Cruising RCCL with a young child with special needs

Hello all! Currently booked on the march 5th sailing of the Anthem of the Seas with my husband, 3 year old (turning 3 on day 2!), and our 18 month old who has cerebral palsy. She is non-mobile, non-verbal, and low tone so she cannot sit up on her own. Does RCCL provide any special accommodations for families with disabilities? We will be bringing a regular stroller for her instead of her push chair since the stroller is smaller and lighter. We will also be bringing a portable high chair/booster for meals since she needs to be harnessed while sitting. Any advice? Should we speak with customer service while on board? This is our first time really traveling with her and as time gets closer, I'm getting more nervous and anxious. Thanks!

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Call their special needs number and tell them exactly what you have told us here and they will discuss it all with you. Or just call the RC number you have and they will connect you to special needs.

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I second calling their Special Needs dept. I had some questions before our cruise and they responded quickly and efficiently. (I use a wheelchair.)

RCI's staff was almost too attentive during my cruise, but my wheelchair or scooter was a visible signal that I was disabled. Whenever I paused at the buffet or looked around for something, a staffer instantly offered help or asked what I wanted. They may not realize that your very young child has issues but I'm sure they will be delighted to provide whatever help you need. Also, I would suggest asking how you can discreetly let someone know at check-in that your child has special needs so you can use the disabled check-in line - we were directed to it (and it was very nice to skip the lines) but again, they may not realize that a young child in a stroller needs special help. (You may want to reconsider bringing the transport chair, as that would clue both staffers and your fellow travellers that you may need a little consideration. I have found people are generally very willing to help or make way for someone battling physical problems. Just something to think about.)

Hello all! Currently booked on the march 5th sailing of the Anthem of the Seas with my husband, 3 year old (turning 3 on day 2!), and our 18 month old who has cerebral palsy. She is non-mobile, non-verbal, and low tone so she cannot sit up on her own. Does RCCL provide any special accommodations for families with disabilities? We will be bringing a regular stroller for her instead of her push chair since the stroller is smaller and lighter. We will also be bringing a portable high chair/booster for meals since she needs to be harnessed while sitting. Any advice? Should we speak with customer service while on board? This is our first time really traveling with her and as time gets closer, I'm getting more nervous and anxious. Thanks!

 

 

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As previously recommended contact RCCL's Special Needs Dept. @ (866) 592-7225 . This is the number to contact if you need crib and RCCL will provide a "Pack & Play" for your room.

Often families with Special Needs Children do not always post on the Disabled Forum. Therefore recommend you also post your question on the Family Forum. It's also beneficial to post there as there are many on that forum that can provide good information just regarding cruising with a child.

Here's the link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

Making the assumption diapers are being used. There are diapers sold on the ship but are very expensive so best to bring what you need with. For easier packing suggest you take them out of the carton and pack them in a suitcase. Also a large folding duffle bag could work. . The Family cruise forum can give you packing tips for such items.

Highly recommend that you hand carry the portable high chair/booster onto the ship. Checking it at the dock it will just be loaded/thrown into the large luggage bins and it could get damaged .

Re: bathing your child. Many people with small children bring a small inflatable pool/tub that can fit onto the shower floor which might be something you may want to consider if that would make things easier for you. You can find out more about this on the Family Cruise Forum. Just an item can be purchased on line. If you have an cabin that only has a shower such as an inside, outside or balcony the inflatable pool/tub could be benefit.

Although the might not be obvious to others the special stroller is tantamount to a wheelchair and the door openers on accessible cabins might be a real help getting in and out. It's hard for someone else to hold the door yet pass by them going out. Most cabin entry ways are too narrow. My wife finds this to be one of he most useful features of accessible cabins when using her wheelchair. Also extra room for parking the stroller an highchair in the cabin would be helpful.

As a grandparent of a child with CP remembering back to when he was that age I can totally relate to the struggles his parents had to deal with but they traveled often anyway. Based on our experience with RCCL staff I'm sure you will find them very accommodating and helpful. Do contact the special needs people and make sure they let the MDR know of the highchair use and any space or clearance requirements. Also for assigning a table where it would be convenient to move the stroller and park it out of the way. They've done this often for us when my wife transfers to a regular chair.

I am not familiar with Anthem, but my HC cabin on Oasis did NOT have automatic doors. You might want to check whether your cabin on Anthem does so you can plan.

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OP has not indicated whether or not an accessible cabin was booked.

Not all cruise ships, infact not even all cruise ships within the same cruise linem have automatic door openners. I cruise predomefantly on RCCL since my disability and have yet to have an accessible cabin with an automatic door opener.

Interesting about the door openers, or lack of. All three of our RCCL cruises in HC cabins had them (2 Radiance class, 1 Voyager class) so we've assumed this is a standard accessibility feature. Without it my wife would not be able to exit the cabin on her own. We'll have to check about HAL's Oosterdam.

Last year on NCL Breakaway, our accessible cabin DID have automatic doors. This year on Regal Princess, our accessible cabin DID NOT have automatic doors. Both are new ships.

Bottom line is, ask (if the answer matters to you). It doesn't really matter to me as DH is usually with me to get the doors and if not, I am able to walk through the door and pull or push my scooter. But I can certainly see how it would be more important to someone who was totally scooter-dependent.

I've always wondered, though, how the automatic doors keep out unauthorized people while letting in the handicapped person? (Not being snarky, I just can't picture how someone in a scooter or wheelchair could deal with inserting a key card.)

Thank you all! We're in the process of getting her a special seat that is actually more compact/portable than the high chair we were going to bring so I'm excited about that. We do not have an accessible cabin since we can easily take her out the stroller if it doesn't fit in the doorway but it's very narrow as it is so I don't anticipate an issue. Thank you for the number to the special needs department. I'll be giving them a call. I appreciate all of the advice!

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Have a great trip with her!

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I hope you have a great time. My disabled daughter and I leave on the 3rd for our second shared cruise. The first was a learning experience. I stayed away from the dining room for the first two days because I was worried about her being loud and distracting. When we finally got there, she was very well behaved.

If you use a waterproof mattress protector you have to bring your own, they don't have them.

You can get a liquid exemption if you need to bring Ensure. Good luck with the elevators, getting on one can be tough...they close very quickly.