A sensory-friendly cruise for your family starts long before you board
You know your kid. The crowds, the noise, the long lines, one surprise too many. Maybe you stopped planning vacations because staying home felt easier. I get it, and I’d love to help you try again, slowly and with a real plan.
No airports. Just drive and sail.
If you live in Oregon or Washington, you can drive to Seattle and sail to Alaska. No security lines, no packed plane, no tight connections. You leave home with your own car full of the things that help your child feel okay, and you come home the same way. Those sailings run from about May to September.
U.S. citizens on a round trip from Seattle can usually sail with a birth certificate instead of a passport. I’ll confirm the current rule for your exact sailing before you book, because I’d rather be sure than guess.
Hi, I’m Melinda
I’m an independent cruise consultant with Cruise Brothers, based in Newport, Oregon. Before I planned cruises, I spent four years in Early Intervention as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant, working with young kids and their families.
I’m also a mom of three boys with their own special needs and sensory needs. So I plan every trip with that in mind, yours included.
When you plan with me, we pick the ship and the cabin around your child. A quiet spot away from the elevators and the theater. An inside cabin if your kid climbs or wanders. A ship with real special needs and sensory programs. We fill out the cruise line’s special-needs form together, you check it, and I send it in. After you book, I keep watching the price, and if it drops I’ll tell you.
When you book with me, I also make your child a picture pack with your real ship, your dates and your ports, so day one feels a little more familiar.
The honest part
If a different ship, cabin or kind of trip would suit your child better, I’ll tell you. I can’t promise how a crew or other passengers will act. What I can promise is that I’ll plan with your kid in mind, not a brochure.
Planning with me is free. The cruise lines pay me, not you. When you book with me, you also get up to $100 onboard credit per cabin.
Free Sensory Cruise Prep Pack
A picture story about going on a cruise, a visual schedule with cut-out cards, a sensory packing list, a safety plan page, and the questions to ask the cruise line before you book. Print it, cross out what doesn’t fit, and start reading it together a week or two before you go.
Ready to talk about a real trip?
Tell me a little about your family and the kind of trip you’re dreaming about. Write as much or as little as you like. I read every one myself, and I’ll write you back.
Or email me: melinda@oregoncoastjourney.com
