disabled child on cruise

[Tracyee]

I am interested in taking my kids 5 & 7 on a Disney Cruise. We have done Carnival with the kids before with great success. My question is about a disabled child (age 7) attending the kids program with their 6 year old sibling. My son, though non-verbal and non-mobile is very visually aware, enjoys watching activities, loves the Disney characters, etc. He is extremely easygoing with no self destructive behaviors or fragile health. We have done the parks twice with no problems.

I want to know if anyone has been abled to have their child (with similar issues) go to the kids programs during the day. He does not need one on one attention, would not be fed anything and I would come get him or check on him periodically, say once an hour.

I called Disney's info line and requested to be connected with someone in either Special Needs/Services or the Children's program but couldn't get past the person who answered the phone. The response from the agent was that so long as he could manage himself without the 1:1 care, he could attend.

Does anyone know if this is true? I need more information than the agent answering the phone could give me. This cruise will be a treat for my kids while Daddy is deployed out of the country. I don't want to spend a lot of money and be disappointed.

Thanks

 

[spotdog]

I know that 5-7 year olds are in the same group in the Oceaneers Club (kids program).

 

[LisaBi]

I've also been told that they are welcome in the clubs as long as they are toilet trained and don't need 1:1 attention, and that they can move down an age group, just not up. (My son will be 13 when we cruise, but I'll want him with the 8-12 group.)

Lisa

 

[kathyk2]

Rather than starting a new thread, I'll post this here. The Supreme Court has ruled that cruise ships must meet ADA standards under Title III. This includes ships with foreign registries which would include the Disney Cruise line.

 

[Mike Bartenhagen]

We have been on a couple of DIsney Cruises but both were prior to having a special needs child so we didn't actually have to deal with your specific situation. So while I can't answer your question directlly I can tell you that even if your son couldn't participate (or didn't want to participate) in the kid's clubs you would still have a wonderful time. There are so many family things to do. Our kids didn't spend near as much time in the clubs as we expected. You also always have the ability to go to the club with your son and spend some time togeather.

Mike

 

[SueM in MN]

Rather than starting a new thread, I'll post this here. The Supreme Court has ruled that cruise ships must meet ADA standards under Title III. This includes ships with foreign registries which would include the Disney Cruise line.

That's good news.
So, I guess that would mean that the Kids Clubs (which are basically day care settings) would have to do resonable accomidations for children with disabilities.
There have been posts in the past from people who did have lots of good things to say about their special needs children's experiences in the cruise Kid's Clubs.

 

[dclfun]

Children's programming onboard is available to any special needs child as long as they don't need 1:1 assistance or any medical attention. They also need to be fully potty trained although exceptions have been made for instance with children who self-cath, etc. All the areas onboard where they have activities are fully accessible and if a child DOES need extra assistance, as long as a parent or other adult is with them to provide it and they aren't "disruptive", they are still welcome. I know with DCL alot is done on an individual basis once a guest/child is onboard.
Kathy