Steakhouse and an almost 2yo

[MsTabbyKats]

How about this perspective. When you were dating, you sit together, talk nicely to each other, maybe celebrating a personal event, maybe even being proposed to and then whammo...a kid breaks the ambiance! Kind of takes the "moment" away.

Now, you focus is not the meal and your spouse, it's constant glances to the tot wondering if you can keep him quiet. Some of that nice dinner is LOST.

 

I just don't get the "I can bring my kid anywhere" syndrome. Think about others who have absolutely no emotional attachment to YOUR child.

 

Your right!

 

People pay extra for this for a reason.

 

Children are children...and should be allowed to act and eat as children....in venues for children. They aren't miniature adults.

[susie8862]

How about this perspective. When you were dating, you sit together, talk nicely to each other, maybe celebrating a personal event, maybe even being proposed to and then whammo...a kid breaks the ambiance! Kind of takes the "moment" away.

Now, you focus is not the meal and your spouse, it's constant glances to the tot wondering if you can keep him quiet. Some of that nice dinner is LOST.

 

I just don't get the "I can bring my kid anywhere" syndrome. Think about others who have absolutely no emotional attachment to YOUR child.

Bravo...well said. 100 percent in agreement. Adults cannot go anywhere anymore without children infringing on a romantic evening out.

[kona_wahine]

I have a 2 year old granddaughter which I love more than life itself. There is no way I'd take her to the steakhouse. It wouldn't be fair to her or the other diners, who had to pay extra for the meal.

[Bunkie103]

How about this perspective. When you were dating, you sit together, talk nicely to each other, maybe celebrating a personal event, maybe even being proposed to and then whammo...a kid breaks the ambiance! Kind of takes the "moment" away.

Now, you focus is not the meal and your spouse, it's constant glances to the tot wondering if you can keep him quiet. Some of that nice dinner is LOST.

 

I just don't get the "I can bring my kid anywhere" syndrome. Think about others who have absolutely no emotional attachment to YOUR child.

 

Exactly! I just booked the Valor Steakhouse for our Anniversary and hope NOT to see kiddos when I get there. And yes I have 6 grandchildren I love dearly but wouldn't invite them to come either!

[RuthlessBoss]

I have a 2 year old granddaughter which I love more than life itself. There is no way I'd take her to the steakhouse. It wouldn't be fair to her or the other diners, who had to pay extra for the meal.

Or you needing to be tending to every movement:)

[INCHARGE]

We will be going to the steakhouse on a very important date for us. Being with the man I love...soft music...nice meal... Holding hands...low lights...and a DARN BRIGHT IPAD blazing at the table beside me! :eek: This would be the same as taking a baby to a movie, and pulling out an iPad/iPhone/iPod to keep them busy. That is why movie theaters have to tell people not to use these devices. They don't realize how distracting the lights are to others. Really not fair to have a baby sit that long. But hey...All of our children are special to us, but tiny ones will have a hard time sitting still for that long. JMHO.

[Tapi]

Until the day when Carnival designates the Steakhouse as an adults only restaurant (like Disney Cruise Lines has done with their specialty restaurant Palo), the only thing Steakhouse attendees can do is HOPE that there are no kids.

 

As much as I want to sympathize with those wanting an adults only experience at a Carnival Steakhouse, the reality is that they cant expect it. For that, they'd need to look at other cruise lines..

[golfadj]

How about this perspective. When you were dating, you sit together, talk nicely to each other, maybe celebrating a personal event, maybe even being proposed to and then whammo...a kid breaks the ambiance! Kind of takes the "moment" away.

Now, you focus is not the meal and your spouse, it's constant glances to the tot wondering if you can keep him quiet. Some of that nice dinner is LOST.

 

I just don't get the "I can bring my kid anywhere" syndrome. Think about others who have absolutely no emotional attachment to YOUR child.

 

Your right. Also not fair to the child.

[Gailerina]

It seems to me, the one thing I have learned from this is that Carnival needs to change the rules to the Steak House and make an age limit.

 

Now while there are parents on here who have said their kids will/won't behave...you still can't predict the future. Maybe your well behaved kid is not feeling great...other diners have to pay the price.

 

Also your kids might be well behaved, some parents might take their kids not caring. Just yesterday I was in a store shopping with a friend and these two kids are climbing over the cars and the poles to the area they are in. I even said to the kid...you might not want to do that, it could be dangerous....he looked at me as if I had 3 heads. His mother is in the line yelling at them to get something and watching what they are doing. She's YELLING!! I started cringing and wanted to get far far far way....not in a steak house if a kid is misbehaving, there are a few options on what to do.

 

I think it is wise to put yourself in other diners shoes :(

[allener58]

I would not want to sit near a noisy toddler if we are paying extra for a nice meal.

 

Like

[Quilting_Cruiser]

OP, only you know your children and how they would do in this situation. DD has gone to restaurants since she was very young and has always done well, but we didn't take her to the steakhouse until she was 8 years old. She loved it and we've gone on every cruise since. Having cruised with a child too young for Camp Carnival (she was 21 months old on our first cruise), I understand not being able to do everything you might want to do. For us, babysitting that didn't start until 10 p.m. was worthless. :(

 

Some have posted that the steakhouse is a place for couples to have a romantic meal, and it may be that to them. But to me, it's always been a place to have a meal with my family. I'm now a single mother and have taken DD to the steakhouse the last two cruises and have seen many families there and a few couples, so from what I've seen there are many people who don't see the steakhouse an adult-only or couples-only restaurant. That said, I've never seen toddlers there and believe most toddlers would have a very difficult time sitting through a lengthly meal.

[RuthlessBoss]

Until the day when Carnival designates the Steakhouse as an adults only restaurant (like Disney Cruise Lines has done with their specialty restaurant Palo), the only thing Steakhouse attendees can do is HOPE that there are no kids.

 

As much as I want to sympathize with those wanting an adults only experience at a Carnival Steakhouse, the reality is that they cant expect it. For that, they'd need to look at other cruise lines..

Gee, this is a real impressive post:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

We kind of of knew this already;)

[carsastic]

Since they changed the menus ( I believe it was a serious downgrade)

We find ourselves eating in the steakhouse 2 or 3 x a week

I can't think of one time where we were put off by children .

Perhaps it's be ause we tend to eat late But we have not encountered any issues

[TravelerMK]

This made me laugh. I remember the no restaurant phase very well. We were thrown into it when my son threw a french fry at an elderly guy's head. Awesome aim on my son's part but not proper dining behavior.

 

Ha! Yes! Had a very similar experience recently in a family restaurant sitting with friends and their kids. Their 2 year old son lobbed a plastic fork at my husband's head and threw food at us at some point. We laughed, trying so hard not to, while they disciplined him, because that's what 2 year olds do! :D

 

Mindy

[Tapi]

Gee, this is a real impressive post:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

We kind of of knew this already;)

 

I'm sure you do (at least the content and eloquence of your posts reflect that), but It seems like it eludes A LOT of cruisers...

[Andoria]

I guess in our circle, we have been lucky. Most have no problem sitting, and we still enforce that they need to be excused if they want to leave the table. That starts from the time they can walk.

 

And BTW, when even today I am out, and notice out of control kids, I still can look around and see other kids sitting there, behaving themselves. There are so many more of them, if you take a look.

 

I was also the proud father when the nosy women used to walk over and compliment me when it was just the two of us sitting at the table, how good she was, when we were out.

 

I look forward to the day I can bring my grandkids to the steakhouse.

 

I look forward to the day you bring your grandkids too because you will see that not all two year olds can sit quietly for hours unless they're unique or something isn't quite right with them.

 

Oh and I've always gotten compliments on my son's behavior too.

[dave_k63]

I'm just waiting for someone to say " it's my vacation and I'll do whatever I want with my kids"

[RuthlessBoss]

I guess in our circle, we have been lucky. Most have no problem sitting, and we still enforce that they need to be excused if they want to leave the table. That starts from the time they can walk.

 

And BTW, when even today I am out, and notice out of control kids, I still can look around and see other kids sitting there, behaving themselves. There are so many more of them, if you take a look.

 

I was also the proud father when the nosy women used to walk over and compliment me when it was just the two of us sitting at the table, how good she was, when we were out.

 

I look forward to the day I can bring my grandkids to the steakhouse.

I can hardly wait for that 2 year old to say "may I be excused from the table, I'm getting restless, I want what I want now"

 

It's also depends on length of time and service the child must endure. Slightly older children, if they've been taught any good behavior, is usually more acceptable. You can't reason with a 2 year old to sit still and not fuss. When I see a child throwing tantrums, you can pretty well guess they learned it at home, and that tantrum got what they wanted. Child rearing in today's world is not what it was years ago. The psychologists tell you keep the child "happy", don't cause any mental trauma!

[MrPete]

I look forward to the day you bring your grandkids too because you will see that not all two year olds can sit quietly for hours unless they're unique or something isn't quite right with them.

 

Oh and I've always gotten compliments on my son's behavior too.

 

True, but the odds are in my favor.

 

It's really only the child haters that think they are the only ones that exist in a steakhouse that also think that 2 year olds and terrors are synonymous.

[Zeebaby]

I have a 2.5 year old and a 4 year old. No way would I take them to the Steakhouse. They are only getting limited time at the MDR. A child's idea of a meal is sit, eat and get up. They are just not made to sit through two hour dinners. Thankfully we are traveling with family and ours are old enough for camp carnival, but when they were younger DH and I would take turns. One person stayed with the 6 mos old the other got alone time and a nice dinner. It sucked but it was what it was. I would suggest getting to know the camp carnival staff. Maybe one of them can care for your child while you go to the Steakhouse and have a nice dinner. It will just be stressful for you and you will be worried about your child and what others are thinking.

[ib4cruzn]

It is YOUR vacation! Feel free to disregard any and all rules. Never mind that many are issues requiring a modicum of common sense.

 

Look on the bright side. When those folks who wasted 70 bucks on an dinner that was interrupted by the "dog and pony show" come here to complain about it you can say thay you were there on the SAME NIGHT and everything was hunky-dory.

 

Here on CC it's all the rage...

 

 

YMMV

[ib4cruzn]

 

Oh and I've always gotten compliments on my son's behavior too.

 

Ah, but what do they say when you're not around?

[MrPete]

It is YOUR vacation! Feel free to disregard any and all rules. Never mind that many are issues requiring a modicum of common sense.

 

 

 

 

YMMV

 

And the rule is, kids are allowed, so it's not even an issue!

 

Everybody, mange!

[lovetocruise2020]

I love kids, but if we are paying additional for an upgraded meal, special occasion, event etc , and have to sit next to an active child during a 2 hour meal, I would hand the check to the parents that brought that active child to a 2 hour meal in a additional cost establishment. Not to mention the I pads, and color books. Its also not fair to the child to expect that they will not be restless or agitated during this type of meal. As for the parents who continually leave to calm the child, thats very distracting too. The tables are NOT that far apart.

[CatzNCruisesCA]

True, but the odds are in my favor.

 

It's really only the child haters that think they are the only ones that exist in a steakhouse that also think that 2 year olds and terrors are synonymous.

 

No, it's really only the selfish, entitled parents who think their child is above everyone else and has no consideration for others.

 

Expecting a quiet, adult experience in a $35/plate steakhouse is NOT child hating. Why on earth would you subject your toddler to a 2 hour dining experience?? It's funny how parents like to think that they're the only ones who know about child rearing, but I have enough sense to understand that a toddler is not going to have (or be expected to have) an attention span of an adult. It's not fair to force them into something that they are not prepared or able to handle.

 

And bringing an Ipad and coloring books to the steakhouse is not appropriate. This is not Chuck E Cheese, Applebees or TGI Fridays. And yes, the Steakhouse isn't exactly the Ritz, but people DO go there to celebrate special occasions or have a romantic dinner.

 

And by the way, we don't hate your child, so please stop playing the martyr card. There are plenty of places that are appropriate for a young baby that I have no problem with. I'll have some consideration when your kid is having a meltdown by the pool or screaming in the MDR, how about you have some consideration for others that may want a quiet experience in a restaurant?