Sunday, August 12, 2012

MSC Serves Up “Happy Meals” At Sea

Meal times on any MSC Cruises ship never fail to make Mel and me happy. That’s him pictured here with his favorite pasta dish. With their kids-sail-free policy, MSC’s cruises are very attractive to families and we’ve often seen several generations of them traveling together on board. In many cases everyone goes their own way to do what they want all day long, but grandparents in particular think the entire clan should meet up at dinner time. That can sometimes be a challenge with little ones in the mix. However, MSC has announced three innovative features which make it even easier for children to have family fun and fun meals at sea.

Happy Dinners
MSC Cruises has created the perfect recipe for a great family meal. Often, children don’t like being seated for hours while adults want to take their time over dinner. MSC Happy Dinners offers the best of both worlds. Children are served dinner from the kids’ menu while parents are enjoying their opening courses, with everyone dining together as a family. Then, when the children have finished, they no longer have to wait patiently for the adults to finish. With MSC Happy Dinners, the children are picked up by specialized Kids’ Club staff members when they’ve finished and are then free to have fun with friends their age, leaving parents to leisurely savor the different courses and wine and to enjoy the rest of their dinner.

Fun Time Dinner
For kids who relish their independence and would love the freedom of eating with their friends, away from the grownups, MSC Fun Time Dinners may prove even more tempting. With MSC Fun Time Dinners, children ages 3-11 can join the entertainment team and their new friends in a separate, specially decorated area of the buffet restaurant for their evening meal and then have fun in the Mini and Junior Club while parents enjoy a leisurely dinner alone, picking up the kids when they’ve finished. Three of these nights are theme parties—a Welcome Party, Italian Party, and Farewell and Birthday Party—while the remaining four MSC Fun Time Dinners are fun from start to finish!

Both the MSC Happy Dinners and the MSC Fun Time Dinner services are now available free on all MSC ships. Dedicated to children ages 3-11, parents need to register their children in advance with the Mini or Junior Club and complete the special “dinner coupons.”

Extended Kids’ Club Hours
MSC Cruises has also extended the hours of its Kids’ Club program. Additionally, every morning from 9-10 am and now also from 5-6 pm, MSC Cruises offers a special program designed for babies and toddlers ages 10-36 months to spend quality time with their parents with the support of MSC Kids’ Club staff. Staff members organize dedicated games and activities aimed specifically at MSC’s youngest guests and their parents, including playing with bricks, musical games, baby disco, puzzle games, and drawing.

Happy Dinners, Fun Time Dinners, extended hours, and the range of activities tailor-made for families on board the MSC fleet should provide a satisfying and stress-free cruise vacation for the everyone. As a bonus for those passengers without kids, the dinner programs should also mean a quieter dining experience in the formal restaurants. It’s a win-win for everyone. For more information, visit MSC Cruises online.

Image (c) CruiseDiva.com

1 comment:

Colleen said...

This is such a great idea for parents! Too often, mom and dad want to linger with a glass of wine, but the kids are restless and just want to play. This solves both problems!