Dining room with kids?

[PAFamily]

Hi all,

Wanted to get some advice. We were assigned late seating (early seating wasn't available) and we are traveling with our 2 small children ages 5 and 3. After thinking about it we were kind of glad to have late seating, we figured on some nights we could take the kids to the WindJammer for an early dinner and then send them off to play in the RCCL evening program. But we would like to bring them with us at least a couple times, in particular our 5 yr old daughter who loves to dress up.

 

In reading a lot of the posts on this site, I get the feeling that kids aren't really welcome at dinner because other cruisers are worried about the disruption. Is this the case? I can understand, but I would take my kids out of there immediately (like any restaurant) if they become loud or misbehave.

 

Am I overreacting? I feel a lot of anxiety over this now, which is probably stupid.

 

Thanks

[ineedacruise]

A few thoughts....

 

Its your cruise too but just remember .... People have a problem with children at the late seating when they are disruptive and misbehave. If you are willing to remove them if they get out of hand you will be fine. I have cruised twice with my kids and they were fine but knew the rules. I will mention the fact when my son was 7 he had a hard time staying awake through dinner because he was so tired from the active days and he was used to staying up later at home.

 

If you are interested, when you get on board, check where the Matrie D will be and see if they can change your seating time.

[tricialee]

I plan on brining my 7 and 3 yr old boys to dinner with me every night. I will also bring along some quiet entertainment for them in the inevitable case of boredom. Such as the game boy, crayons, books, Hot Wheels. They both know proper behaviour at dinner, and I hope they can adhere to that for 2 hours. If not either DH or I will have to take them for a short walk outside the Dining room to let them blow off some steam, then back to the table when they are ready again. Children that are not yelling, or whining, or crying, or running around should not be a problem at dinner.

[I&MsMom]

Hi! On our first (and until May, only!) cruise we had our 5 (turned 6 during the cruise) year old DS and 2 year old DD. We were on Carnival for a 7 night cruise. We had early dinner. We brought them to dinner in the dining room every night.

 

I know RCCL has a good reputation for welcoming children, so I assume it will be a similar experience for you: the childrens menu was also a coloring book. The waiters brought their entree with our appetizers and their dessrt when our main course came out. Many people then took their kids to the camp while they enjoyed a leisurely dessert/coffee.

 

What helped to make our experience so pleasant was the fact that we had a booth on the second floor overlooking the main dining room. The booth was great because they could fidgit a little without getting in the way of the waitstaff. One night, DD just laid down, put her head on my lap, and went to sleep. Overlooking the first floor was great because there was always something going on the distract them (just had to be very careful nothing got tossed over the side!! LOL) The waitstaff was great, often taking them to dance, etc.

 

I also noticed we were sort of in a "kids zone". There was a family with a baby in a high chair behind us and several other tables in the immediate vicinity had children (although not all). It was a January cruise and there weren't a ton of kids. So, I'm wondering if cruise lines tend to group together people traveling with kids - it would make sense...

 

 

Knowing my kids, I don't think we would have had as great a result if the meal wasn't starting until 8 or 8:30. Their days were busy. I wasn't able to get DD to nap (she almost always does at home). But, every child is different, as I'm sure you realize. Maybe if they are staying up later, they will nap for you, even 30 minutes or so before dinner?

 

I'm sure it will work out - these things tend to. Enjoy the wonderful food and happy cruising!

[Onessa]

Take some of what you read on some of the other boards with a grain of salt. There seem to be a few rabid anti-kid posters. If I hadn't been on multiple cruises, based upon their comments I would think that the ships are overrun with thousands of unsupervised, unruly street urchins! Most of your fellow Pax and all of the crew will be happy to have you and your kids on board. They will be allowed to have some fun, and you can use this experience to make certain that they understand how to behave in different situations.

Prepare your kids for what it will be like and what you will expect of them. Set down some rules. Work through some "what if" scenarios with them before the cruise. Be certain that they are not famished but have some appetite (the idea behind the dining room is after all to eat!). Afterward, be sure to praise them for everything that they did right.

[Soxfan05]

I wouldn't stress out over it. Anyone who would book a cruise on a line that welcomes all ages and even caters to kids will understand that kids will be kids and aren't always perfect. I think the same behavior that's expected of them at home in a restaurant should be expected on the cruise. Sit in your seat, use inside voices and be polite. The occasional crying baby or tantruming toddler is to be expected. It's how it's dealt with that can be questionable. The fact that you're questioning the situation tells me you'll handle it just fine. :D

[PAFamily]

Thank you all so much!!!!! You have made me feel so much better, since finding the boards, I have become addicted and you guys are the best!

[MrsPete]

I'd take them to the dining room half the time -- if you don't take them to fancy places and set your expectations high, how will they ever develop adult manners? Make sure they're well rested and well practiced. Talk excitedly about THE DINING ROOM, which is fancy and for good behavior only, ahead of time. The way you present the place will go a long way. They'll be fine.

 

The other half of the time, have pizza by the pool or something else kid-oriented. Or feed them early, then you go enjoy an adult's dinner alone. Kids shouldn't be expected to behave like adults, which is a stretch for them, all the time.