casual dining question

[curlybelle2]

 We have three of us in our cabin.  My husband and myself have the plus package but our son does not. Son is an adult. 

How do we handle going to a casual dining? 

Silly question but can we bring in food for son from another dining venue? (pizza, french fries) 

 

Thanks, Kaye

[New2cruise2022]

15 minutes ago, curlybelle2 said:

 We have three of us in our cabin.  My husband and myself have the plus package but our son does not. Son is an adult. 

How do we handle going to a casual dining? 

Silly question but can we bring in food for son from another dining venue? (pizza, french fries) 

 

Thanks, Kaye

They might accommodate your request. I would imagine you might get different answers depending on which ship you are on, which staff member you interact with, what time of day, etc. I know that if you both have the package, you and your partner can often split one of your casual meals so you can spread your 2 casual meals per person per cruise over 4 meals. 
 

Or have a “romantic” meal without your son. 😂 

 

I cruise with my adult son and he is typically more than happy to send me off for a meal without him sometime. 

[skynight]

A) Son will be charged the $14.99

B) Son will be happy to be off on his own

C) Maybe he could come in with food. Depends on the venue if proper or not. Example, say it's Vines. That's out in the open. Lots of passengers bring food over from the International Cafe. Very common. Say it's Alfredo's. They probably would frown on bringing other food into their restaurant. I wouldn't think it's a cost thing, but most likely other issues that other food would make for them. Would you walk into the DR with a few slices of pizza?

D) Purchase the plus fare for the son. Work out the cost. You might be surprised. 

[john watson]

1 hour ago, curlybelle2 said:

 We have three of us in our cabin.  My husband and myself have the plus package but our son does not. Son is an adult. 

How do we handle going to a casual dining? 

Silly question but can we bring in food for son from another dining venue? (pizza, french fries) 

 

Thanks, Kaye

 

You may bring food back to cabin for your son. Conversely I am wondering as an adult why he wont just drop in at an MDR? He could share a big table which makes a lot more sense. There is also the buffet and other dining options as well as room service if he cannot leave cabin.

 

Regards John

Edited February 17 by john watson

[New2cruise2022]

24 minutes ago, skynight said:

Purchase the plus fare for the son. Work out the cost. You might be surprised. 

Obviously budget and costs play into this, but everyone will enjoy the cruise more if all of you have the package. 

[karatemom2]

2 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Obviously budget and costs play into this, but everyone will enjoy the cruise more if all of you have the package. 

 
She said her son is an adult but he may not be 21. If he can’t drink alcohol the package may not be the best investment. It would be a lot less expensive just to pay the $14.99 for one meal. 
 

Our adult son traveled with us recently and he made some friends on board and ended up eating with them on a few nights. 
 

Princess has meet ups for 18-21 year olds. Maybe he can connect with some other young people his age and enjoy a meal or two with them. 

[memoak]

A few years ago my wife and I were having sushi on the Royal and our friend who does not like sushi brought a sandwich from the IC. No problem. However it was quiet and if there were limited seating I think it might have been different

 

Edited February 18 by memoak

[curlybelle2]

Thank you for replies. Our son is an adult, but he is autistic and has cerebral palsy. He needs to be with us. 

We just wanted to try a casual dining but didn't know how to go about it. 

[skynight]

23 minutes ago, curlybelle2 said:

Thank you for replies. Our son is an adult, but he is autistic and has cerebral palsy. He needs to be with us. 

We just wanted to try a casual dining but didn't know how to go about it. 

In this case it's best to just pay the $14.99 for the meal or he can also purchase individual items. In his condition I don't see why any one would object to him bring the food he enjoys. Just ask the waiter before you go.

[DallasGuy75219]

5 minutes ago, skynight said:

In this case it's best to just pay the $14.99 for the meal or he can also purchase individual items. In his condition I don't see why any one would object to him bring the food he enjoys. Just ask the waiter before you go.

If he's special needs, they may even be willing to bring him something off the MDR menu (or whatever alternative foods you may have arranged from the MDR).

[New2cruise2022]

51 minutes ago, curlybelle2 said:

Thank you for replies. Our son is an adult, but he is autistic and has cerebral palsy. He needs to be with us. 

We just wanted to try a casual dining but didn't know how to go about it. 

My youngest son has a similar condition. I don’t think you will encounter any issues. We have always been met with compassion and understanding in these types of situation.  Our son will be with us for every vacation for the rest of our lives. I wish you all the very best on your vacation! 

[curlybelle2]

Thanks everyone. I think I will just ask at the dining venue we go to. If we have to, we will just pay the extra price for his meal.

I was thinking of going to the pub venue (can't remember the name of the restaurant) for the fish and chips on the Enchanted for something different. 

[kiwimum]

13 minutes ago, curlybelle2 said:

Thanks everyone. I think I will just ask at the dining venue we go to. If we have to, we will just pay the extra price for his meal.

I was thinking of going to the pub venue (can't remember the name of the restaurant) for the fish and chips on the Enchanted for something different. 

You do not need to pay the $14.99 for the fixed menu.   Each course has a price for alacarte dining.   If your ship has Alfredo’s you can order a pizza separately.  Look at the menus for casual dining locations, courses are individually priced and find what is your best fit.   

Edited February 18 by kiwimum

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, curlybelle2 said:

We just wanted to try a casual dining but didn't know how to go about it. 

You just go, dine, and at the end of the meal you get charged for one person. 

[cruise4mom]

Let me just this…crew appreciation is $16-$18 per person per day. A zero alcohol package would cost $35.39 per day per person. The total cost would be $51.39-$53.39 just for those two. If you were to add WiFi you would save money by buying the Plus package for him. That would also give him the 2 casual dining and some other things he might like. 
 

If you are not going to buy your son any beverage package then perhaps the package isn’t worth it. You will have to sit down and think about what options he would use. A lot of people are happy with the included food and drinks and do not wish to pay extra for packages. It truly is a personal decision. 

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I would expect the official line is probably... you cannot share meals with someone who does not have the package... you probably cannot take food in from another location... but what you can actually do will come down to the ship and the crew.

 

I don't like to push things like this so what we would do is take the meals included in the package for me and my wife and either go a-la-carte for my son (if he just wants a pizza for instance) or if he wanted a full fixed price meal then pay the $14.99.

 

Perhaps ask when you get there and see what they say 🙂