Children with disabilities love cruises!
From Royal Caribbean:
Last year, Camille, a child with autism who sailed with her family on
board the Freedom of the Seas won the hearts of all who watched her.
Camille didn’t let her condition stand in the way of her sense of adventure and with a little help from a caring crew member, she conquered the Flow Rider. This one was shared by Maurice Escobar, who sailed on *Allure of the Seas* with his daughter, Catalina.
After losing both her sight and hearing at age five, Catalina refused to lose her ambition in life. Even after being diagnosed with a brain tumor,
she defied a 6-month life expectancy and is still going strong three years
later. She had always wanted to take a cruise and Maurice decided it was
finally time to make it happen.
I’ll let Maurice tell you the rest:
“My daughter inquired about the rock climbing facility, something I would
never have considered due to her mobility issues. After my daughter’s
persistence, we made an attempt at it. Mr. David Huntington gave me full
confidence, and to our amazement, she reached more than five feet off the
ground. David advised me she would also enjoy the surfing simulator —
which frankly I thought was a crazy notion. But again, my daughter in her
persistence, went and visited the Flow Rider. David was there and again
gave me full confidence as she did what I’d assumed unthinkable. The
captured moment resulted in an ovation and a dream of hers that would have
been virtually impossible under her condition. There wasn’t a dry eye.
David will be remembered forever.”
Crafting moments like these are in our DNA. Though hundreds are on board,
David’s dedication to Catalina is indicative of the truly personalized
service our entire crew strives to deliver. He could have simply stood
back and done nothing. But instead, he rose to the challenge of giving
Catalina the experience of a lifetime. It may not always be the easy
route, but it’s most certainly the most rewarding.
Big Power Of Small Things.
In this age of mega ship cruising, we wanted a short sailing from Tampa
and we selected on the Brilliance of the Seas. My daughter has Celiac and
at dinner asked for a gluten-free menu. The head chef arrived personally
at our table with the full menu and said, ‘Ma’am, I was notified you had
an issue with gluten. Any dish you wish to have I will personally cook it
for you gluten-free.’ This was unbelievable. My daughter’s face lit up.
Each night the same thing happened and by the end of the cruise I was now
thinking, ‘I LOVE Brilliance of the Seas!’ I realized that it’s not all
about the size of the ship, the activities on board, or anything else
that can really make an impression…it’s someone making a connection to
you that makes you loyal.