Has anyone been on a cruise with ASD child?

[Rizzlekicks]

DS, aged 8 is desperate to go on a cruise. Before we start looking into this, has anyone with children with ASD been on one?
He has always been very happy on overnight ferry crossings but I do not know if he will cope with a whole week of being on a ship.
What experience has anyone had of going on a cruise with ASD children ?

We went on one last year with DS, Aspergers who was 10 at the time. We went with P&O and they were brilliant. DS has food issues, but we let the Head Waiter know and they made up meals especially for him. The kids clubs were very good, they have a system where the parents take them in and say whether they are allowed to leave on their own or not (although he was in an older group, so this may not apply to an 8 year old). He didn't join in all the activities, but they had PS3s in the kids room which they allowed him to use while the others got on with their games. We did inform them of his condition. We took organized tours at all the ports which lasted about 3 hours at a time. He enjoyed
all of these and kept a scrapbook about all that he had done. The only thing I would say is that we went during termtime, so there were a lot less children about, so a lot of the child friendly areas were less busy than during school holidays. This was a conscious decision by us to go during the school year, when there were less children about and his school were extremely supportive of our choice.There were about 40 children in his age group on board whilst we were there. We have booked another cruise for October half term so we shall see how that goes. The only real problem we encountered was that he didn't want to dress up on the first formal night, but once he saw other people wearing suits he was happy to go back to the cabin and put his on.

Hi, this is something I would love to do, glad to hear you had a positive experience Sunnymeg...ds is 11 and I was thinking about a cruise this year for us, but ds1 has recently moved abroad so our holiday is sorted for this year, not till xmas but really looking forward to it...I would think term time would suit ds aswell, he is not great with crowds, there will just be the two of us, don't want to sound selfish but would I get bored do you think or is it easy to chat to people without encroaching on their space if you know what I mean...thanks..
Rizzlekicks, hope you don't mind me jumping in on your thread....

Hi

No I don't think you would get bored at all. I went with DH, but he spent most of his time on board in the golf nets or in the pool. Whilst I went to the cinema, went to a couple of
lectures and read a few books. There is plenty of evening entertainment and the kids clubs run in the evening as they assume the adults will be out partying, or watching the excellent shows. Personally I found it quite easy to strike up conversations with people I met, quite a lot were either on their own or had friends or partners who were off doing other
things, just like my DH. The ship produces a newspaper every day, which is delivered to your cabin. This lists all the entertainment and activities that are taking place the
next day, so you can plan ahead.
Really you can do what you like on board, and there is a 24 hour buffet restaurant open, so if you don't fancy eating in the formal restaurant, you don't have to. The only thing you have to attend is the safety briefing on the first day, for obvious reasons. When the ship docks, they normally have a shuttle service running to the town centre, so you can use that if you just want to pop out for an hour or two, rather than go on an organized trip. We found it worked for us, individually as well as, as a family.

Hope this helps

Thanks a million for that sunnymeg, it really does sound like something I could get used to:)...it's definitely something I will be planning for next year, great info thanks again.

Yes - I did a Med cruise with DS who was 15 at the time.

He was happy to hide away in the cabin and play computer games. He enjoyed the trips (Gib and the Apes especially).

He could go to the cinema on his own and take part in some of the organised activities. He didn't enjoy sitting with strangers at tables of 8 people for dinner (no buffet alternative on this ship - all formal dining except breakfast). He refused to wear suit at dinner which attracted attention from other people.

It was a good solution for a child who hates travelling - the ship moved but his surroundings stayed the same.

We are thinking about it for this summer, with Royal Caribbean, DS is 9 and as AS. He copes perfectly well with mainstream school holiday clubs, extra curricular activities etc, so that's not a worry, but food is, he is extremely fussy and his table manners are imature for his age which could be stressful on a shared table (poor cutlery use, finds it hard to stay in his seat, talks too loudly etc). All our previous family holidays have been self catering, so we can sort food he likes, the thought of all inclusive is a bit daunting.

When we booked, we rang P&O and asked for a table on our own. We explained the situation and they were happy to oblige.

Can you get all inclusive deals with cruises or do you pay separately for all you eat and drink? Apart from P & O which other companies are good with children with disabilities?
Thanks for all the comments so far.

All that water I can't imagine being able to take DD1 somewhere like that - I'd be frightened she'd go over, as she loves water and climbing so much.

P&O, all food included at main restaurants.Ice cream by the pool and drinks were extra, although coffee or tea were free, apart from the Costa Coffee shop. You can buy a package which gives you a card equivalent to, I think it was worth 20 soft drinks. The waiters mark off the card every time you order a drink. This doesn't include fruit juices, although they are free in the buffet restaurant. When you are on board and you wish to buy anything you show your key card and a charge is made to your cabin's account. You provide credit card details and payment is taken at the end of the cruise. You can visit reception and put a limit on spending for each card, so DS had a £20 limit for the week and just bought a few bits and pieces for his friends. You can check how much you've spent anytime you want.