Are kids' meals always served first?

[WildEyed]

At dinner in the MDR, do children always get served before adults?

On our last cruise (first seating) the kids’ food always came very quickly – they would usually have their meal completely finished before the adults’ food arrived. We found this really distracting as the kids got bored watching us eat and wanted to get going, out of the MDR! There was only so much colouring and conversation that they were willing to put up with after they were done eating. It’s boring watching your parents eat if you are already finished.

We asked our servers many times in many different ways if they could bring the whole family’s food out at the same time so we could eat all together. We made sure to have our orders ready right away, and always arrived on time or early. It seemed that they just didn’t understand, or could not do, what we wanted – they would agree to bring all the food out together and then the next night still brought the kids’ food out first, often 20 minutes or more before our food. We tried everything we could think of to get kids’ and adults’ meals to arrive together. Sometimes one kid would order off the adult menu and then that kid would have to wait for his food while the other kids were already finished.

We were seated with another family with kids and I wonder if this might have been why? Because the servers did not want to change how they did things in case that family was not ok with it? (the other family was pretty easygoing and didn’t mind either way)

In the end I just would take them to the kids’ club, then return to the dining room to have my meal. This was ok but not really what we planned for our family dinner at the end of the day.

Is this usually how dinner is served? Do you think this was because of the way our servers worked, or are kids generally served first?

I am just trying to decide if on our next cruise we should

1. Ask to sit on our own so that we can push a little harder on getting served all together without causing problems for table-mates (although I like meeting new people!), or

2. Bring it up with the head server if we have this issue again

3. Do nothing because kids’ meals always arrive first and that’s just the way it is.

Interested in others’ experiences!

 

[Dug720]

I think they are "programmed" to serve the kids first because of Dine and Play.

 

[JW9DVC]

This is why second seating works so well for us. They come and get the kids for this very reason without the parent having to leave and return.

You could always request to have the food rushed for all or slow for everyone. Sometimes this might take the head server or higher to accomplish.

JW

 

[JW9DVC]

I think they are "programmed" to serve the kids first because of Dine and Play.

That only works with second seating on dine and play.

http://dclnews.com/2012/12/19/dine-and-play-gives-kids-more-fun-while-parents-relax/

 

[clten]

It may have more to do with how the kitchen works than how your servers do. There is limited space in the kitchen when the servers go to pick up things. So I believe most of the kids meals are prepared to be served with the adult menu appetizers and may stay there for pick up through the soup/salad courses (the majority would prefer to have the kids start eating with the first course rather than wait for the entrée course). So if you are ordering off the kids menu, the food has to be picked up with the appetizers or at the latest with the soup/salad course. Once these courses are served, the same area is cleared because it needs to be used to move on to the adult menu entrees. So the kids meals are picked up before the adult entrees. It seems your servers figured it was better to serve the meal hot than have it wait until your entrees were ready. There isn't much they can do to have them prepared at the same time.

What you can do is speak to your head server and see what can be done to better accommodate how you envision your family dinner to run. But do keep the way the kitchen works in mind knowing that if you press for kids meals to come out with your adult entrees, your kids may get cold dinners or the kitchen may have to make special orders for your family each night.

If you have the opportunity on your next cruise to do a galley tour, do it! (Check with Guest Services to see if one will be offered on your sailing -- they are hit or miss so not available all the time.) It will really put into perspective how amazing it is that the kitchen and servers can feed so many people so quickly with the room they have to work with!

 

[KashasMom]

We always have our own table at second seating and just request that our daughter's meals be served with us. She doesn't do the Dine and Play. We've never had any issues.

 

[lorenni]

We have been with family only (except for one cruise where the server screwed up an allergy order and we got moved to our own table asap) and we wanted to eat together. Our meals tended to arrive all together. What our servers did do was have fruit waiting for DS when we arrived, so he had his "appetizer" to keep him happy until the real food came. We never experienced his meals coming significantly earlier than ours.

But we have only ever done first seating, so it could be that with second seating you get #3 because the kitchen is in fact working around the dine and play schedule.

 

[Geomom]

On our Alaskan cruise on the Wonder, the kids' meals came out at the same time as the adults for main seating. Maybe it's due to the fact that our kids were older, 12 and 16? The older one mostly did adult meals, but occasionally a kids meal or a kids salad. The younger one did 1 adult meal, the rest kids meals, and always did adult desserts. We were seated by ourselves. Very odd that they didn't bring your food out all together after you asked, multiple times.

 

[xavier2001]

On both our cruises we were asked the first night and we said we preferred the kids meals come out with ours for the reasons you mentioned OP. It was never an issue for the servers.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

On our first cruise we had 6 kids between the ages of 3 and 12. We were on a 4-night Bahamas cruise. The first two nights, the kids were served first. That would have been fine and dandy if they were leaving, but dinner was the only time we all spent together every day so the kids were forced to stay. They were done eating before we got our entrees and it made for a miserable meal. After the second day, we asked our server if the kids' meals could please come out at the same time as the adults'. He said no problem, and they were served at the same time the following nights. I'm surprised they wouldn't do that for you and tell you a reason. After the first time after asking, I would have taken it to the head server. Our last cruise it was just me, DH, and DD14. Our tablemates had 2 sons, one the same age as my DD and the other a couple of years older. They were served with us every night, and at least one of the kids would order something off of the kids menu every night.
In the future, I would ask the server the first night to serve all of your family's meals together for every meal. If they say they can't or don't honor your request, I would speak to the head server. I thoroughly enjoy taking my time at dinner, no one should have to rush because their kids get bored. I wish the servers would ask every night if the kids would like served first.

 

[WildEyed]

It may have more to do with how the kitchen works than how your servers do. There is limited space in the kitchen when the servers go to pick up things. So I believe most of the kids meals are prepared to be served with the adult menu appetizers and may stay there for pick up through the soup/salad courses (the majority would prefer to have the kids start eating with the first course rather than wait for the entrée course). So if you are ordering off the kids menu, the food has to be picked up with the appetizers or at the latest with the soup/salad course. Once these courses are served, the same area is cleared because it needs to be used to move on to the adult menu entrees. So the kids meals are picked up before the adult entrees. It seems your servers figured it was better to serve the meal hot than have it wait until your entrees were ready. There isn't much they can do to have them prepared at the same time.

I had a feeling this might be part of the reason! I can see why they would get the kids meals prepared in advance as they are quite similar from one night to the next and would be easier to get out on the table, then focus on the more complicated main menu items.

If you have the opportunity on your next cruise to do a galley tour, do it! (Check with Guest Services to see if one will be offered on your sailing -- they are hit or miss so not available all the time.) It will really put into perspective how amazing it is that the kitchen and servers can feed so many people so quickly with the room they have to work with!

We did do a galley tour last time - it was really interesting and I agree with you that it is highly recommended! Although my primary memory is how yummy the cookies were that they gave out.

 

[WildEyed]

We always have our own table at second seating and just request that our daughter's meals be served with us. She doesn't do the Dine and Play. We've never had any issues.

We are trying second seating for the first time next cruise, so maybe we will try making the request again. I wonder if there are less kids at second seating and therefore it might be easier to accommodate. We weren't planning to do Dine and Play either.

 

[WildEyed]

On our Alaskan cruise on the Wonder, the kids' meals came out at the same time as the adults for main seating. Maybe it's due to the fact that our kids were older, 12 and 16? The older one mostly did adult meals, but occasionally a kids meal or a kids salad. The younger one did 1 adult meal, the rest kids meals, and always did adult desserts. We were seated by ourselves. Very odd that they didn't bring your food out all together after you asked, multiple times.

So I wonder if being seated by ourselves might help as well. With the age of our kids now I can see a combination of kids and adult meals being ordered in various combinations on any given night.

I too found it odd that they didn't do what we asked - mostly because they agreed and said they would! But then the next night did not follow through. I kind of got the feeling that they just didn't want to say no, even if it was something that they couldn't deliver. I would have preferred if they explained that there was a reason it wouldn't work (e.g. the flow of the kitchen) because then we could have planned around it a bit better.

 

[WildEyed]

dinner was the only time we all spent together every day so the kids were forced to stay. They were done eating before we got our entrees and it made for a miserable meal.

Yes, this was our experience! I wouldn't say we were miserable but the combination of bored, antsy kids together with parents finally getting their meal made it feel rushed and sometimes frustrating.

In the future, I would ask the server the first night to serve all of your family's meals together for every meal. If they say they can't or don't honor your request, I would speak to the head server. I thoroughly enjoy taking my time at dinner, no one should have to rush because their kids get bored. I wish the servers would ask every night if the kids would like served first.

We are going to be more proactive about this on the next cruise. I have never made a request to the head server (don't want to rock the boat - haha) but thinking back it really did affect my experience of the MDRs - dinner was something I did not look forward to at the end of the day (although the food was good and the servers were kind).

 

[WildEyed]

What our servers did do was have fruit waiting for DS when we arrived, so he had his "appetizer" to keep him happy until the real food came. We never experienced his meals coming significantly earlier than ours.

We did this too! We asked them to just bring a small plate of fruit or vegetables instead of the kids' meals early. After the second night they brought PILES of fruit and vegetables and the kids would overeat these and then pick at their meals (still served long before ours). We tried to tell them that we really just wanted a few things to pick at. I felt badly because they really were trying to figure out what we wanted and obviously had to make a special arrangement to get this fruit/vegetable offering.

 

[KashasMom]

We are trying second seating for the first time next cruise, so maybe we will try making the request again. I wonder if there are less kids at second seating and therefore it might be easier to accommodate. We weren't planning to do Dine and Play either.

From what I have seen there are more children at first seating.

 

[gotomu212]

Next time I would speak to the head server. There's no reason the food can't be delivered with the adult meals- we've had it varied over our different cruises. Sometimes I think the servers just get into a rhythm and don't understand what your saying of think it through. We had an issue where our drink order timing was somehow getting lost in translation and our head server took care of it right away without any awkwardness.

 

[elvispursley]

We never had issue with our kids meals coming out at the same time as our meals, and I don't think they ever even asked? I think once they realized that my kids weren't doing Dine and Play, they just brought all the food out together. Plus, my youngest usually fell asleep at the table every night (we were 2nd seating). We have pics of him sleeping all curled up in his chair, fast asleep (he was 8 1/2 at the time, not like he was little, little).

 

[cmph]

Our kids' meals only seemed rushed out one night when the head waiter got involved. It led to double desserts, b/c he got the kids their desserts when the adults were eating mains... so then there was nothing for them to do while the adults got dessert other than order more dessert, LOL! Pretty sure every other night, the kids ordered soups or apps, though. Perhaps that is key, instead of pre-ordering a fruit or veggie plate, just order that (or a soup or app from the adult menu) when you order everything else. I think of my 8yo as kind of picky, but even he ordered (and liked) every soup on the kids' menu. Even the chicken noodle that had, like, peas and stuff in it. At home, he would have complained and picked the green stuff out, but not on the ship! They most definitely did not bring the kids' mains with their apps or soups.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

One pirate night my mother ordered from the kids menu (no kids at the table - just 8 adults). Her dinner was served with the appetizers. There was a long gap between apps and entrees - she was done dinner before we got our entrees.