Cruise Ship Tours

For any special needs families looking for support on a cruise vacation, Autism on the Seas is a fantastic organization that sponsors group cruises throughout the year. They now are providing ship tours to familiarize families with the ship and services they provide while on board. The cost is free, with exception of parking. The NY dates August 26, 2017 and October 28, 2017 on-board the Anthem of the Seas in Bayonne, NJ. If you are interested, go to their website for more information and to sign up. I personally have cruised with them twice and have two more booked and can’t say enough good things about them! www.autismontheseas.com

Re: Cruise Ship Tours

I am going to add the info here that I added to a previous post. Even if you are not cruising with Autism on the Seas, they are still amazingly helpful as to offer some of their services on other cruise lines for a small fee. I had already booked a cruise last year - not related to Autism on the Seas - but was so happy to learn that for $75 I was able to purchase their Special Needs Cruise Assistance Package (this package is free if you book with AOS). I felt $75 was worth it for these four things - priority check-in onto the ship, modified muster drill, excursion reviews from special needs parents, and priority disembarkation!!! I got in touch with AOS a little over 2 weeks before my trip which was a bit short notice but it all worked out. The sooner you contact them the better. They are so accommodating and kind to deal with. We did not have to wait on that very long line to board the ship, my husband was the only one who had to attend the muster drill, we used the excursion reviews to help us decide if/which excursions we wanted to join, and although we got in touch with our contact for priority disembarkation, we didn't wind up using it. I'm adding the link for what is included in the package - I don't know if you will see info on purchasing the package, as I believe I found this out by calling. The $75 fee was last year - not sure if price still the same. https://autismontheseas.com/book-cruise/cruise-without-our-staff/special-needs-cruise-assistance-package

Message edited 6/5/2017 10:02:39 AM.