Specialty Restaurant with Kids

[lang138]

I will be travelling on the Diamond in May - with my 3 year old son and 18 month old duaghter. Are kids allowed in the the Specialty Restuarants? Do they charge for the kids - and if they do, is it the full amount?

 

Thank you for your help!

[dforeigner]

Yes they are allowed and yes one price fits all. Something to ponder, in case you decide to go to Sabatini's, can your 18 month old stand sitting in one place for 2 to 3 hours without making a scene and interrupting the other guests?

[macka]

Can you?

[tekdiva]

Can you?

 

ROFL

 

I think it would be more worth it to pay for a babysitter for the evening.

[Toto2Kansas]

ROFL

 

I think it would be more worth it to pay for a babysitter for the evening.

 

That sounds like a great plan, except Princess does not offer babysitting services onboard for non-potty trained children.

I do have to agree though, sitting through Sabatinis long dinner with two kids that age would probably be more trouble then it was worth. The food is not geared towards children, and although they do allow kids, it just isn't the right atmosphere for children. (It is more like a very long quiet dinner out for the parents).

[ellbon]

the facts are wrong here:

 

Princess does have babysitting like all ships but ont until 10 pm to 1 am for a very late night.

Kids club is only for 3 and older. I am not sure what you can do with the baby.

 

Dinner is worth the cost but you might put older child in program and have a later dinner and hope baby sleeps and have babysitter take him/her at 10 pm.

[Toto2Kansas]

the facts are wrong here:

 

Princess does have babysitting like all ships but ont until 10 pm to 1 am for a very late night.

.

 

Not for 18 month old children, which was what I was referring to.

[ellbon]

babysitting

 

I know about the kids club?? but not the babysitting. but i would think the child would fal lasleep. last year on hte Crown a mother just kept the kid in a buggy and she slept.

[junglejane]

Toto is right. There's no private babysitting on Princess. And to be in the kids program (including the late night group sitting) the kid has to be 3. I have taken my 10 year old to Sabatinis on the Diamond because she's sort of a "junior foodie" and was into it. But I wouldn't take a 3 year old to Sabatinis, and wouldn't take an 18 month old unless I was pretty sure he/she would sleep, and if I was prepared to take her out of the restaurant if she got too fussy. The dinner is long and it's heavily geared toward seafood. There's basically nothing about it that would be fun for kids that age.

 

Sterling Steakhouse, on the other hand, is set up in the back of the Horizon Court buffet on the Diamond. IMO, it had less of a fancy/formal atmosphere. We saw other families there (we ate early, i.e., 6 pm, and our kids were 6 and 10 then).

 

--Junglejane

[IWanttocruisenow]

"Please do not bring children to the specialty dining rooms."

sincerely,

everyone one the ship

[Pam in CA]

"Please do not bring children to the specialty dining rooms."

There are some children who do very well in fine dining, thank you very much. From the time she was an infant, my daughter joined us for dinner with my parents at the Ritz in Boston many times, sitting through a very long dinner. By the time she was 3 or 4, duck was one of her favorite entrees, and is to this day. So please don't pre-judge.

 

Back to the OP: I wouldn't bring a small child to any of the Specialty restaurants unless they are used to going out to dinner in good restaurants and remaining quiet for at least a couple of hours. The atmosphere in these restaurants, particularly Sabatini's, is generally subdued and adult. As has been said, the charge is the same regardless of age.

 

P.S. The food, again particularly in Sabatinis, is not "kid-friendly" food so you might want to take that into consideration.

[crusinwen]

Sorry but I agree with the other poster about no children at least under the age of 10 should go to the Specialty restaurants. I think there is just too much difference between what parents think is appropriate and what is not. Even in our church, I am amazed at the parents who do not take their screaming child out at once during the message. People who go to specialty restaurants expect and are paying for a quiet, sometimes romantic dinner. It can be very annoying to have children in this type of environment. There are plenty of other dining options which are more appropriate for children. I am not anti-kid, I have two wonderful children who are now adults....just my opinion.

[junglejane]

Here's my DD celebrating her 7th birthday at Sterling Steakhouse on the Golden Princess a few weeks ago. Sorry, but Princess has no age limit for its specialty restaurants. Celebrity doesn't allow kids under 12 to eat in the specialty restaurant (which is much fancier/more formal than Sterling Steakhouse). Princess could set such a rule but chooses not to.

 

Most land based high end restaurants don't prohibit children. They rely on (1) the cost, and (2) the parents' discretion, to keep down the number of kids and hopefully keep them well behaved. Most of the time that works. Sometimes it doesn't.

 

--Junglejane

[readytogo2]

We always brought our children to restaurants when they were young, we were lucky they were well behaved. However after experiencing Sabitinis last year with our family and friends, I realized my kids although behaved, could have never sat through a dinner that long and with the kind of grown up food they offer there. We loved Sabatinis, it is not just a dinner, it is an experience. I would highly recommend it to everyone....just not with children.

[IWanttocruisenow]

Bravo to all of you "good parents" with "good children." You have done well.

Unfortunately, you are in the minority. There is nothing worse than a disruptive child in a public place, and many of the parents will DO NOTHING about it.:mad:

[bplazo]

That is a different aviater

[djhsolara]

Bravo to all of you "good parents" with "good children." You have done well.

 

Unfortunately, you are in the minority. There is nothing worse than a disruptive child in a public place, and many of the parents will DO NOTHING about it.:mad:

 

 

 

EXACTLY!!

 

I'm not about not having children on a ship...but in my opinion if I am paying extra for an experience, then that experience should not be ruined by those around me...and I'm not saying that would only be by children.

 

Looking back on prior sailings...I must say that I have seen many children that are better mannered and behaved than many of the adults that I have experienced. At least when you see a child that is ill-mannered or missbehaved you can chalk it up to inexperience...but to what do we owe that for the adults that act in the same manner??

[PescadoAmarillo]

Yes they are allowed and yes one price fits all.

No longer true. Starting in 2008, Princess is charging 50% of the "nominal" adult charge for specialty dining.

 

JungleJane - your daughter is darling. Love the corn row braids!

[Pam in CA]

No longer true. Starting in 2008, Princess is charging 50% of the "nominal" adult charge for specialty dining.

I wonder if they'll have a Senior discount? Hmmm...

[Mintycake]

We ate at Sabatini's on our last cruise (7:30pm) and were shocked when someone wheeled in a stroller. To the credit of the parents, as soon as the baby started fussing one or the other would take them out of the room...I don't think either parents got to enjoy their full dinner.

 

I'm not sure why parents would pay $20 extra each just to have their meal interupted. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me? Then again, I can't understand people who travel with infants on holiday either (different if you're going to visit relatives but a cruise?)

 

Now the drunken group at the next table were far more loud than the baby I must say, but just IMHO, if I was travelling with a baby, I'd skip the specialty restaurants until I knew I wouldn't have to have my dinner interrupted!

[Mintycake]

sorry hit post too soon

[Mintycake]

We ate at Sabatini's on our last cruise (7:30pm) and were shocked when someone wheeled in a stroller. To the credit of the parents, as soon as the baby started fussing one or the other would take them out of the room...I don't think either parents got to enjoy their full dinner.

 

I'm not sure why parents would pay $20 extra each just to have their meal interupted. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me? Then again, I can't understand people who travel with infants on holiday either (different if you're going to visit relatives but a cruise?)

 

Some parents and kids are great and well behaved. Others not so much so, and I think we've all experienced how that can ruin a dining experience when kids are out of control and the parents conveniently ignore it and some even let the poor waitstaff have to deal with it. Not everyone is like this. I have seen some amazing kids on cruise ships that behave better than the adults!

 

Now the drunken group at the next table were far more loud than the baby I must say, but just IMHO, if I was travelling with a baby, I'd skip the specialty restaurants until I knew I wouldn't have to have my dinner interrupted!

 

Having said that, with Princess' new policy, I guess we'll be seeing more kids in the specialty restaurants.

[ShelbysMom]

We took our not quite 2 year old to the Steakhouse on the Tahitian Princess in November 2007. They did not charge anything for him, but he did not order an entree from the menu, either.

 

I don't think that most of the people dining that night even knew that DS was there. He is used to going to restaurants (and sitting down to dinner every night at home as well, where he knows he doesn't get out of his high chair until we are all done) so it wasn't a big deal.

[marthas harbour]

Its funny isn't it, however since we have had our children we have continued having our holidays and going out to good restaurants and have had many compliments how well our children have behaved during dinner.

 

The fact you pay extra for the speciality restaurants would not stop us taking our children there to eat although our children are older now and probably won't want to eat with us as they will be off enjoying themselves at the childrens club activities:)

[Elizabeth K.]

Why would you ask this of a toddler? I think its just unrealistic and unfair to ask a toddler to sit quietly for 2 hours or more.