Anthem - Dining with “Kid” question.

Hi everyone,

I am sailing Anthem during April vacation week with my husband and two teenage kids. My son is 13 and autistic and has a lot of food aversions. Basically, he likes most typical kids fare, chicken fingers, hot dogs etc.... My daughter on the other hand, is a very adventurous eater. I would love to get one of the 3 or 4 meal plans at specialty restaurants, but I don’t want my son to sit there not eating anything.

Do all the specialty restaurants even have kids meals? Would I have to pay the adult price for him to eat, even though he is eating “kid food”? How does RCL typically handle this type of thing? Would it be fine for me to get specialty dining plans for the three of us and pay for his food a la carte.

They have kid's menus, and if he eats off of that, there is either no charge, or a nominal fee...not sure about which. In the MDR, there is PLENTY of food he'll enjoy...no worries! Same with the buffet...lots of "kid friendly" foods.

Hi everyone,

 

I am sailing Anthem during April vacation week with my husband and two teenage kids. My son is 13 and autistic and has a lot of food aversions. Basically, he likes most typical kids fare, chicken fingers, hot dogs etc.... My daughter on the other hand, is a very adventurous eater. I would love to get one of the 3 or 4 meal plans at specialty restaurants, but I don’t want my son to sit there not eating anything.

 

Do all the specialty restaurants even have kids meals? Would I have to pay the adult price for him to eat, even though he is eating “kid food”? How does RCL typically handle this type of thing? Would it be fine for me to get specialty dining plans for the three of us and pay for his food a la carte.

The specialty restaurants do have kids menus, but they are mostly scaled down versions of what is on that restaurants menu. I would contact special needs and see what they can do for you. I would also go to the restaurants that you plan on going to and speak to them at least a day prior to your reservation. I bet they can make arrangements for your son to get exactly what he eats from the MDR. I would also talk to your head waiter in the MDR to see if they can help arrange for food for your son.

You should be able to make it work, it might just take a little leg work in advance.

Good luck!

Your son may not be considered a kid even if he just eats off the children's menu. He may be charged full adult price, but I would contest that if so charged.

Have a wonderful cruise!

the kids menu in a specialty will not have the typical kid fare.. although you could probably get a small portion of plain pasta at Giovanis or a simple steak at Chops. at 13, the adult price is most likely.. no matter what he eats.

whether or not the staff will go out of their way to provide MDR kids menu food, with or without a charge.. is not something you can count on ahead of time.

the only specialty dining that is a la carte is Sabor and Izumi.. and not all ships do it that way.

Thanks everyone. Such varied replies, I feel no more close to an answer than when I started.... I am thinking I will just roll with the punches. I may grab him a meal from the buffet or pizza from Sorrentos on nights where we are eating more exotic fare, like Wonderland or Izumi. He can sit with us, or stay in the cabin or one of the teen areas on those nights. Jamie’s will likely have something he will eat off their kids menu and he will eat steak so he should be okay at Chops.

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Thanks everyone. Such varied replies, I feel no more close to an answer than when I started.... I am thinking I will just roll with the punches. I may grab him a meal from the buffet or pizza from Sorrentos on nights where we are eating more exotic fare, like Wonderland or Izumi. He can sit with us, or stay in the cabin or one of the teen areas on those nights. Jamie’s will likely have something he will eat off their kids menu and he will eat steak so he should be okay at Chops.

 

 

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I believe the cut-off age for a kids menu is 12 (you would be paying adult prices after that). If he can do the teen club (we have a profoundly autistic grandson who cannot), I'd feed him in the WJ earlier and then send him off to the teen club while you enjoy the specialty restaurants as he would likely be bored silly while you enjoy your meal.

My son is high functioning, so he will be okay by himself or in the teen center. I saw a video about the kids areas that had a pretty heavy emphasis on ASD accommodations, so I am encouraged that they will be flexible in regards to his disability. I will likely contact the cruise beforehand or speak to guest services about this issue. Thanks everyone!

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but I have a 21-year-old who is high-functioning and on the Spectrum. He generally found good things at Sorrento's and at Giovanni's- just had to ask them to leave things off he didn't like. For example, he can't stand the texture of tomatoes but loves tomato sauce. He occasionally ended up with a plain bowl of pasta with cheese on the side, but he was pretty happy with that. The Windjammer was a fine alternative, and we made an effort to go when it wasn't too crowded. Room service wasn't a bad option either. They have fairly basic food items like burgers, can make a grilled cheese usually, and he can eat in the relative quiet of his room if he's reached his sensory threshold. I know there's a fee associated with room service for most meals, but it's worth the extra for us if he's happy.

I'm glad Royal has specific ASD accommodations. Back when my son was young enough to attend the Teen programs, the staffers impressed me with their awareness of Spectrum disorders and how to deal with kids on the Spectrum, even if they didn't have official guidelines. He's a little disappointed that he's too old for the Teen activities now. He loved the Teen spaces on the ships.

Have a great trip!

As with most complex questions, your best source of info will be at the venue in question once you board the ship. Bon Voyage!

Harry

In all honesty I think you'll be ok in all but Wonderland. Wonderland is all about the experience and I'm not sure how accommodating they can be, they're really into the textures and presentation. But as someone else suggested talk to the people at the restaurants on boarding day and see what's possible