Our family recently took our first cruise aboard Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Paradise. I was a bit apprehensive for a couple of reasons, but the main reason was we would be traveling with my adult daughter with autism and I had no idea how she would react to the many sights, sounds, and happenings on a cruise ship.
In case you do not know, autism is an invisible disability that affects how people interact, communicate, learn and so much more. It is also a spectrum disorder which just means, if you have met one person with autism, you have met one person with autism.
As I began to think about how we would navigate this cruise and the challenges it might present, I found I was most concerned about what would happen if we would get separated on the ship. She and I began to talk about how she would get help, who she would ask, etc. My second concern was how overwhelming it might be to her, but felt we could navigate that a little more on our own if needed. At some point, I remembered having read that Carnival Cruise Line had partnered with KultureCity to become certified as “sensory inclusive” and knew I had to find out more.
In December 2019, Carnival Cruise Line partnered with KultureCity to become the first cruise line to be certified “sensory inclusive.” Just a little background of why this is so important. 1 in 4 individuals have a sensory disorder or an invisible disability. This includes PTSD, autism, dementia, Down syndrome, ADHD and more. These individuals can become overwhelmed by things you and I find common–sounds, lights, crowds, smells–and some of these things are actually physically painful to some with a sensory disorder.
When Carnival Cruise Line made the effort to become more accessible for everyone, they trained all its guest-facing crew to understand and help its children and adults with sensory related needs. They also made available KultureCity Sensory Bags that guests can check out for the length of their cruise.
First, kudos to Carnival Cruise Line for taking the time and making the effort to make sure all guest-facing staff have an understanding of individuals with sensory related needs. Second, the partnership with KultureCity and the sensory bags they provide was a game changer for our family.
Shortly after we boarded Carnival Paradise, we made our way to guest services where we checked out a KultureCity sensory bag. The checkout process was very simple. The crew member brought us a small black KultureCity backpack, verified the contents with us, and we signed a statement that we would return the backpack and items or receive a $50 fee. In the backpack was noise canceling headphones from Puro Sound Labs, three fidget toys and a Boardmaker visual feeling thermometer.
However, the most important item to me was the KultureCity VIP (KCVIP) lanyard which meant staff would easily identify my daughter as an adult with an invisible disability that might need a little extra help or attention. Everyone–the servers in the Main Dining Room, the room steward, the Cherry on Top cashier, the cruise director–everyone made her feel special which made me feel great. No one questioned the special food request or the things she carried around for security, in fact, they went above and beyond to make sure she had what she needed and more when requested.
Our experience with Carnival Cruise Line and its partnership with KultureCity was exactly what our family needed to help alleviate fears surrounding cruising with my daughter and we will definitely cruise with Carnival again.