Child wih Global Dev. Delay/Camp Carnival/???

[sashapoo]

I have a son who will be 2.5 when we go on our next cruise and has Global Developmental Delays 30%-67%. This will be his first cruise and I am wondering a few things. Will they let him go to Camp Carnival at all? And if they do allow him to go to Camp Carnival will his sisters who are older, 8 and almost 13 be able to check in on him from the other age groups. My oldest daughter is VERY attached to her baby brother and is like a little Mom to him and I know both she and I would feel better if she could be around him at least a little while he at the Camp. His delays are mostly in gross and fine motor but he is walking and can feed himself and the like. He however can not communicate very well except with people who know him since he is not a talker other than a few words. He is a very happy baby who is always smiling and playing so I doubt he would be much trouble to the staff but I am just a worried mother and do not know how the staff is able to deal with children with his needs. Also, What shore trips would be good for a little one his age and the girls?

Thanks!

[kitty9]

As a former special ed teacher, I honestly have to say that only you can make this determination. We cannot know how your child will react to a situation like Camp Carnival and there's no way of telling how the other children will act towards him. Just know that if you're cruising when school is not in session, there will be literally hundreds of kids on board and the CC groups will be very large. If your son needs more one on one attention, CC might not be for him. The counselors are not at all trained to handle special needs children. You didn't mention if your child is in diapers. If he is, he cannot go to Camp Carnival---all kids must be potty trained. As I told another poster, go with your child and observe how things go. If the groups seem too large, you can always to to the CC room and use the facilities there with him. As for the older siblings checking on your son, that all depends on what activities are going on. They really do like to keep the groups separate and your older children might not be able to check on their little brother. But, just wing it for the first day and see how he does.

 

As for the shore excursions, beaches are usually the best idea for kids. Young ones get bored with the trips to gardens or tours of the islands. Beach tours are usually the best.

[CaptData]

Agree with above poster. If he is not potty trained then he will not be in the camp.

 

What do your older children like to do swim, snorkle etc. Are you going with your husband? Perhaps he can take the older ones on an excursion and you stay with the baby in the paddle pool one day (no crowds) or visa versa. There are some very nice beaches in the Caribbean. If you go to Coz, go to the runis where there is a beach. The older kids can see the ruins and you can play with the little one right near by.

[Queenie2]

Actually Carnival will take kids even if they are not potty trained if they meet the age requirements, The parents just have to provide supplies (diapers, etc) for the staff to change the kids. I just veriifed this last week with Carnival for an upcoming article.

 

Candy

[sashapoo]

Actually there is a group of us going including my husband, my parents, my husbands grandmother and a friend of the family. The cruise is 1/2/05. I am wondering just how many kids will be on board as most schools go back on the 4th of Jan. For my daughters sake I hope there is many kids her age for her to get to know but on the other hand I hope that the staff at Camp Carnival is not overwhelmed. I am glad to hear that my PVP did tell me the truth in that my son would be able to go being as he is not potty trianed yet. We will go with him and sit in for a while I imagine as I want to be sure how he will react to it. He is just starting to go to a developmental center here at home and by then should be used to being around others. But like I said, he is a very happy child and I doubt he will have much trouble. And with the older kids being able to sign out and go where they want I would venture to guess that she would be able to check on him whenever she wanted. At least that is what she is hoping. It is a great idea for one of us to stay back with Nik while the ship is in port. I have been on this cruise before so it will not be a huge hardship since I have seen them before and I am sure that my mother and great-grandma will be wanting to get him off alone too. I will let everyone know how it goes when the time comes. I am hoping that it is smooth sailing so to speak since my husband is deploying again next year and our cruise scheduled for later in the year will be just me and the kids and a friend of mine rather than him coming along as we had planned. Thank you all for your advice.

[cruisead]

Just to let you know, there is a strong possibility that the number of kids on that cruise could be very small. We tend to cruise in January because the number of kids is much, much smaller (no nasty comments here---we raised four sons), and we've not seen very many kids at that time of the year. But that will be a good thing for your son as there won't be many kids and he could participate in Camp Carnival without many problems.

[CINBOB1]

Hi

You will be given a pager when you leave your son ,so if there are any problems you will be called to come and get him. Also the person who signs him in is the only person who can come get him out. and yes they do accept non potty trained children-( only cruise line that does)

Have a great cruise

[sashapoo]

A pager? How cool! That will put my mind at ease for sure!! I know at the mall they have those for the parents who want to shop without the kids but I did not know that Carnival had them. Thanks for the info!