Freestyle versus "traditional" dining for a young child?

[ToddlerMom]

I'm going back and forth between RCL (Freedom of the Seas) or NCL (Epic or the Pearl). We've only cruised on Carnival so have no experience with Freestyle cruising. We did MTD on Carnival.

 

For those of you that have done both, which did you prefer for little children? (DD will be 4 when we cruise) The My Family Time dining on RCCL sounds nice but we might not be able to choose it on the Freedom as it appears to be full. We would like to eat in the hours that the kids club was closed (5 - 7) but probably every other family onboard will have the same plans.

 

On NCL, can you request that your children be served first so that you can take them up to the kids club so the adults can finish their meal by themselves?

[Mom2B&Z]

I'm going back and forth between RCL (Freedom of the Seas) or NCL (Epic or the Pearl). We've only cruised on Carnival so have no experience with Freestyle cruising. We did MTD on Carnival.

 

For those of you that have done both, which did you prefer for little children? (DD will be 4 when we cruise) The My Family Time dining on RCCL sounds nice but we might not be able to choose it on the Freedom as it appears to be full. We would like to eat in the hours that the kids club was closed (5 - 7) but probably every other family onboard will have the same plans.

 

On NCL, can you request that your children be served first so that you can take them up to the kids club so the adults can finish their meal by themselves?

 

We have sailed NCL 3 times and absolutely love their freestyle approach. You eat when you want, and you are never racing to get anywhere just so you can get to the dining room on time. In the dining room, the staff will do whatever you ask. Want the kids entrees served with your appetizer? Just ask. Kids' dessert brought out as soon as they are done? Just ask. Need your dessert delayed while one of you runs the kids back to the kids club? Done. We often leave the MDR, drop the kids off, and go up to the buffet for a crepe. Lots of options!

[CorrieCJ]

I guess both have their pros and cons, but what I like about traditional dining is that you have the same crew every night... my kids love that the waiter gets to know their preferences, such as what they like for appetizers. I also have a child with allergies (and this summer one of my kids will be cruising gluten-free for the first time), so I liked that the dietician came to our table every night with suggestions and cautions; she knew exactly where and how to find us and I didn't have to seek her out. Finally, with traditional, there is no wait for a table and no worry about where you will be seated each night.

[Prinycesa07]

We did both. I prefer the traditional for the same reasons as previous poster. They got to know us. They had a high chair ready each night with a chocolate milk and roll for each kid. The flex is convenient too, both have their pros and cons. Im actually debating the same thing right now for our cruise next month. Early dining has a waitlist so its either late or anytime.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I guess both have their pros and cons, but what I like about traditional dining is that you have the same crew every night... my kids love that the waiter gets to know their preferences, such as what they like for appetizers. I also have a child with allergies (and this summer one of my kids will be cruising gluten-free for the first time), so I liked that the dietician came to our table every night with suggestions and cautions; she knew exactly where and how to find us and I didn't have to seek her out. Finally, with traditional, there is no wait for a table and no worry about where you will be seated each night.

 

Another vote for traditional dining. Having the same waitstaff really did us deal with an active toddler who was a picky eater to boot. The waiters were always ready with the kids menu and crayons, as well as her favorite breadsticks. On Carnival, when it was time for the dinner "shows," my daughter didn't have any qualms about joining in on the parade (she was already showing signs of being a drama queen) and since we dealt with the same waiters for some days, we didn't have any concerns.

 

For a few cruises, she wanted to skip the MDR, so we would take her to the buffet and then to the kids' program. On this last cruise, at age 15, she wanted to return to eating in the MDR again and it was nice we had the same waitstaff (she's still a picky eater, and hates to be teased about it) so that we wouldn't have to explain any quirks over and over again.

[martikus]

We have done both - MTD on Allure (RCCL) and Traditional on Dream (Disney). We found both were fine, but MTD definiteley went faster for us which we find a plus when eating with a kid.

 

He (6 years) didn't like the kids club so there was no chance he'd be doing that while we had a leisurely dinner. He's a good restaurant diner too so we weren't too worried.

 

We had the same waiter/asst waiter/table in MTD. We asked for them each night and they definiteley knew us as well as any of the traditional servers. We liked the flexibility that we could come a little earlier or later if needed. And on the nights we tried to get to shows, the waiter knew to speed up our meal. We would make a MTD reservation for the next night as we left the dining room. We always arrived between 5:30 and 6pm and we were definiteley ahead of the main crowd.

[IttaBit]

Oddly enough, my husband's primary frustration with cruising is having to eat at a set time. I don't mind it, but I do like the idea of MTD and requesting the same wait staff each night. Would you do this when you make the reservation or when you get to the MDR?

[snorkelman]

My children hated the diningroom, regardless of the time. RCL allows us to drop them off and they eat in the kids program and they love it. My wife and I eat in the dining room and we enjoy it with no stress. We see the kids plenty on the cruise and I am glad to not have to force them to eat in the dining room. I am also glad that I don't have to miss out on the dining room to eat at the buffet with the kids for dinner.