Kids pages/Coloring books in MDR?

[Cruzayear]

Gosh, I have taken my three nephews ( 3, 7, & 8) and my DD's and their friend (8,13 & 15) in the MDR everynight and I never needed anything to entertain them. I think they were excited about the experience and the conversation.

[kayhold]

Gosh, I have taken my three nephews ( 3, 7, & 8) and my DD's and their friend (8,13 & 15) in the MDR everynight and I never needed anything to entertain them. I think they were excited about the experience and the conversation.

 

But they had other kids to follow/talk with. My son is an only child, and will always be an only child. :\

[Andoria]

Gosh, I have taken my three nephews ( 3, 7, & 8) and my DD's and their friend (8,13 & 15) in the MDR everynight and I never needed anything to entertain them. I think they were excited about the experience and the conversation.

 

 

I'm sure if the OP was taking a group of kids with her to the MDR, a coloring book wouldn't be needed because kids can talk to each other.

 

My son is an only child and has sat through many a long dinner listening to adult conversation. I've always remembered that it must suck for him and did whatever I could to make it just a tiny bit enjoyable. That might have included a coloring book or a special dessert.

[conchead]

Hmmm......I don't think a restaurant that allows shorts is above accomodating a child to sit at a table coloring. I don't know, something about seeing a man's hairy legs while I eat somewhat takes away from the refined atmosphere.

 

Our family enjoys MDR dining every night of our cruise vacations. We always bring something small for our youngest to occupy himself with while there and we have never once seen people look offended by his presence.

 

How can you see under the tables while you are eating?:confused:

 

What else is going on under there?:eek:

[BeachChik]

So MRD dinning is just a food hall on Carnival?

 

All the cruises I have been on MRD is silver service dinning, and most wouldnt want to make their very young kids sit through a four course meal!

 

I would imagine most people dont want to see children colouring in and playing with toys in a silver service restaurant land or sea.

 

But if MRD is just a food hall then I guess its ok

 

Den

 

What formal restaurant do you see the waiters dance around the room?

 

Imo the mdr is not formal dining. Its a sit down buffet.

[missdebi]

How can you see under the tables while you are eating?:confused:

 

What else is going on under there?:eek:

 

Love it :D

[Julienatul]

Thank you for suggesting that!

 

Sounds like Lido is the right place for this situation.

 

If Mom and Dad want a pleasant MDR experience

it might make sense to leave Kiddo at Camp Carnival for 1.5 hrs. while Mom and Dad have dinner. :)

 

 

Youngest person I ever recall seeing in any MDR (in nine cruises)

was probably a teenager...a pleasant civil teenager...some folks do have 'em! :eek:

..

.

 

My 5 year old is platinum with Carnival (she has been on a total of 14 cruises) and has eaten in the MDR on each cruise with us starting at 7months of age. We have NEVER eaten the Lido dinners and coloring pages are provided with crayons and high chairs too if needed. Some families actually want to eat together and not ship their kids to camp carnival. You make the assumption that all children are BAD at dinner at all times. Not true at all.

[Cruzayear]

I'm sure if the OP was taking a group of kids with her to the MDR, a coloring book wouldn't be needed because kids can talk to each other.

 

My son is an only child and has sat through many a long dinner listening to adult conversation. I've always remembered that it must suck for him and did whatever I could to make it just a tiny bit enjoyable. That might have included a coloring book or a special dessert.

 

Point taken and I stand corrected :o Everyone doesn't travel around with thier own mini village like I do ;)

[AnnaNUJanae]

Thinking back, I don't recall ever bringing anything for my son (1 and 2 on his cruises) to play with at dinner. Our head waiter learned he loved watermelon, so there was always a dish of it waiting when we arrived, as well as a glass of milk. So he just tucked into his fruit happily as we ordered.

 

I think they must take notes on food preferences. Even on Your Time Dining with different waiters, they would always have a glass of skim milk ready for my daughter.

 

When we cruise at Thanksgiving, there are usually over 1,000 kids on the ship and there are plenty of elementary and middle school aged kids in the Main Dining Room. I haven't seen many kids in there younger than 6, but I think they have as much right to be in there as anyone else. I took my daughter out to restaurants when she was a toddler and we always had fun. I do think it might become tedious to try to occupy a kid every evening in the MDR, though, simply because I recall it taking 1-1/2 to 2 hours to get through each meal (and as a toddler, I would rather let her roam than have her confined to a dining room for that long). My daughter is almost 9 and very mature for her age, so she would just start conversations with our table mates, but I don't think we were ever seated with other minors. I think if she were not yet school aged, it might be a boring process for her, though, so I don't know if we would eat in the MDR every night, but by the time they're 6 and up, the MDR is a lot of fun. However, don't avoid the MDR because of what other people think about your child. Just do what makes your child happy and comfortable. :)

 

And I second the tableside magician. He usually roams the tables, so you could ask to have him come to your table and test out some tricks for your little one. Even my 8-year-old who wants to put off the impression that she's too mature for "childish" things was impressed by the tricks.

[YubaSutter]

But they had other kids to follow/talk with. My son is an only child, and will always be an only child. :\

 

How sad.

[kayhold]

How sad.

 

Why is it sad?

[GrandmaHofmann]

We took our 5 and 7 year old grandsons on the Disney Dream last year and are taking them on Carnival Imagination this year. They wore white shirts, khakis, and ties on formal night and khakis and button down shirts every other night Their behavior was impeccable. The only "kids" I saw acting like idiots were teenagers whose parents were sitting at an adjoining table and ignoring what their "kids" were doing.

[mere08]

My 4 year old at in the MDR every night on our Legend cruise in February. They provided a coloring book and crayons each night and we can prepared with our own colored pencils and Leappad. She has been eating out with us since birth and knows how to behave. As her parents, we also know how to behave when she acts up - we leave the MDR. Take your child and entertainment. It's a family cruise - enjoy it as a family.

[TheCalicoCat]

How sad.

 

Why is it sad?

[missdebi]

Why is it sad?

 

It is not sad at all, some people are under the false impression that being an only child is a bad thing! There are plenty of friends to play with :)

[cruzinlisa]

Thank you for suggesting that!

 

Sounds like Lido is the right place for this situation.

 

If Mom and Dad want a pleasant MDR experience

it might make sense to leave Kiddo at Camp Carnival for 1.5 hrs. while Mom and Dad have dinner. :)

 

 

Youngest person I ever recall seeing in any MDR (in nine cruises)

was probably a teenager...a pleasant civil teenager...some folks do have 'em! :eek:

..

 

What cruise line are you sailing on. When we were on Conquest last week with our 15 month old, we ate in the MDR every evening and there were other children there. There were not many kids on our ship due to the time of year, but we saw them at dinner.

 

Maybe there were kids and they were just quiet so you did not notice. The dinners do drag out.

[Andoria]

It is not sad at all, some people are under the false impression that being an only child is a bad thing! There are plenty of friends to play with :)

 

 

I was a nanny for the first five years of my son's life. He got to see what it was like to share mom and that cured him of wanting any siblings! He loves being an only child.

[pe4all]

 

Youngest person I ever recall seeing in any MDR (in nine cruises)

was probably a teenager...a pleasant civil teenager...some folks do have 'em! :eek:

..

My kids have been cruising with me and eating every dinner in the dining room since they have been ages 4 and 7. You must have overlooked them. ( #13 for them coming up next Dec.!):p:D

[near the beach]

I’ve seen fiver year olds in the main dining room.

 

Carnival does have a menu just for them.

 

After a couple of nights the children will know the games and puzzles on the menu. Carnival should have more than one so they don’t see the same one every night.

 

Adults can also order from the children’s menu. The banana splits are nice.

[javamom]

You do realize that some children are capable of politely sitting through dinner?

 

The difference is adults have other people to converse with - kids don't. If you didn't have another adult to talk to, you'd get bored.

Its not unreasonable to want to make sure my kid has something to do if he gets bored.

 

I'm not excluding my kid from dinner in the MDR as long as he is behaving. I'm paying full fare and he has a right to nice food, too.

 

I totally agree.

[AnnaNUJanae]

It is not sad at all, some people are under the false impression that being an only child is a bad thing! There are plenty of friends to play with :)

 

Agreed! My daughter is an only child, but she's a social butterfly with lots if friends and social events. Plus, because she's an only child, I can afford to pay her gymnastics and dance fees and send her to the best summer camps and she goes to a fantastic school, none of which I could afford If I were supporting more than one child. She's great at sharing, as well as keeping herself entertained and playing quietly. Being an only child also means spending time with more adults and practicing social skills that you don't get to practice if you're always paired off with other children. Most only children I know tend to be more mature than average and statistically score higher than average on IQ tests (likely due to increased parental attention). I don't find any of those things sad. :). I say quality over quantity!

 

Anna

[Fireflymkz76]

How sad.

 

wth? you have no idea why her son will ever be on only child.

 

my child is an only child and may be the only child I ever have but it is far from sad.

[kayhold]

wth? you have no idea why her son will ever be on only child.

 

my child is an only child and may be the only child I ever have but it is far from sad.

 

I was waiting hoping she would respond but I now think she was intending to be rude.

We desperately want another child but spent years trying to have this one and due to my health, I can't have another. The very medication that keeps me alive causes severe birth defects so its not an option.

 

Sent from Tapa-Talk. Please forgive my brevity and lack of punctuation.

[missdebi]

I was waiting hoping she would respond but I now think she was intending to be rude.

We desperately want another child but spent years trying to have this one and due to my health, I can't have another. The very medication that keeps me alive causes severe birth defects so its not an option.

 

Sent from Tapa-Talk. Please forgive my brevity and lack of punctuation.

 

Bless you and that wonderful "only" child. Perfect example of why we should refrain from judging~it is fine to have an opinion but keep it general and not personal!

[momof3cruisers]

i have kids-- but not every one on the cruise ship have well behaved kids.

or parentts that are clueless.

Ever sit one table over from a family with the baby screaming while the parents are having their conversation over coffee.

Or the family with two toddlers who are running around the table while the family ignores them?

 

if your kids are acting up- you should take them and leave the area-be it the MDR or a show lounge, etc.

But that is what the OP is trying to avoid by bringing something totally unobtrusive for her son to do if he gets bored. How silly to object to her preparing to keep her child busy and pleasant.

So MRD dinning is just a food hall on Carnival?

 

All the cruises I have been on MRD is silver service dinning, and most wouldnt want to make their very young kids sit through a four course meal!

 

I would imagine most people dont want to see children colouring in and playing with toys in a silver service restaurant land or sea.

 

But if MRD is just a food hall then I guess its ok

 

Den

you really need to educate yourself. When is the last time you were on a cruise? A line like Crystal or Seaborne might be more up your alley.