Cruisers with kids, Food tips

[pe4all]

My special needs dd ate only chicken nuggets and fries literally the first 7 years of life.  We began cruising when she was 7, and cruising opened up a whole new world of food for her.  She all of a sudden wanted to taste the interesting looking food on our plates.  Now 34, she is still kind of food limited, but when cruising (and she has been on 31 CCL cruises now) she has her dining room favs to go to.  Now - if only I can get dh to stop ordering the kid's pizza or spaghetti and banana split......

[carohs]

On 2/26/2023 at 8:47 AM, codeyell0 said:

The buffet has no kid's options.  

I'm shocked! How picky are your kids?

My kids had absolutely no problem eating from the buffet on Spirit. I can't remember what they ate but besides pizza, they often got soup or Caesar salad. One night they had mozz sticks, and I definitely remember seeing mashed taters and pasta options. Oh, and DD did get a grilled cheese once after hearing another cruiser order one, so we did figure out that was an option. 

 

[pe4all]

You can also get a hotdog and grilled cheese from the Deli, along with fries.  

[Sundsgn]

OP didn’t really say what the food allergies are, so it is kind of difficult to make suggestions based on anything - whatever kid friendly is. That should be clarified for real suggestions. Kid friendly to me sounds like junk food - run of the mill processed food like mac and cheese and nuggets, fries, pizza - which is usually full of gluten and oils that are allergens. There’s plenty of that on the ships. The salad bar is decent, so they must not like vegetables, and there is a ton of fruit, so they must not like that either. If there were really big concerns, the maitre d or the menus offer up alternatives, they make it super clear you can ask for it. That being said, we don’t have food allergies so our kids were raised just eating the meals I would cook, and still even as teens prefer veggies and fruits. Kids are products of their environment unless there are real medical issues/allergies and sensitivities involved. We’ve never had problems with the kids eating or finding SOMETHING on a cruise. 

[lesliejaykat]

What makes a food a kid food?  I can't believe you can't find something on the buffet your kids would eat. 

[Eli_6]

I don't have picky kids either. In fact, one time all the adults ordered lobster and didn't like it (it wasn't good lobster) and my younger son (who was then 4 years old) ate everyone else's lobster. He ate 6 lobsters!

Edited March 8, 2023 by Eli_6

[BoozinCroozin]

I think there are tons of dining options, even with allergies. I think you have to go to insane extremes not to find something kids can have. I am still the most picky eater I know and there is more than enough options on a ship to eat. I know late night is pretty much pizza until like 7AM or room service. 

[Riles34]

We had three kids 4 and under this past week on the Celebration. Kids menus was a great fall back option. Our kids at from the main menu as much as possible but when they needed something else we ordered, noodles with butter, PBJ, chicken nuggets, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, spaghetti, fruit salad, french fries, veggies etc.

 

You can always ask for something and 9 times out of 10 they will make it for you. We didn't have any issues.

[ninjacat123]

My sister was vegan and gluten intolerant and Carnival was very accommodating to what she needed. If I had children with food allergies, I know Carnival would take great care of them, especially in MDR.  You just need to let them know.  Good luck on your next cruise!!

[MistyRo76]

On 3/2/2023 at 10:57 AM, JenCruise710 said:

We have a super picky eater, so I've taken to trying to encourage her to try more new things leading up to the cruise. She gets a stamp/sticker for each new thing she tries and if she fills the whole card before our cruise this summer, we told her we'd take her to the fancy restaurant to get whatever she wants, even if it's just every dessert on the menu. lol. She's 6, so if it even gets 1 new thing on her regular rotation, I'll claim it as a win.  We're already seeing less drama around new things. Just a thought. 

 

That's a GREAT idea! 

 

We took my husbands kids on a cruise when they were 8 and 11. They are super pick eaters, especially his son. We told them that they had to try at least one new food at lunch and dinner every day of the cruise. My step son learned he liked fried chicken and he enjoyed the short ribs. I counted that as a win. 

 

When we had our daughter, we didn't cater to her the way his older kids were catered too. She always was given what we were having for dinner with the one exception being if we were having something highly spicy (like chili or a spicy curry - we do enjoy spicy foods!). She's 9 now and most people comment on what a good eater she is - she eats about every kind of meat, has never met a fruit she doesn't like, enjoys most veggies (green beans are a big NO for her though), and doesn't drink sodas. We'll occasionally allow her a soda when we are out somewhere - but usually after a couple sips, she's over it. 

 

We just booked a cruise for this October and it'll be her first since she was 3. I'm excited for her to be exposed to even more types of food on this vacation! It's good for them to get out of their comfort zones! 

[JenCruise710]

5 hours ago, MistyRo76 said:

That's a GREAT idea! 

 

We took my husbands kids on a cruise when they were 8 and 11. They are super pick eaters, especially his son. We told them that they had to try at least one new food at lunch and dinner every day of the cruise. My step son learned he liked fried chicken and he enjoyed the short ribs. I counted that as a win. 

 

When we had our daughter, we didn't cater to her the way his older kids were catered too. She always was given what we were having for dinner with the one exception being if we were having something highly spicy (like chili or a spicy curry - we do enjoy spicy foods!). She's 9 now and most people comment on what a good eater she is - she eats about every kind of meat, has never met a fruit she doesn't like, enjoys most veggies (green beans are a big NO for her though), and doesn't drink sodas. We'll occasionally allow her a soda when we are out somewhere - but usually after a couple sips, she's over it. 

 

We just booked a cruise for this October and it'll be her first since she was 3. I'm excited for her to be exposed to even more types of food on this vacation! It's good for them to get out of their comfort zones! 

While I think the not catering definitely helps, some kids are just picky. I was determined to have a sushi lover by 3 and she's a hot dog chicken nugget kid. Drives me batty, but I pick my battles and don't want food to be one of them. She eats a great variety of fruits and veggies and eventually she'll expand her palette. For now, she eats what we eat or cereal. Probably why she loves restaurants so much - she can get whatever she wants. Lol. 

[ninjacat123]

This is a funny subject.  My DDs have eaten adult food very early on and enjoyed it.  My youngest DD wrote on her first grade "what I love" paper how she loved my tilapia dish that I make.  Now at 20, she doesn't like tilapia😲.  Both DDs love escargot and frog legs (thanks Carnival!) but heaven forbid I served roast chicken.  I thought my DDs (especially my youngest) would eat anything but as they have gotten older, their palates have diminished.  Or maybe my cooking isn't up to snuff.

I think children turn into adults and what they like is up to them.  😉

[vswan]

My daughter was about 15 when she went on her first cruise - year ago. One of the appetizers on the menu was caviar. She ate it as quickly as she could because she didn't like it. When the waiter saw hers was gone and that her toast she was supposed to eat it on wasn't, he brought her a whole new helping and showed her how she was supposed to eat it. So, instead of choking down one plate, she choked down two. Has always been an adventurous eater and willing to try anything.

[sgttami]

I sometimes wish my young granddaughters ate the "kid menu" stuff.  They were always adventurous eaters .

 

Clams casino, escargot, shrimp alfredo, lobster etc.

 

Would save me $$$ at restaurants when we go out. LOL

 

Chicken fingers and hot dogs are a lot less than veal marsala and crab legs.

 

They still do like a good pizza, grilled cheese and PBJ too!

[staceyglow]

2 hours ago, JenCruise710 said:

. I was determined to have a sushi lover by 3 and she's a hot dog chicken nugget kid.

 

Are you talking about the sushi with the raw fish?  Most pediatricians will tell you that kids under 5 shouldn't eat it because their immune systems are developed enough to handle the potential bacteria.

[Jasonsterling]

This might be an example of the biggest "first world problem" in the world. The idea that kid's need something different to eat or will only eat certain things- you don't find that problem in places where there's a shortage of food choices. You state that room service menu had things your kids "would" eat but then later try to retcon that into "allergies". What on the room service menu suits their "allergies"? Allergies are a "could eat" situation- not having a kid's menu on the buffet is a "would eat" situation. Here's my tip, my son eats what I and the rest of his family eats at home and abroad and always has. He had to try something before telling me he didn't like it- if he ate a bite and didn't like it, fine, don't eat it but I'm not going to grill up a cheese sandwich or nuke nuggets. He had to eat something else that was there for the family on the table. I've never asked or ordered off a kids menu for him even when they brought him one as a kid. Now, as a teenager, he readily tries new things and eats what the rest of us eat because he was raised to do so. That's my tip- raise your child as an adult and you'll end up with an adult when you're done.   

[carohs]

We've also raised our kids with what we eat, they have to try it first. DH says he'll give a PBJ if they don't like it, but it's never come to that; there's always at least one part of the meal they'll eat. My kids are now old enough that I've got a solid understanding of what they do and don't like. They're also old enough to understand they don't have to eat what they say they don't like. So sometimes they will say they don't like something they've eaten half a dozen other times, usually around a holiday when they have lots of treats around. Well guess what? They don't get a treat, if they don't finish a meal. I'm not letting them waste food I know they'll eat, and I'm not going to listen to"I'm hungry" later in an attempt to have extra pie or whatever. This applies on the ship too. No way I'm letting my kids fill up on soft serve and then they "don't like" anything at dinner. 

I've seen parents with some of the pickiest eaters, and typically those kids can be found sometime after the meal with some kind of junk food (nuggets, pizza, chips) and the parent(s) think at least they're eating something. Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know why those kids are so "picky". 

[JenCruise710]

18 hours ago, staceyglow said:

Are you talking about the sushi with the raw fish?  Most pediatricians will tell you that kids under 5 shouldn't eat it because their immune systems are developed enough to handle the potential bacteria.

Sushi is both raw and cooked and I assume most sushi eaters know to introduce kids to cooked things first. Considering my now 6 year old still won't even eat cooked crabmeat much less try anything with seaweed or wasabi, it's not anything we've had to navigate. 

 

[Drew B 58]

On 3/2/2023 at 7:57 AM, JenCruise710 said:

We have a super picky eater, so I've taken to trying to encourage her to try more new things leading up to the cruise. She gets a stamp/sticker for each new thing she tries and if she fills the whole card before our cruise this summer, we told her we'd take her to the fancy restaurant to get whatever she wants, even if it's just every dessert on the menu. lol. She's 6, so if it even gets 1 new thing on her regular rotation, I'll claim it as a win.  We're already seeing less drama around new things. Just a thought. 

 

I did something similar with my nieces and nephews on a cruise.  They got a sticker for each new food they tried and at the end of the week, the one with the most stickers got a prize.  They scammed me a little by getting a bunch of stickers for various types of boxed cereal they said they had never tried, but the one who won ate things that I wouldn’t even try!  Like fried oysters!  🤢

[msjackie]

We took our 4 kids on a cruise years ago and they were excited to "dress up" and have a nice dinner and be catered to. It helped that the wait staff remembered All their names and loved offering them and encouraged them to try "new" things. They actually tried the Escargot and Frog Legs. They still talk about it as adults. It was a great experience for them. I'm just glad I didn't have to cook any of it! 🙂

[trummy]

What is kid's food?  When I was a kid we ate the same food as adults. My children were raised the same way. Lean meats and vegetables. None of us have ever been overweight.

Am I the only one who has noticed that the most unhealthy part of any menu is the kid's section? It is all fried and processed carbs.

Training kids to eat this way explains why obesity and other dietary conditions are on the rise for young people. Back in the day obesity was a rarity, not a norm.

Edited April 2, 2023 by trummy

[DeanDeeDee]

On 3/2/2023 at 11:52 AM, 4hunters said:

Maybe it's just me, but when I was a kid my parents didn't cater to my tastes.  I was offered whatever was being served and if I didn't eat, I went hungry. 

 

As a kid I would have been ecstatic to be offered free roam at a buffet so I could choose exactly what I wanted. 😉

That was exactly the way I grew up.  Back in the day, every Friday was fish - not a fan, but I learned to eat it.  Never had chicken nuggets; only pizza at a pizza place and hamburgers at a holiday picnic.  My Mom was a fantastic cook and I learned to love her beef and lamb stews, chicken and rice, stuffed cabbage and stuffed pepper, etc, etc,!

[jerseygirlinAZ]

On 3/2/2023 at 8:57 AM, JenCruise710 said:

We have a super picky eater, so I've taken to trying to encourage her to try more new things leading up to the cruise. She gets a stamp/sticker for each new thing she tries and if she fills the whole card before our cruise this summer, we told her we'd take her to the fancy restaurant to get whatever she wants, even if it's just every dessert on the menu. lol. She's 6, so if it even gets 1 new thing on her regular rotation, I'll claim it as a win.  We're already seeing less drama around new things. Just a thought. 

 

 

That's a cool idea.  Our seven-year old is a bit picky, but getting better.  (I think she is getting tired of chicken nuggets, lol.)  Thanks for sharing.

[Drazil65]

Back in the day obesity was a rarity, not a norm.

 

I cant say the foods I grew up with were exactly healthy (frying things was real as well as using lots of butter!) BUT we also played outside...hey...there's a new concept, cut back on the screen time!  

Edited April 3, 2023 by Drazil65

[Eli_6]

27 minutes ago, Drazil65 said:

Back in the day obesity was a rarity, not a norm.

 

I cant say the foods I grew up with were exactly healthy (frying things was real as well as using lots of butter!) BUT we also played outside...hey...there's a new concept, cut back on the screen time!  

Wouldn't being a picky eater make you less likely to be obese? 

 

My sons are the same height and one is 40-50 lbs heavier than the other. The heavier one is the one who is always outside and plays multiple sports. What is more: They eat the same things.  Some of it is just genetics, metabolism, and bone structure.  

Edited April 3, 2023 by Eli_6