kids charged for character breakfast?

[AMB1]

I'm new to RCI and am trying to reserve dining and activities for our upcoming Oasis cruise using the cruise planner site.

 

Although the website says adults are charged $10 for the character breakfast and kids eat at no extra charge, I was charged $10 for all members of our party. The website shows the ages of everybody sailing under our names (our kids are 11 and 8), so why is it charging the kids?

 

Is this normal? Do I get refunded once on board?

 

Any insight would be appreciated.

[Spurschick]

Website says 5 and under free. Children 6 and over are charged.

[LMaxwell]

 

Any insight would be appreciated.

 

We did it when it was free. The characters have many other interaction times throughout the week. They stop by the table for 20 seconds and then are gone. It wasn't even totally separated from the rest of the MDR. Possibly now that they charge it is smaller and you get more time<?> I don't know.

 

The price I paid was what it was worth.

[AMB1]

Thanks for clarifying! The page I looked at just said "kids" without specifying an age range. I thought the 11-year-old may have been pushing it, but I must admit I thought 8 was still a child.

[Spurschick]

Thanks for clarifying! The page I looked at just said "kids" without specifying an age range. I thought the 11-year-old may have been pushing it, but I must admit I thought 8 was still a child.

 

You are welcome. If you go to where you booked it and scroll down to terms and conditions it shows the ages for pricing in small print at the bottom.

[time4u2go]

Thanks for clarifying! The page I looked at just said "kids" without specifying an age range. I thought the 11-year-old may have been pushing it, but I must admit I thought 8 was still a child.

 

Wow even Disney considers an 8-year-old to be a child. They grow up so fast! ;):D:rolleyes:

Edited January 8, 2017 by time4u2go

[AMB1]

We did it when it was free. The characters have many other interaction times throughout the week. They stop by the table for 20 seconds and then are gone. It wasn't even totally separated from the rest of the MDR. Possibly now that they charge it is smaller and you get more time<?> I don't know.

 

The price I paid was what it was worth.

 

Now that I see what it will cost, it doesn't seem worth it. It was really for my younger daughter -- her sister is beyond characters now. Had the kids been free I would have tacked it on as an extra event, but it isn't worth an upcharge for all of us.

[AMB1]

You are welcome. If you go to where you booked it and scroll down to terms and conditions it shows the ages for pricing in small print at the bottom.

 

Always in the small print! Any idea where I can find the small print on kids charges for specialty dining? The big print says kids dine "for less" but now I wonder who counts as a kid.

[AMB1]

Wow even Disney considers an 8-year-old to be a child. They grow up so fast! ;):D:rolleyes:

 

I know! Over on the DisBoards (my usual hangout) they are all bemoaning the 9-year-old "Disney Adult".

[LMaxwell]

Always in the small print! Any idea where I can find the small print on kids charges for specialty dining? The big print says kids dine "for less" but now I wonder who counts as a kid.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=336&faqSubjectName=Food+%26+Beverage&faqId=3233

 

Certainly better bang for the buck than the character breakfast.

[baycruising]

I have booked the breakfast for upcoming Ovation cruise with two 8 year old grandchildren. I do hope it is worthwhile - it seems expensive when you have already paid for breakfast so I assume it is a bit more than a passing wave from a character.

 

 

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[AMB1]

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=336&faqSubjectName=Food+%26+Beverage&faqId=3233

 

Certainly better bang for the buck than the character breakfast.

 

Thanks! That makes specialty dining much more attractive.

[LMaxwell]

I have booked the breakfast for upcoming Ovation cruise with two 8 year old grandchildren. I do hope it is worthwhile - it seems expensive when you have already paid for breakfast so I assume it is a bit more than a passing wave from a character.

 

 

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Same MDR breakfast with some silly names for the food. Don't get hopes up on character interaction.

 

Honestly, on our cruise there was nothing to stop anyone from the "non" character part of the dining room from walking over and taking a picture with a character.

 

I was very vocally against RCI charging for this since after experiencing it there was nothing of substance to charge for :confused:

[BekkaW]

I have booked the breakfast for upcoming Ovation cruise with two 8 year old grandchildren. I do hope it is worthwhile - it seems expensive when you have already paid for breakfast so I assume it is a bit more than a passing wave from a character.

 

 

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This opinion seems out of step with most commenting here, but we did it on Oasis and it was really good. Much more than a passing wave from the characters, they came around for pictures and did some funny little dances etc which the kids around seemed to love. All the food is chocolate themed :)

[moopetguy]

To my knowledge, the DreamWorks character breakfasts were free until mid-2014ish. I booked them for free in early 2014 for Oasis during that fall. Later that year leading up to the cruise (around the summer), they started charging for them. I think they've been charging for them ever since.

 

Since it was originally free to reserve, it was no skin off anyone's back to skip it after reserving in advance online (you do have to get up early...07:45 line-up outside the MDR for it to start at 08:00). The limited capacity meant no-shows may also hinder others from getting in (not sure if they used to or currently offer a standby line for those who couldn't book ahead).

 

Anyway an unsubstantiated rumour/theory is that the charge (fairly nominal for RCI to be honest, based on their other specialty dining cover charges) was introduced to discourage no-shows. Or they just started charging to make more money, because they can :rolleyes:

 

As for what happens during the breakfast -- just want to add a few more details to what has already been described. Two or three DreamWorks characters appear in turn. Typically different characters show up to different breakfasts during the same cruise. To kick it off, there's a musical/dance number in which they get the kids involved (e.g. head, shoulders, knees, and toes or some other kids' songs). There is a DreamWorks Experience backdrop set up and they have the kids come up to dance to the music and have parents take pictures/video.

 

Kids return to their seats and the host informs everyone that the characters will go up to each table in turn for a couple of pictures with the kids at that table. You will also get a round sticker with each character that comes up to your table for pictures (gotta have 'em all ;)). The characters who are larger in stature (e.g. Po the Kung Fu Panda) may not come around to the tables as there's not much room, so they will call the kids up from each table instead.

 

You don't get much one-on-one time with each character, but I think it's what you could reasonably expect; about the same as you'd get if you meet them during the photo opportunities on the ship throughout the week when announced through the Cruise Compass. You'll get enough time for a few pictures, a high-five and a hug or two before they move on.

 

I most recently did the two DreamWorks breakfasts offered on board Liberty (only two characters at each breakfast, fewer than Oasis-class).

[TripleU]

We did it back when it was free on the Oasis. Honestly, I wouldn't do it again even if it was still free. It's most definitely not worth $10.

 

 

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[mollyeilis]

We did it when it was free. Wasn't worth what we paid.

 

As for the reason they started charging, let's not blame the guests. We had two booked because we thought we would do both. Then we did one. Bleah. We called to cancel the other. We tried! They told us not to bother and that we didn't have to. That it didn't matter. These were the dining people!!! If there was some sort of problem with no shows, the problem was with the staff.

 

 

The interaction was cute but it could have been done elsewhere on the ship.

 

 

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[AMB1]

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=336&faqSubjectName=Food+%26+Beverage&faqId=3233

 

Certainly better bang for the buck than the character breakfast.

 

I'm back to being discouraged! I tried booking dining at Giovanni's and it is charging $30pp for both the 8-year-old and the 11-year-old, even though the link you kindly provided says kids 6-12 eat for $8. This is frustrating. I think we will stick to the MDR for the week.

[Clarea]

I'm back to being discouraged! I tried booking dining at Giovanni's and it is charging $30pp for both the 8-year-old and the 11-year-old, even though the link you kindly provided says kids 6-12 eat for $8. This is frustrating. I think we will stick to the MDR for the week.

Booking kids pre-cruise always results in full price charges. However, they will credit you onboard if the kids eat off the kids menu.

[AMB1]

Booking kids pre-cruise always results in full price charges. However, they will credit you onboard if the kids eat off the kids menu.

 

Thank you! That's very helpful. Now I will feel better about making reservations.

[brillohead]

A couple thoughts on specialty dining with kids and character encounters:

 

If you want to eat at a specialty venue, and if your kids are just going to eat off the kiddie menu anyway, you might want to take the kids to Windjammer or the MDR for dinner, then drop them off at the evening kiddie program instead. You can enjoy a leisurely, adult, specialty dinner without having to make sure someone gets the right dip for their chicken nuggets. ;) Or, if your kids are going to want the specialty restaurant food, you're going to pay full adult price for them -- the reduced price is only for kids who eat the kiddie food.

 

Also, be warned that your kids may not be allowed to pose with the characters at the various "character encounters" throughout the ship every day (as listed in the Cruise Compass) unless you're going to have the ship's photographer take the pictures. I had friends who wanted to pose with "Po" and take a pic with their phone, and they were shooed away by the photographer and the character's handler. Maybe they make exceptions for kids (my friends are adults who were on their honeymoon cruise), but I thought it was pretty rude to ONLY allow people paying for pictures to pose with the characters. (My friends didn't cut in line or anything... they were just told that only RCCL photographs could be taken, no personal cameras.)

[LMaxwell]

A couple thoughts on specialty dining with kids and character encounters:

 

If you want to eat at a specialty venue, and if your kids are just going to eat off the kiddie menu anyway, you might want to take the kids to Windjammer or the MDR for dinner, then drop them off at the evening kiddie program instead. You can enjoy a leisurely, adult, specialty dinner without having to make sure someone gets the right dip for their chicken nuggets. ;) Or, if your kids are going to want the specialty restaurant food, you're going to pay full adult price for them -- the reduced price is only for kids who eat the kiddie food.

 

 

If a kid eats off the shipwide kids menu (think chicken nuggets, pizza, hamburger, PB&J, etc.) there is NO charge in any specialty restaurant for them.

 

If a kid eats off the kids version of the specialty menu (smaller portion, limited selections, but mirrored off the adults menu) they are charged the discounted child rate.

 

If a kid eats off the adult menu / adult portion, they are charged the full amount same as an adult.

 

 

Also, be warned that your kids may not be allowed to pose with the characters at the various "character encounters" throughout the ship every day (as listed in the Cruise Compass) unless you're going to have the ship's photographer take the pictures. I had friends who wanted to pose with "Po" and take a pic with their phone, and they were shooed away by the photographer and the character's handler. Maybe they make exceptions for kids (my friends are adults who were on their honeymoon cruise), but I thought it was pretty rude to ONLY allow people paying for pictures to pose with the characters. (My friends didn't cut in line or anything... they were just told that only RCCL photographs could be taken, no personal cameras.)

 

That's an unfortunate change of policy if that is the case as they allowed us to use our own cameras during this open to anyone character interactions a couple of years ago.

[LMaxwell]

This opinion seems out of step with most commenting here, but we did it on Oasis and it was really good. Much more than a passing wave from the characters, they came around for pictures and did some funny little dances etc which the kids around seemed to love. All the food is chocolate themed :)

 

I don't recall if the food was chocolate themed or not; has the character breakfast replaced what used to be the MDR once a cruise chocolate breakfast?

[spookwife]

I'm back to being discouraged! I tried booking dining at Giovanni's and it is charging $30pp for both the 8-year-old and the 11-year-old, even though the link you kindly provided says kids 6-12 eat for $8. This is frustrating. I think we will stick to the MDR for the week.

 

when you pre book before boarding that is how it works. you should get the difference in price refunded back once on board.

 

this of course assumes they actually only eat from the kids menu. if they eat off the adult menu, they are indeed charged full price.

Edited January 9, 2017 by spookwife
clarification

[dip13]

this will be our first non-Disney cruise, and I'm already not getting a fuzzy warm feeling.

We can't take pictures of the characters with kids on our own camera? Are you serious?

We have to pay to eat with the characters? Oh my...

I really hope the larger and more featured ship will be worth it.