AS-related article I read on a cruise site; very interesting

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I was reading cruise reviews on a cruise review site, and found an interesting article I thought would be nice to share. At one point, I decided to peek into the "Special Needs Cruising" section, and saw a link with "Asperger Syndrome" in the title. It was a glowing review about Carnival, written by a mother who had a high school-age with AS, and they went on a cruise on one of Carnival's ships. (The review didn't say if it was a mother/son trip or if more family members came.) Based on her description, the son's case sounded pretty severe, although not enough to prevent him from functioning day-to-day, with shyness and food sensitivities being the most serious symptoms. On a personal note, I clearly remember my AS being more crippling when I was a teen than it is now.

Anyway, the review said that her son's AS symptoms went from moderate to negligible during the cruise. He said smiled and said hello to the cabin stewards, ate lots of new foods in the dining room, engaged in conversations with the entertainment staff, and even, albeit unsuccessfully, tried playing a sports game with the kids from Club O2 (Carnival's youth club for older teens). The mother said that her son typically has a lot of difficulty with these things. Her explanation for her son's NT "transformation" was the ship's movement (!). The seas were very choppy during the cruise, enough to make a lot of people sick. But her son was "happy as a clam"; he seemed to love the rocking motion and found it extremely calming. She also praised the crew and fellow passengers for being understanding of her son's condition and treating him with respect. (To put things in perspective, the review was from this year, when AS awareness is becoming increasingly common.)

On another personal note, the sea conditions were choppy during my cruise too, that I took recently, by myself. Any you know what? I loved the rocking of the ship too. And I was acting almost hyper-NT, quite out of character and different from my normally more reserved self. I felt an NT-fying (not a word, I know) effect very similar to that of the teenager in the mother's review. The exact actions on my part were different, obviously, with me being 29 as opposed to a teen, but the concept was exactly the same. That, and I fell asleep in 5 minutes (the time it takes for most NTs to fall asleep on a good day) instead of the usual 20 to 30 minutes it takes me. I'm wondering at this point if the ship's gentle rocking had that much of an effect on me.

If any aspie or parents of aspie kid(s) on here took a cruise recently, did you notice that the ship's natural rocking was affecting the aspie brain in such a way that you or your kid(s) were acting highly NT-like, instead of the usual aspie self? Talk about your experiences. And if your experiences are like that too, I recommend going on smaller ships; they're more affected by ocean waves than bigger ships.

I'm not sure if I acted more NT or not, but some years ago I was sailing a royal navy 'foxtrot' yacht out of Plymouth where the water can get quite rough. Most on-board felt ill or were throwing up. I however, was happier than a pig in sh*te to be bobbing about.

I have only gone on one ocean-going big boat ride, and I loved the movement of the ship too. I was not at all seasick, so I spent the whole time on the top deck spotting flying fish. I don't think that I acted moar NT. I just acted like my normal self who felt rather high due to the fun ocean-going eggsperience. When I got off the big boat, I promptly got into a tiny kayak to crash it into the bottom of the cliff rising out of the ocean. Then, I climbed the peak that was the cliff and fell about ten feet over the crossbar of a giant cross on my way down to the beach. I'm not sure how to classify these behaviors, eggsacly, but I was purrrty social on that trip which was my college freshman orientation for my nerd/dork/geek sqoool where most people were more or less like me.

Cruising was the best vacation in the world for me because I was 6'2" tall and had a beard like Orson Welles, at the ports of call they didn't dare insult a middle-aged gentleman with such a fine beard by asking for his ID. That's good cause like most 12 year olds I had no wallet let alone ID. I had a pocket full of ones though and it only took a few beers to get a 12 year old boy (regardless of his resemblance to Rubeus Hagrid) totally sloshed.

Last edited by Buttoneater on 22 Sep 2012, 12:10 am, edited 1 time in total.

I'm afraid of water so I would probably spend the entire time wearing a life jacket and eyeing the ocean suspiciously.

Are cruises a special interest of yours since you went on yours? I'm just curious, and if they are, are you planning on taking another one?

Also, why don't you write something about your experience on your cruise and send it to them? They may publish it in something, and I'm sure if they are interested in special needs cruising accomodations, then hearing from an adult with AS who went on their cruise would be helpful. You should do that, really. Let us know if you decide to, I'd like to read it.

I guess cruising and cruise ships are my new special interest. I'm planning to take another cruise later this year, also with Carnival, but on a different ship. I'd rather share the story on here, because the audience here can relate to my story more; the NT society at large seems more accepting of AS kids and teens than adults. Maybe this will change in 10 years or so.

Truth be told, I don't know if writing about AS/special needs is even fitting. I did not require any accommodations and had zero contact with Carnival's Special Needs Department. However, something about being on a cruise ship flipped a switch in my brain. I found the rocking very relaxing, like the teen in the review. Maybe that's why I was acting so NT-like and out of character for my normal self. I felt almost ethereally comfortable on the crowded Lido deck*, even though crowds can irritate me at times. I danced up a storm at a Latin party in one of ship's clubs. I felt zero discomfort when asking a police officer in a port of call for directions. I kept all my tablemates at dinner engaged and listening to me when telling a story; I usually get tuned out. And I managed to get a woman romantically interested in me. When I missed an event I was looking forward to, I was barely fazed at all. I didn't even recognize myself, lol.

On a more prosaic note, maybe I just needed to get out of my normal environment, where everybody remembers me from my younger days when my AS was more severe. Solo cruising helped me do just that. "Knowing" that absolutely no one I'll meet will remember who I was in the past or know my secrets really helped me come out of my shell. Hence, the hyper-NT behavior.
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* Lido deck - on Carnival, it's the deck with the pool(s) and the buffet. This may vary on other cruise lines.

Last edited by Aspie1 on 22 Sep 2012, 12:48 am, edited 2 times in total.

Now I remember that I was also moar social than normal on my train trip across America. I also loved the movement of the train.

Interesting. I really enjoy riding on boats but very rarely get the opportunity. I would be hesitant to do a cruise though. That is an awful lot of people all packed onto a ship. Would make me very nervous about committing to such a thing.

Well, if it turns out that being on the ship actually does help you, do you think you could ever find a career on one that's comparable to what you have now? I mean you wouldn't want to take a huge pay cut just to feel better, but after a few years if you still like it do you think you might consider working for them?

I still think that writing to them about your experience may be helpful. No, you didn't need their services and there are a lot of us who wouldn't, but many would still be anxious about taking a cruise so they might never go on one. I remember how worried about it you were before you went. Looking back, do you think it would have been helpful for you to read an article written by another adult with AS who didn't need accomodations but is still effect by the AS in every day life? Not everyone is on WP, so finding it here might not be an option for them. Also, it could very well be buried in hundreds of pages of posts by the time someone who is thinking about going on a cruise joins the site.

I don't think that you would need to discuss the motion of the ship because that was discussed in the original article, but I think it would be helpful if you wrote to them that you have AS and while you are high functioning and don't need special accomodations, you were nevertheless very anxious. You should write about what you were worried about happening and how wonderful things turned out and what a good time you had. Then tell them that you think that someone who has AS who is considering a cruise but thinks it would be a bad idea for them, should go ahead and try it. Also, by telling them your concerns up front they could actually address things like that in a section of their literature. Maybe a page about how you don't have to be disabled or need special accomodations to be able to get reassurance or answers from them. Maybe something where people with AS could speak privately to a staff member about their concerns at first or at any time on the ship. That way the person would feel comfortable knowing that there was a "specialist" so to speak, on board for them to take any concerns too, and that the company is aware that autism can be very mild as well as very severe and that those with very mild autism may occasionally need reassurance or answers even though they don't need anything else. Then again, that's just my idea, I've never been on a cruise so I don't know. I just think it would be helpful for the company and some staff to familiarize themselves with the facts about AS and what it is and isn't so they would be prepared to address specific concerns, and I think you writing something about it and sending it to them could get them interested in that.

Highly unlikely.

I read on crew blogs are cruise ship jobs are very stressful, even higher-ranking jobs. Cruise lines find ways to skirt the US labor laws by registering their ships in Third World countries. Most crew members work 12- to 16-hour days, although they get to eat the same food as passengers, and room and board are provided as part of the contract. My currently job is in IT, tech support, to be exact, and it's so bad, and I had to get my doctor prescribe me anti-anxiety medication. I have to take it at least twice a week just to cope with the workload. If it's this bad in the USA, where I'm protected by my state's labor laws, it'll only be 1000 times worse working on a cruise ship. I have very much sympathy for the crew, and make their job easier however I can, like by being polite and not leaving a big mess but I could never work on a cruise ship. Even the US-flagged Pride of America (operated by Norwegian Cruise Line) is no picnic to work on.

On a more positive note, I hope this seemingly doom-and-gloom post can also serve as a word of warning for people considering a cruise ship job and not being fully aware of all its dark sides.

When I am on a cross-country train I become more relaxed. I can actually sit in a carriage with other people in it and not feel like the whole train is spying on me and trying to read my mind. Well, I do get some slight feelings but nowhere near as bad as when I walk on the streets in Sutton! I remember travelling to Hove from East Croydon is pleasant (although it varies depending on which class of train I get). However if I am on a train and it is busy, that totally detracts from the enjoyment of travelling on a train.

I have actually travelled on trains to calm myself down before.

But I am afraid of the sea so boats are something I wouldn't like.

But I love it that I live an hour's train journey away from university, and that that train is usually almost empty when I use it.

This is going to sound naive, but I always thought it would be a lot like "Love Boat".

I took an Amtrack train once from Washington DC to Bham and back. I didn't like it, but I'm afraid to fly. It would have been ok if I had gotten a private car but I didnt and it was like being on the bus. The difference was that I could go sit in the dining car. I went there with my seat mates, two girls about my age from Pennsylvania, and we had some drinks and then I saw the writer Lewis Grizzard there! He always took trains. I introduced myself and we talked and I got his autograph. That made it almost worth the rest of the ride sitting in bus like conditions for hours.

I don't like it when trains are busy either. I'm glad it went ok for you in the end though.

I travel on the First Capital Connect train from St Helier (near where I live) to Kings Cross St Pancras. Big contrast. St Helier is an unmanned, very quiet and secluded station that is usually empty; Kings Cross St Pancras is one of the biggest stations in London. When I walk through Kings Cross, I have a system where I stare at the ground and walk very fast, while listening to my favourite music on my noise-cancelling headphones. That way I can get through the station without freaking out. The huge difference between the stations feels odd.

I love the London Underground map, but I have huge difficulties with travelling on the Underground due to sensory issues and paranoia.

I have a Disabled Freedom Pass, which means I can use any form of public transport within the London zones for free. So I can travel from here to Epping, Greenwich, Harrow etc for nothing. It somewhat encourages me to travel on public transport.

You shouldnt look at the ground so much, i use to do the same thing but one day i realised ''who cares what they think of me'' so now i usually look forward and actually welcome a bad response from someone , which never happens of course. its all in our mind

When everyone's sea-sick and throwing up in a boat due to the rocking, I go to the front of the ship on the deck and feel at my best. I never knew this was connected to AS, interesting!