Baby/toddler in the dining room?

[ehough]

Hello there, this is my first post over here. DH and I have been on two cruises, pre-kids, but are now officially booked on our first family cruise. DD will be 2.5 and DS (who hasn't even been born yet!) will be almost 1 when we cruise on the Carnival Victory next September.

 

DH and I are very sensitive about our kids' behavior when dining out. I know kids will be kids, and at home it's one thing, but I hate to disrupt anybody's meal with chicken fingers flung at their heads or a shrieking toddler sitting next to them! Because of this, we had assumed we would be taking all of our meals at the buffet, since we're not sure about having a baby and a toddler in the dining room.

 

But from what I'm seeing on the boards here, it's done all the time. So can I have some encouragement/positive stories about dining in the dining room with young kids? We won't have a lynch mob after us for trying it? I hesitate after seeing all the anti-kid threads on here. I would especially like to try it on formal nights- there's something so cute about having kids all dressed up and eating in the dining room!

 

Also, has anyone cruised with kids on Carnival and asked for a specific table size? I assume since it's just the 4 of us that we might be placed with other cruisers; however, I really hate to have to rush through dinner (or possibly leave early depending on how they're behaving!) if we have tablemates. Does anyone have any experience with this on Carnival?

 

Thanks :)

[sbhdmh]

My DD spent her first birthday on board Celebrity and was in the dining room every night. And yes, she looked adorable in both outfits she wore for formal night. :) We had 8 people in our group so I can't comment on tablemates.

 

We were seated not far from the door and all tables around us also had children. In fact they handed out pieces of the special birthday cake they had made for her to all the children seated nearby. There was a special kids menu but DD ate from the regular menu on most nights. (We're lucky she's always been a really good eater.)

 

The wait staff doted on her and in fact our waiter said that after spending the week with her he was planning to ask his girlfriend's father for her hand when he next went home. (He said she knew about it but in his culture asking the father would make it official.) He actually had tears in his eyes saying good-bye to DD. The sommelier even gave her a toy “tasting cup” she still wears as necklace.

 

So in terms of encouragement all I can tell you is that it worked fine for us. We will be taking her on her second cruise later this summer at the age of 4 1/2. Hopefully I won't change my opinion after seeing how she behaves during what I have heard are 7 course, 2 hour dinners on MSC...

[Baxter]

We travelled with our daughter on cruises 3 times, and she's now 2.5. We have never felt the need to eat at the buffets for dinner. Was she perfect? Not all the time. But generally she is a good-natured Princess. Throwing things was never a worry....but sometimes she would get a little tired. I think in 3 cruises we removed her from the dining room for a little "time out" once. Not everyone was thrilled at the prospect of eating dinner near a child, but I really didn't care. I was respectful enough to remove her if need be, but I want her to learn how to behave in a restaurant.

 

But we did do some prep work to ensure she would be as good as she could. We definitely took early seating for dinner, because she wouldn't have made it though the late one. When on Carnival, we checked with the dining room upon embarkation to ensure we were either seated alone or with others who had children. We brought books to the table so she could look at the pictures without disturbing others. And we went in with the mindset that if she wasn't behaving as we liked, we would leave.

 

We had a great time. But we definitely ran into people who thought that a cruise ship was no place for a child. We did get the hairy eyeball from some cruisers. We did have people close elevator doors on us so we couldn't get on the elevator with our stroller. But we also ran into people who loved visiting with our daughter. The staff treated her like an absolute princess.

 

Now that she's 2.5 and not toilet trained, we hesitate to cruise until she is fully trained. Because children in swimmers aren't allowed in the pool on most ships, I don't want to put her (and us) in a situation where she can see the pool and see everyone swimming, but she can't go in there.

[Kerry's Girls]

I've attached a picture of my twins enjoying their dining room meal on Princess at 13 months. I've told the story here before that a head waiter saw us in the buffet the first night and insisted that mommies are the ones who NEED to be served while on vacation. We now eat every meal in the dining room - including breakfast and lunch - because it's SO wonderful to enjoy the company of my girls while someone else takes care of us. It's one of my favorite parts of cruising now.

 

As the others have said, you will see other kids in the dining room at the main seating. In six cruises with toddlers, we've only been assigned a table with others once, and we just had it changed right away.

 

Have a great time!

 

Best,

Mia

[kitty9]

Don't worry about bringing your children in the dining room. Most of the time there is no problem. Of course, regardless of what you do, there will be a few that will not look happy at you, but the heck with them. The only things I can impart is two things that you probably already know: leave with them if they start screaming or are tempermental and probably the most important, bring quieter toys for them to play with. On one cruise we sat near a family who brought a drum like thing for their child and let him bang it all through dinner. Not a good thing. Then another time there was a family who allowed their son to bang the china with spoons so hard that he eventually broke the china plate. Again, not a pleasant thing to hear for 90 minutes.

 

Have a fantastic family time !!!

[calikak]

I think the cruise lines do their best to seat families with small children at their own table, so as not to disrupt the other passengers. On our last cruise, we were assigned a table for 2 plus a high chair for DS (who had just turned 2). The dining room staff were AWESOME and actually the one night DS refused to cooperate and we had to leave early, the super nice people at the table next to us said, "No, don't leave, he's not bothering us!" We left anyway because we knew things were going downhill fast, but still, it just goes to show that most cruise passengers aren't like the meanies you sometimes find on the main boards around here, who complain about people's "bratty children" who "ruined" their cruise. Most cruisers are nice people who understand that when they get on a vessel with 3000 other passengers, they need to pack their ability to get along with other people, and that includes being tolerant of children (and it also means being a parent who takes action when their child is misbehaving).

[ShelbysMom]

We've taken our now 3 and a half year old son on 2 cruises and have eaten in the dining room most nights.

 

We weren't too worried about him, as we have been having him sit with us at the dinner table when we eat at home ever since he could sit in the high chair. We had also taken him out to eat fairly often. So he knew what dinner time was.

 

We went out to lunch a couple of weeks ago to an upscale chain restaurant where we watched a maybe one year old in a high chair gradually throw all of her food on the floor, so that the floor was just covered in whatever it was the parents gave her to eat. The parents apparently just thought it was cute and what babies do. I think that is the kind of behavior, if allowed on the ship, that will get you dirty looks. Our 13 and 15 year old girls were even appalled. In fact, they were the ones who pointed it out.

[mommiejaxx]

We took our 17 month old into the dining room and the first night she was a little out of sorts and I too worried about table mates because we had 5 other people at our table. They didn't seem to notice or mind and for the remainder of the cruise DD was great and if she started acting up our waiter would come over and play with her. He even cut up her food and fed it to her so we could get some of our food down while it was still warm. It was great. You will be fine and enjoy yourselves. I also stocked diaper bag with books and crayons and things to occupy her but usually it wasn't needed..

[RENMama]

Only 1 out of 7 nights did one of us need to take our 15 month old out of the dining room for dinner and it was midway thru service.

We got seated at a table of 4 (just us) with one side booth the other with 2 chairs.

One table next to us came to only a couple of dinners. The other table never showed up. Had nothing to do with us our the kids, just some people prefer to do their own thing.

[Tggrtoes]

As with pp posts, we also had 18 month DS in the dining room with us on Princess... waiters were AWESOME and interacted with him and remembered his preferences after night 1. I brought a portable DVD player with Blues Clues DVD and some small toys he could play with. I usually got through 1 or 2 courses before he wanted to run around a bit and we'd take turns (grandparents were also with us) walking around with him out in the dining room lobby - and perhaps ride an elevator or two. :D I never let him get out of hand, but sometimes he even walked around the dining room and almost without exception, other passengers stopped to interact with him and he enjoyed it immensely. We saw lots of other well-behaved kids too. I never let him stay in the dining room if he was throwing a fit or anything, but I think there was only one night where he was super cranky.

 

Definitely don't avoid the dining room just because of your child... but do prepare your expectations that you won't have a leisurly meal. (although if you are like us, you don't get those at home either! LOL)

[A&Emom]

My daughter took her first cruise at 2yo and we ate in the dining room every night with no problems. As a matter of fact the service on RCCL was so fawning, that by the end we were calling her "Baby JLo". One thing the waiters did was to bring her a bowl of slice fruit as soon as we sat down. This way she was already eating while we placed our orders. Also they never seem to have a problem finding a plate of french fries for her if nothing else on the menu would do. Our tablemates were part of our party, but most people around us went out of their way to engage her.

 

She's now 6yo and can't wait to introduce her 2yo brother to cruising. We leave for Alsaka on Princess in less than 2 weeks!!!:D

[syzygy33]

Hello there, this is my first post over here. DH and I have been on two cruises, pre-kids, but are now officially booked on our first family cruise. DD will be 2.5 and DS (who hasn't even been born yet!) will be almost 1 when we cruise on the Carnival Victory next September.

 

DH and I are very sensitive about our kids' behavior when dining out. I know kids will be kids, and at home it's one thing, but I hate to disrupt anybody's meal with chicken fingers flung at their heads or a shrieking toddler sitting next to them! Because of this, we had assumed we would be taking all of our meals at the buffet, since we're not sure about having a baby and a toddler in the dining room.

 

But from what I'm seeing on the boards here, it's done all the time. So can I have some encouragement/positive stories about dining in the dining room with young kids? We won't have a lynch mob after us for trying it? I hesitate after seeing all the anti-kid threads on here. I would especially like to try it on formal nights- there's something so cute about having kids all dressed up and eating in the dining room!

 

Also, has anyone cruised with kids on Carnival and asked for a specific table size? I assume since it's just the 4 of us that we might be placed with other cruisers; however, I really hate to have to rush through dinner (or possibly leave early depending on how they're behaving!) if we have tablemates. Does anyone have any experience with this on Carnival?

 

Thanks :)

Just relax!!

 

Let me preface by saying that I'm a stay-at-home dad. That means that, as a guy, I am almost certainly a little clueless about some of the non-verbal insults being hurled my way when my kids offend someone. I couldn"t care less what they think.

 

Do your absolute best to be considerate of others, regardless or the situation, and (insert your favorite expletive here) them if their problems are unreasonable.

 

You have to ignore all of the noise from the kid haters, and you can tell them from the posts. They are never going to be satisfied. The children's mere presence has ruined their experience. Don't try to satisfy them, it won't work.

 

In most circumstances, you are paying for the additional passengers. The children have all of the rights that any other passengers have.

 

You don't see anyone having the audacity to start a string that talks about all of the behaviors of women, men, handicapped, seniors,(you all get the picture) and how they shouldn't be allowed to cruise, and anyone who does is just being rude and inconsiderate.

 

As to details, I liked to take my son, who had ants in his pants, with me the first day when I made my request for a separate table in order to respect the other passengers. Typically, the maitre'd would take one look at my little squirming dude, smile, and give me the table.

 

The staff, especially the women, dote on the children and provide an amazing amount of help in keeping them occupied. We have found a lot of wait staff have children that are staying with family at home while they work on the ship. They love the interaction with the children.

 

A portable DVD player or a video game with headphones or low volume is like manna from heaven.

 

In the end, never let someone make you forget that your kids have as much of a right to be there as they do.

[Kim4]

Ditto what everyone else said. I had my 2 year old and my 13 month old in the dining room every night, and it was great.

 

a couple of things that worked for me:

 

1. A bowl of fruit and rolls/bread ASAP

2. Bendy straws -- easier to deal with than a sippy cup, assuming your child can drink out of a straw

3. Disposable bibs -- easier to deal with than cloth ones. Just throw 'em out when you're done. They are huge too, with a pocket in the front that caught alot of the dropped food.

 

I ordered my 13 month old a grilled chicken breast each night, and it was perfect for him. I know it's hard to plan now, since your little one isn't even here yet, but the more they are used to table food, the better.

[VPIcruiser]

Last year on Celebrity our kids were 35 months and 15 months. We went to the dining room every night. I always remembered the bag with quiet toys that entertained them but twice I forgot my little one's bib and had to go back to the cabin for it. The couple seated next to us started teasing me and asking me every night if I had the bib. The people around us were very pleasant to our kids. The wait staff came by and played with them and entertained them; they miss their own kids.

My son loved all the chilled soups and the sorbet. They both loved all the variety at dinner.

We "practice" being good at dinner. We practice at home and in restaurants. Our almost three year old (at the time) was very motivated to be good because the reward was dessert!

We always book early dinner seating with our kids.

We had my parents with us on both cruises and my in-laws also joined us on the second cruise with the kids.

[sunrise&set]

We've taken DS on 2 cruises at 13 months and 23 months. We ate at the dining room every night. The first was on NCL with anytime dining and we also took our DD (14) and her friend. We only had to skip dessert once. On the 2nd cruise this past Jan, we went on Carnival and my parents came and oldest DD (20) and her boyfriend. We didn't sit with anyone else. One night we had to walk him around a bit because dinner was a bit long that night. We were close to the door and had some empty tables around us. We got to know a large group at the next table who just loved DS! The servers also loved him and the maitre'd came by almost every night. We also went to the dining room for breakfast on Carnival and had no problems at all. He was treated like royalty.

[DiveSquire]

You can call Carnival up now and request a table for 4. They will accommodate you. I know because I always call ahead and request the table size for just my party. Also I always go straight to the pursers desk to make sure the table situation will not change.

[Julienatul]

We always eat in the dining room. We started cruising at7mo with dd. I think out of the 7 cruises she has been on, we maybe had to leave once or twice. She has always been so enthralled with the waiters, people, singing, lights etc that she behaves very well. Starting at about 18mo we brought the portable DVD or iPod. We rarely have to use it now that she is 3. You know your child best, if you nap them well and practice sitting at restaurants at home, they should do fine. I was always much more nervous about it than I needed to be. The dining room is very loud to begin with, so even if your child does fuss,it's likely that no one will hear it and if you take turns walking around with him or her you'll be fine. You can always hit the buffet or room service as plan b.

[bflandry317]

Did you bring your own high chairs or did the cruise ship provide them? I am cruising with my 12 month old July 16 on the Carnival Fantasy.

 

I've attached a picture of my twins enjoying their dining room meal on Princess at 13 months. I've told the story here before that a head waiter saw us in the buffet the first night and insisted that mommies are the ones who NEED to be served while on vacation. We now eat every meal in the dining room - including breakfast and lunch - because it's SO wonderful to enjoy the company of my girls while someone else takes care of us. It's one of my favorite parts of cruising now.

 

As the others have said' date=' you will see other kids in the dining room at the main seating. In six cruises with toddlers, we've only been assigned a table with others once, and we just had it changed right away.

 

Have a great time!

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

[rjm1cc]

I think children have to learn how to behave. They are half way there because you recognize the problem. I would try and use the dining room. If they start to act up take them out promptly. Then come back in a minute or two and try again.

 

Might also think of trying luch in the dining room.

 

The learning actual starts at your local restraunts so you have an excuse for eating lots of meals out.

[Kerry's Girls]

Did you bring your own high chairs or did the cruise ship provide them? I am cruising with my 12 month old July 16 on the Carnival Fantasy.

 

The cruise ship provides them. At dinner it will be pre-set for you and then you can tell the waiter how you want the place setting the rest of the cruise (depending on the age, you may want to have all flatware removed, bring your own sippy cup, so have the glasses removed, etc.).

 

At breakfast and lunch, you have to wait a minute while they go get a high chair and set it up, but I have twins, so needed two, and it never took very long.

 

Best,

Mia

[bflandry317]

The cruise ship provides them. At dinner it will be pre-set for you and then you can tell the waiter how you want the place setting the rest of the cruise (depending on the age' date=' you may want to have all flatware removed, bring your own sippy cup, so have the glasses removed, etc.).

 

At breakfast and lunch, you have to wait a minute while they go get a high chair and set it up, but I have twins, so needed two, and it never took very long.

 

Best,

Mia[/quote']

One more thing, did you get a suite? We are staying in a regular stateroom (ocean view) b/c it's a family cruise and we are all neighbors....but I think we should be okay in a regular room (me, hubby and kid) - we don't plan to spend a lot of time in it anyway!!!

[Kerry's Girls]

One more thing, did you get a suite? We are staying in a regular stateroom (ocean view) b/c it's a family cruise and we are all neighbors....but I think we should be okay in a regular room (me, hubby and kid) - we don't plan to spend a lot of time in it anyway!!!

 

I'm a single mom with very limited income, so I always prefer to get the least expensive outside room for me and my twin girls in order to be able to cruise more. Lots of parents who cruise with toddlers prefer to have a balcony so they have a place to sit and talk during naps/early bedtimes. I always bring a bunch of reading, and then I never get to most of it because I find I enjoy the nap/early bed time myself. We always have plenty of room for the three of us - it would just be an issue if your child has to have it completely dark and silent in order to sleep, and you don't want to go to bed at the same time. When my girls were smaller, I was able to put them in the stroller after they fell asleep and take them for walks on deck.

 

Have a great time!

 

Best,

Mia

[EricaLovesCats]

Kerry's Girls:

 

I just wanted to say that thumbnail photo of your girls is TOO CUTE. I love the way she is contently looking out the window... :)

[uppitycats]

I think it's often the parents that are the problem, not the child! I've seen parents oblivious to their screaming toddler, going about eating their dinner while the kid is shrieking, and not try to even calm the child down until they're done with their dinner. Or parents that let the kids roam the dining room -- which has narrow aisles anyway -- not seeing that waiters are dodging the little darlings, and they're an accident waiting to happen. Or kids that climb up the backs of booths (I saw this on Carnival) and use them as "kicking boards", thus disturbing the folks on the other side -- and the parent's once again seem not to notice. And somebody already mentioned the kid in the high chair depositing most of her food on the floor -- and again, the parents get up, grab the kid and leave, without so much as an apology to the poor busboy who has to clean up the mess.

 

I think the fact that you are worried about this is a good thing. You're likely one of those "good parents" that realize they are the parent, and responsible for their child's behavior..and if your child can't handle the stimulation of the dining room, or is overly tired, cranky, whatever -- that you'll remove him to your cabin, or at least get him out of there until he calms down and is social again.

 

Now, if we could only do that with all the whining and misbehaving adults! :)

[2preschoolers]

This is our first cruise with kids, however I'm a bit shocked to read that so many other people are offended that people cruise with kids. I mean - if they go to a restaurant on land, are they shocked to see kids in there, too? Even pre-kids, I never would have thought it was rude or inconsiderate for someone to take their child on vacation or to a restaurant, etc. :confused:

 

Anycase, I'm enjoying hearing what others say. My girls will be 2 1/2 and just barely 4 when we cruise in January. I've been a bit worried about them disturbing others but the only reason it's occured to me to be worried is the few posts I'ev seen on here about people getting upset. I plan to bring a portable DVD player for my girls and each night give them a small (Dollar Tree item) for each of them so they have something "new" to keep them interested for that night's dinner. Here's hoping it works! But if not, I'm prepared to leave. Normally if they hear that they won't get dessert or some special outing they wanted to do if they don't behave, that works to straighten them out. :p