Adult Dinner? What Happens with the kids?

[MrsVandDisney]

Hi everyone,

First time cruiser here - we're really looking forward to our 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise in May. I have a question which I am hoping someone will be able to answer. My husband will be turning 40 on the cruise so I was thinking of booking a dinner at Remy to celebrate. I was able to get a table at 7 (booking says 7-10). So what happens with our kids (age 6 & 4)? Should I change the reservation for sooner? Or cancel altogether?

Thanks in advance!

 

[cashe]

We are putting our daughter in the kids clubs, they will feed them there. However, I moved our res to 730 (sailing in May also) so that we can order room service for her because I heard the selection of food offered in the kids club isn't varied.

I don't think you should cancel. I think the only thing I would be concerned about is how late your 4 year old can stay up? Dinner will most likely be over by 10, but you can let your server know you'd like the pace stepped up a bit if need be, but it's about the experience also so I wouldn't try to rush it completely.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hi everyone,

First time cruiser here - we're really looking forward to our 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise in May. I have a question which I am hoping someone will be able to answer. My husband will be turning 40 on the cruise so I was thinking of booking a dinner at Remy to celebrate. I was able to get a table at 7 (booking says 7-10). So what happens with our kids (age 6 & 4)? Should I change the reservation for sooner? Or cancel altogether?

Thanks in advance!

Well, a 6 & 4 year old won't be joining you for dinner. Not sure what you mean by "change the reservation for sooner".

You can feed your kids at Cabanas, or from one of the poolside quick serves. Or do room service, and then take them to Oceaneer's Club while you dine.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are putting our daughter in the kids clubs, they will feed them there. However, I moved our res to 730 (sailing in May also) so that we can order room service for her because I heard the selection of food offered in the kids club isn't varied.

I don't think you should cancel. I think the only thing I would be concerned about is how late your 4 year old can stay up? Dinner will most likely be over by 10, but you can let your server know you'd like the pace stepped up a bit if need be, but it's about the experience also so I wouldn't try to rush it completely.

One note, dinner in the kid's club is at a set time. Make sure that time is when she is in there. They don't just have food available at all times. And they don't make the kids eat. They will announce "dinner's here", but it's up to the kid to actually sit down and eat it.

 

[cashe]

One note, dinner in the kid's club is at a set time. Make sure that time is when she is in there. They don't just have food available at all times. And they don't make the kids eat. They will announce "dinner's here", but it's up to the kid to actually sit down and eat it.

thank you! i changed it because I had read that we could order from the MDR menu (cat T) but that they prefer you order at around the time of either the early or late seating so I wanted to order food to the room early and allow her to eat before we took her to the club. I'm just hoping 730 will give me time to see the sunset from Remy. If not, oh well.

 

[bumbershoot]

You could also *go* to the MDR at your normal seating time (if the timing works) with the kids, have them eat, then take them to the club.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[lbgraves]

You also have the option to get food from the quick service locations on the pool deck and take that to the room. Your kids can eat & watch a movie while you get ready.

 

[Tiki Bird]

I found this on the official Disney cruise site:
http://disneycruise.disney.go.com/ships-activities/ships/magic/youth-clubs/oceaneer-club/

Children are invited to enjoy lunch and dinner at Disney's Oceaneer Club, which can be especially convenient for parents looking for some alone time at Palo. For those not wishing to dine with us, activities will be available during meal times.

For families partaking in the second dinner seating, parents can opt to have their children take part in Dine and Play. In this program, children receive their meals earlier and are then escorted by counselors to youth clubs, while adults can enjoy their dinner at a more leisurely pace. To participate, please let your server know upon your arrival.​

 

[noahsmom]

Your children a little young for this, but once our son turned 10 he would go to the MDR while we went to Palo. We would go with him (we always have early dining) to get him settled and then head off to Palo. The first couple of times we let him dine without us, our table mates insisted that he join them. Disney has always done a fantastic job assigning us table mates with kids of similar age. A couple of years ago (he would have been about 15), he was the only one at the table and was treated like a king. He was so excited when we met up with him later - he wanted us to eat somewhere else the rest of the cruise.

When he was younger he ate in the kids club. That was on the older ships though and they actually took the kids to Beach Blanket Buffet to eat (they have secret passage ways so they don't lose kids).

 

[gourt]

Last week, on our Fantasy cruise, there was a table of 8 kids left in the MDR while the parents went to Palo for dinner. The server essentially had to babysit the kids, take their orders, feed them, clean them up when they spilled, even take them to the toilet. I've never seen anything like it. The server was excused from handling any other table so her serving partners were extra busy doing her duties with the rest of their tables while she stood guard at the kids table. I really wanted to buy that woman a drink when it was all over. I kept wondering why they didn't just take the kids to the clubs, or some of the other options listed here. Our server said on one cruise he had a table of 16 kids left for him to watch and feed while parents left for Palo. OMG!

 

[perditax]

Last week, on our Fantasy cruise, there was a table of 8 kids left in the MDR while the parents went to Palo for dinner. The server essentially had to babysit the kids, take their orders, feed them, clean them up when they spilled, even take them to the toilet. I've never seen anything like it. The server was excused from handling any other table so her serving partners were extra busy doing her duties with the rest of their tables while she stood guard at the kids table. I really wanted to buy that woman a drink when it was all over. I kept wondering why they didn't just take the kids to the clubs, or some of the other options listed here. Our server said on one cruise he had a table of 16 kids left for him to watch and feed while parents left for Palo. OMG!

Wow, this seems crazy.

 

[Alexle2007]

DH and I are going to Palo for the 1st time on our April cruise for his birthday but I chose an early reservation so we can have dinner while DS8 enjoys the kids club and then we will pick him up and have a 2nd "dinner" in the MDR with DS.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Last week, on our Fantasy cruise, there was a table of 8 kids left in the MDR while the parents went to Palo for dinner. The server essentially had to babysit the kids, take their orders, feed them, clean them up when they spilled, even take them to the toilet. I've never seen anything like it. The server was excused from handling any other table so her serving partners were extra busy doing her duties with the rest of their tables while she stood guard at the kids table. I really wanted to buy that woman a drink when it was all over. I kept wondering why they didn't just take the kids to the clubs, or some of the other options listed here. Our server said on one cruise he had a table of 16 kids left for him to watch and feed while parents left for Palo. OMG!

Yikes!

I certainly wouldn't recommend letting kids younger than about 10 years old dine alone in the MDRs. I would let tweens and teens do it IF I knew them to be trustworthy and respectful.

 

[lbgraves]

That sounds as bad as the table of young kids left in PC one cruise while the parents all went to Palo. This was reported on the boards a couple weeks before our cruise and when I mentioned it to our server he just closed his eyes and shook his head. The kids climbed on everything [including the portholes nearby], threw dishes around, broke things, and ended up throwing food at other guests. One DISer decided to go inform the parents what was happening in PC. They were basically met with a "what about it" attitude. They didn't care that their kids were making diner miserable for the other guests and the servers weren't able to do anything about it either.

Our kids went to the club when they were younger. At 7 & 9 we were cruising with friends and one of the 12 yos with our group babysat the kids during dinner and we met up with them at the show after Palo. After age 10 they went to the MDR on their own, but they knew there were DISers nearby and we would hear about it if they had acted up.

 

[perditax]

Someone please tell me that unattended children in the MDRs is the exception and not the rule.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Someone please tell me that unattended children in the MDRs is the exception and not the rule.

Definitely the exception and not the rule.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Someone please tell me that unattended children in the MDRs is the exception and not the rule.

While it is the exception, it does happen. Typically with "older" kids (9ish and up) when parents are doing the adult dining.

 

[tweis]

Someone please tell me that unattended children in the MDRs is the exception and not the rule.

My children dined unattended in Lumiere's last year. Of course, they were 11 & 12 and were actually encouraged by our servers to eat in the MDR instead of on the pool deck. We were told the next night how well mannered and behaved our children were. As for younger children dining alone, I haven't experienced that yet.

 

[jrabbit]

don't worry (much). Unattended children are the exception.

However, even if their parents are there .... well some parents just don't care ... "It's MY vacation, me and the kids will do whatever we darn well please!" What these few people don't think about .... It's also my vacation so please don't ruin it for me and my family