daddy03 Posted June 29, 2006 #1 Share Posted June 29, 2006 30 days away from our first cruise and having second thoughts - we are spending so much effort preparing for the cruise we will need a vacation to build up the energy to go on the cruise. Caribbean Princess July 29 with a 6yo, 3yo, 8mo and nanny in tow. Do we need to outfit the whole gang? What is acceptable attire for the kids? When do the formal nights start? Will the kids be asleep by then? Is therea non formal place to hang out other than our cabin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nebr.cruiser Posted June 29, 2006 #2 Share Posted June 29, 2006 30 days away from our first cruise and having second thoughts - we are spending so much effort preparing for the cruise we will need a vacation to build up the energy to go on the cruise. Caribbean Princess July 29 with a 6yo, 3yo, 8mo and nanny in tow. Do we need to outfit the whole gang? What is acceptable attire for the kids? When do the formal nights start? Will the kids be asleep by then? Is therea non formal place to hang out other than our cabin? We took four grandkids ages 5, 5, 4 & 3 on the Triumph last year, along with their parents. Early seatings are generally around 6, late seatings around 8-8:30. Is the Caribbean Princess an anytime dining ship? If so, you can dine when convenient for you. We did early seating because of the youngsters. They joined us for one formal night and several other nights but ate with the kid's group the other nights--which they actually preferred. We did not keep them at the table for the whole meal. The waiters kindly brought their food, they ate and then their parents took them to Camp Carnival for the evening and returned to finish a leisurely meal. Two hour dinners would have been too much for our active bunch. On formal night the girls wore Christmas/Easter type dresses, the boys dress slacks, shirts and tie. The 3-year-old had a cute red vest on as well. We found most of these outfits at Wal-mart, Target or Penneys. On non-formal nights the girls wore sundresses and the boys khakis and polo shirts. They seemed to fit in well with what most kids were wearing. We did see a couple of tuxes on little boys and long formals on little girls but that wasn't the norm. Our kids did pretty good about staying up until 10 when the regular Camp Carnival closed. (You can pay extra for extended late night hours in Camp Carnival, and I'm sure you can on Princess also). We grandparents usually took them back to our cabin and put them to bed at ten if their parents wanted to go out later, since, I guess, we're getting to be 'old fogies!' You can always go to the buffet if you want to skip the dining room. Also you can hang out in many of the lounges, on decks, near the pools, etc. without dressing up. Having a nanny along should make this all much easier. Good luck and have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbean dreams Posted June 29, 2006 #3 Share Posted June 29, 2006 If you chose to skip formal night you can eat at the buffet, if you want to dress for formal, sunday clothes will be just fine for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusinmama06 Posted June 29, 2006 #4 Share Posted June 29, 2006 I love formal nights with my girls (ages 2 and 6). They get to wear some beautiful dresses and get formal pictures taken. I agree, think Christmas/Easter gowns/outfits for them to wear. We always go to Early Seating so the kids can join us for dinner without being too tired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerry's Girls Posted June 29, 2006 #5 Share Posted June 29, 2006 If you don't want to bother with it, your children and their nanny can go to the buffet (where they will find a large number of adults who also don't want to dress formally). You may want to think about bringing their nicest outfits though to go take a family portrait on a formal night - then the kids can change. When I brought my twins, they were 1 and I enjoyed dressing them every night, but there were TONS of people - adults and children alike - who did not dress up and went to the buffet, and then enjoyed the facilities around the ship. I know the planning is a lot of work - but once you get on the ship, all of that is forgotten and I bet you will have a wonderful, stress-free time with your family. Best, Mia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
where next? Posted July 1, 2006 #6 Share Posted July 1, 2006 30 days away from our first cruise and having second thoughts - we are spending so much effort preparing for the cruise we will need a vacation to build up the energy to go on the cruise. Caribbean Princess July 29 with a 6yo, 3yo, 8mo and nanny in tow. Do we need to outfit the whole gang? What is acceptable attire for the kids? When do the formal nights start? Will the kids be asleep by then? Is therea non formal place to hang out other than our cabin? We 've been cruising with our kids who are now ages 14 and 11 for four years. I never had your GUTS to travel with them other than by car when they were smaller. Our cruise memories are invaluable and we can't imagine another way to spend our April school vacations. SInce your specific question relates to formal night dining here's what we've done - kids eat dinner with us at 6:00. Then they go change and head up to kids' club. When they were younger either my husband or I would sign them into kids' club and then head back to our dinner table for a quiet dessert. Have you signed up for Anytime Dining or Formal dining? With your situation, I'd do Anytime. That's what we do...no pressure to be at a table at a specific time. Only the dining area is formal. The kids love dressing for dinner, formal night or not - nice dresses, khaki pants, suits, whatever they look nice in - I order most of my sons clothes from Lands End since their pants and suit coats are good quality and a decent price. I just had a large portrait done of the kids on formal night by the Princess photographers. They use the formal picture, send it to a lab in California (I think) where it is put onto a canvas, and then mailed to you - all within three weeks or so from the time we got off the ship. It's framed and the kids look gorgeous!!! Since you've already booked the cruise and have a nanny going with you, just stop planning and worrying and go with the expectations that you just want to relax and have a bit of fun. If it's better than that, which it probably will be, then you're all the more the winner! You can always go back to another form of vacation next time that may be easier with younger kids but I bet you'll be hooked!! There is so much to do for all ages. The way I see it, your six year old is going to have a blast, hands down! The three old will have a blast too but will require more of your time or your nanny's time for the next couple of years. The infant is what you're bringing the nanny for!! Hopefully you've booked a cabin with a balcony so whoever takes the infant back for naps can spend some quiet time out there reading. If not, a quiet space can be found for the infant to nap maybe that's outdoors. Really, it's not as bad as it sounds.....and don't let the formal night attire stress you out. Kids look great in almost anything!!! Have fun.....the kids will be older and easier to travel with before you know it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daddy03 Posted July 1, 2006 Author #7 Share Posted July 1, 2006 Thanks for all the input. I see now that I have my glasses on in my original post what I thought was a question mark icon was actually a thumbs down LOL. I think you are all right. Once we get there we will enjoy. We have a mini suite and inside cabin across the way so napping should be covered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smartcookie Posted July 5, 2006 #8 Share Posted July 5, 2006 It's somewhat a pain to get everyone dressed (but 3 adults should help with that), but the real problem with formal nights is the length of the dinners. What I recommend is to get a regular table (you may be able to request the same waiter and same early dinner with anytime dining), tip up front and ask them to get the kids dinners out quickly along with favorite drinks, etc. I've always been able to do this. There is nothing worse than the adults getting appetizers while the kids have to wait for their chicken fingers. While we were eating entrees the kids would be finishing desert. When the children finish early, have your nanny take them back to the cabin or kids clubs while you and your spouse finish a leisurely dinner in peace. My kids have been on 7 cruises and I find that this procedure worked wonders when they were younger and didn't have the patience for a 2 hour dinner. No squirmy, impatient kids, no glaring looks from other pax. We always have our own table too, that's another big help. If you have a suite you could also get room service for the kids and nanny on the nights when they're overtired, which is bound to happen on a cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unity3573 Posted March 8, 2007 #9 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Is therea non formal place to hang out other than our cabin? Yes there are many places like pool game room shops and many other places you will enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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