Children and Portofinos

[boingy300]

I cruised 6/19 on the Mariner. We brought our 11 yr. old twins, and made special arrangements so that they would dine with our parents in the dining room and we could have a "date" at Portofino's. I had previously posted how dismayed I was to see a crying 3 year old laying over the threshold and how she cried during our meal. A debate then followed about kids in Portofino's. Just for follow up, I just got off the phone from RCCL about a shore excursion problem and the Portofino's event and they are refunding our Portifino's charge, to quote the RCCL rep. "Children under 13 are not permitted in Portifino's or Chops, and we are sorry your meal was interrupted".

I only suggest that more people complain, they may have to enforce "their" rules.

Karen

[Tra4]

Thanks. On all of our cruises, it has been enforced however. We've been on the Radiance, Adventure, Brilliance, & Mariner. We've eaten at the specialty restaurants and never have seen a child in there.

 

Our kids are 10 & 13, and the nights they have the pizza party are the nights we eat there.

 

Thanks again!!

[Sovren]

We were on the Navigator in May. My wife and I ate a Portofinos one night while my son ate with the kids program. On the last night I called up there to see if we could get in again, but this time with our 9 year old son. No problem was the response. I will say he is very well behaved, but the cruise compass clearly states no one under 14.

 

He really enjoyed his dinner and the way they catered to him. I have no problem as long as the kids aren't whiney or running around, and apparently, neither did the staff at Portofino's.

 

I would say go early like around 6:00 when its quiet and I'm sure you won't have a problem.

[Merion_Mom]

To boingy, I say, GOOD FOR YOU, you persisted, and they listened.

 

and to Sovren I say: SHAME ON YOU. FOLLOW THE RULES. They are there for EVERYONE, not just for those who DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES that they apply to THEMSELVES.

 

Carol

[justaknucklehead]

Shame on you for wanting your money back when your own kids were clearly under the age limit. What a fraud.

[goodml]

Shame on you for wanting your money back when your own kids were clearly under the age limit. What a fraud.

 

She said her kids were in the dining room with her parents.

[justaknucklehead]

yeah, with their 11 year old twins. Am I missing something? 11 is not old enough either.

[Retired not Expired]

yeah, with their 11 year old twins. Am I missing something? 11 is not old enough either.

 

Yes, her 11 year olds were in the MAIN dining room with her parents. They were not in the specialty dining room.

[Tra4]

She & her husband were on a date at portofinos while the 11 year twins were in the dining room with their grandparents. She did nothing wrong.

[dirtgirl]

Yes, you are missing something. The twins were in the main dining room with their grandparents, while the writer was having a date with their spouse at Portofinos.

 

Does anyone know when the kids dine out in the kid's program on the Mariner (Eastern)? I would like to try Portofinos, and will follow the rules and not bring my 10 year old. I want to make a reservation the first day on the ship for later in the week.

[justaknucklehead]

Yep, you're right, I misread the post, my bad. Sorry to the OP. You should get your money back. Good for you.

[threeofus]

glad we cleared that up.... She left her twins...why didn't the other couple.

[Iamthesea]

We ate in the specialty dining on a HAL ship where a large family group had two young children with them. The kids were allowed to run around the table while the parents/grandparents talked. Wish I had complained. :mad:

 

yeah, with their 11 year old twins. Am I missing something? 11 is not old enough either.

I guess the name justaknucklehead explains why you were missing something! :D

[PhoenixCruiser]

To boingy, I say, GOOD FOR YOU, you persisted, and they listened.

 

and to Sovren I say: SHAME ON YOU. FOLLOW THE RULES. They are there for EVERYONE, not just for those who DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES that they apply to THEMSELVES.

 

Carol

 

AGREED!!!

 

###

[Sovren]

TO:Merion_Mom:

 

Your quote to me was "and to Sovren I say: SHAME ON YOU. FOLLOW THE RULES. They are there for EVERYONE, not just for those who DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES that they apply to THEMSELVES."

 

How can you say I decided??? I called Portofino's and asked if we could get a reservation at 6:00 for my wife and I and 9 year old son. THEY said, sure no problem.

 

My son is better behaved than many adults I run into on cruises. He sat there quietly chatting with us and with proper manners ate his dinner. Maybe you are not used to children acting this way? Children (and adults for that matter) may have a chronological age, but its how you act that counts. I'm not sure why you resent children, but I assure you, he was not even noticed by any of the other patrons.

 

SHAME ON YOU for not being tolerant of well behaved children. Maybe your children aren't. I knew exactly how he was going to act in this situation, or I never would have taken him there. I am glad you weren't on my cruise as I am sure you would have made a big production out of a child in Portofino's which would have ruined our best meal of the week.

[pcur]

We ate in the specialty dining on a HAL ship where a large family group had two young children with them. The kids were allowed to run around the table while the parents/grandparents talked. Wish I had complained. :mad:

 

I guess the name justaknucklehead explains why you were missing something! :D

 

Don't be too hard on knuckle: he apologized, which was nice of him.

 

I think it's same as the problem of children in the Solarium: the staff will tolerate it as long as the pax do. If the kids are causing a problem, then someone complains and usually you can get some action.

 

Personally, I have no problem with ANY child ANYWHERE if they behave.

[breal6]

sovren... i won't get into the shame on you's for either of you but i will say this. how would one know if the child coming in the door is a well behaved one or not. and how does the restaurant say oh yes you can bring your nine year old to one person and not to all the kids on board. and for that matter i know some very well behaved six year olds, should they be allowed?

 

the maitre d was wrong to say no problem, but then again he works in a tip driven environment. jmho

[Retired not Expired]

My kids were angels, LOL, but I never would take them where the rules said no. I always taught them that when you go to someone elses home or business, you followed their rules. I also believed I should live by the same rules I taught them. It's called teaching by example. And an employee willing to break his employers rules didn't change the lesson I wanted my child to learn.

 

Everyone has the right to raise their child as they see fit, and this doesn't mean I am right and they are wrong or vice versa. This is just how I saw to raise mine.

[Folgy]

We were on the Navigator in May. My wife and I ate a Portofinos one night while my son ate with the kids program. On the last night I called up there to see if we could get in again, but this time with our 9 year old son. No problem was the response. I will say he is very well behaved, but the cruise compass clearly states no one under 14.

 

He really enjoyed his dinner and the way they catered to him. I have no problem as long as the kids aren't whiney or running around, and apparently, neither did the staff at Portofino's.

 

I would say go early like around 6:00 when its quiet and I'm sure you won't have a problem.

 

This only shows a total lack of regard for the ships rules and a lack of consideration of others. Totaly shamless. :mad: There probably are many other Moms and Dads that would like to bring their younger kids to experience extra fine dining but obey the rules (as they should) Not to mention that when adults go to this venue they expect not to have a 9 YEAR OLD SON of yours to be there. It ruins it for everyone all around.

 

Also, the ship should also be admonished for allowing your 9 year old in there in the first place. :mad:

[Merion_Mom]

Sovren, NOWHERE in my post did I mention children. I talked about following the rules that are set down for everyone to follow. Amazingly enough, I do have children. I like children. I'm a friggin' teacher of children. :D

 

I believe in TEACHING CHILDREN that there are rules and guidelines to what is acceptable in this society that we all share. I try to teach them how to be successful in this society. And that there is a time and a place for everything, and that not every time and not every place is the appropriate place for them.

 

Let us say, hypothetically, that I have a 9 year old son. And let us further say that

My son is better behaved than many adults I run into on cruises. He sat there, quietly chatting with us, and with proper manners, drank his beer. Maybe you are not used to children acting this way? Children (and adults for that matter) may have a chronological age, but its how you act that counts. I'm not sure why you resent children, but I assure you, he was not even noticed by any of the other patrons.

 

SHAME ON YOU for not being tolerant of well behaved children. Maybe your children aren't. I knew exactly how he was going to act in this situation, or I never would have taken him there. I am glad you weren't on my cruise as I am sure you would have made a big production out of a 9 year old drinking a beer in the pub which would have ruined our best pub visit of the week.

 

HHMMMMM?????

[sailinglisa]

And people wonder why adults get ticked off when others bring their kids into adult only or other age-controlled areas! Where is the respect for us who obey the rules?

[TheParrotHeads]

I have only had one bad experience in all the times we have dined at Portofinos/Chops; which is often, since we only eat in the formal dining room on formal nights and the last evening.

 

It came during our Adventure of the Seas cruise, which was on a path to hell as soon as we landed. Apparently every girl in Puerto Rico was celebrating their Quince Anos--"entry into womanhood/Coming of Age" thing. We couldn't escape it in any dining area (let alone the specialties), there were kids everywhere, well under the age of 13. Everyone, including parents, were far from being dressed appropriately. Ironically, the only persons dressed respectfully were the 15 year olds! Go figure. You would have thought we were in ChuckE Cheese. The first and only time I have left before dessert when dining in these restaurants. We couldn't get out soon enough.

[Soxfan05]

I will be dining at Portofino on VOS without my kids. It says they aren't allowed, and they won't be. They're well behaved but it doesn't matter, the rules are the rules. That having been said, once again, a staff member at RCCL allowed and even offered to change the rules. Is it wrong for someone to accept what is offered?

[Got Out There]

It seems that RCI's rules differ from ship to ship. We have sailed when the compass stated there was an age restriction and one time a modified age restriction. The latter was on the Radiance in March. The compass stated someting like under the age of 16 welcomed only before 6:30 pm. This was the first time that I saw this on any RCI cruise. I was traveling with my 4 year old and I wanted a really good steak. So I called to verify this would be OK and they said no problem. We ended up eating when they opened and were out in about an hour, per my request. My son was not very talkative and colored most of the "down time" during the meal. He never left this seat. There were only two other couples dinning in Chops when we were in there.

 

On another trip without the children my wife and I dinned in Chops and we had a very bad time due to some other adults (party of 6), they were drunk, very loud, and using foul language. Several other coupls around us were also upset with this group. When the manager came by and asked how everthing was, we told him we were not happy with this group. The two tables next to us heard my comments and they also said that they were not happy with the large group. The manager then offered to not charge all of us the $20. We all declined and asked him to go handle the out of control table. He did and to our surprise it worked. We later found out that two of them were employees with RCI. In the end, if you are not happy about something speak up.

 

Just wondering if anyone else has sailed RCI when the compass did allow children in Chops before 6:30 pm like on the Radiance?

[Sassy Chassis]

I wouldn't enjoy eating anywhere if there was a 3 year old crying the whole time. :eek: