Breakfast for kids

[michelleandbrett]

Hi all! We will be going on our first Disney cruise this June - yay! Wondering what the rules are for kids eating breakfast by themselves. Would they be allowed to go up without us or would our oldest be able to bring some stuff back to the room? We'll be in connecting rooms and kids are 10, 7 and 5.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

As long as they don't cause a problem, no one is going to mind them going to Cabanas alone. Bringing food from Cabanas back to the room is allowed.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Hi all! We will be going on our first Disney cruise this June - yay! Wondering what the rules are for kids eating breakfast by themselves. Would they be allowed to go up without us or would our oldest be able to bring some stuff back to the room? We'll be in connecting rooms and kids are 10, 7 and 5.

There aren't any "rules" about the kids eating without the parents. Some kids are well-mannered and are welcome to roam the ship. Then there's other kids.

 

[oufpat]

We had 3 9yo grandchildren on a Cruise last spring. There were fine wandering the ship together and bringing back food. Only trouble was that "their eyes were bigger than their mouths" and they always brought back too much food!

 

[Rob1872]

Will your 5 year old be able to reach everything on the buffet? I could see letting the three of them go up to breakfast together if the 10 year old was helping out the younger siblings. They would also be able to go to whichever MDR was doing breakfast and order off a menu.
When my oldest was 11, he thought it was the greatest thing in the world that he could go up to the pool quick service places at anytime without us.

 

[braysmommy]

You can also hang room service request on the door the night before. Can find it on the desk or in the desk drawer.

 

[PurplePencil]

You can also hang room service request on the door the night before. Can find it on the desk or in the desk drawer.

Just note that there have been reports of room service not bringing food into a room with only minors (if as OP makes it seem, the kids sleep in one room, parents other)

 

[MomOTwins]

Just note that there have been reports of room service not bringing food into a room with only minors (if as OP makes it seem, the kids sleep in one room, parents other)

DCL’s terms an conditions require at least one person age 21 and up in a stateroom with minors under age 18.

To the original question, I think thise kids sound too young. But you know your kids—can they observe buffet etiquette remembering to wash hands first, not use fingers to pick up food, not cut in, not bump into guests carrying plates)? Can they reach the glasses and juice machines? Do they know the ship well enough to not get lost? If you decide to go with the pick up option, as someone who on her last cruise had a big plate of Cabanas food spilled all over her in the elevator, can I suggest they go with a continental breakfast that won’t stain clothes if spilled?

 

[DietCokeMommy]

Do your younger kids understand how to get food from a buffet without getting all their germs in it? I’d be pretty annoyed if I saw someone’s young kids grabbing food with their hands or throwing the tongs in with the food so that the handles were touching the food.

 

[lklgoodman]

Do your younger kids understand how to get food from a buffet without getting all their germs in it? I’d be pretty annoyed if I saw someone’s young kids grabbing food with their hands or throwing the tongs in with the food so that the handles were touching the food.

I saw an adult pick up bacon from her plate and throw it back into the buffet bowl, with her fingers!!! Thankfully the cm behind the buffet was right there and grabbed the bowl and took it off the buffet.

 

[wishuponastar1984]

The 10 year old probably could do it but I wouldn't think a 10 year old is old enough to monitor two other children who are getting buffet items then carefully carrying it back to the room. Why can't one of the adults escort them? If the adults aren't interested in eating breakfast, just order room service for the kids.

 

[lanejudy]

DCL’s terms an conditions require at least one person age 21 and up in a stateroom with minors under age 18.

That is true for booking however DCL doesn't pay any attention to where people actually sleep or require that kids always be with an adult when in the room. Many families shift people around to sleep parents in one stateroom and kids in another.

CMs will not knowingly enter a stateroom that only has a minor present at that time. I don't know how that might work with room service; if the oldest can manage answering the door and accepting the food it may or may not be a problem. Just be aware the room-service breakfast menu isn't all that exciting, but I guess that depends on one's preference for breakfast foods.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[JaimeInParker]

Hi all! We will be going on our first Disney cruise this June - yay! Wondering what the rules are for kids eating breakfast by themselves. Would they be allowed to go up without us or would our oldest be able to bring some stuff back to the room? We'll be in connecting rooms and kids are 10, 7 and 5.

Don't forget that ROOM SERVICE is always available and free (except for a tip)

 

[Chemist]

I don't like my children unsupervised at buffets. The amount of food waste is RIDICULOUS. I'm trying to impress on them the idea of, "take what you think you can eat, you can always go back for seconds." However, they don't see it that way. I don't think my children are particularly unique that way. (Honestly, a lot of adults toss enormous amounts of food, also, but I can't parent them.)

 

[MomOTwins]

I don't like my children unsupervised at buffets. The amount of food waste is RIDICULOUS. I'm trying to impress on them the idea of, "take what you think you can eat, you can always go back for seconds." However, they don't see it that way. I don't think my children are particularly unique that way. (Honestly, a lot of adults toss enormous amounts of food, also, but I can't parent them.)

I take enormous amount of foods, but I eat every bite. I love those Cabanas chicken tenders and cocktail shrimps

 

[Travel60]

The 10 yo, probably. The 5 and 7, no.

 

[Larry]

I am one too that smaller children should never be at the buffet alone or even unsupervised. I have seen to many kids eat out of the buffet or touching food. Even on our last cruise the mother was standing near the child talking to her husband, while we witnessed the little angle touch the food and mom said nothing until one in our group said something. Then the mother yelled at us stating he did not. Dad walked away while mom was telling at us. Crew members removed the food immediately.
We found it better when our little one was ready for breakfast and we weren't, she ordered room service and because it is vacation, she has hamburgers for breakfast. She still prefers doing it still before running off to the kids club. Feels it is something very special.

 

[hnthomps]

Will they be allowed? probably. Is it a good idea? YMMV. I'd say absolutely no problem for the average 10 year old, borderline for the average 7 year old, and no-way-no-how for the 5 year old. But your original question was could the 10 year old bring back food for them, and to that I say sure.
We plan to let our almost-9-year-old have pretty free reign our next cruise. He is well mannered, not likely to get lost, responsible, tall enough to reach the buffet, and not likely to take more food than is reasonable, if we give him broad guidelines in advance. Our just-turned-6 year old, however, is none of those things. She will be with an adult at all times.

Breakfast doesn't open until well after our kids were ready to eat on our first few trips. We got used to bringing unpeeled whole fruit back to the room the day before to tide the kids over until cabanas was open. But we have early risers.

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

We would have let our older son go without us when he was ten. The younger one, no way. Probably wouldn't have let either of them go alone before that.

 

[DahliaRW]

My kids were older on our last cruise (13, 11, and 9), but they went and ate, by themselves, at the sit down restaurant for breakfast one morning. They thought it was the greatest thing ever and the staff fawned over them. We did set expectations (and in general they do really well eating out with us). All 3 were also fine going to the buffet to grab a snack or the top deck food stations as needed without us. So I'd say it really depends on your children and your comfort level, but there isn't really a policy from DCL, per say. If your 10yo is mature and you give some guidelines, I think bringing back food is reasonable. You could also grab stuff the day before and store in their room for them to snack on when waking up, and then all go when you guys get up.