What's Included
Your one
inclusive cruise price includes
•
Cruise Line Standard Services (see below)
•
Autism Cruise
Package (see below)
At No Additional Cost to you.
You pay the prices you find
on the cruise line websites. Just book through us...
Standard Services each Cruise Line
Please visit these
websites for more information on what each cruise line
includes on their cruises.
Royal
Caribbean
Celebrity
Disney
Carnival
NCL
Almost everything is taken care
of - your accommodations, all meals and snacks throughout
the day.
All activities including the fitness centers entertainment
and Youth Programs are all paid for.
All services that each cruise line provides on their cruises
are included when you book with us. The regular price you
would pay for each of these cruises, is the SAME price you
pay with us, plus you get our services, see below.
Autism Cruise Package
Please Note: These
services have been designed in conjunction with Royal
Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, and as such,
some services may not be exactly the same on Cruise Lines
other than Royal Caribbean or Celebrity.
Contact us for more information.
SERVICES
Some information (and the names of services) below are
specific to Royal Caribbean, but similar services are
available on each cruise line.
Our Guidance
We've
made cruising with autism our expertise and we're here to
help
you. Please feel free to
contact us with any
questions or concerns, especially as it relates to autism
and cruising.
Autism Awareness Cruise Staff
Most, if not all, Cruise Staff members,
especially those in the children's program, have
experience dealing with children that have autism.
Additionally, we will be providing you
with autism awareness cards that
will provide basic characteristics of autism, as well as
providing helpful hints in dealing with children and adults
with autism. You can use these cards to hand out to
cruise staff members.
Disability Access and Services
Please visit our "Access
on the Seas" web pages for more
information. All of your needs and requests will
be coordinated by us (refer to our Booking Forms for how we gather your
information).
Service Animals*
Royal Caribbean welcomes
guests with service animals onboard all
of their ships.
A 4-ft x 4-ft wooden box
with mulch or sod is provided in
a relief area on a designated open deck.
Disney supplies grass in a plastic
tray.
Service animals are
welcome anywhere on the ship where there
is public access.
Paperwork Requirements
The guest is responsible
for supplying "Autism on the Seas" with
a copy of the following paperwork, and
to bring a copy of each with them on the cruise:
A
copy of the service animals current
vaccination records to ensure that all
shots are current. NOTE: Some
countries you will visit require the
vaccination paperwork to be dated no
older than 6 months (see website below).
Any
required permits for the service animal to debark
the vessel in Non U.S. Ports. You may
access foreign embassy information
at
www.embassy.org
to
assist you in obtaining the required
permits.
A copy of the service
animal certification is recommended, but
not required.
There is no requirement
that Service Animals disembark at ports
of call. Service Animals may not be left
onboard unattended.
*Please contact us for
information regarding cruise lines other than
Royal Caribbean.
Pre-Cruise Questionnaire
This questionnaire will be sent to you to
complete approx. 3-5 weeks prior to each cruise. It is
designed to collect general information on each person
that will be traveling with you that has autism. This
information will be used to help prepare the staff for your
children.
Cruise PECS
We offer a variety of
PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) pictures to our
guests traveling with non-verbal children and/or
adults. The photos depict a number of actual events
that take place during our cruises to help families
develop a cruise picture schedule. Our PECS photo
library offers parents a number of choices they may want
to use along with the child’s usual picture icons.
A printable link to the PECS is available to our
guests approximately 2-4 weeks prior to their cruise.
If
you need assistance in creating an onboard PECS schedule for your child, feel free to let us know.
Cruise Social Story
A special “Social Story” has been created
to assist our families traveling with children on the
spectrum. The Social Story is designed to assist
children with what they can expect on the first day of
the cruise. A printable link to the Social Story is
available to our guests approximately 2-4 weeks prior to
their cruise. We are constantly working to improve our
service and provide families with the tools to ensure a
successful transition on their vacation.
Small Dinner Table
We arrange to have your family seated in
the Main Dining Room for dinner, at a table just for
your family.
Priority Boarding onto
Ship
We provide
you with the ability to use the
"Priority Check-In" line at the port,
for getting on the ship. This greatly reduces the time
in the normal lines.
Priority
Disembarkation from Ship
We provide you with the service of being first for getting off the ship. This
allows for an expedited departure the morning the ship
returns to port.
Private Muster Drill Area
We will
coordinate with the cruise line for you to have an inside air conditioned
lounge, which replaces the traditional standing
side-by-side, outside on deck with hundreds of other
passengers.
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 Dietary Accommodations
We work
with the Cruise Line to meet most, if not all, of the
dietary accommodations for each guest. Special dietary
requests include:
Food allergies
Vegetarian (except vegan/macrobiotic)
Low-fat
Low-sodium
Lactose-free/soy milk
Indian-style vegetarian meals
Kosher
Requests MUST be received 45
days in advance in order to be accommodated.
Kosher
for Passover meals
Requests MUST be received 60
days in advance in order to be accommodated.
Gluten/Cassien Free Diet
Each cruise includes
the following basic GFCF items available at meals:
Bread
French Fries
Chicken Fingers
Pancakes
French Toast
Scrambled Eggs
Grilled Chicken Breast
Steak
Fish
(Cod, Salmon, Tilapia, Lobster, Shrimp, ect),
grilled or broiled
Vegetables
Fruit
Ice Cream
Other items may be
available as well, and special requests are welcome,
once onboard. You are welcome to bring your
own GFCF food and beverages, as long as they are in
an un-opened original packaging/container.
Some items, like pasta, can be brought onboard and
prepared by the ship chef's.
Special Gifts
This may include Autism Family
Cruise apparel and/or other cruise/autism related gifts.
Special Potty Training Provisions
The guidelines for individuals with
autism who are not
potty trained are as follows:
If an individual is
less than 3 years of age
by the cruise date, then:
- Participation
IS allowed in the Fisher-Price Aqua Babies
and Aqua Tots
Programs. This program requires parents to participate as well.
- Participation
IS NOT allowed in the
Adventure Ocean Program. This program
is for individuals 3 years or older.
If
an individual is more than 3 years of age
by the cruise date, then:
- Participation
MAY BE allowed in the Fisher-Price Aqua
Babies and Aqua Tots
Programs, if the parent feels this is the appropriate grouping for their child. This
program requires parents to participate as
well. Special restrictions may apply
here, please contact Alumni Cruises if you have any questions.
- Participation IS allowed in the Adventure
Ocean Program. A consent form must
be completed by a parent or guardian, and:
• A pager,
walkie-talkie or ship phone is required to allow the
counselors the ability to
reach a parent if necessary.
• One
Parent or guardian must be present on the ship
whenever
their child is in
the program.
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 you or your child with autism in having
an extra special vacation, then please specify when booking
or contact us.
ACTIVITIES
Some information (and the names
of activities) below are specific to Royal Caribbean, but
similar services are available on each cruise line.
Children's Program Activities (Cruise Line sponsored)
Royal
Caribbean has an award winning children's program called
Adventure Ocean, for children ages 3-12.
Note: Children 6 months to 3 years can participate in
the Fisher Price Aqua Tots program. Teens, ages 13-18
can participate in Teen related activities.
Staff
Adventure Ocean is staffed by professionals with college
degrees majoring in the health care, education and/or
psychology/sociology fields. The staff has experience
caring for children with autism, and regularly cares for
children with autism on a regular basis.
Activities
The
regular Adventure Ocean activities are available for
each child to participate in, which include: video
games, movies, group games, educational (science
related) activities, and much more.
Aside from the regular activities, our children will
receive customized care, that will include activities
provided to them, based on there special needs and
likes/dislikes. If your child wants to just sit and
watch a movie, play a video game, or any other activity,
then that is what they'll do....
Schedule
The
Adventure Ocean program provides the opportunity to have
your children cared for throughout each day and
evening. This wonderful drop off service, allows you to
bring your children to the program any time of day, and
pick them up any time.
Special Child Grouping
Royal
Caribbean's policy is to group children by their age in
Adventure Ocean. Our children are allowed to be grouped
by their ability, not their age.
Beepers and Access
Beepers are provided so parents can be contacted when
their children are in the Adventure Ocean program,
should the need arise. You may visit Adventure Ocean
any time, even to just catch a peak to see how your
child is doing. You may also call Adventure Ocean at
any time, form any where on the ship, using any of the
ship's public phones or your cabin phone.
Please note:
- The children's program is closed from
1:00AM to 9:00AM. A small fee is applicable
between the hours of 10:00PM to 1:00AM.
Parent's Play Time
See the Children's Program section (above) for
opportunities to have your children cared for by
professionals during the day and evening.
Some cruise lines (like
Royal Caribbean) offer in-cabin baby-sitting. You can
check for availability while onboard by visiting the Guest
Relations Desk.
......Anything Else?
If there is something not listed here that you think we
should address or provide, please let us know. Visit the
Contact Page
to get in touch with us.
*Services are subject to change without notice, restrictions may apply.
