AotS staff member and child playing in the pool With an estimated 1 million people now affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders, there is an indisputable need for families with special needs to take a break in an environment that is comfortable and accepting.

Autism on the Seas (AotS), a division of Special Needs on Vacation, a niche travel company catering to vacationers with special needs, announced today that it will launch the company’s first group cruise with Carnival Cruise Lines on March 11, 2012. More than 120 people, including 26 children and adults with special needs, will cruise from Galveston, TX to Key West, FL and Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas on an 8-day sojourn aboard the new Carnival Magic.

“With about 1% of the population – or an estimated 1 million people - now affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders, there is an indisputable need for families with special needs to take a break in an environment that is comfortable and accepting,” says Mike Sobbell, founder, Autism on the Seas. “We provide these special families with real vacation options - where they can enjoy a sense of normalcy and belonging. We look forward to launching our first group cruise with Carnival in 2012.”



Making Vacation Dreams Come True for Families with Autistic Children

AotS offers families with special needs children the opportunity to relax and bond with other family members who often take a back seat in a household with a special needs child. Their focus is on providing a vacation that offers guests a vacation with respect, dignity and compassion.

AotS’ specially-trained, compassionate and caring staff work with children and families alike. Traveling with AotS gives families a sense of normalcy that many may have given up on. The company offers special needs families much needed daily respite, the opportunity to enjoy vacation venues, otherwise not thought possible, as well as valuable networking for families to learn what is happening in other parts of the country relative to their child’s condition.

AotS Friendships and Community

New friendships don’t end when the ship docks. Life-long bonds are a common occurrence on AotS vacations, as families with uniquely similar circumstances and special needs lifestyles meet and enjoy the pleasures of a simple family vacation together. AotS has a close-knit fan-base on Facebook and they love to hear success stories from families who have traveled with them – or are planning to! Catch us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/autismontheseas and YouTube and follow us on Twitter @AutismontheSeas.

About Autism on the Seas

Founded in 2006, Autism on the Seas (AotS) is the flagship division of Special Needs on Vacation, LLC. AotS is a niche travel company that organizes and staffs cruise and land resort vacations for families with special needs. Our specially trained compassionate staffers provide care, attention and fun, as appropriate, to our special needs vacationers’ condition, comfort-level and ability. Our staff is accustomed to working with special needs passengers with a broad range of conditions, including autism spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and other cognitive and intellectual developmental impairments.

Our vacations offer parents and caregivers a sense of normalcy and the daily respites we provide enable families to recharge and reconnect with siblings and other family members in the household that may take a backseat to a special needs child.

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