Dining Options with a Toddler

[Meggo]

We will (hopefully) be taking our first cruise with our son next June (18 months later than planned- thanks Covid). He will be 2.5. We are experienced cruisers traveling with my husband’s parents who are even more experienced. But none of us have cruised with a small child before! We will be on the Harmony. 
 

We typically do my time dining on Oasis class but have the option to do the early main seating. 
 

Fellow parents- is there a benefit to doing the main seating with a toddler? More tailored to kids during that time? Or more chaotic with everyone eating at once?

 

We know we may end up not doing the MDR each night but we have to make a decision when booking. 
 

I’d appreciate any other advice about cruising with a toddler! 

[smokeybandit]

Our first cruise with a child was actually the week he turned 3. We had no issues at the main dining and the staff gravitated towards him.

[Ashland]

1 hour ago, Heymarco said:

We cruised with our 1 year old a few months before COVID hit. It was an 11 nighter and we brought him into MDR most nights and didn’t have any issue. One night, our neighbors were celebrating a birthday and even gave him a balloon. Once or twice he got loud towards the end and one of us would take him out early. A couple of nights we had him in the nursery through dinner. We also did Windjammer a couple of times to mix it up for him (shorter is better at that age). 
 

He was greeted in the Diamond lounge when we walked in the first night by name. I asked concierge how she knew his name. She said it was because he was the youngest diamond member on board.

 

It was a different experience for sure but enjoyable in a different way. He will be 3 this fall and we have TA booked if it happens and another 11 nighter next summer. I think travel is so great for people, including young kids. Enjoy!

This was our experience also when we've cruised with extended family that included two toddler's.

The nursery option was great as well as MTD or WJ and the lounge staff couldn't have been nicer.

Their both 7/8 now and can't remember those very early cruises but we all can and have the photos to prove they had a great time.

[rimmit]

1 hour ago, Heymarco said:

We cruised with our 1 year old a few months before COVID hit. It was an 11 nighter and we brought him into MDR most nights and didn’t have any issue. One night, our neighbors were celebrating a birthday and even gave him a balloon. Once or twice he got loud towards the end and one of us would take him out early. A couple of nights we had him in the nursery through dinner. We also did Windjammer a couple of times to mix it up for him (shorter is better at that age). 
 

He was greeted in the Diamond lounge when we walked in the first night by name. I asked concierge how she knew his name. She said it was because he was the youngest diamond member on board.

 

It was a different experience for sure but enjoyable in a different way. He will be 3 this fall and we have TA booked if it happens and another 11 nighter next summer. I think travel is so great for people, including young kids. Enjoy!

Thankfully the Diamond lounge policy regarding kids has gotten much laxer over the last couple years as the Average age of diamonds has dropped.  In 2015 she got kicked out at 9 months of age (as did my 5 year old) but now when we go to the DL and CL they immediately get them a sprite (their favorite)

 

in regards to the MDR, we find it very accommodating toward kids and the waiters do an amazing job.  We like to go for breakfast as it is much more relaxing that getting up 50 times to fetch a napkin, food, drink, etc.

[Ashland]

13 minutes ago, rimmit said:

Thankfully the Diamond lounge policy regarding kids has gotten much laxer over the last couple years as the Average age of diamonds has dropped.  In 2015 she got kicked out at 9 months of age (as did my 5 year old) but now when we go to the DL and CL they immediately get them a sprite (their favorite)

 

in regards to the MDR, we find it very accommodating toward kids and the waiters do an amazing job.  We like to go for breakfast as it is much more relaxing that getting up 50 times to fetch a napkin, food, drink, etc.

Hmmm...KIcked out of the DL.. We sailed a few times around that time frame and our little D/D+ had no problems in the DL or CL.

[Mapleleafforever]

3 hours ago, Meggo said:

We will (hopefully) be taking our first cruise with our son next June (18 months later than planned- thanks Covid). He will be 2.5. We are experienced cruisers traveling with my husband’s parents who are even more experienced. But none of us have cruised with a small child before! We will be on the Harmony. 
 

We typically do my time dining on Oasis class but have the option to do the early main seating. 
 

Fellow parents- is there a benefit to doing the main seating with a toddler? More tailored to kids during that time? Or more chaotic with everyone eating at once?

 

We know we may end up not doing the MDR each night but we have to make a decision when booking. 
 

I’d appreciate any other advice about cruising with a toddler! 

First of all, you've picked a great ship for your Son's first cruise!!! We did Harmony with our then 18 month old (and my parents) and only dined in the WJ and Jamie's Italian (3 times). We did the WJ only because we had no idea how the MDR would be for a young toddler and the WJ was just so easy peasy and we could easily get her anything she wanted with no wait. We originally went to Jamie's as it was a much smaller venue (she's used to small restaurants) and very informal. The staff were so good with her/us that we went back two more times. 

 

Last February we did Allure with our at this point 2.5 year old and also our 6 month old (yup, we're nuts). We still ate dinners in the WJ as neither kid was feeling well (looking back could have been you know what) but we ate breakfasts in the MDR and really enjoyed the slower pace. 

 

We're set to be on Odyssey next February and this time we're going to do the early seating for the MDR. We've heard great things about how well they can expedite food for the little ones to keep them happy. 

 

Great call going with the Grandparents, you'll have a great time and make awesome memories!!

[njkruzer]

We've had our Granddaughter on a few cruises when she was 2-3.  Staff was always great. They always brought her something to eat while we were looking at the menu.   She had a tablet (with sound limiting headphones) to use when she finished eating and we were still eating.   She had a great time.   She still likes to cruise.

[rimmit]

1 hour ago, Ashland said:

Hmmm...KIcked out of the DL.. We sailed a few times around that time frame and our little D/D+ had no problems in the DL or CL.

It was on the Freedom.   The moment we walked in we never even got to try and sit.  The Concierge immediately came over and asked us to leave.  We were on the Brilliance in 2014 with just our 3 year old at the time, as our daughter was not yet born, on a Northern Atlantic TA from London to Boston and no issues.  Went every night for 14 nights.  The 7 night Caribbean we got rejected within 20 seconds of walking in the door.  We just dropped the kids off at the nursery and kids club when it opened at 7 after that first night and went without them. 
 

It was highly inconsistent for a while and seemed to depend on the ship and concierge and now they seem to have revised the policies for consistency and kids are allowed with parents now without question.  We haven’t had an issue since that 2015 Freedom cruise.  

Prior to them stabilizing the policy situation we found they were much less likely to say anything if they were using overflow.  On the Freedom they were not using overflow at the time.

 

Totally off topic, but are you from Ashland, KY?  Just curious based on your name.

Edited February 20, 2021 by rimmit

[Ashland]

It probably was inconsistent. Our experience was on Radiance a couple of times and Harmony. 

We did once hear a loud obnoxious lady ask the concierge "Why is there a kid allowed in the DL"?

Response from concierge..."He's a D+".

 

Yes...Ashland, KY was my home town until my parents drug me kicking and screaming to SoCal in the  1950's. It'll always be home to me. Thanks for asking.

[flhokie]

DD's first cruise was Allure when she was 2 1/2. We had early seating (with other family & friends). Except for the 1st night when she was exhausted from the excitement of the 1st day, it worked out great. 

 

The first night she didn't make it through dinner--fell asleep at the beginning and then woke up very cranky. We took turns taking her out to walk around and then I left with her. They gave DH desserts with covers to take back to the cabin since we missed that. 

 

Every other night, they had a fresh fruit cup waiting for her when we got there. They'd get her food out pretty quickly as well. She ordered from the children's menu some nights and other nights she ordered pasta or something from the adult menu (she's always been an adventurous eater). While we like my time dining, it helped to have the same dining staff and time each night with a little one. 

 

We took disposable cups with lids so we didn't have to worry about her picking up the heavy (for her) glasses, spilling etc. We also had a bag with coloring activities and kindle with shows and games downloaded (with headphones). 

 

One night, she went to the nursery while we went to Chops. They fed her dinner at the nursery.

[rimmit]

3 hours ago, Ashland said:

It probably was inconsistent. Our experience was on Radiance a couple of times and Harmony. 

We did once hear a loud obnoxious lady ask the concierge "Why is there a kid allowed in the DL"?

Response from concierge..."He's a D+".

 

Yes...Ashland, KY was my home town until my parents drug me kicking and screaming to SoCal in the  1950's. It'll always be home to me. Thanks for asking.

I ask because I grew up in Russell, so I am a Red Devil at heart (sorry, just can’t root for the Tomcats😀), and we live in Ashland now. Ashland is a pretty sad place now.  Most would be kicking and screaming being drug to Ashland and definitely not the other way around.  Since Ashland moved the HQ, and Armco/AK steel got shutdown along with OLBH there isn’t much left.  It’s pretty much a ghost town.

My son is D on his own points since he was 5.  Was scheduled to make D+ by 9 this last Sept but Covid hit.  My daughter was even faster.  Hit D by 3 on own points.  Obviously they get the D+ by parental transference.  We have never had another passenger complain in the D lounge about our kids being there.  Most are very friendly to them and some even play with them for a short bit.

We drive to Baltimore and catch the Grandeur a bit and also cruise out of Bayonne on occasion.  On a rare occasion fly to FL for a cruise but are more likely to fly to Europe or some other exotic if we have to get on a plane as it’s not that much more to go over the pond if we are hopping on a plane.
 

It’s such a small world.  

Edited February 20, 2021 by rimmit

[BirdTravels]

10 hours ago, Meggo said:

We typically do my time dining on Oasis class but have the option to do the early main seating. 

I would continue MTD. Eat when Junior is ready (if not at reserved time). And don't force Junior on others at the MDR main seatings, who may be there to get away from the kids/grandkids/greatgrandkids.  

[njkruzer]

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

I would continue MTD. Eat when Junior is ready (if not at reserved time). And don't force Junior on others at the MDR main seatings, who may be there to get away from the kids/grandkids/greatgrandkids.  

We ate at early seating with no problems/complaints from neighboring tables.  Just be prepared with things to keep the toddler occupied.   

[Ashland]

7 hours ago, rimmit said:

I ask because I grew up in Russell, so I am a Red Devil at heart (sorry, just can’t root for the Tomcats😀), and we live in Ashland now. Ashland is a pretty sad place now.  Most would be kicking and screaming being drug to Ashland and definitely not the other way around.  Since Ashland moved the HQ, and Armco/AK steel got shutdown along with OLBH there isn’t much left.  It’s pretty much a ghost town.

My son is D on his own points since he was 5.  Was scheduled to make D+ by 9 this last Sept but Covid hit.  My daughter was even faster.  Hit D by 3 on own points.  Obviously they get the D+ by parental transference.  We have never had another passenger complain in the D lounge about our kids being there.  Most are very friendly to them and some even play with them for a short bit.

We drive to Baltimore and catch the Grandeur a bit and also cruise out of Bayonne on occasion.  On a rare occasion fly to FL for a cruise but are more likely to fly to Europe or some other exotic if we have to get on a plane as it’s not that much more to go over the pond if we are hopping on a plane.
 

It’s such a small world.  

Very sad to hear....I used to go back there every summer vacation when in my teens and often as an adult accompanying my elderly parents.

 

My grandfather was the asst. police chief...long history in that town (and Butcher Holler...if you know who I mean) on both sides of my family.

 

I haven't been back since I lost my parents but still have a couple of relatives there.

 

Thanks so much...even though your description is hard to hear I appreciate hearing it.

 

Truly a small world...Best to you and your family.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

We have taken our daughter on cruises every year since she was a year old. We found although the main dining room staff were great with her the choices for her were limited and felt bad when she wasted so much food due to portion size. (Typical fussy child). Found it much better to take her to the buffet where we can regulate the portions, choose what she wanted and not waste food.

 

But its trial and error TBH

[Cruise a holic]

Really depends on your child.  I would order room service as who knows if buffets will be available.  The child can eat first and have dessert with the parents in the dining room.  We have had good experiences, but if the child gets cranky we immediately removed her from the dining room.  Didn't want to make the dinner unpleasant for other guests.

[pat1975]

We cruised in a group of 7 when my daughter was 2 years old.  We did every night at the MDR and one at chops.  The staff was awesome!!  The first night for dinner in MDR she was cranky because she was tired from a long day of travel.  the staff asked what she liked to eat.  We said she loves chips.  Waiter came back with a plate of chips.  Daughter was happy.  She started to fall asleep and we were about to take her back to the room.  Waiter sees what is going on and tells us to hold on for a minute.  He comes back with a few people.  They have 2 chairs and tableclothes.  They set the two chairs together making a small crib.  They put the tablecloth down and had an extra one for a blanket.  She slept right next to us for the reso of dinner.  Every day for the rest of the cruise when we got to the dining room there was a plate of chips waiting for her.  

[FamilyCruiserUK]

2 hours ago, pat1975 said:

We cruised in a group of 7 when my daughter was 2 years old.  We did every night at the MDR and one at chops.  The staff was awesome!!  The first night for dinner in MDR she was cranky because she was tired from a long day of travel.  the staff asked what she liked to eat.  We said she loves chips.  Waiter came back with a plate of chips.  Daughter was happy.  She started to fall asleep and we were about to take her back to the room.  Waiter sees what is going on and tells us to hold on for a minute.  He comes back with a few people.  They have 2 chairs and tableclothes.  They set the two chairs together making a small crib.  They put the tablecloth down and had an extra one for a blanket.  She slept right next to us for the reso of dinner.  Every day for the rest of the cruise when we got to the dining room there was a plate of chips waiting for her.  

This is why i love cruising, dont get this level of service from other holidays and it is why i will treat all the staff on the ship with the utmost respect.

[Cruiser24]

We took my grandson at 10 months and then at 2 and mostly ate in the MDR.  On our last cruise on the Grandeur in October 2019, we added our 6 month old granddaughter.   With two kids, it was easier to go to the WJ.  On the formal night when lobster was served, we all wanted the lobster but didn't want to chance it in the MDR.  I asked the Head Waiter in the WJ if they would possibly bring us lobster.  He asked what time we'd be there and said he'd have it all set up for us.  They had a big round table in a cordoned off part of the WJ set and waiting when we got there.  The brought us 8 lobster tails and we opted to get the rest from the buffet.  It was a wonderful meal and we were very grateful that we could enjoy the great food without worrying about being in the MDR and disturbing those around us.

[BSocial]

3 hours ago, pat1975 said:

We cruised in a group of 7 when my daughter was 2 years old.  We did every night at the MDR and one at chops.  The staff was awesome!!  The first night for dinner in MDR she was cranky because she was tired from a long day of travel.  the staff asked what she liked to eat.  We said she loves chips.  Waiter came back with a plate of chips.  Daughter was happy.  She started to fall asleep and we were about to take her back to the room.  Waiter sees what is going on and tells us to hold on for a minute.  He comes back with a few people.  They have 2 chairs and tableclothes.  They set the two chairs together making a small crib.  They put the tablecloth down and had an extra one for a blanket.  She slept right next to us for the reso of dinner.  Every day for the rest of the cruise when we got to the dining room there was a plate of chips waiting for her.  

That is a great story!

[ONECRUISER]

On 2/20/2021 at 11:20 AM, Heymarco said:

We cruised with our 1 year old a few months before COVID hit. It was an 11 nighter and we brought him into MDR most nights and didn’t have any issue. One night, our neighbors were celebrating a birthday and even gave him a balloon. Once or twice he got loud towards the end and one of us would take him out early. A couple of nights we had him in the nursery through dinner. We also did Windjammer a couple of times to mix it up for him (shorter is better at that age). 
 

He was greeted in the Diamond lounge when we walked in the first night by name. I asked concierge how she knew his name. She said it was because he was the youngest diamond member on board.

 

It was a different experience for sure but enjoyable in a different way. He will be 3 this fall and we have TA booked if it happens and another 11 nighter next summer. I think travel is so great for people, including young kids. Enjoy!

Yeah they been good about that. My Daughter was week shy of 2yrs and Diamond. Treated well, I was single parent raising 3 kids, just 4 of us onboard. Get my 2 older ones to Kids Program half way threw Dinner. After me and young one would go see Main Show sitting in upper Balcony. Was lucky, my kids really well behaved in Public...at home can be different. This was 20yrs ago, fortunate we got home from Cruise after flying home on 9/10/2001

Edited February 22, 2021 by ONECRUISER

[Mapleleafforever]

On 2/21/2021 at 10:41 AM, pat1975 said:

We cruised in a group of 7 when my daughter was 2 years old.  We did every night at the MDR and one at chops.  The staff was awesome!!  The first night for dinner in MDR she was cranky because she was tired from a long day of travel.  the staff asked what she liked to eat.  We said she loves chips.  Waiter came back with a plate of chips.  Daughter was happy.  She started to fall asleep and we were about to take her back to the room.  Waiter sees what is going on and tells us to hold on for a minute.  He comes back with a few people.  They have 2 chairs and tableclothes.  They set the two chairs together making a small crib.  They put the tablecloth down and had an extra one for a blanket.  She slept right next to us for the reso of dinner.  Every day for the rest of the cruise when we got to the dining room there was a plate of chips waiting for her.  

I love this. 

[mrneva]

We have taken our 6-year-old daughter on 9 different cruises since she was 1 year old and never had any problem in the MDR.  Although the majority of them were on NCL and they have the freestyle cruising. We never did any my time dining even for our cruise on the Ovation.  We just went the the MDR when we're hungry.

 

All of the MDR staffs (NCL or RCCL) were very accommodating.  Most of them would take special requests if it's not too much of a pain.  Like getting a banana flavored ice cream (not on menu) for my daughter from the other section of the kitchen.  Yes sometimes we'd just take her to the kids club so we could have a more peaceful dinner.  After that, we'd just pick her up and take her to the buffet.

[ONECRUISER]

When my kids were 3-5 yrs old & in Royal's Kids Program use to give out a pager. Was like ones get while waiting table at a restaurant, with it they'd page me if was needed by any of my kids. This was 15+ yrs ago and not sure this is offered for the young kids anymore.