What's Included
Your one inclusive cruise price includes
•
Royal Caribbean
Standard Services (see below)
•
Autism Group
Cruises Exclusive Services (see below)
Royal
Caribbean Standard Services
All services that Royal Caribbean provides on their cruises
are included.
Almost
everything is taken care of - your accommodations, gourmet
meals in our dining rooms and cafés, and snacks throughout
the day. All activities including our amazing fitness
center, entertainment and our award-winning
Adventure Ocean® Youth Program are all paid for.
Click here for
information on our Special Children's Program Grouping Rules
Even
24-hour room service is included.
To learn more, Click here to go to RCCL website for more details.
Please note
If you book with another Agency, or direct with Royal Caribbean everything listed below is NOT included.
Autism
Group Cruises
- Exclusive Services and Activities
All family members are welcome to
participate in all activities.
SERVICES
Autism Awareness Cruise Staff
Many Cruise Staff members,
especially those in the children's program, have
experience dealing with children that have autism.
Additionally, we will be providing the cruise staff
members, who will be in contact with our group, with autism awareness cards
and awareness training that will contain characteristics of autism, as well as
providing ways in dealing with children and adults
with autism. We will also be working directly with the
cruise staff during the entire cruise to answer any questions as it relates to autism
and the needs of our children.
Disability Access and Services
(including the ability to bring Service Animals)
Please visit our "Access
on the Seas" web pages for more information.
All of your needs and requests will be coordinated by
us, see our Booking Form for how we gather your
information.
Priority Boarding onto
Ship
We provide our group a separate
"Priority Check-In" line at the port,
for getting on the ship.
Priority
Disembarkation from Ship
We provide our group with separate luggage arrangements
and first group called for getting off the ship.
Group Dining Seating (Early Dining)
We will be able to
guarantee approx the first 150 or so passengers in the
early dining time (the earlier you book the more likely
you will be guaranteed the early dining time).
Private Dining
You and your family
can dine in a Private Dining Room/Area and will be seated with
your family, friends and other Autism Group Families for
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
You and your family
will also have the SAME Table/Seating, with the
SAME Wait Staff for Breakfast, Lunch and
Dinner.
Other dining venues are
provided as well, as it is your choice to dine where you
please for every meal......
Private Muster Drill Area
We provide our group with an inside air conditioned
lounge, which replaces the traditional standing
side-by-side, outside on deck with hundreds of other
passengers.
Professional Autism Staff
Alumni Cruises has an Autism
Group Specialist on staff in order to provide invaluable
insight into the needs of children and adults with autism.
The Autism Group Specialist will be available to answer any
questions as you prepare for the cruise. See our
Contact page.
The Autism Group Specialist will act as Group Coordinator
for the Family events and will be available to answer any
questions onboard the cruise. Also, other professional
Autism Specialists (as needed) will be aboard the cruise
ship to aide in the family events.
Professional Medical Physicians and Nurses
The medical staff on-board the
ship will have information regarding autism. However, if
your child with autism has any specific medical issues, then
you will need to provide that information when booking your
cruise. It is important to remember to bring all
medications and any other paperwork that the doctor on-board
would need to properly treat your child.
Special
Adventure Ocean Child Grouping
Royal Caribbean's policy is to group children by age.
Our children with autism are allowed to be grouped by their
ability, not their age. A meeting with the Adventure
Ocean Management staff is provided for the parents to
register their children (siblings too) and to discuss their
individual child's abilities and situation. Beepers
are provided so parents can be contacted, when their
children with autism are in the Adventure Ocean program.
Special
Children's Program Grouping Rules
more info
Special Dietary Accommodations
We will do our best to work
with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines in order to meet most if
not all the dietary accommodations of all participants.
Special dietary requests must be made when booking your
reservation.
Special Gifts
Various gifts will be given to
everyone. Some of the gifts will include Autism Family
Cruise apparel, game prizes, etc.
Special Potty Training Provisions
more info
Exemption for Dinner Dress Code
People with
Autism have been granted a complete
exemption
to these
guidelines, so they may wear whatever they are most
comfortable wearing, when attending Dinner in the Main
Dining Rooms.
Special Requests and Needs
If you have any other special
requests that would assist your child with autism in having
an extra special vacation, then please specify when booking
or contact us.
ACTIVITIES
All activities will be structured to match each individual’s
abilities, and will accommodate people with autism of all
ages.
Adults with Autism Social
Gatherings
These are
opportunities for our adults to socialize in low key,
quiet areas. These gatherings plan to be a great
get-away from the hustle and bustle of all of the ships
activities.
Flashlight Scavenger Hunt
The Flashlight
Scavenger Hunt will take place one evening under the stars.
The evening will include glow in the dark necklaces, music
and dancing on the deck, a night time swim, and star
gazing. This is an event that your entire family will want
to participate in.
Parent's Play Time
This evening event will
give parents an opportunity to enjoy some adult
activities while children are being cared for by staff.
Children will have a celebration of their own.
Private
Adventure Ocean Family
Activities
Royal Caribbean's policy is to not allow adults to
remain in the Adventure Ocean rooms during activities,
for security purposes. We provided special and
private times within Adventure Ocean, where all of our
family members, including the parents, were able to
participate.
Private Group Party
This party will celebrate all
the families who are living with a child or adult with
autism. All of the family members will enjoy, music,
friendship, and lots of family fun.
Private Group Karaoke
We will have at least
one Karaoke session, private to our group. This
activity allows the entire family (parents, siblings,
relatives and friends) to participate in our own private
room or lounge.
Pool (water sensory related)
Activities
We will coordinate
various water related sensory activities in and out of
the pool.
Private Movie Showings
We will be showing
specially selected
Disney and other Movie favorites in a private room just
for our group throughout the cruises.
Private
Ship
Facility Entertainment Times
We
provide private
sessions for our entire group (siblings, parents,
friends and family) to participate in many of the ships
entertainment venues, such as the "Rock Wall", "Jump Zone (bungee trampoline)", "Ice Skating Rink", "Pool
Slide", "Mini-Golf", ect.
Sea Animal Bingo and regular
Bingo
The Sea Animal Bingo game consists of sea
animal pictures. All family members will be invited to join
in this private game. Children with autism will be able to
match the picture of the sea animal with the picture on the
card, or use the regular Bingo cards.
Sibling Celebrations
Siblings of individuals
with autism will have the opportunity to interact with
other siblings who understand what each other is going
through. There will be special tables designated for
siblings during the family party that will allow the
siblings to interact with each other in a less formal
setting. The siblings will also have many opportunities
throughout the cruise to share their story with others
that understand and support them.
Teen Social Gatherings
These are
opportunities for our teenagers with autism and siblings
alike, to socialize in and participate in teenager
related activities that are suited for all.
......Anything Else?
If there is something not listed here that you think we
should have, please let us know. Visit the
Contact Page
to get in touch with us.
*Services are subject to change without notice, restrictions may apply and services for each cruise will be finalized approximately 90 days prior to sailing.
