Children in Specialty Restaurants

[PhotoGal07]

Are (well behaved) children welcome in the specialty restaurants?  We normally dine early with the kids to ensure manners and the ability to sit nicely through a meal.  Ours are both old enough now that they can sit through a longer meal, and both enjoy steak, so we were considering letting them dine with us in a specialty restaurant, but obviously that depends on whether children are welcome in the first place.  

[azbirdmom]

Yes they are.  There was a young gentleman seated nearby in the Crown Grill last month on the Regal.  It was a formal night and the little guy had a suit on.  Very cute!

[JimmyVWine]

There is a pdf on the Princess website that lists all of the dining options and prices.  Not sure which Specialty Restaurant you are considering, but just as an example, for the Crown Grill, the prices are as follows, and clearly anticipate children of all ages being able to dine there:

Adults and children over the age of 12 - $29

Children ages 3-12 - $14.50

Children 0-2 years old - No charge

 

 

[Tak8]

I always took my son to the specialty restaurants.  He behaved well, maybe better than  some adults in the room.  I enjoyed sharing the experience with him. 

[AZjohn]

32 minutes ago, PhotoGal07 said:

Are (well behaved) children welcome in the specialty restaurants?  

Only the well behaved children are allowed.

My granddaughter would not qualify.... 😊

 

(just my morning sarcastic humor)

[Potstech]

Why would they not be allowed?  Also there are various interpretations of well behaved that can even apply to adults.

[INeedAMaiTai]

I've been taking mine since they were babies.  Always accommodating and happy to help with kid's food items (and some dietary restrictions).  Though, the Princess staff has always been great, some other patrons have given me the evil eye for bringing my kids before, even though there was no reason to.  But, that's experience everywhere.  

[fabby50]

I can sometimes be an incredibly long meal, I've even almost had a tantrum a time or two.  It just depends on how the staff is doing that night and who the restaurant manager on the floor is.  Never had a bad meal though!

[PhotoGal07]

2 hours ago, Potstech said:

Why would they not be allowed?  Also there are various interpretations of well behaved that can even apply to adults.

Some restaurants have policies that don't allow children.  There are other restaurants where even if there is not an official policy there is an expectation that it will be adults only (for example, even if the Chef's Table technically allowed children, we likely wouldn't bring ours because I think the expectation there would be adults only).  We comply with both, however when possible we do include our children in fine dining experiences because it's enjoyable to them and because we think it's good for them to learn how to comport themselves.  

[Eglesbrech]

39 minutes ago, INeedAMaiTai said:

I've been taking mine since they were babies.  Always accommodating and happy to help with kid's food items (and some dietary restrictions).  Though, the Princess staff has always been great, some other patrons have given me the evil eye for bringing my kids before, even though there was no reason to.  But, that's experience everywhere.  

If your children are well behaved then I would just stare back at these patrons. When I was young (a very long time ago) I used to take my nephew to nice restaurants. How else are the young supposed to get used to a fine dining experience.

 

I don’t like children (or adults for that matter) who don’t know how to behave. I do however cut the under 12s a bit of slack, (the adults not so much).

[Potstech]

Photogal07, Agree with all you posted but there are no "posted policies" on the specialty restaurants like the Crown Grill.

Edited March 23, 2022 by Potstech

[INeedAMaiTai]

1 minute ago, Eglesbrech said:

I don’t like children (or adults for that matter) who don’t know how to behave. I do however cut the under 12s a bit of slack, (the adults not so much).

Same same!  And a few times I have removed one of my children from a restaurant for not "behaving".  I always found when they were like around 1.5, giving them a chicken bone to gnaw on while eating dinner helped.😂

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Yes children are welcome. Many crew have children left at home and truly enjoy the interaction.  
That said the dinners can drag on for 3 hours easily if you do not say something in advance. In my experience it is especially difficult  in Crown. My last two experiences (since restart on low capacity sailings) were solid 3 hours each. Never again. I had to get up mid meal to stretch. 

I would suggest you read the menu in advance. Knowing what everyone wants and ordering immediately helps a lot. 

Also when you first sit let your server know you have an event at (blank o’clock) you’d greatly appreciate not being late for. I think you have to realistically give them 1 and a half hours but I have been able to be finished in an hour fifteen. 

I’ve found Sabatinis a little easier to get done in an hour and 15. Haven’t been able to get done sooner than 2 hours ever in Crown. 

Eating at 5 will definitely help speed things up. 
 

I loved taking my kids to fine dining. They were usually complimented by a fellow diner with regard to their gentlemanly behavior. Enjoy!

 

Edited March 23, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel