Cruise to the Mexican Riveria

By
Heather
Published: August 2, 2009Posted in: Autism on the Seas, Cruise, TravelTags: , , , ,
Cruise to the Mexican Riveria

We had been looking forward to today for months and the day was finally here.  The plan was to arrive at the port early and then go on the Red Line which is a vintage trolley which tours the harbor. My son had other plans when we arrived and decided we were boarding the cruise ship early.

At this port dropping off luggage with the porter was a mess. It was very crowded, loud and busy. I suggest keeping travelers in the car while one person drops off the luggage. This way the kids can avoid the hassle of the luggage drop off. Going through security was a breeze as you do not need to take off your shoes or remove electronics from your bag. We then checked in, had our pictures taken for the sail pass card and we were on-board. Vacation had officially started.

My son always boards the ship early and there are good and bad points to this. First of all the rooms are not ready so you will have to lug around any luggage you carried on board. Also there is nothing “happening on the ship.” On the other hand this is a great time to go get lunch at the buffet (warning it will be crowded) explore the ship and if you brought a swim suit in your carry on, you can already jump in the pool.

Once the cabin was ready we dropped off our gear and spoke to the cabin attendant. We told her our preferences for the setup of the room and also asked that she provide two towel animals nightly as we had two children. She was happy to oblige and we were on our way to the muster drill.

Since we travel with Autism on the Seas we go down to the conference room for the muster drill. This is a fantastic service as the muster drill on cruise ships is very loud, hectic and hot. In the conference room we get to meet other guests traveling with us, ask questions, do some arts and crafts and relax. This is also when we signed up for the Adventure Ocean kids program. Since my son was an Honorary Group Leader, he spent this time mingling with the guests, introducing himself and welcoming guests to Autism on the Seas.

After the muster drill everyone runs upstairs to the sail-away party. This is when you are sailing out of port and get to wave goodbye to everyone on land. I made my last minute phone calls to let everyone know we were safely on-board and leaving (and also to brag that we were leaving) and then the cellphone is turned off for the cruise. Please note that you will want to turn your cellphone off now. The cruise lines do have a cellular at sea program so your phone will automatically receive text messages which you will be charged for if you do not turn it off.

Next we were off to dinner. We were seated in the main dining room with our group. My son and I were seated with three mothers and their three sons. It was a good match and we were all friends by the end of the cruise. My son was upset that he did not get a table by the window and I now know to request one next time, so he left me and sat at the Autism on the Seas staff table.

After dinner we went to the first show on the cruise ship. Even though we were very tired we went to the parade on the Royal Promenade. My son loved the parade and enjoyed hanging out with the staff.  It had been a long day and morning was coming soon so we were off to bed.

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About the Author

Heather is mother to a 10 year old son with autism. They live in the Southwest Florida area and travel around the state on numerous adventures.