Cruise review pre and post- Pearl 9/26/2016 w/ 11y autistic daughter, her ser...

Hello everyone. In 18 days this mom (me); is taking my amazing daughter and her service dog on a great adventure! A 5 day cruise on the Pearl and then 5 day in Disneyland. Then flying back to Canada.

I must be crazy[emoji12].

I'm going to be posting as much detailed information and pictures as we can before and during our trip. As anyone who cares for a special needs family member knows; there is so much to plan and organized! Not to mention the extra paper work.

My hope is that through sharing our experience we can help other family plan and take a great adventure of their own. That being said, I will be posting the good as well as the bad.

This should be fun[emoji924][emoji553][emoji38][emoji106]

Have a great day[emoji924][emoji4][emoji106]

Looking forward to reading your review! I didn't know they allowed dogs on ships! That's awesome!

Looking forward to your posts.

Looking forward to your review. Hope to see you around the ship as we will be on same sailing

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Can't wait to see your trip report!!! I hope you and your daughter have an amazing trip and make some wonderful memories!!!! We sailed last year with my mom and my daughter who is 9 and Alaska has made a very memorable impression on me!!!! It's the trip of a lifetime!!!

Subscribed! We know how well our daughter with special needs and special dietary needs was treated recently, so can't wait to read about your experience.

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I am looking forward to reading your posts, have a wonderful and safe trip.

I'll be on that cruise too! It's coming up fast.

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Ok let's go back to the beginning. When you finely make the decision that "Yes; we are going to do this! We are going on vacation/cruise!"

Great job and congratulations[emoji4][emoji106]

Now the fun begins. First give yourself LOTS of time to save and plan. At least a year. Let's be honest. When you're traveling in a special needs family thing are more expensive and it needs to be really organized. And I mean OCD organized.

Now that you have made the decision. You know where and when you and your family would like to travel. This is where the research start. Lots of research. Check multiple sites, join blogs( like this one), ask lots of questions, check what services the cruise company provides. Find out what, if anything, paper work you need for your trip. This includes medical records, medical prescriptions, supplies, equipment, care assistance, etc. Make multiple copies of all your paper work! Try to get an itinerary work out in you head. From there you can figure out what help you will need to organize for each family member.

Also in my opinion. When traveling, especially with a special-needs family.

GET TRAVELLERS INSURANCE!!!

It's a small experience that you prey you never need. But if you don't have it when you do need it.....well you get the idea. If you have health benefits through work; check with your carrier. You may already have it.

This is an example of what I needed to organize for our family. Because we are cruising with a server dog we must contact that cruise company and let them know as soon as possible. Every port needs to be notified. We need to have all of the dog's paper work in order. Some of this are his credentials and ID. A government health certificate declaring the dog has all its vaccinations, is carrying no communicable diseases and is in good health to travel, must be completed. This information is shared with the ports of call and kept on file on the cruise ships as well. We are responsible for providing all the dogs needs while cruising. We are packing and suitcase just for the dog. It has his life jacket, food, bedding, harness, leashes, toys, treats, potty bags, everything he may need. The ship will provide a 4x4 potty box and that's it. We are also required to contact Air Canada that we are bringing a service dog and send them the necessary paper work. The hotel in Anaheim we are staying at has been informed there is a service dog coming to stay as well. For the hotel, it isn't legally required to give notice but we like to let them know. Then there's the amusement parks. Some are much more accommodating than others. Disneyland and quite recently Universal Studios have become havens for families like ours. They provide wonderful service for service dogs and their handlers.

AND THATS JUST THE DOG........!

My daughter has a number of health conditions besides her autism to make arrangements for. With cruise ships company becoming more accommodating for people with disabilities; making the arrangements for my daughter is much easier now. Requiring a gluten-free diet is an available choice on most cruise lines. Many cruise lines also provide autism adapted Kids Programs. YAHHH!

We have let the ship doctor know about my daughter's heart condition and its status. A cope of my daughter's medical records is also made available if needy. To access this service just call the cruise company. Many have "accessibility services" agents specifically for helping you make these arrangements. It dose involved a lot of emails and calls to get everything would out. BUT In the grand scheme of things, it's going to be worth it. [emoji4][emoji106]

Have a great day[emoji924][emoji4][emoji106]

Great start, Joy. I'm looking forward to seeing the cruise through your eyes. See you in 16 days! :D:D

Thanks for the review.

Ok let's go back to the beginning. When you finely make the decision that "Yes; we are going to do this! We are going on vacation/cruise!"

Great job and congratulations[emoji4][emoji106]

Now the fun begins. First give yourself LOTS of time to save and plan. At least a year. Let's be honest. When you're traveling in a special needs family thing are more expensive and it needs to be really organized. And I mean OCD organized.

Now that you have made the decision. You know where and when you and your family would like to travel. This is where the research start. Lots of research. Check multiple sites, join blogs( like this one), ask lots of questions, check what services the cruise company provides. Find out what, if anything, paper work you need for your trip. This includes medical records, medical prescriptions, supplies, equipment, care assistance, etc. Make multiple copies of all your paper work! Try to get an itinerary work out in you head. From there you can figure out what help you will need to organize for each family member.

Also in my opinion. When traveling, especially with a special-needs family.

GET TRAVELLERS INSURANCE!!!

It's a small experience that you prey you never need. But if you don't have it when you do need it.....well you get the idea. If you have health benefits through work; check with your carrier. You may already have it.

This is an example of what I needed to organize for our family. Because we are cruising with a server dog we must contact that cruise company and let them know as soon as possible. Every port needs to be notified. We need to have all of the dog's paper work in order. Some of this are his credentials and ID. A government health certificate declaring the dog has all its vaccinations, is carrying no communicable diseases and is in good health to travel, must be completed. This information is shared with the ports of call and kept on file on the cruise ships as well. We are responsible for providing all the dogs needs while cruising. We are packing and suitcase just for the dog. It has his life jacket, food, bedding, harness, leashes, toys, treats, potty bags, everything he may need. The ship will provide a 4x4 potty box and that's it. We are also required to contact Air Canada that we are bringing a service dog and send them the necessary paper work. The hotel in Anaheim we are staying at has been informed there is a service dog coming to stay as well. For the hotel, it isn't legally required to give notice but we like to let them know. Then there's the amusement parks. Some are much more accommodating than others. Disneyland and quite recently Universal Studios have become havens for families like ours. They provide wonderful service for service dogs and their handlers.

AND THATS JUST THE DOG........!

My daughter has a number of health conditions besides her autism to make arrangements for. With cruise ships company becoming more accommodating for people with disabilities; making the arrangements for my daughter is much easier now. Requiring a gluten-free diet is an available choice on most cruise lines. Many cruise lines also provide autism adapted Kids Programs. YAHHH!

We have let the ship doctor know about my daughter's heart condition and its status. A cope of my daughter's medical records is also made available if needy. To access this service just call the cruise company. Many have "accessibility services" agents specifically for helping you make these arrangements. It dose involved a lot of emails and calls to get everything would out. BUT In the grand scheme of things, it's going to be worth it. [emoji4][emoji106]

 

 

Have a great day[emoji924][emoji4][emoji106]

If you ever feel overwhelmed or want to go over things with someone then I suggest https://autismontheseas.com/ it is not my site and is there to assist with families who have special needs and wish to cruise. I have heard good things so far, we had some family members book Carnival though them and they are please with the handling of things so far.

Anyway, good luck, I am sure you are going to have an amazing cruise.

Thank you, Joy, for your review. I look forward to reading more, and wish you and your daughter a marvelous cruise.

May I ask 1 small favor of the op? Please increase the font size and spacing in large

paragraphs ! I know that sounds very picky but to those with poor eyesight it really helps!!

Op, thank you for doing this review, as I'm sure, because of your attention to detail, it will be most interesting and informational to everyone who reads it.

Hope you and your family enjoy your cruise.

May I ask 1 small favor of the op? Please increase the font size and spacing in large

 

paragraphs ! I know that sounds very picky but to those with poor eyesight it really helps!!

Not a picky request at all. I will check to see how I can do this!!

Have a great day[emoji924][emoji4][emoji106]

Can you format your pictures in a MEDIUM format so that those of us on smaller screens don't have to scroll from side to side to read the text. Thanks!:)

Excited to hear how it goes

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Not a picky request at all. I will check to see how I can do this!!

 

 

Have a great day[emoji924][emoji4][emoji106]

Joy, when you're typing your post in the box, look up at the toolbar at the top of the box. Highlight the text and change the size by clicking on the little down arrow to the right of "Sizes" and select a number higher than 2 (that's the default size). To add the spacing between paragraphs, simply press the "Enter" button twice instead of just once and that will put an extra space in between paragraphs.

:D

Thanks for taking us along! I'm looking forward to watching your daughter enjoy the thrill of a cruise! Is this her first one? I love watching things through the eyes of children - guess that's why I was a teacher.

Can't wait to meet y'all! 2 weeks!!!

Following your review.

Thank you so much! I am looking forward to your review! :)

What a great mom you are! Can't wait to hear all about your trip! Hope it's fantastic[emoji3]

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Happy travels! Can't wait to read your review!