Autism-Friendly Cruises

I CANNOT THINK ABOUT GOING ON A CRUISE…

                                                       I HAVE AN AUTISTIC CHILD!!!

YOU ARE WRONG!!!!

Until very recently, most families living with an autistic child believed that going on a family cruise was not something that they could even contemplate. However, this is no longer the case.

As a retired Licensed Clinical Psychologist, I was so pleased to learn that Royal Caribbean International has already earned both the Bronze and Silver Levels of Certification as “Autism Friendly” as awarded by the Autism on the Seas organization. This means that families living with autism sailing on Royal Caribbean’s “Autism Friendly” Certified ships can be confident that Royal Caribbean has autism friendly products and services that will help accommodate family members with autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a serious developmental disorder that results from differences in the brain and that impairs a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others. It leads to verbal and non-verbal repetitive behaviors and causes difficulties in dealing with crowds and external stimuli like light and sound. Autism affects one out of sixty-eight children and is the fastest growing developmental disorder. It is diagnosed in four times as many males as females and families often struggle with the affected child’s difficulty in coping in a variety of everyday activities.

Royal Caribbean International is the very first cruise line to offer “Autism Friendly” Certification and, having been voted “Best Cruise Line Overall” by Travel Weekly for 11 consecutive years, they are now proud to offer special programs for families living with autism and other developmental disabilities. These families can travel with peace of mind, thanks to new and exciting amenities specifically designed for their children’s needs.

“Autism Friendly” Certification includes achievement in up to seven different areas such as cruise line staff training, youth program services, pre-vacation planning and services, dining and dietary needs, disability accommodations, guest satisfaction and feedback and support for “autism group cruises with staff”. In order to better accommodate the needs of affected children, these families are afforded priority check-in, boarding and departure; special dietary accommodations including gluten-free; Adventure Ocean flexible grouping by ability for children 3 to 11; Adventure Ocean toilet-training policy exceptions; and pagers/phones for parents of children in the Adventure Ocean program.

Special features of the Royal Caribbean International program include “Autism Friendly” films, “Autism friendly” toy lending, “Autism Friendly” activities and a Cruising Social Story, designed to help families prepare their children to better cope with the social situations that they will encounter during their vacation.  Click HERE for your copy of a Cruising Social Story.

Harshman Travel is very proud to have successfully completed Royal Caribbean International’s “Autism Friendly Certification Program” and we are fully prepared to help families with special needs children to have their very own FULL FAMILY “Vacation to Remember”.

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