Two dinners--one for the toddlers, one for us??

[ChicagoBound]

Greetings. This is my first post on Cruise Critic. What an awesome resource filled with so many knowledgeable people. Before my question, a brief introduction: My wife and I and my almost-two year old twins will be sailing on the Serenade of the Seas on Dec. 10th. (I know. I know. I need to register with the M&M.) This is our first cruise. I CAN'T WAIT!! Until about six months ago, I was not interested in going on a cruise. In fact, you could say I wasn't even ambivalent. I was pretty anti-cruise. But then something clicked in my mind and I said, "maybe we should go on a cruise." Doing some research and spending time here solidified my desire to go on a cruise. As I said, I can't wait.

 

I have a ton of questions and will probably be posting often. (And yes, I will use the search function before posting).

 

But here's my question: My wife and I are scheduled for the late dinner. The plan is to put the kids to bed around 7:45 each night and arrange for a babysitter to be there from 7:45 till we're done with dinner and hanging out that night (probably not later than 11:00 most nights) The kids obviously need to eat dinner. So can we take the kids to the Windjammer at 6:00 or 6:30 to feed them even though my wife and I will be going to dinner in the dining room for the late seating??

 

Maybe this is a silly question, but I thought I'd ask.

 

One quick bonus question, are the balconies kid-friendly (i.e., can a small kid (about 2 at the time) slide past the railing/plexiglas/whatever-it-is)). We are in 1050.

 

Thanks for all your help in response to this question and in response to so many other things on the board. It is truly invaluable.

 

- ChicagoBound

[celtic selke]

Welcome.

That is an excellent idea. Your children will be happy. You and your wife will enjoy each others company. And you will endear yourself to many people here that feel small infants and toddlers don't belong in the dining room.

As to the balcony; I've never been on Serenade. You will surely hear from many that have.

 

celtic

[ckrobyn]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

To answer your question about feeding the kids first - yes you can certainly take them to the Windjammer for dinner even though you are eating in the main dining room at a later time. Be sure to make it clear on your dining room seating times that you are 2 people and not 4 - otherwise they will assume the kids will be joining you for dinner.

It sounds like you have been reading and enjoying the boards - there is so much information here about cruising with children - there are also differences of opinion on the subject ;) At the end of the day we all love cruising and that's what matters!

Enjoy your cruise!

[Paul123]

Yes you can visit the buffet as many times as you like and also then eat in the main dinning room. Nobody is looking, counting or cares. Are you sure you can get a baby sitter each night? Has the ship confirmed that one will be available? I'm interested as we have our 18 month old grandson (and his parents) with us on a trip on the Jewel next April and we will be looking for some baby sitting too, or else my wife, the grandmom will probably end up doing it all...not good for me!!!

[TheWog]

Welcome to the boards. You seem very excited. Good for you. You will love the cruise and all it has to offer. You can certainly eat in the Windjammer prior to, you could also order room service if you like as well.

 

Keep the tables and chairs away from the rails and you will be fine on the balcony.

 

Have a great time and ask away!!!!

[FunCruiser56]

Welcome!!

I fear that the hardest part of your evening will be aranging for a babysitter, I do wish you lots of luck with that.

Providing you do find one I think feeding the kids early in the WJ is a great idea.

The railing on the balcony is fairly high but you know little kids, where there is a will there is a way. Keep the chairs back against the wall and I am sure you will be with them when they are on the balcony, otherwise there is a lock on the balcony door so they can't slip out.

 

Enjoy your first cruise, hope it will be the first of many...

 

Funcruiser

[sas80]

The balconies onthe Serenade are very kid friendly.

They are all glass with a wood railing up top.

 

Just be sure to keep juniors OFF the balcony furniture!!!

 

Your dinner 'plans' are excellent!!! They will work out very well!

 

Have you checked out adventure ocean to see if they offer activities for kids this young? They might.

 

Happy Cruising!!!

[serene56]

Are you sure you can get a baby sitter each night? Has the ship confirmed that one will be available? !!

 

I am interested in knowing this also.

[caviargal]

Serenade is a wonderful ship and it is very nice that you and your wife will - hopefully - be able to enjoy romantic dinners together.

 

I did see some balconies on SOS that had netting over the rails, hung from the inside. If this is an option, I would recommend it. As another poster said, the rails are open somewhat and where there is a will, there is a way.

 

I understand that in cabin babysitting is sparse so would recommend you ask as soon as you board. It is an optional service and so not guaranteed.

[ChicagoBound]

Thanks for the tips. Please keep them coming.

 

As far as getting a babysitter, from reading these boards, it seems like its not too hard to arrange for a babysitter for each night as long as you try to take care of that early the first day. We plan to board very early (to also take advantage of that day), and see about getting babysitters at night. I understand that onboard workers who don't work at night gladly babysit to earn extra money. And with our kids (who sleep through pretty much anything), it will be easy money.

 

I'm assuming that the babysitter can sit out on the balcony if they want and read/whatever.

 

Hey, here's another question: Are there reading lights/any lights on the balconies?

 

And if we can't get a babysitter for a particular night, we can all eat together in the room or at Windjammer then stay in the room/go out onto the balcony before we go to bed (or one of us can venture out to the bars, etc.).

 

Regarding the other question about the kids' programs, our kids are too young to do the formal program (that is for kids 3 and up). But I know they have 45 minute play-time/classes for the younger kids. We may check those out.

 

By the way, the kids will celebrate their second birthday on the cruise! Talk about lucky kids.

 

Should we let the RCCI people know about their birthday? Will they do anything special?

 

Thanks again for all your help. The more I type, the more excited I get.

[caviargal]

They will do something special IF you pay for it. The time of free cakes, etc, is long gone. If you want to decorate the cabin with balloons (~35) or order a cake (9-12 dependent on size) you may do so prior.

[serene56]

Hey, here's another question: Are there reading lights/any lights on the balconies?

 

Some lights get turned off at night-- It has something to do with letting other ships know their heading and their course. On any of my cruises my lights on the balconie did not work at night.

 

is there a set fee for babysititng? do you take this up with the Pursers office?

[Fritz265]

Greetings. This is my first post on Cruise Critic. What an awesome resource filled with so many knowledgeable people. Before my question, a brief introduction: My wife and I and my almost-two year old twins will be sailing on the Serenade of the Seas on Dec. 10th. (I know. I know. I need to register with the M&M.) This is our first cruise. I CAN'T WAIT!! Until about six months ago, I was not interested in going on a cruise. In fact, you could say I wasn't even ambivalent. I was pretty anti-cruise. But then something clicked in my mind and I said, "maybe we should go on a cruise." Doing some research and spending time here solidified my desire to go on a cruise. As I said, I can't wait.

 

I have a ton of questions and will probably be posting often. (And yes, I will use the search function before posting).

 

But here's my question: My wife and I are scheduled for the late dinner. The plan is to put the kids to bed around 7:45 each night and arrange for a babysitter to be there from 7:45 till we're done with dinner and hanging out that night (probably not later than 11:00 most nights) The kids obviously need to eat dinner. So can we take the kids to the Windjammer at 6:00 or 6:30 to feed them even though my wife and I will be going to dinner in the dining room for the late seating??

 

Maybe this is a silly question, but I thought I'd ask.

 

One quick bonus question, are the balconies kid-friendly (i.e., can a small kid (about 2 at the time) slide past the railing/plexiglas/whatever-it-is)). We are in 1050.

 

Thanks for all your help in response to this question and in response to so many other things on the board. It is truly invaluable.

 

- ChicagoBound

 

We do the exact same thing when sailing with out 5yo and 3yo. They don't like the more "upscale" dining and it's not an enjoyable experience with them. They like the buffet so they eat in Windjammer and we've booked in-cabin sitting while we dine later. We usually sail in an OS so the concierge has taken care of the babysitting arrangement for us. We put in one of their favorite DVD's and they sit on a sofa and watch movies.

 

It's a great idea and it works nicely and allows for some adult time. Just don't try to cut your dining neighbor's steak......

 

As for the balcony, we make it a rule that the kids are NEVER allowed on the balcony without mom or dad. The rails are high but a resourceful toddler could find a way, especially with the furniture out there. There was a light out there that we could turn on at night as well although I preferred the dark so I could see the stars.

[JCSM-Mom]

As far as getting a babysitter, from reading these boards, it seems like its not too hard to arrange for a babysitter for each night as long as you try to take care of that early the first day. We plan to board very early (to also take advantage of that day), and see about getting babysitters at night. I understand that onboard workers who don't work at night gladly babysit to earn extra money. And with our kids (who sleep through pretty much anything), it will be easy money.

 

Regarding the other question about the kids' programs, our kids are too young to do the formal program (that is for kids 3 and up). But I know they have 45 minute play-time/classes for the younger kids. We may check those out.

 

Should we let the RCCI people know about their birthday? Will they do anything special?

 

Thanks again for all your help. The more I type, the more excited I get.

 

I will be sailing the first time on RCCL in just over a MONTH :D. I hope that the every night babysitter won't be a problem since we are planning the same thing with our kids for dinner. I know I did not have a problem with it on Celebrity. We had the same gal every night.

 

I read that RCCL doesn't do the cakes anymore. That's a shame. On Celebrity they brought my son a cake just because. The Maitre'D asked how old he was and I told him he'd be 14 months on x day.....that day a cake showed up for dessert. What a surprise. We have some great pictures. We took our son to the dining room that cruise. He behaved well and the service staffed seemed to love him. Had gifts for him every night and the Maitre'D even had fruit soup for him every night because he knew he liked it so well. We usually took him back to the room between Salad and main course to be with the sitter because dinner is so long. That's why this time we aren't even going to try it with 2.

 

Have a great time on your cruise.

[Fritz265]

I never had issues getting babysitters. Just keep in mind that you have to pay them per hour IN CASH each time you use them. Rate are from 8-10 bucks per hour. I generally paid a little more and it's still a bargain compared to getting the teenager next door in our neighborhood.

[Travelgrrl]

I know I'm probably a Nervous Nellie, and this was not your original question, but I'm a little skeeved about the in-room babysitting thing. It's not as formal or supervised as Adventure Ocean, like the OP said, it's staff members who have volunteered to come to your room and sit with your child. They could be a bartender, or a room steward, or an Adventure Ocean fully licensed counselor, I guess.

 

When my kids were small enough that I needed an in-home babysitter, like most parents I sussed out prospective sitters (usually friends of the family, I never had a stranger).

 

It's probably just me, but I don't even like the thought of a stranger being in my room with all my stuff when I'm not there (yes, the room stewards do but they keep the door propped open); much less leaving a stranger with my two little wee ones!

 

On the other hand, I can well imagine how much you must need a break with twins - maybe you can do in-room babysitting some nights, all dine together in the Windjammer other nights; or maybe you could bring Grandma along in an inside room (putting one of the twins in that room 'in name only' to make up the second person for economy of scale) and have someone you know watch the kids if you plan to leave them every night?

 

Or, possibly switch now or on board to early seating; others may disagree but I have sat at tables with toddlers (not my own or from my party) and they can actually be pretty well behaved in the dining room. (Flame away, I guess :rolleyes: ) So maybe that would be an option for some nights if you had early seating. This doesn't work as well with the Windjammer concept though, as the early seating is at 6:00 and the Windjammer doesn't open until 6:30 for dinner.

 

Just a few thoughts - and don't mean to hurt anyone's feelings.

[celtic selke]

If you can't get a babysitter every night, what you could do is order room service for late. Normally everything that is available in the main dining room that evening is also available from room service while the dining room is in operation. They will post the dinner menu outside the dining room in the afternoon so you can see what is being served. Just check to see if this is still the case. Or better yet, maybe someone that has cruised recently will know.

You could get the kids fed and settled and then eat a quiet cozy dinner on your balcony.

If you are worried about the light, bring a battery operated candle.

 

Hey. This is sounding so nice, I think I'll do it one night on my next cruise.

 

celtic

[ChicagoBound]

I'm a little worried (but not too worried) about a stranger baby-sitting the kids in-room. We will probably have the babysitter arrive a little early so we can size them up. If we feel uncomfortable, we can always feign sickness and pay them for an hour or two and tell them that we don't need them. But I doubt that will be the case. Remember, if these people got a lot of complaints from previous cruisers, presumably RCCI would not have them on the list of possible babysitters. Trust me, RCCI doesn't want lawsuits any more than anybody else does. And our current babysitters at home were initially strangers to us. Now they are our friends. From everything I've read on Cruise Critic, I haven't seen one post from a parent who felt uncomfortable about an in-room babysitter, let alone a parent who said they actually had a problem.

 

Also, the kids will be put to sleep before we go. Given the laws of inertia, I doubt the babysitter will want to do anything to upset the kids and wake them up!

 

We're pretty easy so I'm not too stressed about it. And if it doesn't work out, we'll just eat with the kids. And trust me, I'm the kind of parent who, if the kids are screaming, will get them out of a public place right away. The last thing I want to do is make somebody else's vacation unpleasant because that makes my vacation unpleasant.

 

By the way, we'd love to bring along a set of grandparents, but due to scheduling, it won't really work. I wish it would.

[ChicagoBound]

I'm a little worried (but not too worried) about a stranger baby-sitting the kids in-room. We will probably have the babysitter arrive a little early so we can size them up. If we feel uncomfortable, we can always feign sickness and pay them for an hour or two and tell them that we don't need them. But I doubt that will be the case. Remember, if these people got a lot of complaints from previous cruisers, presumably RCCI would not have them on the list of possible babysitters. Trust me, RCCI doesn't want lawsuits any more than anybody else does. And our current babysitters at home were initially strangers to us. Now they are our friends. From everything I've read on Cruise Critic, I haven't seen one post from a parent who felt uncomfortable about an in-room babysitter, let alone a parent who said they actually had a problem.

 

Also, the kids will be put to sleep before we go. Given the laws of inertia, I doubt the babysitter will want to do anything to upset the kids and wake them up!

 

We're pretty easy so I'm not too stressed about it. And if it doesn't work out, we'll just eat with the kids. And trust me, I'm the kind of parent who, if the kids are screaming, will get them out of a public place right away. The last thing I want to do is make somebody else's vacation unpleasant because that makes my vacation unpleasant.

 

By the way, we'd love to bring along a set of grandparents, but due to scheduling, it won't really work. I wish it would.

[Fritz265]

I'm a little worried (but not too worried) about a stranger baby-sitting the kids in-room. We will probably have the babysitter arrive a little early so we can size them up. If we feel uncomfortable, we can always feign sickness and pay them for an hour or two and tell them that we don't need them. But I doubt that will be the case. Remember, if these people got a lot of complaints from previous cruisers, presumably RCCI would not have them on the list of possible babysitters. Trust me, RCCI doesn't want lawsuits any more than anybody else does. And our current babysitters at home were initially strangers to us. Now they are our friends. From everything I've read on Cruise Critic, I haven't seen one post from a parent who felt uncomfortable about an in-room babysitter, let alone a parent who said they actually had a problem.

 

Also, the kids will be put to sleep before we go. Given the laws of inertia, I doubt the babysitter will want to do anything to upset the kids and wake them up!

 

We're pretty easy so I'm not too stressed about it. And if it doesn't work out, we'll just eat with the kids. And trust me, I'm the kind of parent who, if the kids are screaming, will get them out of a public place right away. The last thing I want to do is make somebody else's vacation unpleasant because that makes my vacation unpleasant.

 

By the way, we'd love to bring along a set of grandparents, but due to scheduling, it won't really work. I wish it would.

 

When we've used in-cabin sitters, they've ALL been awesome. In fact, we usually asked, and received, the same person the remainder of the cruise. Mind you, we don't use someone all week. Maybe once or twice during the cruise and other night, we might actually just take turns going out and about. The sitters were awesome and very personable and professional. I don't think they mind sitting in an OS with room service food and anything else they wanted either. Watching kid's movies may have been a pain but the kids seemed to have really enjoyed their company.

 

The list of sitters isn't purely random. While they are crewmembers, they're selected because of their temperment with children, personality and skills. They do have CPR and first aid certifications. Also, we're on a ship and they can call you from the room at anytime if they needed to reach you. You're never that far away. We carried an onboard phone we obtained from the concierge so we were always within reach.

 

Obviously, if it's a big issue for some, they may want to stay with their kids.

[HurricaneSally]

FritzLa, in another thread you stated you are gay, how did you end up with two kids? Not flaming, just curious, because we all know it takes a female and a male to make children.

[CanadianMAG]

FritzLa, in another thread you stated you are gay, how did you end up with two kids? Not flaming, just curious, because we all know it takes a female and a male to make children.

 

Gay people cannot have children, since when?? One of my best friends is gay and has a 2 year old :eek: How is that possible? :confused:

[spoonful]

FritzLa, in another thread you stated you are gay, how did you end up with two kids? Not flaming, just curious, because we all know it takes a female and a male to make children.

 

Hmmm. when i first read this, i didn't know how to take it. Are you being sarcastic? ARe you honestly asking? Being funny?

 

I will give the benefit of the doubt and take it that you are honestly curious. Families with same sex parents or others who can not or choose not to give birth sometimes adopt children. Perhaps they use a sperm donor. In addition, children may be raised by family members or others when their own parents may have died or are otherwise uncapable of parenting.

 

I don't mean to be condesending but, like i said before, i am assuming that it honestly didn't occur to you that people could be parents without actually the traditional man-woman pairing. I hope this goes some way to answering your question. It is kind of a personal question so i wouldn't be surprised if FritzLa doesn't respond to the question of "how did you end up with two kids?"

By The Way, are you sure you got the right screen name? the screen name u used in your post isn't the same as the screen name of the person who posted.

[sherry7]

FritzLa, in another thread you stated you are gay, how did you end up with two kids? Not flaming, just curious, because we all know it takes a female and a male to make children.

 

 

I wouldn't presume to answer for Fritz, but many gay couples choose to adopt children.

[PTarbay]

FritzLa, in another thread you stated you are gay, how did you end up with two kids? Not flaming, just curious, because we all know it takes a female and a male to make children.

No FITZLA not Fritz265 did.You're combining the 2 names.Don't you think that question is a little personal and inappropriate whether you're curious or not?