Author: Melanie Burney

While preparing her four sons to take a dream family vacation in the Caribbean last month, Carolyn Piro carefully reviewed every detail to get them ready.

She also contacted the Royal Caribbean cruise line about accommodations for her children, because her oldest, Sean Curran, has autism, and two other sons also have developmental disabilities.

The trip ended abruptly when Curran, 31, was kicked off the Celebrity Cruise ship in Cozumel on Christmas Eve after an incident that his family says was mishandled by cruise officials who lacked understanding of his disability.

“Worst Christmas ever. Horrible,” Curran said. “I’m never going on a cruise again.”

Piro, a trauma therapist, is now on a mission to increase awareness and acceptance for people with autism. About 1 in 31 children in the United States are diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that number is 1 in 29 in New Jersey, according to the group Autism New Jersey.

“They have a place in our society. They have a place in our community,” Piro said.

Royal Caribbean, which advertises an “autism friendly” environment, said it had reviewed the incident and “concluded we could have been more sensitive to their needs during the debarkation process.” The company, which owns Celebrity Cruises, will provide additional training for employees, a spokesperson said.

‘Just trying to be nice’

Curran lives as independently as possible at home, Piro said. He participates in job training at Ability Solutions in Westville, has a girlfriend, sings with the Pine Barons Chorus, volunteers at an animal hospital, and enjoys dancing.

The Cherry Hill family was having a great time on a seven-day Caribbean cruise in December to celebrate Piro’s 60th birthday. It was Curran’s fourth cruise, and he knew the ropes and was allowed to roam unaccompanied.

Four days into the cruise, Curran was in a pool lounge when, he said, a teenage girl asked him to purchase her a Long Island iced tea. He said he bought the drink, unaware that it contained alcohol. His mother and brothers were not with him at the time.

According to Curran, the girl touched his chest and stomach, used profanity, and followed him to a hot tub, where he lifted her like Shrek did when he rescued Princess Fiona from a dragon in one of his favorite movies. (Piro said Curran enjoys swimming and playing in the water.)

The girl’s parents arrived and her mother began screaming, Curran said. Ship personnel escorted Curran to a security office, where he was asked to give a statement, he said.

“I have autism and I was just trying to be nice,” he wrote in the statement, given to ship personnel and provided to The Inquirer. The statement was only a few sentences of explanation Curran wrote about what happened.

Piro arrived during the questioning and said Curran offered an apology to the girl’s parents. Curran said he asked for patience and repeated what his mother taught him to say about having autism when he encountered difficulty explaining.

Curran was given 90 minutes to pack and leave the ship, his mother said. She accompanied him, along with another son. Other passengers gawked and pointed as security escorted them off the ship, she recalled, saying, “Look at them: They’re getting kicked off the ship.”

“It was just so shameful,” Piro said.

Piro said she believes ship officials had other options, such as restricting Curran to his room, rescinding his room card that allowed him to buy drinks, or allowing him to disembark at their next port of call, she said.

“With all of the information about autism, there was no compassion. They treated him as a fully functioning adult,” the mother said.

Piro said the family was given only a security incident report and told that the FBI and Homeland Security would be notified. She was not allowed to speak with the girl’s family, whose full name she does not know. She said no charges were filed.

Piro, Curran, and another of her sons who left the cruise were reunited with two other family members several days later when the ship docked in Florida.

Piro said she accepted an apology from Royal Caribbean after returning home, complaining about the incident, and sharing her story publicly. She also said she had asked to be reimbursed for the $20,000 she spent on the cruise and expenses. Royal Caribbean declined to comment on the request.

A spokesperson said Royal Caribbean’s additional training for its staff will “ensure this experience doesn’t happen again.” She declined to comment further.

Stacie Sherman, a spokesperson for Autism New Jersey, declined to comment about the specific incident but agreed there is a need for more awareness. She has had similar experiences as the mother of two on the autism spectrum.

“Education and awareness is key,” Sherman said.

Sherman said acceptance is slowly growing. Her daughter used to get nasty looks and comments for making loud noises or having a tantrum in public places, she recalled.

“I get way more smiles and nods, even praise and offers of help. It gives me hope,” Sherman said.

Seeking change to the system

When the family arrived home, Piro said, she reprimanded Curran and limited his activities for a month. Piro said she acknowledges that he did something wrong but said his intent was not malicious.

Piro said she had selected Royal Caribbean for her first family vacation in a decade because it offered initiatives for families with children who have special needs.

She said she contacted the cruise line a month before their vacation about her children’s special needs. In addition to Curran, two younger sons have mosaic Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome.

Piro said she requested special seating, for example, to isolate the family in the dining area from noise and large groups. During an excursion, she rented a cabana away from other guests, she said.

“We don’t go anywhere where people don’t stare, giggle, or make a comment,” Piro said.

Piro said she plans to monitor whether Royal Caribbean implements the additional training that it has promised. She wants changes “in the system so that this doesn’t happen again.”

Curran said telling his story was “making me feel better.” He wants to better advocate for himself and others with autism.

“I want people to treat other people with dignity and respect, compassion, and kindness,” he said.