“It’s not Disney.”
That became the common phrase throughout the cruise aboard Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. It’s really hard to not compare cruise lines once you’ve been on a Disney ship. For this blog, I will do my best to focus on what it was instead of what it wasn’t. After all, it’s not Disney.
To start, we stayed overnight in downtown Seattle at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. From the moment we saw the hotel, we were mesmerized by its beauty! It truly is an amazing hotel with great views, great rooms, beautiful lobby, gorgeous inside pool and workout area, and an escalator which kept Gavin occupied for hours. The room was huge, with two queen beds and a very large bathroom. We played on the escalator, swam for a bit, played on the escalator some more, had room service bring us a very delicious dinner, and played on the escalator. We did get to take a walk around the hotel and look at the gorgeous ballroom, the shops on the lower level, and sneak a peek at the upscale restaurant. Back inside our room we shot animal zingers at the ceiling, the walls, and each other for fun. We got great belly laughs from Gavin that night! I would most definitely recommend staying there.
That became the common phrase throughout the cruise aboard Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Seas. It’s really hard to not compare cruise lines once you’ve been on a Disney ship. For this blog, I will do my best to focus on what it was instead of what it wasn’t. After all, it’s not Disney.
To start, we stayed overnight in downtown Seattle at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel. From the moment we saw the hotel, we were mesmerized by its beauty! It truly is an amazing hotel with great views, great rooms, beautiful lobby, gorgeous inside pool and workout area, and an escalator which kept Gavin occupied for hours. The room was huge, with two queen beds and a very large bathroom. We played on the escalator, swam for a bit, played on the escalator some more, had room service bring us a very delicious dinner, and played on the escalator. We did get to take a walk around the hotel and look at the gorgeous ballroom, the shops on the lower level, and sneak a peek at the upscale restaurant. Back inside our room we shot animal zingers at the ceiling, the walls, and each other for fun. We got great belly laughs from Gavin that night! I would most definitely recommend staying there.
The next morning, we met in the lobby to wait for our bus transportation to the port. After the Celebrity passengers were on their way, the Royal Caribbean bus arrived to take us. It was a quick ride to the port – about 15 minutes. As the bus pulled into the unloading zone, we could see what looked like billions of people waiting in line that snaked outside the building. Feeling a pit in my stomach thinking about how to handle Gavin in a long line like that, we trekked off the bus, collected our bags, and journeyed toward the line. As we neared the building we noticed orange balloons floating above the line towards the front of the building. JOY filled our hearts, and I think the corner of my lips seriously touched my ears, as we realized they were balloons that said Autism on the Seas (AotS)! We saw the “orange team” standing there and as soon as they saw Gavin, they presented him with a balloon and one staff member whisked us away, straight into the building. We bypassed the waiting line inside the building and went straight to another “team orange” staff member who brought us directly to the port security who quickly checked us and allowed us up the escalator. At the top, another “team orange” staff member escorted us past the many lines of people waiting to check in and into a cordoned off area with seating and gave our name to the port check in staff. Gavin had room to roam and move around while we waited with other AotS clients. Check in went swiftly and we were told to go straight onto the ship. Ship crew directed us toward the dining area, Windjammer, for lunch. When we arrived at Windjammer, more “team orange” were waiting there to direct us into a private, quiet room set aside for our group. Unfortunately, the excitement was all too great for Gavin and he was not able to stay long. However, I have to say from the time we got off the bus and into that room, the speed, the efficiency, and the friendliness was beyond my wildest expectations. I really felt like we were part of a special family.
The first day on a new ship is always my favorite with Gavin. I absolutely LOVE to explore with him and take everything in from his point of view. I let him lead me around and we took elevators, stairways inside and out, down corridors and decks, and we had a blast looking at everything. We even found the potty spots for the service dogs. No stone was left unturned in the Gavin tour. We stopped to play some mini golf, look at the Flowrider, and examine the rock climbing. Unfortunately, he was not tall enough for the Flowrider (52”) and not old enough for the rock climbing (6+). Since the mini golf was right next to those off-limit activities, we didn’t play it again during the rest of the cruise because of temptation and possible meltdowns. Larry, Manny and Deanna mingled with the group at lunch and got to know some of the passengers and staff.
The first day on a new ship is always my favorite with Gavin. I absolutely LOVE to explore with him and take everything in from his point of view. I let him lead me around and we took elevators, stairways inside and out, down corridors and decks, and we had a blast looking at everything. We even found the potty spots for the service dogs. No stone was left unturned in the Gavin tour. We stopped to play some mini golf, look at the Flowrider, and examine the rock climbing. Unfortunately, he was not tall enough for the Flowrider (52”) and not old enough for the rock climbing (6+). Since the mini golf was right next to those off-limit activities, we didn’t play it again during the rest of the cruise because of temptation and possible meltdowns. Larry, Manny and Deanna mingled with the group at lunch and got to know some of the passengers and staff.
We were able to inspect our stateroom at 1:30 and were very happy with our room. The verandah was a good size, with two chairs and a table, and the room itself was very nice. Our room 7656 had the twin beds pushed together and a pull-out sofa. There was one bathroom, with a rounded shower, and sufficient space to put our bathroom supplies. Gavin loves flushing ship toilets so we let him get that out of his system, so to speak. The TV situation on the Explorer is very limited. They do have a channel dedicated to one special movie throughout the day. For example, one day they had Beauty and the Beast (live action) and another day they had The Founder. The rest of the channels are your basic police dramas, news, and cartoons. They did have Disney Jr. but it was repeats of Doc McStuffins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, and Marvel. No serious complaints about our room, but we did have to ask for things like Kleenex, a bath mat, and the room to be made up. It’s not Disney!
We went to the meet up with AotS in the Conference room on Deck 2 for the muster drill and check in to meet the staff and families. There were over 20 families sailing with the group and they had provided over 13 staff onboard. There were a LOT of people in this room! It was overwhelming for Gavin, but he took it all in at 60 mph running around the room, through rows of chairs, crawling like a gecko on the floor, and getting into everybody’s bubble to say, “Hi Guy!” and run off. But that’s OKAY! You know why? These people get him. It was so absolutely wonderful to be in a room filled with people who understand and get him. He played with some of the kids, pet some of their stuffed animals, roared like a lion at a few of them, but did really great sticking around during the personal lifeboat drill. Afterward, we followed him to his favorite place on the ship – the glass elevator. We went up. We went down. We didn’t push buttons. We just rode to wherever the other passengers were going and he took in the scene out the window. I’ll miss the stars on deck 1 and 2.
Another place he loved to play in was the arcade. We spent $$$ trying to win enough tickets to get that $ item, but he had a blast shooting at mummies, driving cars and motorcycles, riding the rapids, and trying to get that claw to pick up the Mario Kart toy. The ship arcade is located just outside the kid’s clubs – convenient, huh? So every day, we took our arcade lap, played some games, then went inside the kid’s club so he could play with the kids. AotS provides respite hours each day, but Gavin absolutely loves to socialize inside the ship clubs with kids his own age. We usually hang out near the club so we can look in every half hour to see if he’s having fun or looking like he wants to leave. He loved to be in there, had great fun, and we received positive reports from the staff that he was enjoying himself and the kids around him.
Another place we loved to take Gavin was to Johnny Rockets, because they always had the French fries and root beer that he survives on. They do have a surcharge of $6.95 per person to eat there, but they were very generous to our situation and only charged us for Gavin. We were there daily and they only needed two days before they expected us and had his fries and drink ready as he walked in the door. Our first trip there, we were accompanied by Taylor and Shannon, two of the AotS staff. They were so kind and sweet to Gavin, helping him stay focused in his new surrounding and getting him to eat. I mention this because the next day we decided to have a staff member come with us on an excursion in Juneau to help with Gavin. When we showed him the staff bio sheet with the pictures of the AotS staff, he pointed to Taylor as the person he wanted to go with him. Although I’m sure he loved them both, Taylor’s picture was above Shannon’s so there may have been unfair advantage.
The night sky doesn’t appear until 10:30 – 11:00 pm that far north so it was difficult to get that bedtime routine down. Plus, the night sky doesn’t last that long, therefore, around 4 am, the sun is peeking through the curtains. Gavin could get to sleep with the aid of Melatonin, but nothing would help keep him asleep through the sunny 4 am mornings. We survived to tell the tale, though!
Another place we loved to take Gavin was to Johnny Rockets, because they always had the French fries and root beer that he survives on. They do have a surcharge of $6.95 per person to eat there, but they were very generous to our situation and only charged us for Gavin. We were there daily and they only needed two days before they expected us and had his fries and drink ready as he walked in the door. Our first trip there, we were accompanied by Taylor and Shannon, two of the AotS staff. They were so kind and sweet to Gavin, helping him stay focused in his new surrounding and getting him to eat. I mention this because the next day we decided to have a staff member come with us on an excursion in Juneau to help with Gavin. When we showed him the staff bio sheet with the pictures of the AotS staff, he pointed to Taylor as the person he wanted to go with him. Although I’m sure he loved them both, Taylor’s picture was above Shannon’s so there may have been unfair advantage.
The night sky doesn’t appear until 10:30 – 11:00 pm that far north so it was difficult to get that bedtime routine down. Plus, the night sky doesn’t last that long, therefore, around 4 am, the sun is peeking through the curtains. Gavin could get to sleep with the aid of Melatonin, but nothing would help keep him asleep through the sunny 4 am mornings. We survived to tell the tale, though!
Excursion #1: Juneau - Mendenhall Glacier, Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest (JU-40)
The tour began on a bus and took us through the city of Juneau. The bus driver was awesome, knowledgeable, and funny. We saw a bald eagle on a streetlight post along the way. He took us to a catamaran to whale watch. The crew was excellent and very informative. We got to see humpback whales, orcas, and sea lions. The ride was smooth and they positioned themselves in the best spots for viewing and maneuvered to give everybody a chance at great pictures. Afterward, we took the bus up to Mendenhall Glacier visitor center. This place is pretty amazing! They have great exhibits to entertain the youngest and oldest in the group. Gavin was in awe of the mountain goat and bear. Yes, they had the skin of these two animals in the center and Gavin was able to touch, pet, and investigate the orifices of these creatures close up. Outside the center are hiking trails. Eight miles roundtrip can take you to the falls and about 3 miles roundtrip can take you very near the glacier. We chose to look at the glacier from across the lake. It’s a gorgeous area and we loved watching the helicopter tours hover over the glacier. We had our first meltdown as Gavin didn’t want to leave the area. He could’ve walked all day and night to the falls, but unfortunately, the bus would not have waited for us and neither would the ship. With help from Taylor, we got him to the bus and back to the ship with great effort, strength, and perseverance.
The tour began on a bus and took us through the city of Juneau. The bus driver was awesome, knowledgeable, and funny. We saw a bald eagle on a streetlight post along the way. He took us to a catamaran to whale watch. The crew was excellent and very informative. We got to see humpback whales, orcas, and sea lions. The ride was smooth and they positioned themselves in the best spots for viewing and maneuvered to give everybody a chance at great pictures. Afterward, we took the bus up to Mendenhall Glacier visitor center. This place is pretty amazing! They have great exhibits to entertain the youngest and oldest in the group. Gavin was in awe of the mountain goat and bear. Yes, they had the skin of these two animals in the center and Gavin was able to touch, pet, and investigate the orifices of these creatures close up. Outside the center are hiking trails. Eight miles roundtrip can take you to the falls and about 3 miles roundtrip can take you very near the glacier. We chose to look at the glacier from across the lake. It’s a gorgeous area and we loved watching the helicopter tours hover over the glacier. We had our first meltdown as Gavin didn’t want to leave the area. He could’ve walked all day and night to the falls, but unfortunately, the bus would not have waited for us and neither would the ship. With help from Taylor, we got him to the bus and back to the ship with great effort, strength, and perseverance.
Excursion #2: Skagway – White Pass Railroad and Alaskan Dog Sled Experience (SK-98)
Taylor went with us on this excursion as well. We figured she had such great rapport with Gavin and had been a tremendous help so why fix what isn’t broken? First of all, this excursion is backward. Might not matter to some, but when one is dealing with an ASD child who relies heavily on no surprises and very meticulous visual planning for his well-being, it is of the upmost importance. So let’s climb aboard the bus and head over to the Dog Sled Experience first. After telling him the train needs to wait until after the doggies, a very upset Gavin was then escorted into a crowded, tight viewing area where a musher talked for over 30 minutes about what it’s like to be a musher. I’m sure it was fascinating, really, but I didn’t hear most of it since Taylor and I were chasing a bored Gavin around the tight space while he crawled like a gecko and made sure everybody knew he wasn’t enjoying the presentation. We finally made it to the dog viewing area where we all lined up along the edge of a dog run and watched a few dogs parade through while we all reached down and pet them. We watched as the musher hooked up the dogs and took a lap around the corral. The dogs were cute, the musher was very knowledgeable and caring toward his dogs. All was great. Except: Where was the snow? Where were the huskies? Do you have a wolf somewhere? This was a lesson in expectations. It looked like a dirt ranch, but with dogs not cattle. The best part was the puppies. Everybody got to hold and pet a puppy – a future Iditarod sled dog. That was cool. Gavin held and loved the pup with the help of Taylor, who was able to get his attention on the pup for about 2 minutes.
We boarded the bus again and trekked through the highway portion of the excursion. We were supposed to stop at Tormented Valley and Pitchfork Falls for photo ops, but we took those photos going about 45 mph. After a grueling drive, with a boring bus driver, a speaker on its last leg crackling as he spoke, and no wildlife to be seen for hundreds of miles, we finally reach the train station. YAY! But wait! Now we have to stay on the hot, idling bus, because the train cars are being cleaned. Gavin starts meltdown mode! He wants off NOW. He sees the train right there in front of us, but we can’t leave???!! Larry gets off the bus and talks to the driver, who agrees that Gavin needs off the bus before we have blood on our hands. As we exit the bus, Larry tells us, “The driver said to just go ahead and take Gavin onto the train.” YAY! Man, I love when people GET IT! So we get on the train before all of the other passengers and Gavin has time to use the potty, walk around the train car to get his wiggles out, and go from seat to seat to seat to find the very best seat. That right there helped him so much during the train ride through the narrow gauge railway. We did not see animals, but we did see Sasquatch and Oswald. Apparently, past travelers through the railway understood the lack of wildlife along the way and kindly provided comic relief with little statues set out along the path.
The highlight of the trip for me is when Taylor and I brought Gavin out onto the platform between the train cars so he could feel the wind on his face and the thrill of standing right above the railroad while the train chugged along. His smiles were enough to light up the long, dark tunnels we traveled through.
Taylor went with us on this excursion as well. We figured she had such great rapport with Gavin and had been a tremendous help so why fix what isn’t broken? First of all, this excursion is backward. Might not matter to some, but when one is dealing with an ASD child who relies heavily on no surprises and very meticulous visual planning for his well-being, it is of the upmost importance. So let’s climb aboard the bus and head over to the Dog Sled Experience first. After telling him the train needs to wait until after the doggies, a very upset Gavin was then escorted into a crowded, tight viewing area where a musher talked for over 30 minutes about what it’s like to be a musher. I’m sure it was fascinating, really, but I didn’t hear most of it since Taylor and I were chasing a bored Gavin around the tight space while he crawled like a gecko and made sure everybody knew he wasn’t enjoying the presentation. We finally made it to the dog viewing area where we all lined up along the edge of a dog run and watched a few dogs parade through while we all reached down and pet them. We watched as the musher hooked up the dogs and took a lap around the corral. The dogs were cute, the musher was very knowledgeable and caring toward his dogs. All was great. Except: Where was the snow? Where were the huskies? Do you have a wolf somewhere? This was a lesson in expectations. It looked like a dirt ranch, but with dogs not cattle. The best part was the puppies. Everybody got to hold and pet a puppy – a future Iditarod sled dog. That was cool. Gavin held and loved the pup with the help of Taylor, who was able to get his attention on the pup for about 2 minutes.
We boarded the bus again and trekked through the highway portion of the excursion. We were supposed to stop at Tormented Valley and Pitchfork Falls for photo ops, but we took those photos going about 45 mph. After a grueling drive, with a boring bus driver, a speaker on its last leg crackling as he spoke, and no wildlife to be seen for hundreds of miles, we finally reach the train station. YAY! But wait! Now we have to stay on the hot, idling bus, because the train cars are being cleaned. Gavin starts meltdown mode! He wants off NOW. He sees the train right there in front of us, but we can’t leave???!! Larry gets off the bus and talks to the driver, who agrees that Gavin needs off the bus before we have blood on our hands. As we exit the bus, Larry tells us, “The driver said to just go ahead and take Gavin onto the train.” YAY! Man, I love when people GET IT! So we get on the train before all of the other passengers and Gavin has time to use the potty, walk around the train car to get his wiggles out, and go from seat to seat to seat to find the very best seat. That right there helped him so much during the train ride through the narrow gauge railway. We did not see animals, but we did see Sasquatch and Oswald. Apparently, past travelers through the railway understood the lack of wildlife along the way and kindly provided comic relief with little statues set out along the path.
The highlight of the trip for me is when Taylor and I brought Gavin out onto the platform between the train cars so he could feel the wind on his face and the thrill of standing right above the railroad while the train chugged along. His smiles were enough to light up the long, dark tunnels we traveled through.
Tracy Arms Fjord – we got into the glacial area around 4 am and that was the first and only day Gavin slept in (until 7 am). We were counting on him to be our alarm clock so we missed the first views of the Fjord. However, Manny said they were awesome. From what we did see of the glacier, it was spectacular. Larry watched as pieces of the glacier fell into the water. He heard the thunderous crackling sound and watched as a large piece gradually slid off the wall of the glacier and fell, displacing and causing ripples across the water. It was a great sight he said. I was watching Doc McStuffins and narrating for Gavin whenever a spectacular thing like this would happen. We were out of the Fjord by noon.
Excursion #3: Victoria, Canada – Bug Zoo, Miniature World, and Victoria Highlights
Okay, again look at the title of the excursion. Notice first on the list. Yeah, didn’t happen. We started with Victoria Highlights on a bus. Taylor sat with Gavin and kept him happy and occupied during the bus ride. We saw wildlife! A peacock at a petting zoo along the road. So we head to our first stop: Miniature World. I really need to find out how to get the true information on these excursions because dealing with social stories, schedules, and expectations for an ASD child is complicated enough without these forks in the road. So his first words were, “BUG ZOO!!!!” Yes, Gav, I’m really sorry this isn’t the Bug Zoo, but let’s just take a look inside and explore! If you know Gavin, then you understand that with every new experience, room, place, etc. he needs to take a “hot lap”. This is done in high speed and he appears to not really be taking anything in, but in reality he’s taking it ALL in and preparing his brain so that he can do his second lap to hit those things that stuck in his brain during the first lap. This is how he processes. So we do the “hot lap” at breakneck speed and hit the exit door. Now we have to go back, because to exit the door means we can’t come back in. Another thing about Gavin is that he hates to go “back”, “u-turn”, reverse direction, or in any other way go back from the direction he just came. Why? Who knows??? I sure don’t, but we’ve had to deal with this quirk since he was 18 months. So Taylor and I try to get him to go back, explaining that we missed the airplanes, we missed the trains, and oh so much more! It works and we get him reluctantly to take another lap through mini world.
He really enjoyed the trains and planes very much, but started asking for the Bug Zoo again so Larry finds the tour guide and she says we can walk to the Bug Zoo ahead of the group and gives us directions. We walk him over and explain to the Bug Zoo people about Gavin. They Get IT!! They agree to let us go through ahead of the group. Gavin proceeds to do his “hot lap”, taking in all the bug displays at 60 mph. Thankfully, the Bug Zoo is set up in a circular type setting so it works perfectly. His 2nd lap is slower as he takes in the beetles and roaches and his 3rd lap goes even better with him taking in the spiders, stick bugs, and grasshoppers. By the 4th lap, he’s done. We exit and buy him some souvenirs and start to figure out what to do now. The tour guide arrives and tells us our group gets a private room where we all sit around the room in a semi-circle and listen to presentations for each insect and wait patiently while the bug is passed around….NOPE. Not going to happen with the Gavman.
So we walk down to the water area, grab a water taxi and begin our trek back to the ship. While on the water taxi, Gav gets to see a Sea Plane land in the water next to us! Cool! He enjoys the ride so much, but we eventually get kicked off and start our walk back to the ship. On the way, there is a park so he stops to play. He had a great time sliding, climbing, and playing. We walk the rest of the way back and shop for some more souvenirs. He’s been a trooper, I tell you!! We all took turns holding him part of the way back to the ship, but overall, he’s in a great mood, being very cooperative and had the best transitions of the entire cruise portion of the trip.
Okay, again look at the title of the excursion. Notice first on the list. Yeah, didn’t happen. We started with Victoria Highlights on a bus. Taylor sat with Gavin and kept him happy and occupied during the bus ride. We saw wildlife! A peacock at a petting zoo along the road. So we head to our first stop: Miniature World. I really need to find out how to get the true information on these excursions because dealing with social stories, schedules, and expectations for an ASD child is complicated enough without these forks in the road. So his first words were, “BUG ZOO!!!!” Yes, Gav, I’m really sorry this isn’t the Bug Zoo, but let’s just take a look inside and explore! If you know Gavin, then you understand that with every new experience, room, place, etc. he needs to take a “hot lap”. This is done in high speed and he appears to not really be taking anything in, but in reality he’s taking it ALL in and preparing his brain so that he can do his second lap to hit those things that stuck in his brain during the first lap. This is how he processes. So we do the “hot lap” at breakneck speed and hit the exit door. Now we have to go back, because to exit the door means we can’t come back in. Another thing about Gavin is that he hates to go “back”, “u-turn”, reverse direction, or in any other way go back from the direction he just came. Why? Who knows??? I sure don’t, but we’ve had to deal with this quirk since he was 18 months. So Taylor and I try to get him to go back, explaining that we missed the airplanes, we missed the trains, and oh so much more! It works and we get him reluctantly to take another lap through mini world.
He really enjoyed the trains and planes very much, but started asking for the Bug Zoo again so Larry finds the tour guide and she says we can walk to the Bug Zoo ahead of the group and gives us directions. We walk him over and explain to the Bug Zoo people about Gavin. They Get IT!! They agree to let us go through ahead of the group. Gavin proceeds to do his “hot lap”, taking in all the bug displays at 60 mph. Thankfully, the Bug Zoo is set up in a circular type setting so it works perfectly. His 2nd lap is slower as he takes in the beetles and roaches and his 3rd lap goes even better with him taking in the spiders, stick bugs, and grasshoppers. By the 4th lap, he’s done. We exit and buy him some souvenirs and start to figure out what to do now. The tour guide arrives and tells us our group gets a private room where we all sit around the room in a semi-circle and listen to presentations for each insect and wait patiently while the bug is passed around….NOPE. Not going to happen with the Gavman.
So we walk down to the water area, grab a water taxi and begin our trek back to the ship. While on the water taxi, Gav gets to see a Sea Plane land in the water next to us! Cool! He enjoys the ride so much, but we eventually get kicked off and start our walk back to the ship. On the way, there is a park so he stops to play. He had a great time sliding, climbing, and playing. We walk the rest of the way back and shop for some more souvenirs. He’s been a trooper, I tell you!! We all took turns holding him part of the way back to the ship, but overall, he’s in a great mood, being very cooperative and had the best transitions of the entire cruise portion of the trip.
We made the decision to avoid the AotS group activities on Wednesday afternoon because Gavin had an incident where he was hurt by another child during a respite session. Gavin wouldn’t go down to the Conference room again. He didn’t even want to go near that bank of elevators during the rest of the cruise. I felt the group was too large and the needs too great for the amount of staff they had onboard. Gavin did enjoy one special group activity which was the ice skating. The group was given private time to enjoy the ice. Unfortunately, it was right after the incident so he only was on the ice for about 10 minutes. He had a great 10 minutes though! We continued to let him play in the kid’s club though, which he really enjoyed. The staff was very attentive to him and even let him take items to the room to play with. Some of the highlights of the trip were feeding seagulls crackers from our verandah, watching whales from our room and at dinner, sitting with Gavin in the library overlooking the Promenade just chilling, and the Headhunter a few rooms down from us that Gavin had to salute every time he passed him on the way to and from the elevator. Some of the lowlights of the trip were the lack of correct information related to the excursions, the lack of cleanliness of the ship with dirty plates, cups, glasses with leftover liquor sitting in elevator areas, common areas, and pool areas that were not picked up by the crew, the lack of cleanliness overall in the restrooms, tables in Windjammer, and around the ship. The attention to detail is definitely lacking on this ship, but as we were told by several crew members, the ship is old and likely will be replaced instead of repaired. We could tell.
Dining on the Explorer was good in some ways, bad in others. The food in Windjammer (buffet) was good, with a variety of options for every picky eater. In the morning, we took advantage of the omelet station. Desserts were okay, but nothing to gush over. Room service (extra surcharge) was limited, but good, especially the chocolate cake and the cheeseburger. The specialty restaurant, Chops, was very good! I was told, but did not experience it myself, that the main dining room was not up to par as far as steak and pork chops being tough and bland. Again, it’s not Disney. There aren’t many options for snacks outside of sit down dining, like pizza, hot dogs, chicken strips, etc. Johnny Rockets was good, but there’s a surcharge for it.
The last day, we got up, threw our stuff in the bags and headed to the lounge to wait for the special disembarkation. We kept Gavin in a bubble, letting him roam while we waited for our group to be let off the ship. AotS was, I believe, the 4th group off the ship. We didn’t wait long at all. We barely had time for pictures and they announced we could leave. Definitely, great perks to traveling with this group! As for the overall autism aspect of the cruise, I have to say the Royal Caribbean crew really helped us feel comfortable. They really do Get It! Whether it was because of the presence of the large AotS group or the fact they are a certified cruise line for Autism Friendly Cruising, we felt comfortable moving about the ship with nearly everyone being understanding and supportive of Gavin while he was a gecko down in the Promenade, having a meltdown at the security area getting on the ship, or taking the millionth ride inside the elevator. There was even a mention in the daily Compass asking passengers for consideration with the autism and special needs individuals on the ship. Pretty Cool!
We stayed at the Crowne Plaza the last night. “It isn’t the Fairmont!” But it had the most amazing view of the Space Needle, the water, and the beautiful buildings in downtown Seattle! It does not have a pool and it does not have an escalator. This caused a meltdown. We took Gavin to ride the Great Wheel and Wings Over Washington, which is a simulator ride much like Soarin’ at Disney California Adventure. Both are amazing rides and well worth the time. We walked through Pikes Place Market area but it was a massive crowded zoo so we headed back to the hotel. He did play in the bathtub A LOT and we had fun playing in the room. He loved sitting in the window seat and looking out at the view. Did I say it was an AMAZING VIEW? It was.
Both the flight there and the flight back on Alaska Airlines were awesome! We sat in first class and didn’t have a single issue. Gavin was a perfect passenger! Wish us luck for Florida…
Trish
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