PurpleKomodo
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2015
Has anyone cruised with a tube fed kiddo/person before? We leave in literally 5 days. Our cruise leaves port in 9 days. We are getting a serious run around corresponding with Special Services about our needs regarding our kiddo's tube feed. Our kiddo is 100 percent tube fed. All nutrition and hydration is delivered through his g-tube. He has a custom mix that is developed and signed off on by a dietician. We mix 24 hours worth of feed at a time. We have to bring all ingredients onto the ship. We have to bring extra onto the ship because there are another 5 days worth of vacation away from home after our cruise and we can't leave ingredients to roast in our van for four days. These are the current things they are telling us that we are corresponding with them about:
-- Our feed mix has been approved to "bring on board and consumed in our stateroom." Our kid eats when we eat. We will not be taking him back to the stateroom to eat while the rest of us are at the Frozen dinner, for example.
-- They are saying we can't take things off at Castaway Cay. Again, we will not be re-boarding the ship to feed our child 2-3 times while our family is enjoying the beach.
-- They are saying we may not be allowed to take some things back off of the ship. Again, we have to take overstock with us because our vacation does not end when our cruise ends and our ingredients need to stay temperature controlled (not necessarily refrigerated, but not over 100 degrees from sitting in a hot car).
I have never had this kind of difficulty with Disney and I am getting pretty frustrated. I don't want to be hassled by security our whole cruise for just feeding our kid the only way he can be fed. We have already had to concede our cooler size (taking two smaller ones instead of one bigger one) and figure out a way to mix his food without a blender. There is nothing else we can concede on and be able to keep him safe and allow us to actually have a good time as a family on this cruise. We also filled out the form months ago indicating all our needs and no one ever reached out to us. I am feeling defeated and much less than magical. Anyone have any tips. Is there anyone above front line Special Services I can escalate this to? It just doesn't align with the typical Disney values regarding accommodating people with disabilities.
-- Our feed mix has been approved to "bring on board and consumed in our stateroom." Our kid eats when we eat. We will not be taking him back to the stateroom to eat while the rest of us are at the Frozen dinner, for example.
-- They are saying we can't take things off at Castaway Cay. Again, we will not be re-boarding the ship to feed our child 2-3 times while our family is enjoying the beach.
-- They are saying we may not be allowed to take some things back off of the ship. Again, we have to take overstock with us because our vacation does not end when our cruise ends and our ingredients need to stay temperature controlled (not necessarily refrigerated, but not over 100 degrees from sitting in a hot car).
I have never had this kind of difficulty with Disney and I am getting pretty frustrated. I don't want to be hassled by security our whole cruise for just feeding our kid the only way he can be fed. We have already had to concede our cooler size (taking two smaller ones instead of one bigger one) and figure out a way to mix his food without a blender. There is nothing else we can concede on and be able to keep him safe and allow us to actually have a good time as a family on this cruise. We also filled out the form months ago indicating all our needs and no one ever reached out to us. I am feeling defeated and much less than magical. Anyone have any tips. Is there anyone above front line Special Services I can escalate this to? It just doesn't align with the typical Disney values regarding accommodating people with disabilities.