The Lollipop Road

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

One of the more dreaded times when cruising with kids, especially younger kids, is mealtime.  Imagine your embarrassment as your 8 month old throws food or something like say…a cup and it hits someone at the next table; for once you wish it had hit you (again).  What is the alternative?  Hibernating in your cabin for meals?  Well, that may be  part of the solution, but you can successfully dine anywhere on the ship armed with a few simple tips.

Everyone Better Duck!

The first tip really comes out of the planning stage.  You should ask some simple questions before choosing a cruise line and a cabin category.  This will allow you to make a plan in advance.

• Does the cruise line offer flexible dining times?
• Do they offer casual dining options for dinner?
• Are pizza and other kid friendly foods readily available?
• Is infant food available?
• Is room service a full or limited menu and do they serve breakfast and dinner?
• Is there space to comfortably dine in the cabin?
• Are snacks available at all times?
• Is there a kid friendly alternative restaurant?
• Does the kids program offer supervision during meal times?

Obviously, when you have kids, one of the important factors to choosing the right cruise is the availability of food choices and dining options.  On nearly every ship today, there is an abundant choice of food and most of the time there will be something that your child (even the fussiest) will be willing to eat.  Flexibility is key, because kids might want to eat during non-traditional meal times.  For that, we also recommend bringing some of the typical snacks your child might want.  We always bring snack crackers, nuts and granola.  Also, have your cabin attendant keep a bowl of your child’s favorite fresh fruits well stocked.

In Cabin Breakfast

Having the ability to order room service anytime is a definite plus with kids.  Menus are frequently limited, but cruise lines have been expanding them more and more and if you sail in a premium cabin, you will likely have access to full menus.  Sailing in the most exclusive suites will grant you anything you desire at anytime from your butler.

Many ships also offer kid friendly specialty restaurants, such as Johnny Rockets on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.  This is in addition to the traditional Pizza Parlor, Ice Cream Parlor and on some RCCL ships, even a donut shop.  Other cruise lines, such as Celebrity Cruises, have a more limited offering, although they will accommodate children of any age in most of their specialty restaurants and do offer kid friendly foods during casual dining times.  Then there is Disney Cruise Line, which offers a separate kids buffet area, and several “snack” areas serving up kid favorites.

NCL Kid's Cafe

Recently, Norwegian Cruise Line has added a special kid’s buffet area with smaller tables and chairs to accommodate junior cruisers.  All cruise lines will also offer some sort of kid’s menu in the main dining room, however, if you have a fussy child, you may not be able to find an acceptable choice every night.  Overall,  the best variety of dining options for kids and teens is found on Royal Caribbean.

The other concern of parents seems to revolve around meal times.  Well, with every major cruise line embracing casual dining and flexible dining concepts, there really is not much to worry about.  Norwegian Cruise Line offers the most flexibility in their Freestyle Dining (they’ve been doing it since 2000), but other lines have also adopted casual evening table service, dinner buffet service and flexible reservations (generally 6PM-9:30PM) in the main dining room.  With all of these options, there should be something for everyone.  On most cruise lines (including Celebrity), you will also have the opportunity to have your children eat dinner with the kids program staff.  This allows mom and dad the ability to take advantage of a romantic dinner at one of the alternative restaurants.

So, how do you successfully enjoy a formal dinner in the dining room?  Well, with young kids it can be a challenge.  If you have an infant, make sure that he or she has had a nap and is well rested or is sleeping for all or part of dinner.  Remember, even with flexible dining times, dinner does not start until 6PM…sounds like we’re right in the middle of the witching hours.  Also bring along your own food or advise your wait staff to have food prepared when you arrive.  For example, we always had a standing order for pureed vegetables every night, whether we actually dined in the dining room or elsewhere.  We also would bring fruit and milk, so we were ready for whatever was needed. 

Asst Waiter Helps Entertain

Entertaining young kids is the bigger challenge.  Let the wait staff know that you need to fast-track dinner.  This can only happen if you choose a small table; we always choose a table just for our family (this does not work very well with flexible dining times).  You won’t be rushed, but there won’t be long pauses either.  You’ll also want a minimal amount of dinnerware, glasses and silverware on the table.  Bring along a few small, quiet toys for the kids to play with.  Our youngest at 11 months made many friends on his first cruise.  He charmed the wait staff and flirted with the neighbors.  We dined in the dining room nearly every evening.  Our second was a bit younger (8 months) when he first cruised and had a more difficult time, so we dined in our cabin or at the buffet more frequently.  Once again, you’ll know your child best.

A Sad Goodbye

Here are some final tips:

• Plan on dining in your cabin for breakfast – it’s easy, convenient and you don’t have to worry about getting the kids out of bed early
• If you want the dining room experience, eat there for lunch – young kids will be more alert and it won’t be as crowded, so you’ll be served more quickly than at dinnertime
• Keep a stock of snacks in your cabin and with you for emergencies
• Scope out the kids menus in advance and plan your dining location based upon the menu for that day
• Limit treats (and sugar) for young kids and use them as a reward for good behavior during mealtime
• Take advantage of the youth program and allow your child to have dinner with the youth staff and other kids while you have a quiet night out
• Make all special requests for food in advance or as soon as you board the ship
• If you don’t find something on the menu that the kids will eat, ask what else might be available – you’ll be surprised
• Don’t expect your teenagers to dine with you all the time – select certain nights for special family dinners
• Let the kids eat on their schedule and don’t feel tied down to specific meal times every day – forcing it just makes it worse

Planning is the most important aspect of having a successful family cruise.  This month, we’ve looked at so many considerations when cruising with kids.  Hopefully, the thought of cruising with young children is now somehow a little less frightening.  Happy sailing!

You can read more about this topic, as well as many other family cruising topics, in our new book–Cruising With Kids: A Guide To The Perfect Family Cruise Vacation. Visit our dedicated Cruising With Kids website for more details.

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