How often does your family make it to the MDR?

[ehough]

Just curious. On our last cruise, DS was 11 months and learned to walk on board. As such he was a very squirmy, busy boy at all times. Our itinerary was also very port intensive- a port a day, no sea days- so we ended up in the MDR just once, on formal night. We don't regret it because we were exhausted from ports and not wanting to be stressed about keeping DS busy in the dining room.

 

That said, we're sailing again in a few months and he will be newly 2. We want to try again. Maybe not every night in the MDR, but we're aiming for more this time! He's easier to entertain this year and while still a busy guy, he can sit for a meal.

 

So, how often did/do you hit the MDR? Do you only do dinner or do you also attempt other meals?

 

(Any tips you have would be great. They're good kids, but I try really hard to not disrupt other diners, so it's stressful and tiring for me to keep them quiet at all times).

[Onessa]

DD is now nearly 16YO - and for about the past five years of cruising, she insists upon the MDR. She really likes the conversation and trying new food.

 

When she was a baby and toddler, we'd generally try about half (or a bit less). If she had a bad day, we'd pass even if we had planned on that being a MDR night. We'd be fully prepared to eat in "shifts" if she got impatient. We'd watch and if she started getting a bit antsy, we'd try to head it off with a new disctraction or a trip to the restroom or something.

 

As she got older, she'd generally accompany us to early seating dining in the MDR, get her entree when we had our appetizer/salad and dessert and when she was done, one of us would excuse themselves and take her to the kid's program -- sometimes she'd sit and read for a bit before taking off.

 

She has always been pretty well behaved, so we've been lucky.

[Kerry's Girls]

We tried the buffet on our first cruise at 13 months and I found it to be more difficult and chaotic. We eat every most meal in the MDR, unless we're completely exhausted after a day of touring and then we do room service, bath, bed. The only time we've been to the buffet is to grab a late night (in our case late-night being 9:30) snack. I have to admit, sitting in the MDR is one of my favorite parts of vacation - we have such wonderful meals together because there's no stress and the staff is bending over backward to make the kids happy, which doesn't necessarily happen at a land-based restaurant.

 

Best,

Mia

[mikesteg]

We're raising our CruiseKids right: we go to the MDR and then go to the buffet for a little something extra. :D

 

Seriously though, at 6 months we didn't make it too often. It was during their nap time and just didn't go well. At 13 months, it was great. We had "your time" dining, so we were able to go at the right time for them and get the same servers each time. We were at our own table... except for one night when we invited a poor 11YO boy who was eating by himself every night in the MDR, if you can believe that. We did have a 2-timezone advantage also, and joking aside we did usually have desert in the buffet after letting them stretch their legs a bit.

 

 

 

 

Our next cruise is just after they turn 2 also. I don't expect we'll have any problems with them. We 'lose' one hour this time going to the Pacific, but we shouldn't have any problem keeping them up until 7ish local time. But, it will always depend on the child: how well they tolerate the level of stimulation, if they are picky eaters. We will encourage the servers to make it an hour or so per meal, but otherwise expect this to be a piece of cake ... or 2. :D

 

I am trying to work on DW to have lunch in the MDR, and maybe even breakfast, a few times. I personally love it in there, but we shall see. ;)

[Cshgrand]

I agree that buffet is harder work! Especially with a mobile child - too much to see and touch and grab and explore ...

We use buffet for convenience on long port days but try to get to mdr as much as poss.

[sherryf]

The one time I have cruised with my children, they were 2, 5 and 8. We managed to eat in the dining room every single night, though sometimes one of us ran them up to the kid club when they were done eating so we could enjoy a leisurely dessert. We ate breakfast and lunch at the buffet, mainly because we were too busy to be bothered with a full sit down meal.

 

My SIL's family was also on that cruise with us, and her kids were 9 months, 3.5 and 6.5. They only made it to the dining room the first 3 nights, then gave up. They didn't think it was worth it to get everyone dressed up and try to keep them occupied during a long meal. I think part of their problem was that they let their kids order the same chicken nuggets every night and they got sick of them. Should have had them ordering off the "real" menu like I did with my kids. They claimed that they could find more foods the kids would eat at the buffet. Whatever works, I guess.

 

Now, 10 years later, I'm finally taking my kids on another cruise. At 12, 15, and 18, they are all looking forward to eating whatever they like! I fully expect them to join me in the dining room every night.

[beckyjohns]

My boys have been on 3 cruises so far, once when they were 1 1/2, once when they were 2 1/2, and once when they were 3. On every cruise, we have eaten dinner in the MDR every night. We have never had an issue. Assuming you have the same waiter every night, he/she will get to know your kids and will likely have food waiting for them each night when you arrive (fruit or something). They really do an excellent job of taking care of the kids in the MDR. If they need highchairs, they are always at the table when you arrive, etc.

 

That said, we make a point of enforcing rules at dinner time, regardless of where we eat. My kids understand that they need to sit in their chairs, use quiet voices, and wait until everyone is done eating before getting up. We don't allow them to run around the table etc. We follow these rules when we eat in restaurants, as well as at home, so there is no confusion. They understand that they have playtime, but it isn't at the dinner table.

 

We usually don't do the MDR for lunch or breakfast because I'm just not a real big fan of sitting in the dining room for an hour just to get a bowl of cereal!!

[lulabelle522]

DD was 2 1/2 on our first cruise and we went to the MDR every night. Even had lunch once time. She looked forward to it because she loved our servers , the sights and sounds of the room, and the fact that they always brought her jello and ice cream haha! She's now 5 but our DS will only be 16 months. He is well behaved when we go to restaurants normally :-) We chose the 6 PM dining time because that's when we have dinner at home so I'm hoping it will help him stay on a normal schedule. We will have some snacks on hand that he is used to in case he's not a fan of what they have to offer. Keeping my fingers crossed that we get to go to the MDR every night as it's such and enjoyable start to every evening.

[Wavesprite]

I have a 6 and 10 year old....we go the MDR everynight for dinner, and then sometimes we will go for lunch. I love taking my daughter (the younger one) to breakfast in the MDR. I actually think eating in the MDR is so much easier with kids. The buffet is so crazy, and you are carrying two trays, and then trying to find seating and sticking together, etc....

[JennLuvs2Cruise]

I cruised with my son when he was 9 months old and 21 months old. I have to say that at 21 months old, he was a bit more work when it came to eating in the Main Dining Room. We missed dinner in the MDR twice during our 7 day cruise, not a big deal. There was so many other dining options that it didn't phase me at all, and it was nice not having to dress up. The other nights in the MDR were fine, he would mostly just sit in the high chair coloring and eating his food. The two nights that we skipped MDR actually had to deal with me since I got sun poisoning in St Maarten, ouch!! :eek:

[GoldenRose]

We first cruised with our son at 8 months, and then again at 15 months, and ate in the MDR every night with him. I don't generally care for buffet food, our son has been eating in restaurants since he was 5 weeks old, and he generally knows how to behave. We did travel with my mother on both those trips, so we had an extra adult with us. One of us would take him out for a short walk on the deck if he looked like he was wearing down, and with three adults, it was easy to trade off.

 

Honestly, that second cruise, the other people seated at the table with us looked absolutely horrified that we'd brought a baby to the MDR the first night, but he was so good that they relaxed after a couple of nights. Our waiter got to know his preferences and would have milk and fruit waiting for us when we got there. It worked out well.

 

We're currently debating how soon to cruise with our daughter. We've already got a cruise booked for just before her second birthday, and we're considering booking a second cruise next year for not long after she turns 1. We're planning on taking her along to the MDR for most meals, assuming she continues to be able to behave at restaurants. Every kid is different, and I really think you can only make a decision on a kid by kid basis. We don't want to be disruptive to other diners, but we wanted to have the most relaxing and pleasant experience ourselves that could be managed with a small child, and for us, that meant the MDR. (Our son has since gotten old enough at 5 to really appreciate some of the cruise ship specialty restaurants. When we were on the Eclipse last year, he kept asking to go back to the Bistro on 5 and Qsine!)

[cantw8togo]

Our DS's, now 7 & 11 have enjoyed dining in the MDR since they were little. I made sure to bring along some quiet toys and activities to keep them occupied between courses, and when they were younger we would often take them for a walk to break up the meal.

 

As well, we would talk to them about how the MDR was different from the buffet, McDonald's or even meals at home. I would point out the fabric tablecloths and napkins, the extra cutlery, the fancier decor and explain that their behaviour needed to be special too. If you make a big deal about how special it is, about dressing up (even if it is just changing into chinos and a collared shirt,) being able to try food that you can only have at the MDR, and bringing something that he can only play with at the MDR, then he may surprise you with a full meal at the MDR.

 

It goes without saying that you are asking for trouble if they have missed their nap or if you have had a very busy day.

 

We would go to most of the dinners at the MDR and at least one breakfast and one lunch there too. It isn't as formal with the other meals as dinner is, and it was nice for a change.

[crusinmama06]

I am in the MDR EVERY cruise EVERY night ;)

 

My kids are there every night UNLESS they beg to go to a kids club dinner - which is about once/cruise. :p

 

I prefer to have my family dine together. :D

[chipmaster]

Even when our children were young everynight! The sitdowns, breakfast, lunch and dinner were always a priority. As they graduated to the kids club sometimes we'd let them do that with the club.

[huneymoonerz]

We are cruising in 2 weeks with our 1 and 3 year old. My one year old has been cruising along the entire house (walls too) for months so I have a feeling he'll learn to walk on the boat. That may change things a lot.

 

Our plan (ha ha) is to stick to the main dining room as much as possible. Breakfast / dinner. I think it will help my kids feel a sense of routine.

 

I don't think their behavior will be any better at a buffet and DH/I will be running around getting things for them. I also am not a big buffet fan. Pizza may be lunch most days.

 

I've got a stash of unopened Happy Meal toys (rainy day toys) and I plan to give them one new one a night.

 

I'll let you know how it goes and what we end up doing.

[Marksmom]

The only cruise we've taken DS on so far was a 5 day Carnival, he was 11.5 months. We ate MDR every night and 1 day for breakfast. We never had any issues, we really enjoy the MDR as a big part of our cruise. There was one night we considered skipping because we had gotten in late from port, we ended up throwing our dinner clothes on and going, glad we did.

 

Our next cruise is on the Disney fantasy, DS will be 3.5 and we'll have a 7 month old, hopefully the new baby is as easy as DS was because we plan to eat in the MDR every night. We'll do babysitting if necessary.

[sacway]

Last week, we visited the MDR zero times. One night specialty dining, two nights dining in the room, one night the kids had dinner with kids club, and three nights (doing the math for a seven day cruise) in the buffet where they have a special "kids buffet" line.

 

our in-room dining with the kids was super enjoyable. two of the buffet nights, only the kids had dinner there and we dined alone after checking them in to kids club.

 

we had formal breakfast every day and formal lunch most days so plenty of time to work on table manners. though once, our son fell asleep during lunch (worn out from early day at port) and slept through dessert and coffee.

[Liltx31]

Mine are 6 and 8 (kids club age) so ymmv. They eat with us twice, the first night when the club is closed and formal night because I want the family picture. Other than that they would rather have room service and head to the club when it opens and dh and I would rather have a late, dinner alone. We eat breakfast and lunch together and that's enough for us. I love cruising because of the built in babysitting.

[B_Mc]

We did every night in the MDR with a 10 month old and we'll be trying it again with an almost 2 year old soon!

 

I really appreciated being seated with other children/families as they are likely to be more understanding. Also we were seated at the back of the dining room, out of the way so even when DS needed to roam around we could get him up without wandering around the whole dining room!

 

I wouldn't stress too much about keeping them quiet, at least not any quieter than the rest of the dining room. Other people are laughing and talking, etc. there isn't anything wrong with your child doing the same. Shrieking, crying is a different story but silent isn't necessary either.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We've cruised with grandchildren ages 3-5 and just this winter ages 5-11. Both cruises we ate every dinner in the main dining room.

 

This winter's cruise, with 7 kids, I fully expected they'd sit through one long meal and then want the buffet the other nights. Instead, every one of them loved the MDR meal, exploring and trying all the new foods, ordering from the menus, the ambiance and the special attention they got from the waiters.

 

With really young kids, like yours, I'd just test it and see how it goes. I do agree that the buffet with a mobile 2 year old can be tricky!

[dorito6778]

DD has been on 2 cruises...16mo and 28mo. both cruises we all ate in the MDR every single night. no dvd players! ;) sure, we take turns getting up to take her outside to run around a bit, but she always did great.

 

i personally cant imagine paying all that money to be on a cruise and then just eat at the buffet. blah!

[Smithkids5521]

We had "your time" dining, so we were able to go at the right time for them and get the same servers each time.

 

I agree- we loved the your time dining and thought it was wonderful! If we wanted to let the kids take an extra long nap due to a long excursion day or what have you, we could do that and just have dinner later...maybe around 7:30pm or so.

 

My children are now 8 and 5, but what I have always found to be helpful was to order the entrees for the kids to come out with my and DH's appetizers. Then by the time my main course was coming out- it was time for the kids to have dessert. After that the kids were able to sit quitely by coloring with some books and crayons that I normally stash for them in my bag, play hangman, tic tac toe, etc while DH and I enjoyed dessert and some coffee. If all else failed- we would bring out the handheld video game system (nintendo DS)with some headphones (but that was last resort/end of our rope time when all else has failed).

 

We only really brought the kids into the MDR with us approx. 2-3 times for dinner during our 7 day cruise- majority of the time we would get them dinner from the buffet and then drop them off at camp for a few hours in the evening so that hubby and I could have some time alone! ;)

 

 

We were at our own table... except for one night when we invited a poor 11YO boy who was eating by himself every night in the MDR, if you can believe that.

 

What!!!??? :eek: 11 years old and eating in the MDR by himself everyday? So sad!!! Was there a reason? I'd love to hear the back story on this one...

[mikesteg]

 

What!!!??? :eek: 11 years old and eating in the MDR by himself everyday? So sad!!! Was there a reason? I'd love to hear the back story on this one...

 

I agree. We didn't inquire since it seems likely there were underlying issues, but we invited him to sit with us for the last few nights. He was very self sufficient (as you'd imagine) but it was still quite sad. I got the impression that he was pretty much on his own all day every day, too...

 

I think we're at the other end of the spectrum, but ours are just 22 months.

[Jridou]

My kids (now 6, 10 & 13) LOVE the MDR. They love trying fancy foods & all the attention from the wait staff. That said, last fall on the Royal Carribean Navigator, we had such an awful table, with such horrific service, that the grown-ups decided we liked the buffet better. Our kids are all old enough to serve themselves at the buffet now, and we got fabulous service up there.

[Fourkids4us]

On all of our cruises we eat in the MDR ever night. Our first cruise with kids, they were 11months and 3. Last december I had 4(7,5,3,1). This time they will be 8,5,4,2 and we will eat there every night this time also.