Mdr with young children

[mhahnster]

Going on first cruise in nearly 20 years soon, on the Breeze. This time I have 3 children in tow. The youngest age 3 and 6 and are every bit spirited. I have been recommended the Breeze as a fun ship with lots to offer for my children.

 

What is the general approach to small children in the main dining room? Is there a minimum age, are booster seats an option, do you get seated in a section with other young families? Any thoughts on what I can expect?

[Lovefuninthesun]

Going on first cruise in nearly 20 years soon, on the Breeze. This time I have 3 children in tow. The youngest age 3 and 6 and are every bit spirited. I have been recommended the Breeze as a fun ship with lots to offer for my children.

 

What is the general approach to small children in the main dining room? Is there a minimum age, are booster seats an option, do you get seated in a section with other young families? Any thoughts on what I can expect?

 

They try to seat folks of similar ages at a table. As far as placement in the dining room, you could be anywhere. There are always far more children at the early seating,

I have not seen booster seats, but could have missed them since have not truly been looking for them.

Sometimes the meal takes a while, with some time between courses. I have seen little children get very restless and cranky during the wait. You also have the option of having your children stay in Camp Carnival during dinner, I believe -- they all eat in the Lido buffet.

[GTO-Girl]

Going on first cruise in nearly 20 years soon, on the Breeze. This time I have 3 children in tow. The youngest age 3 and 6 and are every bit spirited. I have been recommended the Breeze as a fun ship with lots to offer for my children.

 

What is the general approach to small children in the main dining room? Is there a minimum age, are booster seats an option, do you get seated in a section with other young families? Any thoughts on what I can expect?

 

Not sure what you mean by "spirited"......;)...... but keep in mind that a dinner in the MDR can last 1 1/2 - 2 hrs. Sometimes it is very hard for the little ones to handle.

 

I believe that children are only able to learn about new situations if they given the experience. However if they become to restless or upset it would be proper to take them out of the MDR so as not to disrupt the other diners.....

 

I hope you and your children have a wonderful cruise!!!

[ShakyBeef]

I don't think you'll be seated in a with-kids section. I've never seen that done. Are you going with traditional (early or late) or YTD (Your Time Dining)? With traditional dining, families with children are usually seated at their own table, although they may sometimes be seated at a shared table with others. With YTD, you can request your own table or to sit with others each night when you show up.

 

No minimum age. All passengers no matter their age are welcome in the MDR.

 

Children's menus with a couple crayons for colouring and activities will be provided each night. Children are allowed to order off the adult menu, though.:)

[ShakyBeef]

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention there are booster seats and high chairs available.:)

[cjnwildfire]

Going on first cruise in nearly 20 years soon, on the Breeze. This time I have 3 children in tow. The youngest age 3 and 6 and are every bit spirited. I have been recommended the Breeze as a fun ship with lots to offer for my children.

 

What is the general approach to small children in the main dining room? Is there a minimum age, are booster seats an option, do you get seated in a section with other young families? Any thoughts on what I can expect?

 

Might I suggest "your time dining". We do this with our kids and it makes it easy to feed them when they are hungry and they don't turn into grimmlins...LOL

[mhahnster]

Wow. Lots of great replies.

 

"Spirited" means I doubt the 3yo will last through a 90 minute "good manners" seating without making himself known to the world :)

 

right now we're set for the early 6pm seating but had considered changing to YTD.

 

Camp carnival may be a cool option for us as well. We're really interested in the mdr experience but want to be kind to the kiddos and other cruisers.

[cjnwildfire]

Wow. Lots of great replies.

 

"Spirited" means I doubt the 3yo will last through a 90 minute "good manners" seating without making himself known to the world :)

 

right now we're set for the early 6pm seating but had considered changing to YTD.

 

Camp carnival may be a cool option for us as well. We're really interested in the mdr experience but want to be kind to the kiddos and other cruisers.

 

Try it at least once with him. I think he can do it!:D

[ShakyBeef]

Wow. Lots of great replies.

 

"Spirited" means I doubt the 3yo will last through a 90 minute "good manners" seating without making himself known to the world :)

 

right now we're set for the early 6pm seating but had considered changing to YTD.

 

Camp carnival may be a cool option for us as well. We're really interested in the mdr experience but want to be kind to the kiddos and other cruisers.

 

Just a thought based on what we did with ours when they were that little: have you taken them out to eat at restaurants much? We liked to use every restaurant meal to practice their manners, their quiet "restaurant voices" and their attention span / ability to sit still for long periods.

 

It worked really well for us, but then, of course, it was a long-term (read: never-ending:rolleyes::p) process. But, due in part at least to this practice, our girls have always been able to quietly enjoy all of their MDR meals, even at the age of 3. We've eaten every dinner on all of our family cruises in the MDR and never had an issue. In fact, we constantly get compliments from nearby diners on their behaviour. Uh oh - there I go bragging about my wonderful kids again.:o Any minute now, I'll be smacked down by a poster who thinks I'm lying and kids like this don't exist.:p

 

Anyway, not trying to tell you what to do - only you know how to parent your kids and all kids are different. I just thought I'd mention the restaurant practice technique in case you've never tried it. I truly don't mean to interfere and only have the best of intentions.:o

[mhahnster]

All kiddos are different. Our oldest was a dream at a young age, all ages actually. Our youngest has been more work, but agree that the real life experiences are the best to reinforce behavior. Just looking into how to ensure we all have a good time on the vacation.

[ShakyBeef]

Warning: If you allow (or, Heaven forbid, encourage) your young daughter to order off the adult menu on cruises, she might get a taste for lobster, filet mignon, "fancy" soups, escargot, duck, and ahi tuna. Then she might want to order those things at land restaurants all the time. Then, someday in the not-so-distant future, she might become a very expensive date for some unsuspecting boy. Don't ask me how I know this. I'll just say we don't see a lot of second dates in our daughter's future.:p

[sjn911]

You won't be alone and have lots of options to enjoy quicker meals at other restaurants/ venues..and the dining room too if you need to mix it up. I bet the waiters will help too.. Because you are preparing for options it will be fine..and again..there will be other little ones learning the same thing..Sarah

[OCruisers]

Absolutely, give the MDR a try with your children. :)

LuLu

[NavyCruiser]

Wow.

"Spirited" means I doubt the 3yo will last through a 90 minute "good manners" seating without making himself known to the world :)

 

:mad:

 

Please use some adult common sense here.

We don't blame the kids, we blame it all on the parents who think it's cute that they allow their own kids to be "spirited"

 

So how do your kids act in a 4 star restaurant at home?

If they act up at home, then it's the parents job to "teach" them proper manners & etiquette at the dinner table.

 

With over 20+ cruises under their belt, The military training etiquette our kids received since they were in diapers had served them well today, now that they're in college. All of our adult friends have even learned the "knife & fork" tips from them over the years. Not saying our kids are perfect, just that we took the time to teach & discipline them to behave in public.

 

Just our point of view.

Many will disagree.

Just like our sister's kids. Total disaster. Cannot sit still, talk quietly, nor not making a scene at any dinner table.

We haven't dined together for over 10 years, since we cannot tolerate bratty little monsters, now big HS monsters.

Sorry, don't believe in the new wave parenting styles today.

Kids have plenty of friends, they don't need you parents as a friend, they need you as a Parent! So act like one!

[mommiemudd]

our daughter has been cruising with us since she was 22 months old. When she was toddler/preschool age, we would order her meal right away and she would eat that while we enjoyed our appetizer round. Dinner can take a while, so usually before the main course arrived I would take her to the kids club. So for us it was the best of both worlds, we enjoyed family time at dinner and then she enjoyed her kid time. She's 13 now and appreciates the dining experience. I just can't remember when she started staying through the entire dinner, maybe when she was around age 8.

[mhahnster]

Navy cruiser - hence the reason I'm here asking for input. As I said In op I haven't been a cruiser in 20 years, and never with kids. It does seem that parenting styles is a hot topic for many but I'm not certain it answers my question about mdr setup for small kids.

 

Camp carnival recommendation was best I have heard so far.

 

Thanks everyone, I appreciate feedback so far!

[ShakyBeef]

:mad:

 

Please use some adult common sense here.

We don't blame the kids, we blame it all on the parents who think it's cute that they allow their own kids to be "spirited"

 

So how do your kids act in a 4 star restaurant at home?

If they act up at home, then it's the parents job to "teach" them proper manners & etiquette at the dinner table.

 

With over 20+ cruises under their belt, The military training etiquette our kids received since they were in diapers had served them well today, now that they're in college. All of our adult friends have even learned the "knife & fork" tips from them over the years. Not saying our kids are perfect, just that we took the time to teach & discipline them to behave in public.

 

Just our point of view.

Many will disagree.

Just like our sister's kids. Total disaster. Cannot sit still, talk quietly, nor not making a scene at any dinner table.

We haven't dined together for over 10 years, since we cannot tolerate bratty little monsters, now big HS monsters.

Sorry, don't believe in the new wave parenting styles today.

Kids have plenty of friends, they don't need you parents as a friend, they need you as a Parent! So act like one!

 

Ouch!:eek::mad:

 

What the heck, man? Why are you jumping all over the OP? why did you edit his quote to look like it is saying something different than it did? His post started with: "Wow. Lots of great replies." not "Wow.

"Spirited" means..." Why did you edit that out?:confused:

 

He is here seeking advice and tips and info on what to expect in the MDR with his intentions to be considerate clearly expressed: "We're really interested in the mdr experience but want to be kind to the kiddos and other cruisers." He's doing research on this ahead of time and actually cares about those around him, unlike so many others we have all surely seen.

 

What makes you think he's not using "adult common sense"? What makes you think just because he describes his toddler as spirited he thinks it's "cute" to let him misbehave? You have no idea what kind of parent he is, other than the fact that he actually cared enough to look into the situation and expectations beforehand. And that is a sign of wise parenting, rather than otherwise. Why are you taking out your anger about "bratty little monsters" on him? Totally not cool. And totally uncalled for.

[comxkid]

Navy cruiser - hence the reason I'm here asking for input. As I said In op I haven't been a cruiser in 20 years, and never with kids. It does seem that parenting styles is a hot topic for many but I'm not certain it answers my question about mdr setup for small kids.

 

Camp carnival recommendation was best I have heard so far.

 

Thanks everyone, I appreciate feedback so far!

 

You can ask your waiter to expedite the meal as quickly as possible to keep dining time to a minimum (especially if you are at your own table or sharing a table with other young parents and their children). The majority of the waiters are good with children and help keep them amused and happy.

 

Our kids have always eaten with us from a young age to now. If they became "fidgety", Mom or Dad would quickly finish up and take them to the children's program.

Edited August 8, 2014 by comxkid

[bitemyfly]

It's all good there will be many people on board "in the same shoes"

It's the perfect setting for children and learning to deal with 1.5 hrs dinner seating

Enjoy

[singsong]

If your children are entertained with small electronics, that can help with a longer dinner, and the waiters will work with you to get you in and out quickly if that is what you want. You might even consider taking the late seating. You could feed the kids in the Lido, drop them off at Camp Carnival and enjoy child free dinners on your vacation. It's up to you, and only you know how well your children will do at dinner.

[sewut]

We've taken our granddaughter on cruises. One time we were at a booth by ourselves and another time we were seated at a table with other young children. We raised her and she was used to adults and knew how to behave. She attended church with us from birth, and was used to being quiet when appropriate. When spoken to, she could carry on a conversation with adults about our doings ashore and others at the table remarked on her maturity.

She even read her own menu at 5, and ordered her own dinner.

Last December we cruised with 4 grandchildren and their parents. The youngest, 2, is what you call spirited. He sat in a high chair and his plate and silverware had to be moved out of the way so he could color on his menu. He won over the waiters the first night, and they catered to him and his siblings. We didn't have to rush through dinner, we all enjoyed our meal. There was one DGD who had to go to the restroom every night, even if we stopped before dinner to take her. No problem, Mon. DD and I took turns taking her.

Enjoy your vacation with your kids, they'll be gone before you know it.

[janm8144]

After 11 cruises with different age children traveling with us, Carnival wait staff & dining room are great at handling all ages. Your children will let you know right away if they want to go back every night & you can decide what to do then. You'll be surprised how these things change once on board! (Although I always research ahead of time,too.) Have a great cruise!!!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[averysmama]

I've taken my daughter on 2 cruises and she will be going on her third in a couple months. The first time she was 2.5y, second time was 5.5y, and this upcoming will be 6.5y…. she has always been very well behaved in the dining room. I would never not let her go, if she were to get loud or restless, I'd try to occupy her. Kids are generally just loud though. Take them and have fun.

[RuthlessBoss]

It's all good there will be many people on board "in the same shoes"

It's the perfect setting for children and learning to deal with 1.5 hrs dinner seating

Enjoy

 

I agree children need to learn dining out skills, but waiting until they go to the MDR the first time is not when they need to start the learning. Maybe start at home first so they'll have a clue. This should also make it easier for you.

[Seago2]

Take your kids to the MDR. If they hate it, or don't do well, or the whole thing is stressful because of the youngest one, you'll know you're at the time of your life where the Lido is your home :p. My 16 year old loves the MDR. When he was 5 it was like pulling teeth. He would nibble on 1/10th of his chicken fingers and drink water. He would quietly play his Nintendo DS before the food came but let's get real: he considered the whole thing torture.

 

You'll know. Have a great time. Carnival is very child friendly. If your kids start to act up, scoop them up, head for the exit, and up to the Lido you go. It's all good.