The first thing I must say is the training they provide the staff on the cruise ship is not a checklist or brochure. They sit down with the kids club staff and the dining room staff to discuss autism and the kids individual needs. The Autism on the Seas staff is also on call to help with any issues that occur. Also the dinning and kitchen staff is informed ahead of time to make sure special items are available for those on diets including GFCF with special breads and desserts even.

On our cruises we were provided a private group dining area. We had the same wait staff for our meals which was fantastic as they know your child’s diet and preferences. It was great to sit down to dinner each night and they were prepared for us and our children could relax and eat. Nightly at dinner my son would sit behind another family in the window and watch the ocean as he stimmed, no one cared.

On all of our cruises we have had private group activities for just the family and staff traveling with our group. This has included ice skating, rock wall climbing, movies, time in the kids club, mini golf, bingo, arts and crafts, dinner at Johnny Rockets and dance parties. The private activities are my son’s favorite part of the cruise and he learned to ice skate on our last cruise.

At least a few nights of the cruise, the Autism on the Seas staff takes the kids for movie and game time. The parents can then go see the show with reserved seating or do their own thing. Many nights a group of us parents went off to the wine bar to relax and get to know each other. It was fantastic.

Traveling with other families with special needs was fantastic and the focus was not on autism, but on families having fun. Families from all across the US and even a few from overseas came together on our cruises, where within a week we were all good friends. No one judged our children and we were all able to enjoy a typical vacation with some perks. We will be cruising again in August 2010 if you would like to join my son, his service dog and I.

Michelle S – The pamphlet they sent to me sounds like they are very accommodating with food.

Jen – Thanks for your input – good to know for those of us who’ve never cruised before!

My husband’s a cruise travel agent, and we’d looked into them last year when we were planning to take the kids on a cruise. He and I went in January so that I could see exactly what we would need to do in order to accommodate the kids, and most of it is easily accomplished through discussion with the specialists on the cruise line beforehand. ALL ships are already set up to accommodate disabilities (they have to be), so medical care (while expensive), isn’t a problem, and early boarding and disembarkation is standard if you work it out with the cruise line beforehand. I could go on and on, but I’d just really do your homework first.

We’re very much looking forward to taking our kids on our next cruise- the main issues that I think that we’ll face are the huge crowds on port stops (you don’t want to get into port the same time as 2 other mega-ships, because then you’re looking at 10,000 people in the tourist area. It is very possible to find quiet areas on almost every ship if your child needs some downtime, and the ships are very safe. If you have a climber I would hesitate to get a verandah cabin, but other than that, I really wouldn’t have any concerns about my child going overboard or anything. Many of the ships also have wonderful lending libraries which have free DVDs, so it’s also possible to take along favourite videos to watch in your room on most places.

As far as food goes there’s usually more than enough food stations and restaurants that your child will be able to find something to eat, and most lines can accommodate gf/cf diets etc. You will always be able to find basic food like burgers and fries (or breakfast cereal), and most room service is free or has a minimal charge if it’s easier to eat in your cabin.

I’m really looking forward to our cruise with the kids- I’m sure that it will be interesting, but I think that they will love it!

thanks for the great links!