dinner seating early or late with 3 yr old?

[dn6482]

We’ll be doing the late dinner. My 2 oldest boys are night owls on the other hand my 10 month old is on a rigid schedule he needs to be in bed by 7:30pm. We’re going to try an early nap before dinner, hopefully that will help. If not my nanny will be taking him back to the room for the night.

 

I really didn't have a choice about the late sitting since another group is coming with us and majority wanted a late dinner.

[B_Mc]

No one said it..but I will..leave your kids at home..you will enjoy yourselves more than you can imagine. Maybe you will miss knowing what they are doing at home..but there are phones on board and at every port...thats cheaper than paying their fare. You wasting your money if they are younger than teen-agers.:mad: Been there..done that !:o

 

No one here wants to hear this. This is a forum for families who cruise. Take your bad attitude somewhere else if you don't have anything helpful to add.

 

OP, except for the first night the early seating went well for our crew of 3 under 3! The first night took way too long, the second night was a small improvement, but by the 3rd night the staff was awesome. They highchairs and boosters set up and waiting for us, had fruit and milk for the kids immediately, and brought out the kids' food FAST. Someone usually left before dessert with the kids, but such is life. They gave us desserts to go or we ordered room service dessert!

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

No one said it..but I will..leave your kids at home..you will enjoy yourselves more than you can imagine. Maybe you will miss knowing what they are doing at home..but there are phones on board and at every port...thats cheaper than paying their fare. You wasting your money if they are younger than teen-agers.:mad: Been there..done that !:o

 

What a terrible assumption! Not everyone has the luxury or option of just leaving their child or children behind. Also, some families don't WANT to cruise without their children. I, for one, could never go on vacation without my son. I KNOW I would not enjoy myself as much as I do when he is with me. My fiance works six days a week, working long hours to support us.. We look forward to spending quality FAMILY time together every year on a cruise, creating memories. There will be a day (hopefully not!) where my son will be at an age where he won't want to vacation with mom & dad.

 

What works for you, may not work for everyone.

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

Oh and to actually answer the question to this thread.. I have cruised with DS when he was 9 months, 22 months & soon 2.5 years old.. We always do early seating. I know it sometimes cuts your day short at ports but we enjoy having dinner at 6:00 PM just like we do at home.. It keeps structure in place plus I know my son won't want to wait until 8:15 PM, that is a bit late for us to eat dinner. Only you know your child and his/her needs, so try to stick to a time that she is familiar with from home.

 

Also, I'm not sure what cruise line you are sailing, but see if Anytime Dining is an option that is available?

[scrap4girls]

No one said it..but I will..leave your kids at home..you will enjoy yourselves more than you can imagine. Maybe you will miss knowing what they are doing at home..but there are phones on board and at every port...thats cheaper than paying their fare. You wasting your money if they are younger than teen-agers.:mad: Been there..done that !:o

 

 

ok The truth comes out. Both my hubby and I are turning 40 within 5 day of each other in May so we decided to go on a cruise by ourselves to celebrate. our My in-laws were going to take care of the girls but I and to find out my hs both felt guilty leaving both of the girls home when we already left the youngest home when we went to Hawaii in July. Though we did take our 8 yr old we would be leaving the 2 yr old home once again. We didn't think that was right. What a big difference being a mom at this age than when I was in my early 30s.

 

One of the post did make sense to be about being from the west coast. Since my daughters diner time is at 6ish thats 9 on the east coast so either way her schedule is going to be messed up and early dinner would be best.

I've been taking my 3 yr old out to more restaurants. Shes getting better with sitting at the table thankfully. :D

[manydogs]

First, I disagree completely about taking children on a cruise or any other vacation. Giving them the opportunity to see the world with unbiased eyes is one of the best things you can do. We took kids and four grandkids to Hawaii when the gkids were 6 mos, 1, 3 and 5 years old ... and the one who was three at the time still talks about seeing "the jungle". Then we cruised to Mexico with them three years later ... and they all remember that cruise as well (okay, mainly, the kids club and Hooters in Cabo ... don't ask). And now we're all going to Alaska which is going to be an absolutely fantastic learning experience.

 

We did second seating with the boys because we didn't want to be rushing back from excursions (especially on "formal" night). Even though they normally have earlier bed times, they were so excited about the whole "cruising thing" that they wouldn't have slept anyway. Our wait staff was terrific and had the boys' preferred drinks, appetizers, etc., waiting for them when they arrived at the table each night. One night, we took the kids to the kids club during dinner so the adults could dine alone ... what a mistake. Not only was the wait staff disappointed that the boys weren't there, we had other cruisers stop by to ask where they were and if they were going to be there the next night!

 

You can try early and, if you don't like it, see about changing it.

[Dmgmd50]

No one said it..but I will..leave your kids at home..you will enjoy yourselves more than you can imagine. Maybe you will miss knowing what they are doing at home..but there are phones on board and at every port...thats cheaper than paying their fare. You wasting your money if they are younger than teen-agers.:mad: Been there..done that !:o

 

The purpose of us taking this cruise is to have a FAMILY VACATION so leaving the kids at home is not a consideration. We are now bringing our grandchildren ages 4, 6,7, and 10. We are doing "dine any time ' and will figure what works best for us. We started taking our sons when they were 7 and 4 and they were great!

[crusinmama06]

No one said it..but I will..leave your kids at home..you will enjoy yourselves more than you can imagine. Maybe you will miss knowing what they are doing at home..but there are phones on board and at every port...thats cheaper than paying their fare. You wasting your money if they are younger than teen-agers.:mad: Been there..done that !:o

 

 

Ohhhh no! You went there? On the family board no less! Did you get lost? :eek: This is the board where we LOVE to "waste our money" on our children who are less than teens -- do you know why? I may not LIVE long enough to see them become teens.

 

If we all played by your theory, then we would all lock our children in a closet and take them out when they were "old enough" to start experiencing life.

 

When children are born, they start with the ability to absorb their experiences with their parents. My children started cruising as babies. They don't remember those cruises -- but I do. And I wouldn't give back those memories for anything in the world.

 

I could walk accross the street and get hit by a bus tomorrow. My children would have never had the chance to have all of their magical time with their mom if I would have followed your guidelines of "cruising with teens" :rolleyes: And that would have been a shame. :(

[capriciousc]

No one said it..but I will..leave your kids at home..you will enjoy yourselves more than you can imagine. Maybe you will miss knowing what they are doing at home..but there are phones on board and at every port...thats cheaper than paying their fare. You wasting your money if they are younger than teen-agers.:mad: Been there..done that !:o

 

Well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but you ought to consider that not everyone has someone they can leave their children with, even if they were so inclined. For some of us, vacations are the only time we get to spend with our kids without work and other things interfering. Those of us who travel frequently for business get more "time away" from our kids than we would like. But, to each their own.

 

Personally, I've never bought the "but they'll be too young to remember it anyway" argument. We took our daughter to South America when she was 18 months old, and we had the time of our lives. No, she doesn't remember the trip, but we do. Furthermore, she has seen pictures and she knows that she was there with us. My mother and stepfather frequently left my brother and I with relatives to take their own vacations, and if you think that resentment doesn't build in children of parents who make a habit of that, you're mistaken.

 

Anyway, back to the original topic...I forgot about the issue of time zones, that someone else mentioned previously. I would factor that in. When we took our DD on the above-mentioned South America trip, we decided in advance to basically keep her on her schedule as though we were at home (which was five hours behind). The result was that she slept later in the morning, and could stay up later at night, which fit in with the way that most restaurants, etc. operate in S. America. There were times it felt a bit odd to be out with a toddler at 11 pm local time, but she felt like it was 6 pm, and had slept until noon and napped at 5 pm local, so she was happy as a clam.

[indigosails]

EARLY (we eat at about 6 at home & did not want to change the schedule) - you deserve to be seated & served & your child will (Well my 2 & then 3 year old) love it too. The waiters fuss over them. We only ate at the buffet when the MDR was closed - my son loved the waiters so much.

 

When we did eat in the buffet, the experience was far from ideal - trying to find a table, hold a child while holding a tray, waiting while the sandwich/pizza was made &/or served... NOT FUN!

 

Hey, I know you... How you been?

 

(Rian)

[TheCalicoCat]

Hey, I know you... How you been?

 

(Rian)

 

What are you doing here - especially in the family forum?

[cyntil8ing]

My kids have been on 4 cruises in the last 3 years. They're 5 and 8. We always choose late dining.

 

At home, we typically don't have dinner until 7:30. But the bigger reason is so we don't have to rush back onboard on port days. Even if we didn't reboard until after 4:00, we still have time for a snack and a nap before getting ready for dinner.

 

I've always found that meltdowns and misbehavior come from being overly hungry or over-tired. This is true for adults too! With our schedule of late snack and nap (or just quiet rest time), we have nearly always had well behaved children that last all the way through dinner.

[CFIGuy]

We just got back from a RCI cruise and loved MTD. For us the early was too early, and the late was just a little too late. So, we did MTD @ 7:15 and it worked out perfectly. If our son was hungry mid-afternoon, we would get a snack at Windjammer or Promenade Cafe. Also, if he wanted to go to the evening kids club session, we would take him to the Windjammer at 6:45, since the kids club was nearby. We worked it out where he did 1/2 of the dinners with us, and the other half at the WJ before our dinner or Johnny Rockets with kids club.

[lgionet]

Last year our son was 2.5 years old and we ate late. I would take my son to the buffet at aroun 5-5:30pm. Then we would do some fun activities with him. He would then fall asleep in his stroller at around 7:30pm. We enjoyed a nice dinner everynight while he was sleeping in his stroller (we just parked the stroller at the table (the waiter would move one of the chairs)

 

I enjoy travelling with my kids and would not travel without them. This is our family time where we get to spend an entire week with our kids (no work, no dinner to make, no cleaning to do etc....)

[scrap4girls]

what to do what to do.... Well its amazing... My DD is eating cheese and drinking milk NOW!!!!! All she keeps asking is for ice cream. we could give her any with out her offending everyones nose, if you know what I mean. At least this is one less thing I do have to worry about.

 

My DD is a non stop eater even though she weighs less than 30 lbs and will be 3yrs in a couple of months. She has to have dinner at 6pm PST or forget there being any peace in the house. Since we are from the west coast that means we will be eating according to our bio clocks around 3pm? That wont work.....

Anyone know how long it takes someone from the west coast to get use to east coast time? Ive only traveled to the east coast once before and it was a long time ago..

[TheCalicoCat]

Since we are from the west coast that means we will be eating according to our bio clocks around 3pm? That wont work...

 

Take her to the buffet.

 

My goal is to not acclimate to a different time zone. But then again I have to go to work generally the day after I return, so I don't have the time to go back to normal...

[bliss_fully_happy]

I have to LOs.

Once they are both over 3, we will do late dining.

I will get them dinner at the buffet, and let them go to the kids club.

Then Hubby and I can eat dinner together and have a bit of a dinner date.

 

Until they both are over 3, we do early dining for the all the reasons above.

 

I may try anytime dining sometime. I just don't like PRE-paying gratuity for a 6mo that I bring all the food for. I love NCL because of the eat when you want attitude. I don't like being on a schedule on vacation. (Funny that I wrote that, because I do keep the KIDS on a schedule, just not myself!)

[jenjaye]

We're starting a Western Caribbean cruise on Sunday and being from California, we've decided to try and stay on "west coast time" for the week. It worked well for us in trips to the east coast in the past, so we're going to stay with the late seating, as it'll be closer to his normal dinner time.

 

BTW, Our son is 3 and went on his first cruise just after turning 2. He loved every minute of it and remembers a lot of details about it still. Also, the crew are so wonderful with kids - they made MDR so much easier for us than trying to navigate the buffet.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I would not do late ...

[scrap4girls]

It looks like early dinning is from 6 to 8. If we arrive at 7:30 do they kick you out at 8? That would make it 4:40 on our bio clocks. Closer to our regular dinner time. I just dont want to intrude on someone elses dinner time.

[bchbum641]

We're going on the Carnival Magic 3/25/2012 and are taking our kids on their first cruise. We usually go without them. They told us the only =MDR time was 8. Since we want the kids (ages13,11,9) to experience that we signed up for it. Anyone here of a ship only having one sining time?

[boulders]

It looks like early dinning is from 6 to 8. If we arrive at 7:30 do they kick you out at 8? That would make it 4:40 on our bio clocks. Closer to our regular dinner time. I just dont want to intrude on someone elses dinner time.

 

If you arrive at 7:30, you won't get served. Early dining is at 6 pm. Everyone arrives at the same time and is served at the same time.

 

We're going on the Carnival Magic 3/25/2012 and are taking our kids on their first cruise. We usually go without them. They told us the only =MDR time was 8. Since we want the kids (ages13,11,9) to experience that we signed up for it. Anyone here of a ship only having one sining time?

 

It sounds like the only available dining time was 8 pm when you booked. The early dining time was already full. Only the smallest ships have one dining time.

[RCKM43]

I ended up changing my seating to an early seating. I was thinking about the anytime seating but after speaking to customer service I was her advice to go with a set seating time and early would also be best. Thank you for all your great advice. My next problem is my youngest is lactose and I hope we can bring on the ship some soy milk, cheese and yogurt. :rolleyes:

 

Not sure what line you are thinking of going on - but we sailed on the Summit back in August - with our 2 and 4 year old girls. Our eldest has several food allergies (milk is one of them). We contacted the special needs department before sailing and requested Vanilla Silk Soy milk. It took a day to get organized but they had it on board and waiting every night at her seat when she got to dinner. We didn't have to fly so we also brought those juice box size soy milks with us just in case we needed them. They will be able to accommodate the lactose intolerance better in the dining room than a buffet. I sat down with the Maitre d' every night and picked meals out for her the next day. I recommend early seating - I think late seating is a bit late to eat and early seating had tons of families.

 

We were able to arrange for dairy free waffles, lunches we went to their aqua spa and they made DD fresh grilled meats and we got her fruit or salad and french fries. Dinner we had to order the night before but they made her special fruit soups, sometimes a special salad, she had steak most nights with steamed broccoli and veggies and fries. The last night they made her chicken fingers. The 1st night's dessert was rough but after that they made her a great lemon sorbet that she loved (she has several other allergies so we are very limited in out choices).

 

Depending on how severe her lactose intolerance is she will be able to eat much easier than our daughter who has an allergy. Can she handle foods that had dairy baked in and only avoid cheese, yogurt, ice cream and actual milk or do you avoid all dairy products?

 

BTW the dining staff bent over backwards to make my girls happy. I don't regret taking them at all and cringe when I see suggestions that you keep children home and don't let them experience anything until they are teens. DH and I feel that vacations are perfect time for us to catch up on much needed family time, esp since DH works very long hours.

 

We brought some quiet activities with us to the meal - the girls ate their food and when they were finished we brought the older girl upstairs to the fun factory - so she sat with us for about an hour. Then we passed the younger one to my parents who were eating at late seating. They dinned with us every night except the one night we ate in the speciality restaurant. It was nice having them in the restaurant with us and not having to do the buffet every night.