Portable DVD at dinner

[larronry]

I think that being able to have children sit through an entire meal on a cruise without toys are DVD's is wonderful. I certainly did it growing up as my parents brought me everywhere. For those with kids who are capable or capable some of the time more power to you. To others with more challenging children such as myself I've never felt judged on a cruise, my son has been on Celebrity and Carnival, I've done what I needed to do to survive: crayons, toys, books, and yes the dreaded DVD player. With all that my husband and I have yet to be able to sit through an entire meal and the buffet isn't any easier.

 

Every child is different and has a different temperment be they typical or special needs and a parent needs to do what is necessary for them to get though events with the least possible distraction to other guests. Personally I'd rather see a child watching a DVD then hearing them whine and complain. And as mom's we deal with our children every day we deserve to be catered to on our cruise.

 

That said first I've never felt ostracized or judged on a cruise with what I offered my son to do in the dining room. In fact on his many walks around the dining room (always insisted on entering through the far door after walking the deck) he got to meet many passengers who then greeted him through out the day around the ship in a really nice to see you way not oh it's that pain in the a** kid again. Second this trip we are doing late diner and my son will be put in camp carnival so I can get through a meal and actually get to the desert and coffee. This was a very hard decision for me to make since I believe in family vacations and eating together.

 

Moms, Dads, Families, need to do what is best for them and for their children based on the individuality of all. There is always that one passenger who is the bad seed (I've never found them but I know they are around) so just be prepared with a good snappy (nice) comeback. "I'm so glad your kids were perfectly behaved why don't you spend the next 24 hours with me and show me what you did to get them so well behaved." or "Then I guess you would love to babysit and 'fix' my child." There are others on this board I've read in the past.

[poppan]

We just returned from a cruise on Celebrity with our 2.5 y.o. twins. We did not have a DVD player, not because I disapprove, but because I don't have one and wasn't organized enough to buy one before leaving on the trip.

 

We ate in the MDR more than I thought we would, not because they were well-behaved, but for reasons like: cabin steward was reluctant to do room service (he had to get the food from MDR kitchen), my parents did not want to join us in any other dining venue, so if we wanted to eat with them, it had to be MDR, etc.

 

So having said all that -- it was difficult but got easier. Not because the kids got used to it but because we learned what was working/what wasn't as night after night passed (it was 14 nights so we had a lot of nights to figure it out). Finally the combo that seemed to work fairly reliably FOR US was:

- make sure they are hungry enough to want to eat

- do not serve them the first two courses

- they get all their food, at once, when our entrees are served

 

For some reason our kids were more willing to sit there (actually they played in the space between their chairs and the window most of the time) if they were hungry and still waiting for their food. Once they were finished eating, however, DS would get really antsy and want to leave. Things worked much better when we delayed serving *any* of their food until well into the meal. And after the entree they knew ice cream was coming and were also willing to wait for that. I wish I had caught on to this sooner in the cruise as the first half of the dinners were quite disruptive for me -- I was the one who usually took them outside when they started acting up. I have to thank my fellow passengers and the wait staff for being so understanding about all the times I walked in and out of the MDR.

 

I did encounter a DVD player in a local restaurant and they had the sound on. I have to admit the sound annoyed me (even though I'm sure the parents thought it was "low" volume). If they hadn't had the sound on I probably wouldn't have noticed, and even if I did, I wouldn't have cared.

[CruisnKs]

Every child is different and has a different temperment be they typical or special needs and a parent needs to do what is necessary for them to get though events with the least possible distraction to other guests. Personally I'd rather see a child watching a DVD then hearing them whine and complain. And as mom's we deal with our children every day we deserve to be catered to on our cruise.

 

I have 8 children, ranging in age from 6 to 26. I can assure you the above post is the most accurate post in this thread. Have I had young children who would sit through an hour and half long dinner and enjoy every minute of it? You bet. I have also had young children who at certain times weren't able to sit still for longer than 3 minutes. Does that mean one child is better behaved than the other? No, it means they have different temperaments and appreciate different things.

I have also found that cruising can be very tiring for a child and dinners after a busy port day can be excruciating. Therefore...I do whatever it takes and that includes Sorrentos, Cafe Promenade, room service, Ipod touch or even the dreadful Nintendo DS. Out of courtesy to other passengers, I always request a table that accommodates just our family (usually only 4 of us) when I book cruises.

Lastly, the one thing I liked better on our Carnival cruise than on our RCCL cruises was the fact that I didn't feel like I had to feel guilty when my kids got a little too loud. If our ship wouldn't have "bumped" into another ship I would have booked Carnival again. ;)

[Julienatul]

Do whatever works for your family. We used the DVD player until my DD was 3, she now can sit through a long dinner without it and without disturbing others. We have taught her table manners and how to behave but the attention span of an infant-3yr old is very short so if a movie keeps them happy and quiet then so be it as long as it does not disturb others. Unfortunately most cruiselines do not offer babysitting for under age 2-3 until 10pm, way past dinner time. I am sure if they did, many parents would relish in a quiet meal while the kids played in camp at least some of the time! Its easy to say eat at the buffet but its not as easy as it looks. The items are spread out, you are trying to carry multiple meals, get drinks, find a place to sit all while keeping the child from running off or pushing a stroller. It is much easier to order off a menu and have someone bring you a meal. Our last cruise was wonderful in the dining room.Carnival somehow (hoping it wasnt a coincidence) grouped all the young families together in one section of the dining room. Literally the 20 tables around us all had kids under age 6. I thought this was a perfect concept and one more cruiselines should adopt. I was so worried about my 8 month-old acting out but when I saw we were surrounded by familes my stress level decreased significantly. Everytime I heard a child cry or fuss I went aahhh nothing to worry about I completely understand. I hope it happens again on my cruise this month.

[larronry]

Last year we were the only family with a child in our area. This year not everyone had kids but there were a lot of kids in our area. It does seem that they tend to put families with kids near the entrances. We ended up sitting with a wonderful family with the most perfectly behaved 3 year old little girl. OK I was very jealous at how quiet she was. The first night (the only night my son wasn't in Camp Carnival for at least part of dinner) I had the DVD player and the girl at the next child watched with my son. 2 tables down a boy had a psp portable.

 

With all my son's misbehavior's our table mates loved him and he even sat on the other mom's lap for the holiday show.

 

Several other families had a fussing kid here or there and those without kids didn't seem to mind and were even entertained by some of the antics.

 

The rest of the meals my son ate with camp carnival and we would get him in time for Banana Split. There was simply no way my son, even with toys, coloring, and a DVD player would sit through the entire 90 minute meal heck if it were a 15 minute meal he'd barely make it.

 

That said he offered to help sweep the buffet area and helped clear the table. He just loves to help just can't stay still for a meal.

[Chatim]

If you think it would make your child happy to have the DVD player at dinner-then you should do it. It's a vacation, for the children as well as the adults around them, so doing something special that they wouldn't be allowed to do at home could make their whole week! I'm not saying they should run wild, or disturb others, or that all rules are off, but doing something special for them is important. My two boys, then 7 and 6, thought being able to fall asleep to a TV on was the greatest evening activity ever (no TV in their rooms at home). Be considerate of others, but enjoy your family and children while they are little enough to be excited about everything they see and do. :D

[cjkbleonard]

As an educator, I see a teachable moment in every activity my children participate in regardless of age. I would never have considered taking a DVD player, or any other electronic device, into a restaurant. There was never a question of whether they would behave or how they would entertain themselves. I'm not implying that there are never situations in which a DVD player would be a blessing, my children who are now 9 and 12 have iPods and DS players, but there is a time and place for them. The MDR is a nice dining experience where such devices have no place. There are plenty of other options on the ship if your child cannot behave for such a long sit down experience. Really, what I am trying to impart to you is this, use this as an opportunity to teach your child the manners and skills they need in such a situation, you'll be surprised at just how much and how willing their little minds are to learn these things. Never underestimate the mind of a child.

[Onessa]

. . . I see a teachable moment in every activity my children participate in regardless of age. . . .

 

Ok then, only educational DVDs or video games on those electronic devices! :D

[Shellzbellz]

My youngest will be 15 months on our next cruise so I'm not sure whether a DVD player would work for her. If it would I would definitely use it. I've used all sorts of things to amuse and distract my kids when necessary and don't see the difference between crayons and paper and electronic devices (as long as they don't bother others!) My 2 older children (9 and 11) are fine at the table and love conversation with us and their grandparents who we will be travelling with.

 

Someone mentioned that the kids dinner happens very quickly. If we wanted to, could the adults dinner be served quite quickly as well? We should be at a table with only our family so this might be a good compromise to being able to have the lovely MDR meals without the lengthy time to try and amuse the youngest.

[Smithkids5521]

I am in the "yes- bring the dvd player" group... I thin it is a great idea and have used it quite often. We don't eat out that often, but when we do we usually order the kids meals to come out the same time as our appetizers... then by the time our meal comes out the kids are having dessert... and while we have either after dinner drink or dessert- the kids can watch a little something on the dvd player...

 

I wouldn't want my kids watching tv all day, but I don't think a 30 minute episode of Go Diego Go at dinner is going to be the end of the world!!!;)

[palaeologus]

Our daughter, who was just a few days short of being five, ate with our family (6 adults in total) in the MDR of the Fantasy at early seating on the first night and was intrigued by the waiters and bar staff and decor for all of about 10 minutes. She devolved into being a complainer after that, so we brought out mommy's iPod Touch -- that quieted her for one night. On the second night -- formal night -- the iPod Touch came out before the bread did, and I had to remove her briefly and deny her dessert when she became too visibly and noisily frustrated with a game she was playing. Her requests to eat with Camp Carnival each of the succeeding three nights were granted, and I couldn't really blame her for asking for that -- I remember being dreadfully bored throughout my childhood with sitting at a restaurant table full of grownups that wanted to talk about adult topics and didn't want to engage me in conversation, plus they always wanted me to try a lot of strange foods.

 

The MDR is just so far removed from most kids' daily dining experiences, and after this trip I probably won't try it again with DD until she is at least 8, especially if we don't have the "shelter" of an all-family table -- I would have been mortified if she had complained and acted up in front of strangers the way she did this time. I guess I am all for the gadgets on vacation if it allows their adult caregivers at least SOME peace at the dinner table for talking to each other and others seated there; a gadget does allow a child some escape from the strangeness of their surroundings, even if it didn't fully work for us in this particular situation.

[TravelSmarty]

Do you guys think it will be ok to take a small portable DVD player with no sound to dinner so the little one can watch?

Thanks~

I think that's okay as long as you didn't bother the others.And it will help you to make the little one tame.okay...

[Onessa]

My youngest will be 15 months on our next cruise so I'm not sure whether a DVD player would work for her. If it would . . .

When my DD was about 8-16MO my DH had a project at work that kept him on the road nearly every week day (leave Monday am, back on Friday night!). Without the blessing of a VCR (this was YEARS ago!) -- I'd have gone crazy! The only way I could shower was to pop a tape in and plop her in front of the TV!

 

She's 14YO now -- very well adjusted socially and gets straight A's (while taking Freshman Lit, Sophomore Biology, and Sophmore honors geometry as an 8th grader) -- so I don't think there was any permanent damage. She is very well mannered and only eats with her feet on rare occassions :D!

[dutchess43]

We brought my dvd player for my 14 month old at the time granddaughter & it was great. I strongly recommend it.