fact, on our Disney cruise, we felt confident for the first time to leave our son with a cruise staff member, and not with a family member, while my wife and I enjoyed some "we" time). I think you will be surprised how "easy" cruising is, and that it is definitely worth the cost. I can't think of a single negative about our AOTS cruise experience.
Good luck and happy cruising. 
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alan77505
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Karma: 0 | | Re: I am considering a cruise
« Reply #3 on Nov 12, 2009, 4:45pm » | |
Oct 7, 2009, 7:59pm, ckkoehler wrote:| My son has mild autism but he is not a good traveler. I found this site while searching the internet because I would love to go on a cruise. My husband and I have not had a vacation for some time. Well I guess you could say since he was born 6 years ago. |
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The good thing about being aboard a ship is that there is plenty to do and if your child gets overstimulated, you can take him to your room to unwind.
Our son is severely Autistic. He has his bad moments (as he would no matter where he was) but overall we feel he enjoys going on cruises. We will be on our 5th in April. We haven't regretted taking him on a cruise. AOS has trained staff that can provide activities for your son while you and your husband do other things. You can trust Jamie Grover and his staff.
Quote:| I am interested to see how people feel about these cruises? Was it worth the money? |
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It was worth every penny and then some.
Quote:| What was it they liked and what did they dislike? |
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Like - What I like about cruises in general ~ The food, the on ship activities, the ports, beaches, pools, excursions, the service from waiters and cabin staff and even the family photos you wind up buying during the cruise. What I like about AOS ~ The level of detail and expertise they put in to making this a great vacation. You will also enjoy the other families traveling with you.
Dislike - Getting onboard and departing. (Alumni makes both easier for us than normal passengers typically experience.
Quote:| I am considering the one that leaves from San Diego next year in May. Is there anything that I would need to know about the services they offer. I am a little scarred about taking him on a cruise. |
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You need to know one important thing. None of the cruise lines have the background, knowledge or will to put together something like this on their own. Michael Sobbell cares about our community and has done his homework and brought in resources to construct a program that does it's very best to make sure our children (and their family) have a great time.
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