Multi-Generational Cruising with an Aspergian Kiddo

I’ll never forget the day my daughter, Angela, called me in tears because my grandson’s teachers thought he was autistic. Truman was three at the time, and it was devastating. Angela and Jim T – my son-in-law – immediately took him to his pediatrician who sent them to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. The psychologist who tested him didn’t see signs of autism, but did note “OCD” (obsessive compulsive disorder) tendencies. Truman was also given an IQ test and tested at 126…at three years old! There was no doubt that Truman was a smart kiddo.


However, Angela and Jim T noticed some other issues. Truman had never slept all night – ever. He would get focused on something, and regardless of what they wanted him to do, they could not get deter his focus. He was reading at age four. Genius? Maybe.

The time came for Tru to start kindergarten. Angela and Jim T were so anxious because they didn’t know how Truman would react in the classroom. He was beginning to show some ADD (attention deficit disorder) tendencies along with his other quirks. He was not making close friends like his butterfly sister, Maeve, who walked into a room and knew everyone instantly. However, Truman excelled in reading and math, yet his fine-motor skills were lacking and his handwriting was not up to par. He could spell, but writing so his teacher could read his ideas was a challenge.

Finally this spring, during Truman’s second grade year, Vanderbilt asked to do a genetic test on the entire family to determine is Truman had Asperger’s Syndrome. As it turned out, he is definitely an Aspergian, but there is no genetic link to either Angela or Jim T, and Maeve tested just fine. At last, a diagnosis.

Asperger’s is on the autism spectrum, but is at the extremely high-functioning end.

We’ve all done so much reading about this disorder in the past months, and found out that Bill Gates, Albert Einstein and Mozart were Aspergians. At the end of second grade, Truman was reading and comprehending on an eighth grade level. He excels in math and science and loves the chess club at his school. His handwriting is still lacking, but his theory is “Well, I can read it.” It doesn’t matter if anyone else can, including his teacher.

So, why am I telling you all of this? Because we just took Angela, Jim T, Maeve and Truman on an NCL cruise. This was the first cruise the grandchildren had ever taken. We knew Maeve would have a wonderful time and would meet and make new friends immediately. However, our concern was for Tru. Would he adapt to ship life? Would he want to participate in the kid’s program? We quickly found out that freestyle cruising is the best way to cruise with a kiddo who is Aspergian.

Jim T’s mom was with us, so the kids had all of their grandparents onboard. We had lunch the first day in Cagney’s, and just watching Truman order a steak for his first meal onboard was wonderful. He kept asking over and over “Is this FREE???” We explained that he could eat at Raffles, the Blue Lagoon, Windows, The Garden Room and numerous places on the ship at no charge. The Blue Lagoon became his restaurant of choice because they served chicken strips and French fries, his all-time favorite.

By the end of the first day, Truman had visited places on the ship that none of us knew existed. He knew immediately that the elevators forward of the ship had red carpet, those in the middle had blue carpet, and those aft had green carpet – details that none of us had noticed. He told his mom after the first day “In his cruise ship elevator riding experience that you can only push all of the elevator buttons at once if ALL of the passengers are ok with it, and he had not found that particular passenger group yet.” As Charlie – my husband – was getting off the elevator on Day 2, Truman pushed past him and was announcing “Come on, I’ll show you.” and was immediately followed by a posse of his new friends. Where he was going and what he was showing them has yet to be determined.

Freestyle cruising allowed the freedom that Truman needed in a controlled environment. He begged to go to the Kid’s Club every afternoon. Tru would miss dinner with us and eat after he had his Kid’s Club fix. This was a perfect scenario for an Aspergian. On the last day of the cruise, we were treated to a private bridge tour. Of course, Mr. Technical Truman was in heaven. All of the computer screens and the joystick that, according to him, was used to “drive the ship” were fascinating to him because they reminded him of his video games.

Cruising is such an incredible way for multi-generations to enjoy the vacation of their lives.  What's stopping you from taking a family cruise?

On the Bridge with the Captain

30 July 2011

Our last day of our cruise.  Maeve and Truman have had the time of their lives.  Maeve cries when she has to leave her friends and be in at 11:00 pm!!!  She was so unhappy about leaving her friends at home when we got to New Orleans; now she's unhappy about leaving her new friends she's made on the ship.

The kids slept in today and had a late breakfast.  Then it was off to a VIP bridge tour with the Captain and Staff Captain of the ship, the Norwegian Spirit.  As we expected, Truman was in awe of everything.  He got to sit in the Captain's chair and loved the fact that the ship is guided by a very small joystick like he uses with his Wii or Nintendo.


This afternoon is for relaxing by the pool, packing and basically getting ready to return to reality.  This has been a wonderful experience for all of us.  We have had some of the best service on any ship we've ever sailed.  This crew is fabulous and so attentive to our every need.  The kids have both learned about their independence on a ship and how they can do things on their own with new friends.  Truman begs to go to the Kids Club at night.  Maeve is now out with her friends shooting a video of the ship.  We'll put this up on our website when we return and can edit it. 

Multi-generational cruising is the way to go for families.  The kids could have dinner on their own and we could enjoy a wonderful dinner together in the quiet of one of the many restaurants aboard the ship.  It's back to reality tomorrow and to work on Monday.  Thank you, NCL, for helping us make such wonderful memories.

Cozumel - Where it's HOT, HOT, HOT!!

29 July 11


Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico

I’ve used the term “hotter than a Mexican summer”, and boy, did today live up to that. It was 95 out and humidity so high that I couldn’t tell you what it was. We were dripping!!!

We rented a couple of jeeps this morning and made a round of the entire island of Cozumel. First stop was San Gervasio, the Mayan ruins on the island. When Charlie and I came here years ago, these ruins were practically nothing. Today, archeologists have unearthed more of the ruins and it is quite something to see. Maeve, our amateur archeologist, was amazed by all of them.

We drove to the east end of the island and stopped at a little beach where the waves and water were beautiful. Maeve got to hold an iguana, her dream!!! Jim T sat on a Brahma bull. Of course, he would do that!!! The Texan in him showed up in full force.

We drove on to Chankanab, the state park, where we came in the 80s and paid $5 admission for an entire cab full of people. The Mexican government wised up and today, admission is $21 per person!!! We passed on Chankanab, and instead, went to San Francisco beach and Carlos & Charlie’s where the beer is cold and the beach is free!!! Great fun for all of us and a wonderful way to cool off in the aqua-blue waters of the Caribbean.

Did a little shopping and found Truman an onyx chess set and Maeve a Mayan mask made out of onyx, marcasite, and abalone shell. What a wonderful way to spend the day in our last port of call. Tomorrow is another day at sea, then back to reality.

I "Belize" We're in Belize

28 July 11


Belize City, Belize

Do you "Belize" in magic???  Stop it's the "Belize"!!!   That's just a couple of the phrases we came up with today while we were in Belize.
Woke up to overcast skies after hearing storms during the night. Unlike yesterday in Roatan, we were bombarded by people trying to sell us anything from bracelets and necklaces to trying to sell us tours.

However, we found a private taxi with a van for 7 people to take us to the Belize Zoo where the animals are in their natural habitat. Maeve was in heaven when the first thing she did was hold a boa constrictor. We saw all of the birds and animals indigenous to Belize from warthogs to toucans and parrots. There were alligators as well as crocodiles.

The trip to the zoo was about an hour to get there and an hour to get back. By then, the heat was on us again, and with two kids wanting lunch, we headed back to the ship. Now it’s naptime and relaxing the afternoon away for all of us.

More tomorrow from Cozumel.

Priceless!!! Roatan, Honduras

27 July 2011


Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Today was an incredibly beautiful day. It was hot, but not as humid as yesterday in Costa Maya. We learned some things today.

1. Roatan is an island in the Bay Islands chain off the coast of Honduras.

2. The people are friendly and love Americans.

3. This is a great place to see jungles and for adventure tours.

We hired a 7-passenger van today with a private guide for all of us for the entire day. Cost was $140 for all of us!!! What a deal! We piled into the van and took off with Trent as our driver and Allen as our guide. Trent is a huge country music fan and was so excited to know that we were from Nashville.

We had two things on our “wish list” to do today – go to a beautiful beach so the kids could snorkel and take Maeve zip-lining. Wishes granted.

We went up to the North shore of Roatan where the beaches reminded us of Playa del Carmen in the 80s. There are some beautiful condos there and the air lift into Roatan is getting better by the month. Prices are also really good. Maeve instantly was in the water with her snorkel and told us about all the fish she had seen, including the sturgeon.

Then, we went to the best zipline on the island. Maeve and Angela, my daughter, were the only two who ziplined, but it was priceless to see them fly 200 feet above the jungle. They were back and forth at 13 stops for 45 minutes. Great day. Great activities.

This island is so friendly and the people so warm and genuine. We didn’t feel pressured by anyone to buy anything. We felt safe. This was our sleeper on this cruise. Going to an unknown place and finding it to be such a delightful place is wonderful.

Oh, and if you want Trent and Allen as your driver and guide, we have their email addresses and can arrange a private tour for you. More tomorrow from Belize.

Costa Maya, Majuhual, Mexico - July 26

26 July 11


Costa Maya, Majahual, Mexico

Another beautiful day in Paradise. Costa Maya is a little port that was specifically built for cruise ships. There are little shops – some great jewelry stores, some with cheesy souvenirs. There is a pool in the center of the plaza that the cruise passengers can enjoy, and believe me, with the heat and humidity, a dip in a fresh water pool is very inviting.

Maeve swam with the dolphins for an hour and was enamored with them from the start. Charlie, Nell and I took a five minute taxi ride over to Majuhual, a little town on a beautiful beach. Prices on silver and turquoise are much better there than in Costa Maya. This is a quiet little place and is a great beach area to take a family.

When we returned to the ship, Maeve met a couple of girls her age from Texas. Of course, her Daddy is from Texas, so she had something in common with them. When she hadn’t returned to the cabin by 7:00 pm, I went looking for her. She was in the video room with the girls and they were having such a good time that she stayed with them for the evening. I think she has made some new long-distance friends that she will stay in touch with so that when they visit in Texas again, she can see them.

Charlie, Angela and Jim T went to an Indian dinner tonight night in a small dining room in Shogun. After 20 courses – and yes, that is correct two-zero – they all rolled out of the restaurant. Nell and I were escorted to dinner in Windows by the most adorable little man, Truman. He was a perfect gentleman, and held out his arms for both of us to take us into the dining room. He was perfect throughout dinner and couldn’t wait to go to the Kids Club afterward to play with his new friends.

The kids have adapted to ship life very quickly and all of us are relaxing and having a wonderful time.

More tomorrow from Roatan, Honduras

Cruising with the Grands

Charlie and I have been on more cruises then we can count. We are fortunate that the business we are in allows us the opportunity to experience many cultures and countries. It has been years since we’ve been to the Western Caribbean, but this week we are experiencing cruising from an entirely different perspective. We have grandchildren with us who have never been on a cruise.


My daughter, son-in-law, his mother, and two of our grandchildren are on the Norwegian Spirit which sailed yesterday from New Orleans. Let me regress for a moment and tell you about taking children into the French Quarter and especially down Bourbon Street at night. Truman, our eight-year-old grandson, was intrigued by catching as many Mardi Gras beads as he could that were being thrown down to us from balconies above the shops and restaurants. Our ten-year-old granddaughter was interested in buying a Mardi Gras mask and going into one of the gaudiest costume jewelry shops I’ve ever seen. Of course, she had to get a snake ring filled with rhinestones that will only fit her first finger. But Nana and Grammy had a great time shopping with her.

We boarded the Norwegian Spirit yesterday (July 24) at midday. We had lunch in Cagney’s, a wonderful steakhouse on the ship. Teaching the grandchildren how to order from the big adult menu in a fancy restaurant and learning how to make a “b” with their left hand and a “d” with their right one to indicate which side holds their bread plate and which side their drink is on was quite interesting. Now, Mr. Literal Truman makes certain that everyone knows which bread plate is theirs.

Both of the children easily adapted to ship life. By late afternoon, they had made new friends and explored the ship on their own. Last night my daughter commented to Truman that he was acting so responsibly. His retort was “The cruise is making me do that.” Why hadn’t we thought of this earlier and taken him on a dozen cruises already!!!

Maeve instantly met a girl her age at the pool and at dinner let us know her friend’s name and that she was from Oklahoma. She is having a ball being able to get out on her own and meeting new friends.

Truman has found places on the ship that none of us have found as yet. This morning as Charlie was getting off the elevator on our floor Truman came barreling in announcing “Come on! I’ll show you!” as he was followed by a posse of his new best friends. Where he was going and what he was going to show them is yet to be known.

The seas are calm and beautiful. The sun is hot, hot, hot. Sea days are the best!! After a massage and facial, I feel like a new woman. More tomorrow from Costa Maya, Mexico.