I need dinner/child advice!

[Krooze Family]

Ok, we need some input. We have checked the website and the brochure and there is no information regarding this. We have called Carnival and they just kind of give you an answer that is indirect. We figured we’d come straight to the people who really know…Cruise Critic Members! :)

 

 

My husband, 7 year old daughter, 3 year old son and myself are cruising in the fall on Glory. We are currently scheduled for early seating dinner. Now, as awful as this may sound, we don’t plan on bringing our son to the dining room with us. It was our intent to feed him earlier at one of the many other options and then taking him to Camp Carnival while we eat. Sounded like a good plan to us as he does not sit still very long at the dinner table. We deal with this everyday and thought vacation would be a good time to take a break PLUS we don’t want to subject other eaters to his behavior at the table.

 

 

Anyway, according to Carnival, Camp Carnival has “no scheduled activities from 6:00 – 7:00 pm” which is early seating dinner. They don’t say they are closed, just no scheduled activities. What is up with that?

 

 

They also say “Parents are expected to take their children to dinner with them”. We aren’t expecting Camp Carnival to feed him, just let him be there while we eat.

 

Does anyone no what the rules are or how we can make this happen? I’m not sure switching to late seating will help. It would help as far as Camp not having “scheduled activities” during the time, but if we are “expected” to take him with us, will they refuse him? (He does have a face hard to refuse! That might work to our benefit! ;) )

Any advice?

[MelBCroozer]

It's been awhile since my daughters went to Camp Carnival, but if I remember, I think the only nights they can be at Camp Carnival during dinner is on the Formal nights. We always had early seating and it seems like the kids activities always began right after dinner. I hope someone else can give you more input. Good luck!!

[Snowball]

The information that Carnival supplied is correct (what a shocker!! :eek: :p ). I would suggest that you try to switch to late seating for dinner. You will be able to feed your kids at the lido buffet, then drop them off at Camp Carnival when their evening activities start in plenty of time for your late seating in the dining room.

[GayleR]

The previous poster is right. Switch to late dinner and that way you two can have a peaceful dinner each night. If you stay with early seating, you will have to take the kiddos with you to dinner. If I remember correctly, I believe Camp Carnival is closed during early seating only.

 

Happy cruising,

Gayle

[TomD]

Maybe it's time to see how your three year old will do. The waiters are very nice with the kids, else they wouldn't be there. Give him a try the first night. They do have the kids menu with hot dogs, hamburgers, macaroni/cheese(?) and stuff he's bound to like. If it doesn't work out, then it may be time to leave him in camp carnival.

[Muumuu]

It is closed during early dinner seating except on formal nights.

We are traveling with both our grandsons in Aug. The seven year old is a seasoned cruiser. The two and a half year old, who also is a bit restless at dinner, we have been working with him, going out more often (someone has to do it Ha Ha) having him stay longer at the table. So I hope all goes well with him.

They have coloring books and that keeps them occupied.

Good luck.

[PSkinner]

We had a problem with early dinner seating. We requested late dinner seating for this very reason, but I think when they see you have kids you automatically get early seating. We tried to change but could not. So we just didn't do dinner in the dinning room, except on formal nights. We took our son to the Lido deck for Pizza, buffet, or ordered room service. After he ate and Camp Carnival opened, we took him to Camp Carnival then grabbed us a plate, and took it to our room for a romantic balcony dinner for two! Worked out great.

[PlaneJoy]

When my oldest was 4 we would feed her at the buffet during the early seating dinner time and then take her to camp carnival while we had late seating dinner. She always enjoyed the activities while we ate and most nights we would go get her just before dessert was served. By the end of the cruise our waiter would watch for us to get go and her and would then have her chocolate milk waiting for her when she arrived. To this day, she still remembers the "macarena" dance (sp?) and always wants to go back on the "dancing cruise".

 

We would pick and choose the camp activities so she didn't stay there for more than a few hours (usually less) during day. Dinner was "our time" together as a couple and it worked out great.

 

My two cents. :)

[Krooze Family]

Well, it looks like I should be switching to late seating dinner. So now I have another question for all of you...

 

What time is late seating dinner? and what time do the shows end after late seating dinner?

[basketsiam]

Oh, flip a coin because there are pros and cons both ways, lol!!!!

 

If you switch to late dinner you can eat while your youngest is at Camp Carnival, but your 7 year old is likely to be asleep at the dinner table. Also, if your 7 year old is anything like my daughter, she'll love Camp Carnival and want to run off with her new friends as soon as dinner is over. If you have late seating, camp will be closed by the time dinner is over and she'll miss the activities in the evening.....

[MartiniMama]

Late seating dinner should be around 8:30 and 8:45pm. There are always 2 sets of shows so no one misses the entertainment regardless of your dining time.

[HOSKI]

Children's Dining Program (ages 2-11)

 

The children's dining program provides kids with supervised meals with their fellow young cruisers in the ships' casual Lido restaurant while their parents enjoy a night to themselves. The program is fleet wide. Dinner takes place from 6:00pm-7:00pm nightly with the exception of the following evenings:

 

3-day and 4-day : first night of the cruise

 

5-day and longer: first night and last night of the cruise

 

The above is copied from Carnival's FAQ section of the website this is a new program that I have tried and works great. They will then escort your child back to camp to join the activities as long as you have signed them in at the lido. Many parents do not seem aware of this program. I would suggest early seating and using this option.

 

I hope Kroozefamily sees this post before she changes things around as it seems lots of people did not know about this option.

[Krooze Family]

You guys all rock!

Thank you so much for all of your knowledge and suggestions. We will really have to think about this. I agree that I'm afraid my daughter will fall asleep at the table if we switch to late seating (or at least turn into Miss Grouchy-that's even more frightening).

Thanks again!

[serene56]

Even if you pick late seating you will have to get done by by 9:45 as the camp closes at 10 or charges you a fee.

 

A suggestion...since dinner is at 6 and camp opens at 7- may I suggest you take the toddler with you and let him eat what he wants. He may surprise you- even get a bowl of ice cream before someone takes him to the camp at 7pm. Its an hour. and will give you the second hour to enjoy the desserts in peace.

[TomD]

If we told our 10 y.o. daughter that we will switch to the late dinner, she would have been very sad. She was gone as soon as we were finished with the early dinner. She wasn't done with Camp Carnival until either 10 p.m., 3 a.m. or for one night, the overnighter. She came back to our room at about 7:30 in the morning and got an hour's sleep before her next full day.

[L2J]

My husband, 7 year old daughter, 3 year old son and myself are cruising in the fall on Glory. We are currently scheduled for early seating dinner. Now, as awful as this may sound, we don’t plan on bringing our son to the dining room with us. It was our intent to feed him earlier at one of the many other options and then taking him to Camp Carnival while we eat. Sounded like a good plan to us as he does not sit still very long at the dinner table. We deal with this everyday and thought vacation would be a good time to take a break PLUS we don’t want to subject other eaters to his behavior at the table.

 

 

I've debated posting on this thread since this morning but....

 

I guess for those that "know" me, they think that I hate children....which I don't....I have two teenage daughters (shocker huh!!) but this thread got me.

 

I would just like to say "thanks" for being "responsible" and for considering AND respecting the feelings of fellow cruisers. I think this is the FIRST thread I've ever read that deals with the "little ones" where the parents don't have the "it's my vacation and I'll do what I want" mentality. You have no idea how refreshing your post was.

 

Again, speaking only for myself.....thank you.

 

 

NOW...with that being said.......(puts on flame proof underoos - they got Spidey on them don't cha know :D )....FOR THE RECORD the above post in no way means that I agree that a cruise ship is a place for a child. I have not and will not ever change my mind on this issue - I'm still a firm believer that a cruise should be an "adults only" affair.

[ljc576]

We will be sailing on the Legend in December and our littlest one will be 4 years old. When she was 18 months old, on her first cruise, she was in the dining room with us. There was one night, she was so tired, that she fell asleep at the table. We have pictures of her on the shoulders of the waiters on the last night having a blast. The wait staff were so helpful to us. I have no qualms about bringing her into the dining room during dinner. If she does decide to have a moment, we will take her outside until she calms down. However, she goes out to eat dinner with us now and is getting better and better as she gets older.

 

Personally, when we went on our first cruise, we thought that we would do it as a couple and leave the boys -ages 13 & 15 at home. But the more we thought about it, we knew that they would want to be with us. They were well behaved and had a great time. Now, we taking them on their third cruise and they will be 17 & 19. If you think about vacations, we have taken all of our vacations as a family and we love to cruise.

[dbcruzin]

NOW...with that being said.......(puts on flame proof underoos - they got Spidey on them don't cha know :D )....FOR THE RECORD the above post in no way means that I agree that a cruise ship is a place for a child. I have not and will not ever change my mind on this issue - I'm still a firm believer that a cruise should be an "adults only" affair.

 

 

My 7 yr old daughter will be taking her 5th cruise with us on the Destiny next month........the experiences she has had and the interactions with people of all ages and nationalities has given her a perspective she could never have gotten anywhere else and she has matured immensely from them.........I am glad we have given her the opportunity and that Carnival allows it.....

[L2J]

My 7 yr old daughter will be taking her 5th cruise with us on the Destiny next month........the experiences she has had and the interactions with people of all ages and nationalities has given her a perspective she could never have gotten anywhere else and she has matured immensely from them.........I am glad we have given her the opportunity and that Carnival allows it.....

Hmmmm. This is a great kiddie thread (for once) and I'm not trying to start the "great flame war of 29" here but how much perspective can a 7 year old have? I'm sure your daughter is wonderful, well mannered, intelligent and obviously well traveled with 7 cruises under her belt. But let's be honest here taking children on a cruise isn't for them, it's for the parents feeling too guilty to leave them with Grandma or some other relative. (I don't buy into this "family vacation" thing....but that's just me and it's OK) Think about it.....What is there for a child to do (really)...Camp Carnival? Doesn't that just equate to an over-priced "day-care facility"? IMO that's exactly what it is. If it weren't we wouldn't see all the "Can Johnny and Susie stay at Camp Carnival while we take a shore exursion?" threads.

 

Again I think this is a great thread and I applaud the OP for posting and at least being "honest". But the fact remains that I'm of the opinion that cruises should be an adults only affair - child prodigy or graduate (magna cum laude) of Miss Manners U matters not. That's my opinion, I'm entitled and I've expressed just that.

[MartiniMama]

Hi Krooze Family!

I just wanted to add that our son, 4 yrs old, is getting ready for our 5th family cruise and he has enjoyed all of them. He especially loves the shows. In fact, he was asking not too long ago when we were going to take him to see a show with singing and dancing (like the shows on the cruise.) We got tickets to see West Side Story at the local theater a few weeks ago. Two and a half hours into the program, I was nudging him and telling him that if he wanted to leave, we could go and we did not have to stay to the end but he ever so politely shushed me and said he wanted to see the end! It was 10:30pm and he was mesmorized! It just goes to show how if you expose children to things early in life, you can help develop in them an appreciation for something that may last through their lives. Had it not been for the cruise, he probably would never have had the opportunity to experience live entertainment for years. I hope his love for the performing arts continues. I also believe that children who are exposed to and taught how to engage adults in conversation (as happens at dinner with others at your table) as well as how to behave appropriately in a variety of situations will become better able to manage their behavior as adults. I wonder how many of the adults I have seen acting so childishly on cruises, overindulging in alcohol, puking over the side of the ship, being rude to fellow passengers and staff were ever given the opportunity to travel with and learn from their parents. My son, who flies frequently, has travelled to Europe, is learning from us. As an adult, a cruise will not be such a novel experience to him and the lessons he has learned throughout his childhood will serve him well. Time spent with your children is a priceless investment in their future. I am sure your family will have a wonderful vacation and always treasure and remember the great times you spent together. Enjoy your cruise! :)

[dbcruzin]

You're right, we are all entitled to our own. I don't take my children out of guilt, I give them choices.......she loves to cruise.....as she so wonderfully stated after our cruise last December when she said, "I'm on land and I don't like it much". The 12 and 14 year old are not going on this cruise and none of them went on the cruise we took in March. What is there for a child to do??? How about snorkling in Caribbean waters, seeing rainforests, holding a stingray, etc.. Or having the opportunity to visit 5 countries in one week and to see different cultures. And gee, then there is that learning experience.....such as learning table manners in a more formal dinning setting than McDonalds....and knowing that turning her fork upside down on her plate lets the server know she is finished with that portion of her meal. As far as the perspective of a seven year old, my "opinion" is that she may have a lot more than you do right now.

[MartiniMama]

Dan,

How did your daughter like the stingrays? My son is so excited. His preschool class did a month long unit on Sea Life and although he has seen stingrays in books and at an aquarium, he has never seen one up close. We are looking forward to it. He's a great swimmer but I still plan on bringing a life jacket. I know he'll be talking about for months afterwards....he's talking about it now and we still have 4 months to go!!

[dbcruzin]

Dan,

How did your daughter like the stingrays? My son is so excited. His preschool class did a month long unit on Sea Life and although he has seen stingrays in books and at an aquarium, he has never seen one up close. We are looking forward to it. He's a great swimmer but I still plan on bringing a life jacket. I know he'll be talking about for months afterwards....he's talking about it now and we still have 4 months to go!!

 

 

They were really neat, to coin a phrase. :) Was really rough when we were there so be prepared. They will haxe life jackets for the snorkling. Have a wonderful time,

[Catrin]

Camp Carnival NOW offers Children's dinners on almost every night now.. not just formal nights.

We have always had 6:15 seatings... and for Formal nights the kids go to Camp Carnival to eat with their friends.. it gives us a chance for a relaxing dinner!

Although .. our oldest, who is 9, decided he wanted to eat with his friends Every Night and never wanted to come to dinner! We let him a few nights, but wanted him with us the last night to thank the wait staff.

 

I say, it is up to you. There are many wonderful things that happen in the dining room. The staff is WONDERFUL with children.. there is dancing and singing most everynight.

 

I think you should take your child the first night.. see how that goes.. and then go from there!

 

Good Luck!

and have FUN

cathy

[MartiniMama]

I agree with Cathy, give the dining room a try. We always eat dinner together as a family and the waiters made it fun and easy. They have a great kids menu but children can, of course, order off the main menu. The waiters in the past have played games with him and even done magic tricks! The children that I saw in the restaurants were all well behaved (or stepped out for a minute if needed) and really enjoyed being part of the singing/dancing around the restaurant with the wait staff. We have great pictures of one of the waiters dancing with our son while wearing his little orange sunglasses. :) :D