Do kids have to order off the kids' menu?

[scrapulous]

Mine are 8 and 10 and usually want to order from the adult menu at restaurants, as they aren't really big on traditional kids fare, except burgers, which they get sick of quickly. Can they order from the regular menu on Carnival, or do they have to stick to the kids' menu?

[Roz]

They can order whatever they want from either menu. Most kids I've seen eating in the DR order things off the main menu. It's a good opportunity for your kids to experiment with new foods.

 

Roz

[scrapulous]

Thank you!

[quincytoo]

My children have always ordered off the regular menus, we had them eating Thai food as toddlers, sushi soon after that, Indian soon after...LOL....

They would be horrified to have eaten off the childrens menu:rolleyes:

[CanadianTwosome]

Oh my gosh! My daughter would protest if they tried to 'force' her to order from the kids' menu!! :eek: I should warn you, though... once you introduce them to some of the 'richer' fare on cruises, it can get expensive at home! :p

[quincytoo]

Oh my gosh! My daughter would protest if they tried to 'force' her to order from the kids' menu!! :eek: I should warn you, though... once you introduce them to some of the 'richer' fare on cruises, it can get expensive at home! :p

 

That is so true....our youngest son, who has cruised with us the most, is always wanting to order at least three courses when we go out for dinner at land based restaurants :eek:

 

We gently protest and he repiles, "BUT!!! We always order three courses on the cruises" :rolleyes:

[dane225]

The kiddos can most definately order off the main menu. My two daughters order steak and shrimp every night on a cruise. That is one of the things they look forward to, ordering whatever they want! They love trying new foods! :D

[spaceflower77]

The kiddos can most definately order off the main menu. My two daughters order steak and shrimp every night on a cruise. That is one of the things they look forward to, ordering whatever they want! They love trying new foods! :D

 

 

Mine, too... My son, who was 8, decided the calamari and escargot were his favorite, he didn't like the lobster and can't wait to go back for the sushi bar. One of his favorite highlights of the WHOLE cruise, was the different foods he could try. They don't have that option when they eat with CC though, so that was a OTO for my kiddos... also the one night they ate with CC and we had a grownup night alone, our server and hostess wondered where the kids were and repeated several times that they would really like for us to bring them back the next night! ;)

[sbhdmh]

My 4 year old has an amazing appetite and LOVES fish of all sorts. She usually ordered 4 courses at dinner - almost all fish. The funniest was watching her eat mussels and after each bite feel the muscle in her arm to see if it was getting any bigger:)

[CruisinEars]

They can also mix and match. My 8dd on our Princess cruise would order an appetizer/soup off the adult menu, entree off kids and dessert off the adult menu. Or any combo of that depending on what looked good on each menu.

[seashell36]

On our last cruise we had the whole range of eaters - the 5 year old was strictly a kids menu eater, the 6 year old mixed and matched (always the fruit plate for appetizer though), the 9 year old had adult appetizer and entree but a kids dessert, and the 11 year old was straight adult menu. The 11 year old has always been the adventurous eater - loves sushi, all seafood, thai food, etc. We let them try what they want to and always encourage them to broaden their horizons.

[CanadianTwosome]

One great benefit of the exposure to so many new and different foods on cruises is the willingness to try more new things on land. My daughter actually goes out of her way to find new things to try on cruises - she even calls it 'a mission'. For the rest of the time when we're at home, I try to use that to my advantage - she's a great eater to start with, but even the most adventurous kid sometimes balks at trying some new foods. When that happens, I just remind her of when I recommended something on a cruise ship and how well that turned out. :)

[meatball77]

When we went two years ago my daughter then three ordered off the adult menu all but the first night. It's a problem if you order more courses than they do because they're finished before half your food is there.

 

Cruises are a great time to try new things because of all the courses. If they don't like the soup (and they love the chilled soups) then they might like the entree, and you can always order them chicken strips at the last minute if they hate everything.

[trapezemom]

My daughter always orders off the adult menu, but my husband who is a picky eater sometimes orders off the kid menu! He likes the kids salads better. One night my dd had mussels and dh had a burger!

[Cuizer2]

My two daughters order steak and shrimp every night on a cruise ... They love trying new foods! :D

Okay, I'm having a little trouble with this one. Assuming steak and shrimp is new on the first night, by the second night it is not. So if they order the same thing every night, how does that become "trying new foods"?

[amberc]

So glad they can order from either menu. My 7 yr old son loves lobster. I don't think he'd be too happy if we we're eating lobster and he was stuck with a burger or chicken nuggets! Lol.

[CanadianTwosome]

So glad they can order from either menu. My 7 yr old son loves lobster. I don't think he'd be too happy if we we're eating lobster and he was stuck with a burger or chicken nuggets! Lol.

 

Oh my gosh, we'd have a riot!! This reminds me of a conversation I had recently with my daughter. She's 11... just hitting the age range when girls start thinking about where meat comes from (according to my mom, who taught grade 8 home ec for 20 years). So... she informed me (over her Italian wedding soup with meatballs) that she was considering becoming a vegetarian. I laughed out loud and pointed out the meatballs in her soup... and then asked if she was going to enjoy sitting by eating lentils while her dad and I enjoyed some juicy steaks... Let's just say it wasn't an idea that lasted. :p (just to clarify, if it had been any other kid besides mine, I wouldn't have laughed - but if I've ever seen a meat-eater, it's her!)

[luv2travell]

my three tar old always eat my food when we go on the cruise never his so i stop ordering from kids menu since he was 1 year old

[jtm22372]

my dd is 16 months she has been eating seafood since i can remember we live like 100 ft from the ocean .just seems natural.the only thing to date i know she does not like is swordfish.:rolleyes:

[queenL]

I rarely order from the kids menu for my toddler. Kids menu's are typically loaded with greasy, fast food fare. Fried chicken fingers, french fries, pizza, hot dogs etc. I'm trying my best to teach her to eat healthier choices. Don't worry no one will say anything if you skip the kids meals.

[Cuizer2]

I rarely order from the kids menu for my toddler. Kids menu's are typically loaded with greasy, fast food fare. Fried chicken fingers ...

 

Chickens don't have fingers.

[queenL]

Chickens don't have fingers.

 

Are you serious? Have you really never heard of chicken fingers?

[Cuizer2]

Are you serious? Have you really never heard of chicken fingers?

Chickens have tows, but I haven't seen any chickens with fingers - yet.

[Ula]

Most children I have observed order off the regular menu. It is fun to watch because the wait staff will cut up their meat for them. The parents really do get a break.

[sparky-elpaso]

This is great. After spending some time on the Disney boards hearing about parents worrying about where they were going to eat with their children who would only eat 2 or 3 foods it's nice to see there are kids out there that are willing to try new foods. And parents like me who have always insisted that the kids try new things. I never made our sons eat something they really didn't like but they had to try at least a couple of bites of something new.