Adult Dinner? What Happens with the kids?

[Dug720]

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

Amen! Have I shared "The Mystery of the Pea" from my Dream cruise Feb 2013 before?

 

[perditax]

Usually when I go this far into this territory I start getting the 'you shouldn't cruise DCL' type responses, and maybe deservedly so, but sometimes reading these boards I wonder if I should avoid the MDR altogether.

(New cruiser/first cruise in Sept/no kids but looking forward to Disney theming and adults-only areas/introvert and sensitivity to noisy crowds, unless I'm explicitly going to a large concert or something. And even then I get overwhelmed.)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Usually when I go this far into this territory I start getting the 'you shouldn't cruise DCL' type responses, and maybe deservedly so, but sometimes reading these boards I wonder if I should avoid the MDR altogether.

(New cruiser/first cruise in Sept/no kids but looking forward to Disney theming and adults-only areas/introvert and sensitivity to noisy crowds, unless I'm explicitly going to a large concert or something. And even then I get overwhelmed.)

I'd suggest that you give MDRs a try. You really can't make a decision as to whether it's "too much" for you or not until you've done it. "Too much" for you will be different than "too much" for someone else.

Personally, the only really annoying noise issues we've ever encountered were in Animator's Palate on the Wonder & Magic. And I think it has/had a lot to do with the lack of "soft" materials in the room to absorb sound.

 

[Dug720]

Usually when I go this far into this territory I start getting the 'you shouldn't cruise DCL' type responses, and maybe deservedly so, but sometimes reading these boards I wonder if I should avoid the MDR altogether.

(New cruiser/first cruise in Sept/no kids but looking forward to Disney theming and adults-only areas/introvert and sensitivity to noisy crowds, unless I'm explicitly going to a large concert or something. And even then I get overwhelmed.)

Solo adult cruiser here, and I love the MDRs.

"The Mystery of the Pea" happened on my Feb 2013 Dream cruise. My sister had gotten permission to eat with me and we had our own table. There was a table near us with children who were with parents but not parented if you know what I mean. Running all around and creating a mess. One of our two nights in AP, our table had been cleaned and we were waiting for dessert when we looked down and suddenly there was a single green pea in the middle of our table. We just looked at it and cracked up because we knew it wasn't ours but we had a pretty good idea where it came from.

But generally the MDRs are fine!

 

[Weedy]

My 2 cents- I don't understand why when people go to Palo/Remy they sit through a meal with their kids???
When we cruised when my kids were young they wanted to eat a quick meal either from the restaurants on the pool deck or room service. Rather than sit for an hour+ in one of the main dining rooms. I feel the only dining room that they may feel they missed something is Animators but that is just Crush talking to a table that may not even be yours.
I will say my kids have always loved the clubs and spent every waking moment in the clubs.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My 2 cents- I don't understand why when people go to Palo/Remy they sit through a meal with their kids???
When we cruised when my kids were young they wanted to eat a quick meal either from the restaurants on the pool deck or room service. Rather than sit for an hour+ in one of the main dining rooms. I feel the only dining room that they may feel they missed something is Animators but that is just Crush talking to a table that may not even be yours.
I will say my kids have always loved the clubs and spent every waking moment in the clubs.

I have a dinner booked in Palo for the last night of our cruise. My Palo reservation is for 6:00 and we have second seating for dinner so my plan is to let my DD (11yo) and niece (16yo) go to the show alone and then I go to dinner with them in the MDR. Obviously, I won't actually be eating at the MDR dinner. If we get the dining rotation I've requested, that last night will be in Animator's Palate and I don't want to miss that show. It won't be Crush. It will be the animation show and I don't want to miss that. Also, I want to sit with the kids while they eat dinner that last night so we can talk and discuss the cruise. The last morning will be hectic with trying to disembark and so this will be our last time to sit through a leisurely meal together. I'd rather sit through two meals than miss that opportunity to bond with them over dinner.

 

[bumbershoot]

Usually when I go this far into this territory I start getting the 'you shouldn't cruise DCL' type responses, and maybe deservedly so, but sometimes reading these boards I wonder if I should avoid the MDR altogether.

I've never seen even a teenager sitting by themselves at an MDR, let alone a group of little kids. So not everyone sees these things.

My 2 cents- I don't understand why when people go to Palo/Remy they sit through a meal with their kids???

If the kids want to dine there, why wouldn't they hit the MDR? We would have done so if we hadn't had Enchanted Garden on the night of our Palo reservation. We all find EG's vegetarian options to be vile, so we had NO problems skipping it. DS had pizza on the deck then went to the Lab and it was all good. If it had been another dining room it would have been different, because he likes the food at the other ones.

 

[Footnotegirl]

Usually when I go this far into this territory I start getting the 'you shouldn't cruise DCL' type responses, and maybe deservedly so, but sometimes reading these boards I wonder if I should avoid the MDR altogether.

(New cruiser/first cruise in Sept/no kids but looking forward to Disney theming and adults-only areas/introvert and sensitivity to noisy crowds, unless I'm explicitly going to a large concert or something. And even then I get overwhelmed.)

Seriously, I wouldn't worry about it too much. When DH and I did our first cruise, we were both childfree and REALLY of the opinion that kids might get out of hand. You shouldn't cruise DCL if you have a deep and abiding hatred of all kids, but seriously... bad behavior is generally the exception rather than the rule. We really only saw one or two instances of bad behavior on our previous 4 cruises (on the first one, kids running into the elevators and hitting all of the buttons before trying to jump off... until a guy grabbed one of them and made him ride the elevator the WHOLE way, up and down, every stop). The other one was kids running up and down the hall too late at night knocking on doors, and that ended with one phone call to guest services. Again, both of these happened only once on 4 cruises. Even adults who aren't big fans of kids (which we weren't, and we're mostly only a fan of OUR kid honestly) will be fine with a Disney cruise. We've found that since they have so much to do and places to go with eachother, feral packs of roaming children is not generally an issue.

 

[Footnotegirl]

In reply to the OP, put the kids in the club. This will be our first year with our daughter in the club, but on our last cruise she was in the nursery not only for Palo and Remy dinners, but also on sea days so that we could go on some excursions. If you are worried about them eating, there are a lot of options. We have scheduled our Palo dinner on our next cruise early, so that we can then take her to dinner in the MDR afterwards (we have second seating).

 

[Dug720]

If the kids want to dine there, why wouldn't they hit the MDR? We would have done so if we hadn't had Enchanted Garden on the night of our Palo reservation. We all find EG's vegetarian options to be vile, so we had NO problems skipping it. DS had pizza on the deck then went to the Lab and it was all good. If it had been another dining room it would have been different, because he likes the food at the other ones.

I find everything on the regular menu at EG to be vile. Hence why I'll always try to get my Palo reservation there on the night it would fall on my requested rotation. (And if for some reason either I don't get my requested rotation OR EG isn't on the predicted night, I guess I'll be at the podium trying to change it.)

 

[perditax]

Seriously, I wouldn't worry about it too much. When DH and I did our first cruise, we were both childfree and REALLY of the opinion that kids might get out of hand. You shouldn't cruise DCL if you have a deep and abiding hatred of all kids, but seriously... bad behavior is generally the exception rather than the rule. We really only saw one or two instances of bad behavior on our previous 4 cruises (on the first one, kids running into the elevators and hitting all of the buttons before trying to jump off... until a guy grabbed one of them and made him ride the elevator the WHOLE way, up and down, every stop). The other one was kids running up and down the hall too late at night knocking on doors, and that ended with one phone call to guest services. Again, both of these happened only once on 4 cruises. Even adults who aren't big fans of kids (which we weren't, and we're mostly only a fan of OUR kid honestly) will be fine with a Disney cruise. We've found that since they have so much to do and places to go with eachother, feral packs of roaming children is not generally an issue.

It's not so much that I can't bear the sight of kids (although it was really unsettling last month when I was sitting in the waiting area of Boma and a random child came up and grabbed my leg and began shaking it back and forth), it's just that I get a little sensory overloaded with noise, especially high-pitched shrieks. I appreciate the feedback. I'm still in newb cruiser mode where I'm overthinking things, and probably too sensitive to random anecdotes of 16 unattended kids in the MDR at one table.

 

[twopeasonepod]

The boys were 8 1/2 on our WBTA in Sept. We told our server that we would be in Palo the next night and the boys would go to the club. He told us to bring them to the MDR and he would watch them. He said it was because they are so polite and would be fine sitting alone (we always request a table for our family only). They are definitely not perfect, but my biggest goal for them is to grow up to be kind and compassionate, so manners is a huge part of that. Also, we always request the same server on repeat cruises, so he was very familiar with our family. I still went down to check on them a couple of times.

 

[Fuhnuh]

The boys were 8 1/2 on our WBTA in Sept. We told our server that we would be in Palo the next night and the boys would go to the club. He told us to bring them to the MDR and he would watch them. He said it was because they are so polite and would be fine sitting alone (we always request a table for our family only). They are definitely not perfect, but my biggest goal for them is to grow up to be kind and compassionate, so manners is a huge part of that. Also, we always request the same server on repeat cruises, so he was very familiar with our family. I still went down to check on them a couple of times.

We had the same experience when our table mates who we met during a cruise meet on DIS invited us to Remy in return for sharing a cabana with them, although the three girls were 11 at the time.

 

[bumbershoot]

I find everything on the regular menu at EG to be vile. Hence why I'll always try to get my Palo reservation there on the night it would fall on my requested rotation. (And if for some reason either I don't get my requested rotation OR EG isn't on the predicted night, I guess I'll be at the podium trying to change it.)

It's so pretty at EG. Why is it so gross?

It's not so much that I can't bear the sight of kids (although it was really unsettling last month when I was sitting in the waiting area of Boma and a random child came up and grabbed my leg and began shaking it back and forth), it's just that I get a little sensory overloaded with noise, especially high-pitched shrieks. I appreciate the feedback. I'm still in newb cruiser mode where I'm overthinking things, and probably too sensitive to random anecdotes of 16 unattended kids in the MDR at one table.

Have you ever worn ear plugs? I've found them absolutely invaluable in some Disney situations. They just dampen things so it's bearable.

 

[Dug720]

It's so pretty at EG. Why is it so gross?

Agreed! I enjoy it when it is not the standard rotational menu! Haha.

 

[JTBE]

My 2 cents- I don't understand why when people go to Palo/Remy they sit through a meal with their kids???
When we cruised when my kids were young they wanted to eat a quick meal either from the restaurants on the pool deck or room service. Rather than sit for an hour+ in one of the main dining rooms. I feel the only dining room that they may feel they missed something is Animators but that is just Crush talking to a table that may not even be yours.
I will say my kids have always loved the clubs and spent every waking moment in the clubs.

My kids are picky eaters, particularly my daughter. And my son, he would be so busy having fun that he wouldn't eat at the kids club. So for that reason, I will sit with them just to make sure that they eat a good meal. I don't like to feed them fast unhealthy foods so just knowing that they ate a good meal I won't have to think about it or feel guilty while eating a delicious meal at Palo/Remy.

 

[perditax]

It's so pretty at EG. Why is it so gross?

Have you ever worn ear plugs? I've found them absolutely invaluable in some Disney situations. They just dampen things so it's bearable.

In a situation where I really need to concentrate, I actually use earbuds (sometimes noise-cancelling ones) and a free app on my phone called SimplyNoise. (White/brown noise.) I do occasionally use earplugs to sleep, though. But yeah, that seems like it might not be a bad idea for just walking around in Disney situations. Plus, I've read some stuff about foam earplugs helping with seasickness.

 

[bumbershoot]

In a situation where I really need to concentrate, I actually use earbuds (sometimes noise-cancelling ones) and a free app on my phone called SimplyNoise. (White/brown noise.) I do occasionally use earplugs to sleep, though. But yeah, that seems like it might not be a bad idea for just walking around in Disney situations. Plus, I've read some stuff about foam earplugs helping with seasickness.

We were in disneyland's tomorrowland once and DH and DS started bickering. DS was flipping out because we were delaying a purchase and DH was reacting poorly to it. I suddenly realized we hadn't eaten in something like 8 hours (that won't happen on a cruis lol). As I was calming myself before speaking to them, I suddenly heard how very noisy it was there; just the ambient noise was overwhelming. For some reason I had earplugs (I use them for sleep but it doesn't explain why I had them in my park bag) and I stuck them in DS's ears, told all of us to not speak until we had eaten, and we went off in search of food. The earplugs helped DS so much, even though the bigger problem was hunger, and since then I've used them on myself and him at the parks successfully. Such a simple tool to help. Great thing to have in your pocket for "just in case" reasons.

 

[Footnotegirl]

It's not so much that I can't bear the sight of kids (although it was really unsettling last month when I was sitting in the waiting area of Boma and a random child came up and grabbed my leg and began shaking it back and forth), it's just that I get a little sensory overloaded with noise, especially high-pitched shrieks. I appreciate the feedback. I'm still in newb cruiser mode where I'm overthinking things, and probably too sensitive to random anecdotes of 16 unattended kids in the MDR at one table.

Usually if you're cruising without kids they put you in an area not near a lot of kids at a table with other adults with no kids, or at least with older kids. I would also suggest getting second dining (fewer really young kids).
If you get sensory overloaded, I highly suggest that you avoid the family pool area during the daytime other than running to the drink stations to get drinks. Between the food, the drinks, the crowd at the pool, and the giant loud movie screen and/or music, it can easily overload me and I am not easily overloaded! Just a heads up so that it doesn't take you by surprise. I would also suggest avoiding Cabanas for lunch upon boarding if you can, as that can get kinda packed and a lot of people already having longer-than-usual days and no naps. It's not so much bad behavior, mind.. just loud and kinda chaotic.
Remember that no one generally talks about the time they had a perfectly smooth interaction with no bad behavior, because they don't notice it. Squeaky wheel and all that. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. The kids are for the most part getting catered to and made happy in a way they generally aren't in their day to day lives, so they are generally on pretty good behavior.

 

[Footnotegirl]

It's so pretty at EG. Why is it so gross?
.

The menu at EG is heavy on seafood and mushrooms, which are generally love it or hate it sorts of affairs (personally, I'm not a fan of either except for a good salmon steak, but hubby LOOOOOOOVES both. There isn't much in the way of comfort food, plain fare, or standard american food at EG. I personally found that I only had one 'choice' that I would even want to try whereas at the other dining rooms I had to choose between several options I might like, but that that choice was really awesome.