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Discounted Kids Menu Adopted in Carnival STEAKHOUSES

eponym

By eponym,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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linbobky

linbobky

Posted
Posted
Children's outbursts don't bother their parents because the child is likely like that at home. The child has learned it gets results by carrying on. Sometimes I see demanding behaviors and it's a pretty good indication "who's the boss" at home.

 

I agree with you!!:) but, most parents on cruise critic have perfect little angels!!;)

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HollandAvery

HollandAvery

Posted
Posted (edited)

No, I don't think there should be.

I'd prefer no kids in the steakhouse honestly.

I understand that there are a lot of well-behaved children who dine there. But then there are the children who aren't well-behaved that end up dining there...I work with kids all-year 'round and I just wanted one evening on my cruise where I can have a nice dinner without screaming children. My parents unfortunately experienced this in the steakhouse during their last cruise and they said it made for a very unpleasant experience as the staff did not ask the parents to have them remove their children who screamed and hollered and tried to run around throughout the majority of the meal.

Edited by HollandAvery
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firemanbobswife

firemanbobswife

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Our first cruise was on the Conquest in 2003 when we got married. My boys were 5 and 7. We stayed overnight in New Orleans the night before, woke up early Sunday morning and went to brunch at Emeril's. It was the one that was in an old Victorian house . Anyway, the boys were perfect as usual, placing their napkins on the laps, saying "Please" and "Thank You", etc.

 

They did not have a kids menu, but the staff were gracious enough to make them pancakes without the fruit in it still in adult sized portions. They were charged full price which was absolutely not an issue for me. We had numerous people come up and compliment how well behaved they were and how much they appreciated it. Never did they squirm, raise their voice, or anything. You wouldn't even have known they were there. Children should be seen, not heard. That's how I was raised and so are my boys.

 

Why did we go there for brunch you may ask? Because my boys were huge Emeril fans from TV and we thought it would be neat. I didn't know just how fancy it was with the fine China or anything until we got there. But it was an experience we will never forget.

 

They are behaved the way they are because we set boundaries from the time they were little. They knew what was expected of them and still do. We didn't make empty threats, either. It's called consistency. If you are constantly letting them get away with things, then you end up with unruly, disrespectful children. If you let them know who is boss and what the consequences will be and stick to it, you will have well behaved children. We didn't obtain this by bargaining, begging, trying to be their friend. We were parents. Plain and simple. No abuse either psychological or physical (they were each spanked only one time each as children. Once for a fit in the Commissary, and the other when he ran out into the street).

 

So my take on all this is if you have children that can behave as an adult, and want to eat in an upscale restaurant, then be prepared to pay adult prices. No special treatment.

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  • 11 months later...
summersigh

summersigh

Posted
Posted
Second, I think it's nice to have a couple of areas on the ship where you can get away from kids. I certainly disagree with those who question bringing your children on vacation, because we always travel with ours. But I think the steakhouse is an upscale experience that should be kind of a quiet spot to get away. I know children are allowed now, but the price kind of helps keep kids out. Mom and Dad can drop them at Camp Carnival for a bit if they want to go to the steakhouse for dinner.

 

I like kids but I have to agree with you here. Children's behavior is often unpredictable and a melt down can ruin not only the parent's dinner but everyone in the steakhouse.

 

I'm sure everyone reading this is a super parent whose kids always behave well in public :D but this thread brought to mind something that happened last week on our cruise. We went down to the Seaday Brunch. Across the dining room (thank goodness) there was a toddler who cried and screamed the entire time. The parents made no move to remove the child so ensuring everyone nearby suffered. I can see this happening in the Steakhouse- since with a cheaper kids menu there will be more kids - and frankly, if I'd spent what the steakhouse costs, I'd be pretty ticked and my special meal would be ruined.:(

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First and Ten

First and Ten

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Posted (edited)
What people like you do not understand is I do not want to even hear that first squeal. I don't want there to even be a chance of a breakdown happening. There are places children do not belong and while carnival does not prohibit children the mere fact there is a $35 upcharge pretty much says it is a place for adults.

 

I have 4 adult children now. I loved to have them with me, but there were places they were not brought simply because they were children. People these days seem to not understand that concept. I don't know what happened.

 

If I was invited to an adult only place, sometimes I did not go because I would rather be with my children, but I never took them anyway because of it.

 

 

 

 

I am sure your child is just wonderful and worldly beyond her years. Unfortunately, it is very hard to tell one who is and isn't from the outside which is why even the worldly ones are still listed as children.

 

Agree....Children are not "built" to be able to sit quietly for 2-3 hrs in a reserved formal setting like this. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, I know I am going to get the response of "well my kid has a very refined taste and can sit and behave properly...." That is the outlier....for everyone of those mature kids, there are 99 others that behave like a....KID....Its not the kids fault, its the parents fault that put them in this situation...I will take it a step further, not only don't I believe there shouldn't be a kids menu in the Steakhouse or other "Specialty" Restaurants, I don't think anyone under 14 should be allowed. Families have the option of the buffet or MDR. Before I get accused of hating children, I don't, I have 2 children of my own (now adults). I get your kids giggling and pounding a butter knife against a water glass is cute to you, its not to the other diners. Just something a bit off tangent....Bars....Parents, your children do not belong on a bar stool at a bar with other adults, keep them off to the side or at a table and order your cocktail

Edited by First and Ten
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SeaGoingDAD

SeaGoingDAD

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Posted
Agree....Children are not "built" to be able to sit quietly for 2-3 hrs in a reserved formal setting like this. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, I know I am going to get the response of "well my kid has a very refined taste and can sit and behave properly...." That is the outlier....for everyone of those mature kids, there are 99 others that behave like a....KID....Its not the kids fault, its the parents fault that put them in this situation...I will take it a step further, not only don't I believe there shouldn't be a kids menu in the Steakhouse or other "Specialty" Restaurants, I don't think anyone under 14 should be allowed. Families have the option of the buffet or MDR. Before I get accused of hating children, I don't, I have 2 children of my own (now adults). I get your kids giggling and pounding a butter knife against a water glass is cute to you, its not to the other diners. Just something a bit off tangent....Bars....Parents, your children do not belong on a bar stool at a bar with other adults, keep them off to the side or at a table and order your cocktail

 

Speak for yourself. If the child has a normal ritual, they can sit for a two hour dinner.

 

We've been going to the place since they've been called Supper Club with the kids 4 and 6, and never had an issue. The extra 30 minutes goes as fast as the first 90 that we do every night in the MDR.

 

And as far as bars are concerned; when they start charging for children differently as adults, they have as much right to be there as you. Especially when that is the place they get their drinks as well.

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First and Ten

First and Ten

Posted
Posted (edited)
Speak for yourself. If the child has a normal ritual, they can sit for a two hour dinner.

 

We've been going to the place since they've been called Supper Club with the kids 4 and 6, and never had an issue. The extra 30 minutes goes as fast as the first 90 that we do every night in the MDR.

 

And as far as bars are concerned; when they start charging for children differently as adults, they have as much right to be there as you. Especially when that is the place they get their drinks as well.

 

I get it Seagoing, you feel that your little "snowflakes" are special....So, as you say, in "speaking for myself", I don't want to listen to your little snowflake in the Specialty Restaurant, go to the Lido deck or MDR ;)

Edited by First and Ten
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SeaGoingDAD

SeaGoingDAD

Posted
Posted
I get it Seagoing, you feel that your little "snowflakes" are special....So, as you say, in "speaking for myself", I don't want to listen to your little snowflake in the Specialty Restaurant, go to the Lido deck or MDR ;)

 

Sorry, but no one will accommodate you. Kids of ALL ages are allowed. Should you not accept this fact, go to the Lido or the MDR.

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katiel53

katiel53

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I am not against having children in the Steak house as long as they are well behaved and know how to act in a nice restaurant. My granddaughter is 10 and we took her last year and she loved it. She does go to land restaurants and knows what to do. She also does NOT order from a kid's menu ever.

 

With reducing the price to $10 with a special menu for the kids, I can see a few problems. The first one is that some parents will want to substitute items from the children's menu with items from the adult menu. Then the argument will begin regarding the substitution.

 

The second problem I see is that some parents will bring their ill-behaved kids or kids that are too young to sit still for the 2 or more hours required for dinner. I have seen where two families had children about 2 or so in the Steak House and the kids screamed and caused chaos, but Carnival did nothing to stop the mayhem because there were a total of 12 people in the party and heaven forbid they would leave.

 

I think I will wait to see how things go with the new menu before I make reservations. We have been to the Steak House at least once a cruise for our last 15 cruises. If it now becomes a high priced main dining room, it won't be worth it for us to go.

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bobsfamily

bobsfamily

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I wondered why there were several couples with children at the Steakhouse... I thought it was a bit extravagant to pay $35 for a kid to eat there. BUT now I understand. I did not see any unruly kids in the 3 evenings we ate there on our just finished cruise. Great food, wonderful people.

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Thorncroft

Thorncroft

Posted
Posted

Carnival is the "Fun Ships" and family friendly. Kids should be welcome in any restaurant on board. The little people are what turn a couple into a family. Perhaps some of you have outgrown the Carnival experience and it's time for you to move on to some of the other "mature" lines that don't present themselves as a family experience.

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RuthlessBoss

RuthlessBoss

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Posted
Carnival is the "Fun Ships" and family friendly. Kids should be welcome in any restaurant on board. The little people are what turn a couple into a family. Perhaps some of you have outgrown the Carnival experience and it's time for you to move on to some of the other "mature" lines that don't present themselves as a family experience.

 

Not paying $70 for a meal just to be near some antsy child nearby .

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