Children and Portofinos

[PhinsAndGills]

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.

On my honeymoon (Enchantment) there was a LARGE Quincerias (spelling?) on our ship, too. Now, I'm 26 and enjoy wearing things that make me feel sexy and feminine, but these 15 year olds were dressed... well... a FAR CRY from appropriate. Size 8 girls wearing size 2 dresses, 3 or 4 inch hemlines... shirts so tight you could see, well, DETAILS (and that was at dinner)... etc... Anyway, they would take over public parts of the ship at all hours for pictures. They would pose very Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model-style, ONE-BY-ONE (and there were WELL over 50 of them) in the stairways of the centrum, around the pool, in the dining room... etc... worse yet, they were ALL staying on our deck, right outside our cabin. We were SURROUNDED. Apparently, though, "SHHHH" is understood in most any language.

The FUNNIEST part of the whole thing was to watch all the 13 to 17 year old BOYS following them around with their tounges hanging out. It was like a little hormone parade all around the ship.

[tauland]

We are going on a cruise in december on Radiance....For my birthday my husband would like to eat somewhere special....Any suggestions?

[Iamthesea]

On my honeymoon (Enchantment) there was a LARGE Quincerias (spelling?) on our ship, too. Now, I'm 26 and enjoy wearing things that make me feel sexy and feminine, but these 15 year olds were dressed... well... a FAR CRY from appropriate. Size 8 girls wearing size 2 dresses, 3 or 4 inch hemlines... shirts so tight you could see, well, DETAILS (and that was at dinner)... etc... Anyway, they would take over public parts of the ship at all hours for pictures. They would pose very Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model-style, ONE-BY-ONE (and there were WELL over 50 of them) in the stairways of the centrum, around the pool, in the dining room... etc... worse yet, they were ALL staying on our deck, right outside our cabin. We were SURROUNDED. Apparently, though, "SHHHH" is understood in most any language.

The FUNNIEST part of the whole thing was to watch all the 13 to 17 year old BOYS following them around with their tounges hanging out. It was like a little hormone parade all around the ship.

My 17 year old son just returned from a mission trip to Puerto Rico, where his group was in charge of conducting a "bible school" for K-5 and also tiling bathrooms in a church. One evening he called to check in and mentioned that the bible school was not going well. He told me that the kids were not dressing appropriately and instead of sitting, listening and doing crafts or playing sports, all they wanted to do was dance. He said that these little kids danced like some of the high schoolers of today (Dirty Dancing style) and he was embarrassed to be around them. :eek:

[dad son team]

As someone that cruises as a single dad, I would love to take my 8yo DS to the specialty restaurants. I hear so much about them, but have never gone because I would have to go alone since he is underage and I tend to follow the rules. Why can't the ships pick 1 night out of the sailing to make the specialty restaurants "family friendly"? This way people with kids can bring them and those that want to dine without kids can pick one of the other nights. Seems fair, right?

[dfgf]

I would be TICKED OFF if a kid were making any noise/crying, etc while I ate at a restaurant that was costing us $50.

 

However, if I was guaranteed that the meal would end-up being free, you could put the screaming 3-year-old at our table! :D

[Folgy]

As someone that cruises as a single dad, I would love to take my 8yo DS to the specialty restaurants. I hear so much about them, but have never gone because I would have to go alone since he is underage and I tend to follow the rules. Why can't the ships pick 1 night out of the sailing to make the specialty restaurants "family friendly"? This way people with kids can bring them and those that want to dine without kids can pick one of the other nights. Seems fair, right?

 

Why can't just one night in the main dining room (perhaps formal night) be allocated for adults only? .....seems fair , right? :rolleyes:

 

That way people with kids could all eat in the windjammer or Portofino's that night. OH Joy ....what fun screaming kids in Portofino's :D

[Happy ks]

Well, then, I guess maybe one night would have to be all kids in the dining room and the adults relegated to the buffet:p !

 

I just read an article about writing Onion letters and Orchid letters. The gist of the article was that more people should take a stand and file legitimate complaints regarding service and write complimentary letters for great service. The whole point being that people should not have to put up with circumstances such as the OP had, and companies, corporations, stores, restaurants need to be told. Too many of us walk away disgusted, vying never to return and the bad service or situation persists. There are also many wonderful people in a service oriented position that don't get recognized, because no one is made aware of how wonderful they are.

 

The OP is a great example that we all need to take a stand with this type of situation. Hopefully, if enough do it, the cruiseline will disallow children from these dining venues, and honor their own guidelines. I have kids, they are well behaved, but I follow the rules. If the restaurant says no kids, my kids don't go, period, it's not difficult to understand.

 

Parents of young children also need to understand that their bundles of joy are not necessarily welcome at every event. Crying children make everyone around them miserable, take notice and remove your child. My DH and I removed our kids immediately from wherever we were the moment they started fussing or crying, with the belief that NO ONE WANTS TO LISTEN TO IT. Not for an instant, certainly not during dinner. There is no such thing as appeasing a tired, cranky toddler, they need to go to bed and sleep, it is the only remedy.

 

It's just too bad the dinner had to be ruined by a lack of consideration on the part of the parents and the restaurant management.

[dfgf]

Some background: we have a 2-year-old and a 2-month-old. We left the 2-year-old at home for our last two cruises and will leave both kids home on our next one.

 

I'm wondering when the following will happen to us:

 

1. We'll wake-up one day and decide that our cruise wouldn't be a good vacation without our small children. Hopefully, by that time, they're at least old enough to understand that they're on a vacation. We're thinking Disney for that cruise.

 

2. We'll think that the sound of a crying child doesn't bother anyone else. If this ever happens, we might shoot ourselves.

[Sovren]

Merion_Mom:

 

Of course I wouldn't take my son in a pub for a beer. That is ILLEGAL. What a silly analogy. Whereas, Portofino's is just a restaurant with a staff that is apparently willing to accomodate a family if asked. I would say maybe 25% of the tables were occupied while we were in there. My son was not noticed by anyone. We had a nice dinner and left. If the staff says OK then I did nothing wrong and given the chance I would do it again.

 

breal6:

 

I agree there is no way to know whether a child is well behaved before they enter the restaurant. I personnaly wouldn't have subjected my son to a boring dinner if I had not known he would behave himself. If I had a child that couldn't sit still I wouldn't have taken him or I would have taken him out of the area and asked that my dinner be delivered out in the Windjammer. I realize that many parents woudn't do that, hence the age restriction. I will say that I know many 13 year olds that I would not want in there either.

 

Folgy:

 

 

I am not sure what you point is. I can't imagine that my son being in the restaurant "ruined it for everyone". Nobody even gave him a passing glance. He was dressed appropriately and we ate and left. I am sure nobody's cruise was ruined or impacted in any way. Had the cruise line said no, I would certainly have complied.

 

It's just like anything else, Many of the policies onboard are lax and not always enforced. I have seen plenty of drunk kids under 18 onboard. I have seen people cutting in lines, 16 year olds gambling, saving of seats in shows, saving of lounge chairs by the pool. I could go on for hours. Face it, the cruise lines just want your money. They rarely enforce any of their rules and guidelines.

 

Bottom line is, next time I am on a cruise, I will surely ask if I can bring my son to dinner at Portofino's or Chops. If they say OK, I will take him.

[TheParrotHeads]

On my honeymoon (Enchantment) there was a LARGE Quincerias (spelling?) on our ship, too. Now, I'm 26 and enjoy wearing things that make me feel sexy and feminine, but these 15 year olds were dressed... well... a FAR CRY from appropriate. Size 8 girls wearing size 2 dresses, 3 or 4 inch hemlines... shirts so tight you could see, well, DETAILS (and that was at dinner)... etc... Anyway, they would take over public parts of the ship at all hours for pictures. They would pose very Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model-style, ONE-BY-ONE (and there were WELL over 50 of them) in the stairways of the centrum, around the pool, in the dining room... etc... worse yet, they were ALL staying on our deck, right outside our cabin. We were SURROUNDED. Apparently, though, "SHHHH" is understood in most any language.

The FUNNIEST part of the whole thing was to watch all the 13 to 17 year old BOYS following them around with their tounges hanging out. It was like a little hormone parade all around the ship.

 

Oh this brings back such horrid memories. I remember it very well and the parents were urging it along. :rolleyes:

[terri23]

Merion_Mom:

 

Of course I wouldn't take my son in a pub for a beer. That is ILLEGAL. What a silly analogy. Whereas, Portofino's is just a restaurant with a staff that is apparently willing to accomodate a family if asked. I would say maybe 25% of the tables were occupied while we were in there. My son was not noticed by anyone. We had a nice dinner and left. If the staff says OK then I did nothing wrong and given the chance I would do it again.

 

breal6:

 

I agree there is no way to know whether a child is well behaved before they enter the restaurant. I personnaly wouldn't have subjected my son to a boring dinner if I had not known he would behave himself. If I had a child that couldn't sit still I wouldn't have taken him or I would have taken him out of the area and asked that my dinner be delivered out in the Windjammer. I realize that many parents woudn't do that, hence the age restriction. I will say that I know many 13 year olds that I would not want in there either.

 

Folgy:

 

 

I am not sure what you point is. I can't imagine that my son being in the restaurant "ruined it for everyone". Nobody even gave him a passing glance. He was dressed appropriately and we ate and left. I am sure nobody's cruise was ruined or impacted in any way. Had the cruise line said no, I would certainly have complied.

 

It's just like anything else, Many of the policies onboard are lax and not always enforced. I have seen plenty of drunk kids under 18 onboard. I have seen people cutting in lines, 16 year olds gambling, saving of seats in shows, saving of lounge chairs by the pool. I could go on for hours. Face it, the cruise lines just want your money. They rarely enforce any of their rules and guidelines.

 

Bottom line is, next time I am on a cruise, I will surely ask if I can bring my son to dinner at Portofino's or Chops. If they say OK, I will take him.

 

This is what I read in this post, "IMO, my child doesn't bother anyone, therefore the rules don't apply to him", and "drunks, teens and chairhogs don't follow the rules, so why should we?". Not good arguments, IMO. If kids aren't permitted, don't ask for exceptions.

[caviargal]

I have to be honest and say that one of the reasons I often go to the specialty restaurants is because I enjoy dining without children and that is the only place on ship where that atmosphere is guaranteed. Until adults only cruises are offered, this is really all that I have for an option.

 

And I am willing to pay for the pleasure of dining with adults. I would be very disappointed if the cruise lines took this away.

[mdmourges]

There have been similar post regarding kids in the concierge lounge. Me personally, when I pay for a cruise, I base it on the assumption it will go to certain places, it will provide certain services, etc, etc. This includes not having kids in certain areas. When they do go there, I am very disappointed with both RC and the parents. Kids should not be in in the specially rest., period.

 

Mark

[stillfrantic]

Disney has it down, and firmly. NO ONE under the age of 18 is allowed in their specialty restaurant, Palo. NO ONE. Not if they are 17 and 'very mature." Not if they are 3 and are 'gifted angels." Same with the adult pool......I always wondered why adults without kids would sail on Disney, but Disney completely enforces the adult only rule....I am beginning to think a couple could have a much more child free vacation on Disney than Royal Caribbean. :(

[Retired not Expired]

I said it before and I'll say it again. It doesn't matter what an employee may say, when the rules of the business says no kids under a certain age and you take them there, you are telling your child, I will break the rules so it's OK for you to break the rules. Later in life, when you tell that child not to do something and they do it anyway because others say it's OK, then that child is living by the standards you taught. Not to mention that at least some of the people there are willing to pay for that experience because it is suppose to be child free no matter how well behaved. That employee had no idea how well behaved your child is, so if he let the one in, he must let all in. And some could be poster children for birth control. (Said as I put on my flame proof underwear).

 

But to single dad, I will say your idea has merit. There will be opposition to it, but I see nothing wrong with making one night out of a seven or more day cruise a family night in these places. But not for the other adult only areas such as a hot tub, casino, bars, or adult only pool. A ship is a confined space and adults should have areas where there are no kids without having to go to their cabins.

[Merion_Mom]

[quote name='Sovren']Merion_Mom:

Of course I wouldn't take my son in a pub for a beer. That is ILLEGAL. What a silly analogy. Whereas, Portofino's is just a restaurant with a staff that is apparently willing to accomodate a family if asked. I would say maybe 25% of the tables were occupied while we were in there. My son was not noticed by anyone. We had a nice dinner and left. If the staff says OK then I did nothing wrong and given the chance I would do it again.[/QUOTE]ACTUALLY, Sovren, it's NOT illegal. RCI makes the rules/laws at sea. One of their rules is NO ONE UNDER 14 IS ALLOWED IN THE SPECIALTY RESTAURANTS. Another is GUESTS 18 AND OLDER MAY DRINK BEER AND WINE WITH PERMISSION OF PARENT/GUARDIAN. That's not legal in the United States, but it is permitted on board. They could set the drinking age anywhere they want. They set it at 18 for beer. But MY kid is really well-behaved and no one would notice him sitting there, drinking his beer. Why should YOU care as long as he's not bothering you? Why should YOU expect a pub to be child-free? Why should *I* have to give up my pub experience just because I have a child who has to go everywhere that I go, whether it is appropriate or not?

Face it, Sovren, you are and were wrong on this issue. I am sure that you are a wonderful parent who has a charming son who is and will continue to be a wonderful person. But he doesn't belong in Portofino's until his 14th birthday. PERIOD.

Carol

[Merion_Mom]

By the way, MY son is actually 17 and 5 months and he WILL NOT be drinking on our upcoming cruise. RCI's rule says EIGHTEEN and EIGHTEEN it will be!

Carol

[macbasset]

I agree with Stillfrantic; we did 7 disney cruises with our two sons and we would be going again if the ship wasn't currently on the west coast. My husband and I love the adult areas, and disney strictly enforces it (restaurant, pools, etc.) They even have an adults only beach on their private island, Castaway Cay. People wonder why my husband and I would do disney even without the kids and it is because of this great separation--- you can do all adult activities and frankly I never felt I was overrun by kids. I have a 16 yr. old that is not allowed to go into adult areas on disney ships (must be over 18) and I wouldn't even ask permission for him to do that-- I follow the rules. We are going on Mariner (first time on RCI) on 7/31 and hope it won't be overrun by kids in all venues, especially the adult ones.

[spammie]

My hubby and I were on Voyager August of 2003. We made reservations at Portofinos for "Caribbean" night. We were very excited to finally be able to eat a nice, relaxed dinner together without kids. We left our children at home and unfortunately we were seated at a table in the main dining room with two children aged 7 and 13. I actually love kids but when mine aren't with me I really don't want to have to eat at a table with other peoples. Our dinner started our very nice. There were only about 6 tables occupied in the restaurant. About 30 minutes into our meal a party of around 10 with 4 young children arrived. These kids didn't sit for more than 5 minutes. I was very disappointed when I saw how these children were behaving, running around and being very loud. Hubby and I quickly ate and left and said the next time we would save our money and skip the specialty restaurants. How sad that RCCL makes rules, people don't follow them and the cruise line doesn't enforce them. Adult areas are for adults, period. I don't want to see kids in the casino, hot tubs, solarium etc. I know everyone thinks their kids are the exception and because they "behave" themselves they should be able to go. It's just not fair to us adults who "choose" to leave our children at home.

[caviargal]

[quote name='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.[/QUOTE]

If the rules say no children under a certain age, it is inappropriate to even ask that the rules be broken for you! The alternative dining rooms are the only places on a ship where we adults who prefer an adult dining environment can go and we PAY for the privilege. I can assure if I was there at the time, I would have gone to the management and reminded them of their policy.

I have seen way too many parents whose idea of acceptable behavior by their children is very different than mine. These rules are there for a reason. When I am in an adult only area of any ship and an underage person comes into that area, I contact a staff member. I go to adults only areas specifically for that reason and I simply cannot understand why some parents are so determined to bring their children where it is clearly posted they do not belong.

There are so few areas where adults can go and not be bothered by children. These should be respected by children and by their parents.

[cruisecrasy]

said it better myself - most articulate and to the point. Adults need adult places just as kids need kiddie places. How wld they like it if a few adults infiltrated their fun in the kids program - likely 'howl' at having strange adults there I wld wager and so wld their parents - but 'tit' for tat'! This is silly - RCCL shld be held accountable when it doesn't enforce its own rules and what I pay for when I cruise. For myself, I wld have asked to speak with whomever seemed to have some 'clout' at the alt. restaurant and told him/her if the children were allowed in they breeched our contract and I wld demand - yes demand - a credit for another nite without children or that they refuse them entrance. If I didn't get satisfaction (read: what I paid for originally) then I wld complain loadly & frequently to the main office on board and to head office. Gee folks - if more people did this instead of merely 'eating & running' away - things might change..What think?? I for one will change cruiselines if it continues but also I like to remember that the cruising public is getting older - might take care of itself - demographics you know - bless 'em! What think??

[jwlane]

[quote name='Merion_Mom'] SHAME ON YOU. FOLLOW THE RULES. They are there for EVERYONE, not just for those who DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES that they apply to THEMSELVES.[/QUOTE]

RCI makes the rules, and they decided to allow an exception. Sovren didn't "DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES". They dined with the ship's blessing.

[justaknucklehead]

Cruisecrasy,

Your post was very confusing to me and I couldn't figure out why. Then I realized that you used wld for would and cldn't for couldn't. Don't mean to pick on you but I was wondering if maybe your keyboard wouldn't allow you to put the o and the u together? Please clarify. Is it some sort of shorthand?

[caviargal]

[quote name='jwlane']RCI makes the rules, and they decided to allow an exception. Sovren didn't "DECIDE FOR THEMSELVES". They dined with the ship's blessing.[/QUOTE]

The point is, it was inappropriate to ask for the exception to begin with.

[Sovren]

We are not that far off in our thinking. You feel I am wrong for bringing my son. I feel its fine as long as he is well behaved and the staff allows it. I have no problem with the "rules are rules" argument, per se. If they had said no, then I would have been fine with it.

I put the blame on the staff for saying yes. In fact, I didnt realy ask. The way it happened was I called to see if they had space at 6:00 for me and my wife since my son was going to eat with the kids program. We later found out the kids program was not providing dinner that night. When I called to cancel, I told her the reason and she says just bring him, its not a problem at all. Is that really my fault?

To Retired not Expired:

My son had no idea what the age limit was in Portofino's. He is not being brought up to "break the rules".



It's funny how heated everyone is on this topic. It was such a non issue when it was actually happening. Nobody noticed and we just had a nice meal and left.

Would you have the same argument if you went to a very upscale restaurant in a big city and had kids at the next table? There you are paying $150.00 pp for dinner. Would you complain if kids were disturbing your dinner?