Dinner in Kids Clubs on NCL & Nightlife with kids

[youngestof9]

I did a search and didn't really find the answer I was looking for, so I'm starting a new thread.

 

Can you leave your kids in the kids club during dinner hours? Do they have nights where the kids eat together?

 

I would like to have a few dinners alone with my husband if possible so I'm trying to figure out the scenario(s). Can I feed the kids from the buffet restaurant or even a sit down restaurant and then bring them to the kids club so my husband and I can do a specialty restaurant?

 

Any experience with this?

 

Also we'd like to have some time to experience the show(s) or the nightlife that the Epic has to offer. I don't think my 5 year old would like Blue Man Group and I'd like to see the comedy show(s). Are they shows usually over early enough so that my kids can stay in the club during the show? I'm not sure if say BMG ends before 10:00 when I think is when the club closes.

 

I've never had my kids on a cruise so while I fully intend to hang with them as much as they want to (it all depends on how much they enjoy the club), I would love a chance for some nightime alone time with my husband to see some of the more adult things on the ship (Bliss, Spice H2O, etc.)

 

Any advice on how to work in shows/nightlife with the kids club?

 

Thanks!

[CanadianTwosome]

You're sailing on my birthday! :)

 

The Epic is a bit of a new situation, but I can tell you what I've experienced on other NCL ships.

 

First, you can absolutely feed your kids at the buffet - or at any number of other venues - and then drop them off at Kid's Crew while you and your husband enjoy a dinner alone. My daughter loves ordering room service, so don't rule it out as an option.

 

I can't tell you how well the ends of shows coincide with the 10pm Kid's Crew time because before the Epic I rarely attended shows. I do know, however, that there is late night 'babysitting' with a per hour fee, so I'm sure you could arrange for your kids to stay late if they had to one evening. I'll be able to tell you before you leave what time BMG ends - though I'm sure we'll have heard all about it long before I'm onboard. :)

 

How old are your kids? Are they old enough to stay alone in your cabin once they're tucked in?

[NYteacher]

The really great thing about the NCL club is that it is open almost all the time. It is free up until 10:00 pm, then there is an hourly fee.

 

After having sailed Carnival, you'll realize how great the open hours are. Even though my son would spend the same total amount of hours in the NCL club as he did in CCL, it was on our schedule. Some morning he would sleep late, on CCL that would mean he would miss the morning "session" etc.

 

That said, it is super easy to have an adult night life on NCL. Our son LOVED room service, and we thought it provided a nice "quiet" time. Cruise life is very stimulating, and an hour or so of calm was great. If you don't like room service, it is easy to do buffet for a quick bite for your child before kid's club.

 

Our son, as many others, could not wait to go and have fun with his new friends.

[lamolesky]

We always would feed our little guys first in the Kids Cafe where we would all sit together on small chairs and tables (but only they would eat). Or we would order room service for them while we got ready for dinner. We would drop them off at the kids club when they were well fed and we would have our alone time for dinner. As for the shows, the late show managed to get out just in time for the 10:30pm pickup at the kids club. I don't know about the EPIC shows but the other ships had perfect timing. But for the small amount they charge for the late night sitting, it is worth it. It is $6 per hour for one kid and an additional $4 ($10 per hour total) for 2 kids. So if you are only one hour later it costs just $10.

[youngestof9]

Thanks for the responses! I'm pretty confident now we'll be able to enjoy the second city improv and BMG when the kids are in the club.

 

They will be 12 and 5 and I suppose I can leave them after they're asleep.

 

Canadian Twosome - I'm sailing on my birthday too! My daughter will turn 5 on the 15th and I'll be 42 on the 18th. When's yours? I'll celebrate for you!

[CanadianTwosome]

Thanks for the responses! I'm pretty confident now we'll be able to enjoy the second city improv and BMG when the kids are in the club.

 

They will be 12 and 5 and I suppose I can leave them after they're asleep.

 

Canadian Twosome - I'm sailing on my birthday too! My daughter will turn 5 on the 15th and I'll be 42 on the 18th. When's yours? I'll celebrate for you!

 

Your daughter and I are twins - give or take 41 years! ha ha ha I'll be turning 46 this January.

 

I've only got the one, so I have no experience with sibling rivalry, but she's been through a babysitting course and is legally allowed to be alone in the house here in Canada. I would feel absolutely comfortable leaving her in charge of a 5 year old in my cabin after Kid's Crew. You could even make it an opportunity for your 12 year old to 'earn' some additional souvenir money. :)

[Copper_beeches]

My step kids refused to have anything to do with the kids club, so I can't speak to that, but depending on your 12 year old's responsibility level it's perfectly feasible to tuck in the 5 yr old with a movie on the TV, and let the 12 yr old watch the 5 yr old... as long as they know how to get ahold of you I'd say... (that might work during dinner, if at a show just be really clear what time you'll be back and make sure they know in a true emergency where they should go) we left our 12 yr old and 9 yr old alone one night while we had a quiet dinner in Le Bistro, and again for the "adult" shows Quest and Second City's "adult" show... they had their DS's with them for the car ride down, and though I SWORE there would be NO DS while on a CRUISE, the down time for them was really important, so many new things, they needed something to just veg out to for an hour here and there... and WE DEFINITELY needed the down time from them, made for happy campers all the way around!

 

If you aren't comfortable leaving them, I know the kids crew had regular hours open until 10:30, and then they had late night group babysitting for a fee, so either way, I'm sure you'll have a great time and everyone can get what they need! The shows generally ran 45 minutes and there was a 7:15 and a 9:15, so even the late show if it's the same on Epic, you'd have plenty of time to pick them up.

[14ersco]

We just booked our entertainment on the Epic yesterday. Went and got a reservation for 7 y/o DS for each of the shows and if he does not want to attend we will cancel on-board; though right now he really wants to attend. We booked early shows to avoid the baby sitting issue. BMG is 7 and 9:45 with a 75 minute show. Cirque Dreams is 120 minutes at 5:30 and 8:30 - $15/$20. For Legends it was 7 and 9:15 at 50 minutes. Second City was 7, 9, & 11. Slime Time was at 12:30 on sea days. Nick Breakfast was at 8:30 am on sea days - $15. Presumed Murder is also sea days at 12:30 - $15.