Kids Club & Dining How do you handle it???

[travelintrio]

How do you handle kids meals when they want to go to the kids club in the evening? Do you always feed them first in the buffet or pizza? Do you ever take them in the dining room?

 

We have anytime dining and here's what I'd like to do around 5:30 or 6:00 I'd like to take our dd to the dining room and she can have her main meal and dessert while we have appetizers and a glass of wine. Then when she goes to the kid's club at 7:00 we go back and have our main meal. Has anyone ever done this? Do they check to see if you've been in before that evening or is it just frowned upon? We don't mind if we sit alone or with others wer'e pretty easy.

 

Also if they don't get to the kids-club right at 7:00 in the evening are they really missing out? I would love to hear any and all input regarding dining and kids club thanks!

[Colo Cruiser]

Depending on their age, they (counselors) took ours to dinner a couple of nights in the dining room. They had fun.

If they are younger we would go to dinner earlier and then let them go to the kids program for the evening.

[travelintrio]

Depending on their age, they (counselors) took ours to dinner a couple of nights in the dining room. They had fun.

If they are younger we would go to dinner earlier and then let them go to the kids program for the evening.

 

 

Our daughter is 5 and very social so thats part of the reason we want to dine with her but it's usually not relaxing so that' why we thought about having appetizers while she has dinner.also we are taking the trip for our 10th anniversary and a little romantic alone time would be great.

[cjh]

On formal nights the kids program has meals with the kids for those that want to dine formal without the kids. My girls always love formal night and only the oldest one ate with her group and that was after she ate with me and her sister earlier.

[Love Boat Dream]

How do you handle kids meals when they want to go to the kids club in the evening? Do you always feed them first in the buffet or pizza? Do you ever take them in the dining room?

 

We have anytime dining and here's what I'd like to do around 5:30 or 6:00 I'd like to take our dd to the dining room and she can have her main meal and dessert while we have appetizers and a glass of wine. Then when she goes to the kid's club at 7:00 we go back and have our main meal. Has anyone ever done this? Do they check to see if you've been in before that evening or is it just frowned upon? We don't mind if we sit alone or with others wer'e pretty easy.

 

Also if they don't get to the kids-club right at 7:00 in the evening are they really missing out? I would love to hear any and all input regarding dining and kids club thanks!

 

We would do exactly that. Our son would eat his dinner while we had appetizers and we would have appetizers and then one of us would take him to the kids club and then we would finish our meal.

 

They can go to the kids club at any time during their open hours. They will give you a schedule the first day and you will see what is happening at any given time.

[CassCruise]

We've always sort of done a combination of the above - when we did our b2b to Alaska there were no dinners with kids club due to a noro outbreak! Our girls just want to go to kids club and were not interested in dining with us - a typical afternoon would be kids club closing at 5pm so they loved to then go for a swim - back to the room to change and they would often then just have room service (we had no trouble ordering off the kids menu on any of our cruises during dining hours) - down time for them and a chance for us to have a pre dinner drink in the cabin and leisurely get ready for dinner - dh would take them to the kids club whilst I finished dressing and then off for a peaceful dinner would ensue:D Sometimes we would venture to the dining room early with them (and then dine later by ourselves) - the waiters were always extremely understanding and accommodating, other times Horizon Court!

[mjmalino]

Last year, what we would do, with Anytime Dining, is go for dinner around 5:30. The kids would have dinner, and dessert on most nights, with us and then go to the camp. Depending on the night, and if we got to dinner at 5:30, the kids would be at camp by 7:00 or 7:10.

[JandD Mom]

What we have done, and what the kids prefer, is to take them up to the buffet around 6:30 or so and get them dinner. My kids like the buffet because it's immediate gratification and they don't have to wait for anything (unless they order a maid to order item). We then take them to the kids club, when they are finished.

 

The problem with the above is that we eat at the buffet ("just a little taste!) then eat again when we get to the dining room!

[Cruisin' Chick]

On our last cruise, which was 15 days long, our girl (8 at the time and not really into eating) decided she wasn't going to eat in the dining room. We were okay with that because we could take her to ein the Horizon Court or go to the grill or pizza place by the pool (before 6 when they closed) and get her dinner. Then we would drop her off at the fun zone when it opened. We had traditional dining which was at 8.

 

On the nights with the kids' dinner, we would take her directly to the "private party" at the HC and sign her in there.

 

The first night though there's just registration for the kid's program so she came with us to the dining room.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We did that when we had 4 grandkids under the age of six with us (their parents were along too--we're not crazy!). We went to the dining room, had the kid's food brought right away and as soon as they were done--which worked out to about 7, when the kid's club opened, one or two of the adults took them up to the kid's club. It only took a few minutes, then the adults were back down to finish the meal at leisure.

 

On some nights they ate dinner with the kid's club. With four that age, the whole long dinner would have been to0 much--for us and for them!

[travelintrio]

Thanks,

Those are some great suggestions. Part of why I'd like her to go to the dining room with us, at least a few times is I would like her to try some new foods not on the kids menu if she doesn't like it we don't pay extra and if she does we have broadened her palate. Other days she will want only pizza so we will try to balance.

[jff50]

We have never been sure in advance whether our 7 year old daughter will be up to sitting through dinner. She has been on about 12 cruises (starting when she was about 1 1/2) and we have 2 more scheduled within the next 7 months.

 

We love the flexibility that Anytime Dining offers. If it looks like she will not be up to it on any given night; we order her room service, or the grill, or pizza or the buffet. In that case we go to anytime dining right after dropping her off at the kids club. If she is up to (and wants to) eat in the dining rooom with us; we go to dinner when the dining room first opens, eat a full meal and then take her to the kids club.

[travelintrio]

Thanks for all your opinions. It seems like there are a lot of options which is good because my daughters opinion of what happens for dinner is everchanging and while I don't allow too much of that at home it is her vacation too. ;) Thanks!

[BRC6C]

This will be our fist princess cruise, but we have been on a number of cruises with DS. I'm torn about traditional or anytime dining. On other cruises we have loved having the same waiter every night who gets to know our son and has fruit or other apps ready to go when we arrive, he gets his main course when we get our apps, his desert with our salad, and then one of us runs him up to kid's club. I guess my question is whether the flexibility of anytime is better or the same waiter every night... DS will be 6 by the time we take our Princess cruise.

[Roadpossum]

What we have done, and what the kids prefer, is to take them up to the buffet around 6:30 or so and get them dinner. My kids like the buffet because it's immediate gratification and they don't have to wait for anything (unless they order a maid to order item). We then take them to the kids club, when they are finished.

 

The problem with the above is that we eat at the buffet ("just a little taste!) then eat again when we get to the dining room!

 

 

Eating twice? I don't see a problem... ;)

[fathercop]

Thanks for all your opinions. It seems like there are a lot of options which is good because my daughters opinion of what happens for dinner is everchanging and while I don't allow too much of that at home it is her vacation too. ;) Thanks!

 

 

TRAVELINTRIO - Yes, there are plenty of options. The first time I took my family with me on a cruise, the youngest was 7. She had the time of her life and she felt very much at home. The counselors did an excellent job with her and I have to admit she was never starving!

 

Now, she is 12 (going on 21!!:eek: ) and she knows her way around like she has been doing it for years. I do tell the girls - three of them - that they have to attend one formal night with us for dinner. We all get dressed up and we usually do our family portrait for the year on the cruise. Apart from that, I always seem to looking for them to make sure that they are okay. They do a lot with other kids from the various programs that Princess offers and I never seem to see any of them.

 

Good luck to you and enjoy your cruise!

[NYJean]

Our dd (10 years) loves eating in the dining room especially on formal night but then gets ansy when she knows she is missing too much of the kids program in the evenngs.. we order her dinner first thing when we sit down, she eats first then we take her up in between courses.. the only problem we have is on formal night when she has to go back to the cabin to change because she doesn't want to play in her dress up clothes but I find by the time I get back to the dining room I have rarely missed anything!

[Shelly97060]

It depends on what is going on with Kids club. You will get a schedule of events for the week, your child can then decide what they want to do. Once you know the "must do" items then you can figure dinner out. That is what is so great about anytime dining with kids.

 

Sometimes our dd will come to the dining room and just order her entree and have it served with our 1st course, then one of us will take her up to the kids club then return to the table. Formal night she sticks around for the whole meal.

 

Many times she wants to eat a quick bite in the buffet and then get to the club. A couple nights the kids have dinner as a club event.

 

It doesn't matter if they show up right at 7:00. Your child can join the fun anytime, you will be able to determine when they want to arrive based on the activities planned that day.

 

Have fun - Shelly

[LoveSanibel]

We usually have the early seating traditional dining(like the same table/waitstaff) around 6:30 PM. We have ds come with us, order what ever he'll be eating that night, and then he goes up to the kid's club when he is done eating.

 

He is 12 now, but in years past, he sometimes ordered from the kid's menu, the adult's menu or some combination of the two. Has always been served immediately (while we are going through our courses) and then goes on his way. If kids only dinner is available, he goes to that. On some formal nights, he stops at the cabin to change.