Dining With Children

When you have spent a great day ashore, getting the whole family ready for dinner can be hard work, can’t it? The oldest won’t come off the Xbox in the kids’ club and the youngest refuses to wear a nappy, never mind clothes. Sound familiar?

Family cruise lines understand that adhering to set dining times can be tough when travelling with children, and that’s why you’ll find countless more flexible dining arrangements on board. The whole family will be welcomed in to the main dining room but if the thought of dressing for dinner sounds too much like hard work, you’ll find plenty of more relaxed options too, from pizza parlours to hot dog stands and buffet restaurants. Wherever you head, you’ll find the same amazing quality of food and vast quantity of choice; with as many as 40 restaurants found aboard some family cruise ships, there is something to suit even the pickiest little eater.

When it comes to breakfast, nothing gets the kids out of bed quicker than the thought of chowing down with their favourite cartoon characters. Carnival Cruises and Royal Caribbean are amongst the family cruise lines that offer this service, with everyone from Shrek to Dr Seuss making an appearance at the breakfast table.

Many kids’ clubs host special teas each evening, which are very often followed by a pyjama party. We all know how hard it is to get the kids to leave their new found friends and join you for dinner, so kids’ teas are a great way of knowing that they’ll be well fed. When you do manage to entice them away from the kids’ clubs, you’ll find that almost all family ships offer special children’s menus in several dining venues. Even if you’re on a family cruise to the furthest flung corners of the world, the kids will still spot dishes they recognise, from tasty lasagne to everyone’s favourite; chicken nuggets. Don’t worry mum and dad, there are plenty of healthy options on there, too.