Children in the Main Dining Room

[joshchristine100700]

I class crayons and paper in the toy category and I doubt you will see anyone bringing a hot wheels race track to the table to keep their kids busy...my children will eat dinner just fine I was stating the fact that there is nothing wrong with small forms of entertainment to occupy idle times. It's not as annoying as someone wearing flip flops in a dining room or eating with their mouths open or talking with food in their mouths the entire time. Yet people dont suggest those who do that only eat at the buffet facing a wall so no one has to see them.

[mary_228]

We sailed 9 times as a family of 5 (oldest son no longer sails with us) and only twice were we seated with another family. One time we were at an 8-top with a family of 3.

This is what happened to us on a the Serenade of the Seas. It was really boring for the kids since they wouldn't chat with the other child at the table and it was kind of hard to talk with our kids without feeling like we were excluding the other family. We much prefer the anytime dining on Princess when traveling with our kids. Every now and then we are seated with another family, but generally we get a table for ourselves. Another benefit is that you can eat faster and get out of the dining room when you are done instead of waiting for the other family to finish.

[RN Cruiser 23]

If your kids are not old enough or experienced enough to sit at the dinner table and enjoy good conversation, why are you bringing them to the dining room?

 

On our last cruise there was a couple with a baby about 18 months old. They attended the late seating with what appeared to be the baby's grandparents. They were seated with another family at a larger table. This baby looked like he needed to go to bed. Each night in came mom and grandma with a squirming, tired baby. Each night no one made it through dinner. They kept trying and trying. It never worked. Everyone suffered, including the baby and those of us at the next table.

 

Asking children to do what they are not yet developmentally ready to do sets everyone up for problems.

 

 

We have been taking children on cruises since they were 6 months old. They are part of the family and hense part of the family dining experience. What many of you seem to forget, is that an infant/child pays the same fare as an adult third person in a cabin even when they are not old enough to enjoy the entrees. They have every right to be at the MDR.

 

We have the children nap in the late afternoon after excursions and before dinner in hopes of good behavior. We also make sure we are not seated with other diners at our table. And yes we bring small quite toys to keep the younger ones occupied while waiting for thier food. We do allow the older children to eat with thier friends at camp carnival but not every night.

 

As we all know kids are far from predictable and in my opinion much easier to forgive poor behavior then a stumbling loud mouth drunk. If the child is misbehaving enough to disturb other diners then the we take him out of the dining area.

[jennmaybe]

We've also noticed kids in the MDR on every cruise and never seen any misbehaved kids....until last week! There was a family at the table right beside of us with a little boy, cute as could be, around 3-4 yrs old. While he was cute, he was very energetic! They allowed him to run around the table, jump up & down on his chair, among a few other annoying things. They were a very loud family anyway, so I guess it was the norm for him.

 

We ignored it as much as possible, but it was the first time we every saw anything like that in the MDR with kids.

[nrdsb4]

If your kids are not old enough or experienced enough to sit at the dinner table and enjoy good conversation, why are you bringing them to the dining room?

 

On our last cruise there was a couple with a baby about 18 months old. They attended the late seating with what appeared to be the baby's grandparents. They were seated with another family at a larger table. This baby looked like he needed to go to bed. Each night in came mom and grandma with a squirming, tired baby. Each night no one made it through dinner. They kept trying and trying. It never worked. Everyone suffered, including the baby and those of us at the next table.

 

Asking children to do what they are not yet developmentally ready to do sets everyone up for problems.

 

 

We have been taking children on cruises since they were 6 months old. They are part of the family and hense part of the family dining experience. What many of you seem to forget, is that an infant/child pays the same fare as an adult third person in a cabin even when they are not old enough to enjoy the entrees. They have every right to be at the MDR.

 

We have the children nap in the late afternoon after excursions and before dinner in hopes of good behavior. We also make sure we are not seated with other diners at our table. And yes we bring small quite toys to keep the younger ones occupied while waiting for thier food. We do allow the older children to eat with thier friends at camp carnival but not every night.

 

As we all know kids are far from predictable and in my opinion much easier to forgive poor behavior then a stumbling loud mouth drunk. If the child is misbehaving enough to disturb other diners then the we take him out of the dining area.

 

 

Well, that is the key and is what separates you from others who feel that baby paying "the same fare as an adult third passenger" gives them the right to inflict a screaming, shrieking child on everyone around them. Not to mention that they completely put their own needs ahead of the obvious needs for rest or reduced stimulation of their own children.

 

We have always brought our children to restaurants from the time they were infants. If they cried for more than a few moments, out they went. I didn't look at it as I was being "screwed" (prior post), but simply that this was part and parcel of deciding to have children.

[nrdsb4]

double post.

[Redsfan]

we are sailing next month and will have our 3 kids with us in tow...I will give the 3 and 9 year old options to eat at the Camp, which they may or may not accept. Personally I want to be with them on Vacation so I want them with us for dinner, as a family. If my 9 year old daughter meets others her age and asks to eat at the Camp great, if not, I want her with us. We also have a 14 month old, and our 3 year old is a ball of energy. This will be like any other dinner in that they must behave. Trust me, we understand when enough is enough, and if this is the case with the 2 little ones we will take them out to stretch their legs and bring them back when ready. We are used to this after 3 kids, so we will be just fine...

[madgally]

We are leaving in a few days on our first cruise with our child. In the past I've never noticed kids in the dining room.

 

Does Carnival tend to put families together? Should we expect to have other kids at our table? Do most parents send their kids to Camp Carnival to eat dinner? He's four years old and can last a good hour at the dinner table. I never pay attention to how long dinner last on cruises. How long does it typically take to have dinner?

 

 

I don't know how you didn't notise them but I would never go to dinner without my kids. I have been on many cruises and there are always plenty of cruises (I only go on school vacations). Carnival is a big kid ship too............

 

It possible they stick all the kids in the same area but I don't think so.

 

J

[heymonkey89]

I'm guessing if he starts misbehaving we could get up and taking him to camp carnival. Can you drop them off in the middle of dinner?

[heymonkey89]

I don't know how you didn't notise them but I would never go to dinner without my kids. I have been on many cruises and there are always plenty of cruises (I only go on school vacations). Carnival is a big kid ship too............

 

It possible they stick all the kids in the same area but I don't think so.

 

J

 

 

I'm too busy having a good time. We typically get paired up with great table mates and the conversations are a blast so I lose track of time and have no idea whats going on around me. lol

I always look forward to dinner time and the conversation. It will be interesting if it's a table full of kids. I'm the kind of person who doesn't great with my kid but not so much with other peoples kids.

[Tbay-eh]

I'm guessing if he starts misbehaving we could get up and taking him to camp carnival. Can you drop them off in the middle of dinner?

 

I am not quite sure on this as they have dinner time activities outside the Camp - dependant on their ages they could be on the Lido having dinner themselves. Make sure to check with the camp staff when you first go to register and see if this is an option. It would be nice - then you could always come back to the dinner.

[Katie John]

Question from a first time cruiser. We are a family of 5. Kids are 7 and twin 4 year olds...will they sit us at a table for 8 or do they have ones that will fit just our family? We plan on trying the mdr to see how the twins do and will definitely have nintendo ds in tow since I don't dare turn on my iPhone on board.

 

You can use your Iphone on board as long as you keep it in airplane mode the entire time.

[serene56]

I'm guessing if he starts misbehaving we could get up and taking him to camp carnival. Can you drop them off in the middle of dinner?

 

Camp activities most nights start at 7pm. Camp is closed from 5-7 most of the evenings except when they are dining together--and they meet on the lido deck at the buffet.