Carnival ships ‘sensory inclusive’

In order to help meet the needs of people with autism and other sensory sensitivities, Carnival Cruise Line (800/764-7419, www.carnival.com) worked with the nonprofit organization KultureCity (www.kulturecity.org), which advocates for people with sensory disabilities, and became the first cruise line to be certified by the group as “sensory inclusive.”

The certification process included training for the ships’ entire staffs on how to meet the sensory needs of adults and children with sensitivities. In addition, each ship will have a “sensory bag” available at check-in, with items such as noise-canceling headphones and fidget toys plus a special lanyard so staff can identify guests with special needs.

At press time, every Carnival ship based in South Florida had been certified, with the entire fleet scheduled to be certified by the end of March 2020.