Adults One Table, Kids Another??

[Seaforfour]

We are traveling with 5 other families. Can adults sit together at a table in the dining room and kids at another if we request ahead and link reservations? I’m assuming not since we will have different beverage packages. Trying to configure families together. Thank you.

[Homosassa]

1 minute ago, Seaforfour said:

We are traveling with 5 other families. Can adults sit together at a table in the dining room and kids at another if we request ahead and link reservations? I’m assuming not since we will have different beverage packages. Trying to configure families together. Thank you.

For the sake of other passengers, if the children are under the age of 16, please keep them under control by seating them with their parents.

[Seaforfour]

3 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

For the sake of other passengers, if the children are under the age of 16, please keep them under control by seating them with their parents.

They are 14-18 and very “under control.” And I would obviously put them next to us.

[matj2000]

Pretty much any type of seating arrangement can be done.

 

Just go early and explain the situation.

 

Not sure what beverage packages have to do with anything.

 

Also don't listen to the busy-bodies on this site that will tell you that you cannot do this or how to parent...

[Biker19]

10 minutes ago, Seaforfour said:

. Can adults sit together at a table in the dining room and kids at another if we request ahead and link reservations? 

Link the reservations together and ask for table(s) big enough to accommodate the entire party- then group yourself as you see fit in the MDR - beverage packages make no difference. 

[Seaforfour]

Ahh, didn’t know we could do that! That’s perfect. Thanks.

[Seaforfour]

2 minutes ago, matj2000 said:

Also don't listen to the busy-bodies on this site that will tell you that you cannot do this or how to parent...

Yes. Apparently some people just don’t like children and enjoy preaching on this site. 

[JAMESCC]

23 minutes ago, Seaforfour said:

We are traveling with 5 other families. Can adults sit together at a table in the dining room and kids at another if we request ahead and link reservations? I’m assuming not since we will have different beverage packages. Trying to configure families together. Thank you.

Forget about any snarky comments, its just the nature of this place.

The answer to your question is yes. On a cruise quite a few years back we were seated with about 10 other adults, maybe 12 and all of their kids were in a separate table just behind us. Probably a dozen kids. It worked out just fine for them. They are kids, having fun on a cruise so they are gonna fool around, but for the most part they were just fine. I was jealous to be honest, I was like how cool would it have been when I was 12 or 14 to be on a big beautiful cruise ship with 10-12 friends and family kids my age. We didn't have kids yet at the time. 

I think you'll be just fine doing this.

[loman]

We were seated next to table full of kids with their parents seated at the next table , about 10 kids in all.

All I can say is I had sympathy for the servers , they had no support from the parents to deal with their little darlings.

Next night we asked to be seated on the other side of dining room . 

I have kids , they never acted the way these ones did . Food all over the place , yelling , screaming ... you know acting like kids .

I was more appalled at the parents than the kids .

Kids should be supervised in a dining room .

[kerryincork]

When I was a kid we were often put at a table by ourselves with our cousins and syblings, we loved it. Our parents never accepted bad behaviour, so other being excited, we were not badly behaved. Just remind them what is acceptable behaviour before eating and you will be fine.

 

[Seaforfour]

16 minutes ago, loman said:

We were seated next to table full of kids with their parents seated at the next table , about 10 kids in all.

All I can say is I had sympathy for the servers , they had no support from the parents to deal with their little darlings.

Next night we asked to be seated on the other side of dining room . 

I have kids , they never acted the way these ones did . Food all over the place , yelling , screaming ... you know acting like kids .

I was more appalled at the parents than the kids .

Kids should be supervised in a dining room .

Our kids are all teens and very well behaved. They would also be right next to us, As a children’s librarian I see misbehaved, unsupervised children often. Sorry for your terrible experience.

[loman]

As another posted indicated , you can arrange to have the kids at their own table .

You sound like a responsible parent , and as you mentioned your children are well behaved , so I am sure the staff  and fellow passengers would welcome your wishes.

Have a great cruise .

[retiredgram]

I have seen a large number of adults at a table scream and yell at one another.  They could be heard practically over the entire dining room.  It's not always children. 

[lowbass]

Saw this on Allure about 3 weeks ago. One table was parents and grandparents. Table next to them was kids, looked to be about 12-16 yo. No problems at all. Kids have their own SS card with their beverage package so that's no issue.

 

As for kids misbehaving, if they misbehave sitting at a table next to their parents. The parents probably wouldn't do anything if they were sitting right next to them at the same table either.

[atb]

we did a large family cruise many years ago.  We linked reservations, and had 5 large (8- and 10-top) tables in one corner of the MDR.  That way we could play musical chairs throughout the cruise.  We had the same wait team for the area, so this worked really well.  They knew our group, and had cheese plates and shrimp cocktails, family style, on the tables when we arrived.  Enjoy your cruise.  Building memories one trip at a time.

[cruisekap]

We were seated next to a table of 12 kids and their parents were at an adjacent table while on Mariner in February.  The children ranged in age from 5 to mid teens.  They were amazing, polite, and well behaved.  Of course, most of the entrees were pasta, burger etc.  As a previous posted has stated, bad behaviour is not isolated to children.  I have seen many adults misbehave too.......   I am so glad bad behaviour is not common but it definitely is not only children that do so.  I have 2 children who worked at fast food restaurants and retail when they were young teenagers.  While some children can be unruly and misbehave, the worst behaviour that they experienced was actually from seniors.  The verbal abuse they suffered from adults was unbelievable. I was shocked.

 

Link your reservations and make the requests.  You will have a fabulous time and so will your children. 

[cb at sea]

Of course you can do it that way.

 

[Starry Eyes]

Link the reservations.  Upon boarding on day one, visit the Madre’d to confirm the arrangements. Depending upon the  total number of guests, you may all fit at one large table or you may, as you suspect, need two or more adjacent tables.  If you are all flexible and friendly, do not worry too much about who is official assigned to sit at which table.  Let the teens sit together.  Or move people around so you can converse with different people.  Or move around if some people are in other dining venues or at other activities certain nights.  Presuming everybody will pay their gratuities, and presuming any waitstaff that go above and beyond further recognized for that effort, who sits where matters little.  Have a wonderful time.

[taglovestocruise]

4 hours ago, lowbass said:

Saw this on Allure about 3 weeks ago. One table was parents and grandparents. Table next to them was kids, looked to be about 12-16 yo. No problems at all. Kids have their own SS card with their beverage package so that's no issue.

 

As for kids misbehaving, if they misbehave sitting at a table next to their parents. The parents probably wouldn't do anything if they were sitting right next to them at the same table either.

Bingo 👍

[HappyEyes]

We did this last summer - a large group of 4 families - 18 in total. We mixed it up every night.  Had two tables, one 8 top and one 10 top. We had adults/kids one night, drew colors for tables one night, etc - it was fun.

[Russ Lomas]

5 hours ago, HappyEyes said:

We did this last summer - a large group of 4 families - 18 in total. We mixed it up every night.  Had two tables, one 8 top and one 10 top. We had adults/kids one night, drew colors for tables one night, etc - it was fun.

We too travel with 18 to 26 people in multiple families each year.  We arrange 2 or 3 tables next to each other and switch things up each night.  The last few cruises however, the kids have wanted their own table.  The wait staff usually have them finished their desserts by the time we are eating our entrees and the kids leave the MDR while we enjoy dessert and coffee at our table.  Works out great for everybody.  Our kids are aged 10-17 and we like to think they are well-behaved.

 

[Darstime]

I agree we did the same thing on night two. They were in earshot and were  off in no time loved it

Edited April 22, 2019 by Darstime

[fsjosh]

 

12 hours ago, Seaforfour said:

We are traveling with 5 other families. Can adults sit together at a table in the dining room and kids at another if we request ahead and link reservations? I’m assuming not since we will have different beverage packages. Trying to configure families together. Thank you.

We did the same thing in January on Freedom. We had everyone's reservations linked, then sent the request to rcldining@rccl.com. We told them we wanted two tables adjacent to each other with the number we wanted at each table. The kids were an odd number so we also requested no one outside our group be sat with them. I also followed up with the suite concierge(we were in a suite) when she emailed us pre-cruise. Everything was set up as we requested when we arrived and it was no problem.

 

Another thing, as long as you get the reservations linked and get the tables next to each other, as others said, you can just sit them however you want. The waiters won't care unless they are problematic. 

[A2Mich]

13 hours ago, Seaforfour said:

Yes. Apparently some people just don’t like children and enjoy preaching on this site. 

 

Funny, because I’ve though the same thing many times. There are a few loyal royals who believe that RCI is THEIR cruise line (sure, they may own stock), and kids shouldn’t be anywhere near them.  I could understand that, to an extent, if this were an ultra luxurious cruise line.  But, Royal markets their products as family friendly, as do other companies, such as Carnival, NCL, MSC, etc.  My opinion is that not wanting children around, or not expecting kids to be kids (within reason) is rather hypocritical.

[Hop77]

22 hours ago, loman said:

We were seated next to table full of kids with their parents seated at the next table , about 10 kids in all.

All I can say is I had sympathy for the servers , they had no support from the parents to deal with their little darlings.

Next night we asked to be seated on the other side of dining room . 

I have kids , they never acted the way these ones did . Food all over the place , yelling , screaming ... you know acting like kids .

I was more appalled at the parents than the kids .

Kids should be supervised in a dining room .

 

Is not the kids’ fault. Is their parents. I make sure mine behave when they are out in the public. They get it from me right away on the spot if they don’t. But most kids I met are generally alright, behaving like kids but good kids. I saw Those that scream at their top go the voice and play catch around the dinning room and climb on top of the tables and chairs, throwing food around etc. 

Edited April 22, 2019 by Hop77