Toddler and 10 Month in SteakHouse?

[Raven Days]

My daughter will be cruising with her children on our next cruise. She has 4 kids, ages 8, 7, 2 and 10 months - or they all will be by the time we cruise. This will be a special cruise for her since she will be getting married in Nassau during the cruise. I wanted us all to have dinner that night - in lieu of a reception - in the steakhouse. I have been to the steakhouse on the Magic twice, and I do not recall if I ever saw kids in the restaurant or not.

 

So I was wondering how acceptable would it be to bring the kids? If it would cause a stir - I could just book her and her new husband for the steakhouse and the rest of us could eat in the MDR or on the Lido.

 

I had another question about the cribs that are brought to the cabin. When I booked my PVP said that we would get one for the baby. Do we need to bring our own crib sheets? And is the mattress a decent quality?

 

Lastly....I usually book late seating for dinner, but because I will be traveling with the kids, we were told it would be better for other diners if we went to the early seating instead.

 

Thanks in advance for all input....

[cb at sea]

Can't help with the steakhouse....

 

The cribs are fine...mattresses are fine....some will bring sheets, but sheets are provided.

 

Yes...early dining (or anytime dining) is best for the kids, especially those who will be using the kid's club...late dining will interfere with any kid's activities in the evening.

[rebeccalouiseagain]

There really doesn't state an age requirement. I would call Carnival though to make sure.

[kellylw]

You'll get a lot of people that say that you should not bring the kids to the steak house, but I think that depends on the kids. I don't think I would take my kids, even though we have done some nice steak houses with them on land. Steak house dinners are long and the menu is not kid friendly. The restaurant has a very romantic vibe. If I remember correctly, I read something a while ago that they will not allow you to book reservations with children after a certain time, so I would definitely call Carnival and ask.

[Raven Days]

Then I think it probably best if I just book those two for that night. And we can have our family time every other night of the cruise. I wanted to order them a cake as well....since she wont have a wedding cake. I will probably just have that served on the first formal night. Thanks guys!

[rebeccalouiseagain]

You know the newlyweds better than we do. If they want to celebrate that day with the whole family in a more casual setting or have a romantic dinner for two.. ask them.

 

I have two sons, I imagine if I got married again the mood would be festive and I'd want to dine with my whole family that night. What would be appreciated is to have the cabin to ourselves for the night and have aunts, uncles or grandparents take the kids for that night. That's just me. Ask your daughter what appeals to her.

Edited July 6, 2014 by rebeccalouiseagain

[092306]

You could book them for dinner in the steakhouse alone and then celebrate as a family with the cake one night in the MDR.

 

I would definitely choose early seating or anytime dining with children.

 

The cribs we had were metal and they provide the regular large sized bed sheets that are folded several times around the mattress. Our son wasn't a restless sleeper so they stayed on fine and we weren't worried about it. We brought a light blanket from home too.

[notentirelynormal]

I had another question about the cribs that are brought to the cabin. When I booked my PVP said that we would get one for the baby. Do we need to bring our own crib sheets? And is the mattress a decent quality?

 

Lastly....I usually book late seating for dinner, but because I will be traveling with the kids, we were told it would be better for other diners if we went to the early seating instead.

 

Thanks in advance for all input....

 

We brought our own sheets for the crib. The sheets the ship uses are the same as your bed. Your baby sheets will be softer plus the detergent they use might be harsh on baby's skin. Brought her blanket too. Same reason. Plus the smell is still there for comfort.

 

As far as late or early dinner I don't consider it being for the other diner's ease but your the kids. Do the kids really eat dinner at home at 8:30 at night and stay up to 10:00 doing it? Then you get them up early to go on shore excursions (or whatever) and wonder why they are tired and grouchy. My kids like to eat around 5:30/6:00 at home and are in bed by 8:30/9:00 at home. Late seating is not in the cards for us when we have them along.

[Carnival_Brides]

Carnival doesn't cater to children in the steakhouse, so they will have to eat whatever is on the menu and be charged accordingly ($35pp). Some caregivers have had luck with their server being able to get items from the dining room (chicken nuggets, hamburger, etc) for kids, but I wouldn't plan on that being the case. I have seen [young] children before dining with their families, but only you can make that decision for your grandchildren.

 

You might consider emailing the Steakhouse's maitre d (masteakhouse@carnival.com) to see what they suggest. They are not required to email you back, but we had some luck when we were planning our wedding on the Pride.

 

As for cribs, we personally didn't love it the one time had it. The mattress was fine, but the actual crib wasn't as sturdy as we would've liked and it couldn't be removed during the day. We wished we would've brought a pack and play, just so we could have folded it up. I'd potentially bring a fitted sheet since it will be softer and smell more like home.

 

We always have early seating with our niece (she's 6) since she's used to eating early. We were able to do Anytime Dining once and had some success with it. It made it easier for us on our late port days.

Edited July 7, 2014 by Carnival_Brides

[bplazo]

I do not think it is appropriate for young children in the steakhouse.

[Ashland]

I'm sorry you won't be cruising on a ship that offers a nursery...the one on RCI ships is amazing for the 6-36 month olds.