Norwegian Cruise Ship "Loses" Autistic Boy

Talk about a misleading headline. What site am I at, Fox News?

The article even says "autistic children tend to wander", and when this boy wandered back to their cabin the steward kept an eye on him while he contacted his superior. What more can the parents ask?

Two months later, the parents are still looking for answers. lolwut? What more do they want? Come on, crap happens, your autistic child wandered away from a busy teen club. Sorry, I know he's special and all that, but he isn't the center of the universe to the crew. All eyes aren't on him all the time. He was found safe and sound by a crewmember who acted accordingly. What more do they want?

Wait. I bet I know what they want. They want a free cruise.

I don't believe that the staff in the kids club are trained to care for autistic children. Shame on the parents.

Talk about a misleading headline. What site am I at, Fox News?

 

The article even says "autistic children tend to wander", and when this boy wandered back to their cabin the steward kept an eye on him while he contacted his superior. What more can the parents ask?

 

Two months later, the parents are still looking for answers. lolwut? What more do they want? Come on, crap happens, your autistic child wandered away from a busy teen club. Sorry, I know he's special and all that, but he isn't the center of the universe to the crew. All eyes aren't on him all the time. He was found safe and sound by a crewmember who acted accordingly. What more do they want?

 

Wait. I bet I know what they want. They want a free cruise.

I don't believe that the staff in the kids club are trained to care for autistic children. Shame on the parents.

I was going to chime in to basically say the above but it's been said for me.

The title of this thread is unfair and misleading. The parents lost their child not the kids club.

I'm really sorry to hear that they had a scare, but if the child is inclined to wander he should be with them at all times and they shouldn't pass his care off to someone else and then blame them for not being as attentive as they would be. Hopefully this is a lesson learned and they'll have a better cruise next time.

Could not disagree with the last two poster more. If the kids program on the ship cannot handle the "special needs" of an autistic child -- and I hesitate to characterize "make sure you know he hasn't left the kids' program unattended" as a "special need," then they shouldn't agree to have him in the program, and they should say on their website, before people book based on the availability of a safe, competent kids' program, that they don't take children with such special needs. I have seen many posts from many complaining cruisers on all boards and usually conclude that they result from someone "sweating the small stuff." This ain't that. Cruise ships make a big part of their bread and butter by touting how great it is that you as a parent can safely entrust your kids to their programs -- in fact, the article indicates that Epic realizes the level of security that such programs require, sadly, in this day and age.

Shame on parents who entrusted their children to a program specifically designed to encourage parents to do so? I think not. I know that mistakes happen, and am glad that NCL addressed the situation quickly (and hope they suitably rewarded the cabin steward who didn't just look the other way, but took responsibility for his 11-year-old passenger's safety), but I think the posters' decision to wale on the parents who, IMHO did absolutely nothing wrong, is misguided and unfair.

I don't understand what the parents want. NCL can't build a time machine and go back in time and stop the incident from happening- they apologized and offered the couple a very decent credit and there's really not much else they can do, is there? A "more thorough response"? They want to know how their son managed to navigate back to their room, what, do they think some NCL crew member nefariously spirited him back to the suite and dumped him there or something?

If this had been my kid I'd have been more ticked off at him for running off rather than anything, though I'm sure he just didn't want to be a bother and figured he could handle it himself (and he did just that). Then again, I think a lot of parents are extremely overbearing and supremely underestimate the capabilities of their kids, much to their detriment.

No, the parents didn't do anything wrong, and yes, NCL certainly messed up, but holding this grudge and not looking at the role their own child played in this is really entitled and rubs me the wrong way.

I don't understand what the parents want. NCL can't build a time machine and go back in time and stop the incident from happening- they apologized and offered the couple a very decent credit and there's really not much else they can do, is there? A "more thorough response"? They want to know how their son managed to navigate back to their room, what, do they think some NCL crew member nefariously spirited him back to the suite and dumped him there or something?

 

If this had been my kid I'd have been more ticked off at him for running off rather than anything, though I'm sure he just didn't want to be a bother and figured he could handle it himself (and he did just that). Then again, I think a lot of parents are extremely overbearing and supremely underestimate the capabilities of their kids, much to their detriment.

 

No, the parents didn't do anything wrong, and yes, NCL certainly messed up, but holding this grudge and not looking at the role their own child played in this is really entitled and rubs me the wrong way.

How can you be ticked off with a autistic child. I just don't get it.

I was going to chime in to basically say the above but it's been said for me.

The title of this thread is unfair and misleading. The parents lost their child not the kids club.

 

I'm really sorry to hear that they had a scare, but if the child is inclined to wander he should be with them at all times and they shouldn't pass his care off to someone else and then blame them for not being as attentive as they would be. Hopefully this is a lesson learned and they'll have a better cruise next time.

Look, I love NCL too. But sometimes they make a mistake:eek: Lets just admit it.

What child do you know that does not like to "wander"? This is not a trait exclusive to autistic children. Kids are impulsive and may suddenly decide that have had enough and are going to go find Mom. Any parent who entrusts their child to a kids club is going to be upset that the child is missing and the staff did not even know he was gone! Wow! Kudos to the kid who was on the ball enough to find his way back to his cabin very competently!

Shame on the staff whose responsibility it was to ensure the safety of these kids. Puzzling how the kid was able to get out given the level of security commented on by another poster, but they need to get to the bottom of it.

But let's not play the blame the victim game.

The only victim was the child and I certainly did not blame the child, I definitely wasn't playing games, please do not assign thoughts to my words that were clearly not intended.

Yes children wander off, yes the child is fine, yes they were offered compensation, yes the parents they still seem to be angry. The incident is over, gone, finis, and would be dealt with if they'd allow it to be.

I have my opinions, others have theirs. How great is that! ;) Let's simply agree to disagree. It's Friday night and I can think of better things to do then continue a conversation about strangers and their children. :) Have a great evening!

Look, I love NCL too. But sometimes they make a mistake:eek: Lets just admit it.

 

What child do you know that does not like to "wander"? This is not a trait exclusive to autistic children. Kids are impulsive and may suddenly decide that have had enough and are going to go find Mom. Any parent who entrusts their child to a kids club is going to be upset that the child is missing and the staff did not even know he was gone! Wow! Kudos to the kid who was on the ball enough to find his way back to his cabin very competently!

 

Shame on the staff whose responsibility it was to ensure the safety of these kids. Puzzling how the kid was able to get out given the level of security commented on by another poster, but they need to get to the bottom of it.

 

But let's not play the blame the victim game.

On another note, if he is a teen, the teen's are allowed to come and go. The Teen Club is not structured as tightly as the Kid's Club due to the ages involved. Therefore, it would not be uncommon for a teen to just get up and leave as they wish.

Sorry, I see now that he is 11 years old, which is not eligible for the Teen Club. I read earlier somewhere he was a teen. Anyway, it is a shame it happened and thank God the boy is okay. That is what is most important here.

Wow , I was expecting a story about a child going over board.

So relieved this was not the case.

I have not sailed on the Epic, but I have had children in the Kids Club on NCL. If the Epic is anything like the other ships on NCL I am not sure what more could be done to keep the child from escaping. Matching wristbands, sign in/sign out sheets, ID.

Stuff happens, and it sounds like NCL is reviewing procedures to see if anything more can be done. And Cudos to the Steward for definitely going above and beyond.

I have a brother who has Downs Syndrome which is by no means comparable to Autism, but I don't think you can blame the child either.

And being a parent I can see how you can get upset over something like this happening, and I would have probably flipped out on the kids crew! But after calmer heads prevail and time to think.

Stuff Happens!

The only victim was the child and I certainly did not blame the child, I definitely wasn't playing games, please do not assign thoughts to my words that were clearly not intended.

 

Yes children wander off, yes the child is fine, yes they were offered compensation, yes the parents they still seem to be angry. The incident is over, gone, finis, and would be dealt with if they'd allow it to be.

 

I have my opinions, others have theirs. How great is that! ;) Let's simply agree to disagree. It's Friday night and I can think of better things to do then continue a conversation about strangers and their children. :) Have a great evening!

"the parents lost their child, not the kids club" seems a bit of a stretch!

We have no reason to assume that any special training of staff would be required in order for an autistic child to participate. I would imagine that they would have informed staff, but I don't know. In any case, once the child is signed in, he is fully their responsibility.

There is not one of us who would not totally freak out if we showed up to collect our child and were informed that the child seemed to be missing. Only the fact that the resourceful kid found his way back to the cabin and was watched over by the room steward prevented this from happening or something far worse.

I don't think the parents are looking for compensation. I think they are looking for an explanation of how this occurred.

Why would NCl permit a special needs child in any of the children programs if they are not trained to handle the special needs. I am sure NCL legal department will reinforce this throughout the fleet. Also parents in my mind should be overly cautious in putting their special needs child in program not designed to handle special needs children.

BG

On another note, if he is a teen, the teen's are allowed to come and go. The Teen Club is not structured as tightly as the Kid's Club due to the ages involved. Therefore, it would not be uncommon for a teen to just get up and leave as they wish.

This would be my understanding of the situation. The teen in question needed the supervision at the Kids' Club level. He was not a candidate for the less structured situation. It is unreasonable for parents to expect that level of care unless they hired a personal attendant. A cruise ship is not a place where one's IEP is honored.

I am the parent mentioned in this story. Shame on all of you that blast me, my family and especially my son. The kids club knew of his disability and confirmed that he was welcome there. By doing so, they accepted responsibility for his safety. The only blame here should be on the cruise line, not me or my wife or my son. I don't want a free cruise or money from them, the offer I received was a slap in the face. What I want is to tell people about what happened, to hopefully educate people that holiday cruises may not be the best place for children because the kids clubs are almost always under staffed. When you have a large crowd, especially children, I think the cruise line should have a security officer posted at the entrance/exit instead of people who are not trained well enough for security issues. Security is used to enter and exit the ship, why not at the kids club too? Potentially, you can have 100's of kids in their at any given time, so posting security makes perfect sense to me, but what do I know, I'm just a parent who's child was able to walk out somehow. I just wish people could see that NCL is to blame here, no one else. Those of you who posted positive comments, I appreciate your comments. Those of you who posted negatively, your comments are hurtful, but this is an open forum to post your comments as well, and I understand that. Just take a second before writing your hurtful comments and put yourself in my shoes before you hit submit.

And for clarification only, Ben will be 11 in a few weeks, so he is not a teen and we did not give permission to the staff for him to be able to sign himself out.

I don't believe that the staff in the kids club are trained to care for autistic children. Shame on the parents.

The parents were told they WERE trained for it, so no...you cannot blame the parents here. I have two mildly autistic kids, and when they were little and not yet responsible enough not to wander away, I looked for places that supposedly specialized in handling special needs kids. If the parents were told this was a physical impossibility, the child should not have been able to walk out, and the child SHOULD have been secure there. NCL screwed up. End of subject for me.

I disagree with those who have said the kids' club are not at fault. I've run a special needs child care before. If you "claim" to be adept at dealing with special needs, you should do it. If not, you put yourself in an actionable position. Lizcourt is correct here.

Honestly, the easy answer to this is that each child should wear a bracelet in the club with RFID that will set off a buzzer when a child goes toward the doors, alerting the staff to the breach real time, but some parents will complain about the RFID idea. Too bad, since it would safeguard kids much better than just eyes-on. It's too easy for an emergency to come up and eyes-on leaves huge holes in security. Autistic children are often very bright and capable of watching what code the staff enter into a lock, so locks should not be considered adequate safeguard. My oldest learned how to pick interior home door locks by watching me do it; she was 5 at the time.

But major KUDOS to the room steward and his boss for keeping the child safe until his parents got back. I don't know how long that took, but my first thought would be to make sure all parents have a phone or pager (if that already doesn't happen), and immediately contact parents if something like this happens.

DML

Rzelden, I am so glad Ben safely and responsibly found his way back to your cabin! My kids at age 10 would probably have done their own "behind the scenes tour" if they had been in his place:).

There will be many who realize your good intentions. I agree that a mere we're sorry and here's some money is an insult. What I would want to hear is that we have reviewed this thoroughly, have determined where the breakdown in security was, and have implemented procedures so that it cannot reoccur in the future. This could have happened to any child. The fact that Ben has autism is really immaterial in my mind.

Best of luck to you and Ben.

Thanks to the last 2 posters.

As a parent of a child with autism (who cruises with me), I am ashamed at these parents. All cruiseline's are very upfront with parents about what they can and cannot supply in the kid's club. One on one care is definitely in the 'cannot' group.

These parents were obviously comfortable enough with that in order to register their child and drop him off. I'm very sorry that it happened and I can only imagine the fear they went through while searching for him but ultimately it was their error.

I don't believe that the staff in the kids club are trained to care for autistic children. Shame on the parents.

The staff were aware of the boy's needs, and the person in charge says that they are trained to provide care for kids with special needs. If they are NOT trained to care for kids that have different needs than some other children, then parents should be advised of this.

This whole thing is disturbing, but what is more disturbing are the rude comments on FB and here about how it is the parents' fault, or "it was no big deal" because the kid ended up in a cabin (which the article makes sound like it was not HIS cabin, but that part just is not clear?). Good thing he ended up in a cabin unharmed. It most definitely is a big deal that he was permitted to leave the kids' club area and wander off.

Sherry

I don't understand what the parents want. NCL can't build a time machine and go back in time and stop the incident from happening- they apologized and offered the couple a very decent credit and there's really not much else they can do, is there? A "more thorough response"? They want to know how their son managed to navigate back to their room, what, do they think some NCL crew member nefariously spirited him back to the suite and dumped him there or something?

 

If this had been my kid I'd have been more ticked off at him for running off rather than anything, though I'm sure he just didn't want to be a bother and figured he could handle it himself (and he did just that). Then again, I think a lot of parents are extremely overbearing and supremely underestimate the capabilities of their kids, much to their detriment.

 

No, the parents didn't do anything wrong, and yes, NCL certainly messed up, but holding this grudge and not looking at the role their own child played in this is really entitled and rubs me the wrong way.

I would guess they want to know how exactly the kid left. The procedure for signing out your child involves bracelet checking, signing out, etc., and this boy was NOT on a list of children permitted to sign themselves out, so the parents likely want to know HOW this happened.

Did staff see him leave and assume he was allowed to go? Did someone else sign him out? What are the circumstances surrounding his leaving and wandering to the cabin?

These are the questions I would want to have answered.

Do you have kids? I ask not to be a smart alec, but because I think people without kids might have a different reaction than parents.

Look, I love NCL too. But sometimes they make a mistake:eek: Lets just admit it.

 

What child do you know that does not like to "wander"? This is not a trait exclusive to autistic children. Kids are impulsive and may suddenly decide that have had enough and are going to go find Mom. Any parent who entrusts their child to a kids club is going to be upset that the child is missing and the staff did not even know he was gone! Wow! Kudos to the kid who was on the ball enough to find his way back to his cabin very competently!

 

Shame on the staff whose responsibility it was to ensure the safety of these kids. Puzzling how the kid was able to get out given the level of security commented on by another poster, but they need to get to the bottom of it.

 

But let's not play the blame the victim game.

This.

Perfectly said.