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Kids under 21 at Chefs Table?


JLMoran

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I know that the Chefs Table is themed around the pairing of the wines with the food, but do they allow minors to attend and just miss out on the wine part? My 14-year old daughter is a major foodie, and I know she'd love the chance to try this out. I was looking at the description in the cruise planner, but surprisingly there are no restrictions listed as far as ages allowed or anything else.

If they don't allow minors, I'll be looking at trying this out on my own, if at all. My wife doesn't eat fish and doesn't drink wine, so bringing her along would be an overall poor experience for her, and my other daughter isn't as adventuresome in the food department as the younger one. Would have to see at that point how the rest of the family would feel about me having dinner without them while they went to the MDR or maybe did a specialty restaurant of their own.

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I have been to a number of Chef's Tables on different ships and I will say that I have never (to my recollection) seen any "children".  I suspect that this is more a function of price than of an attempt to exclude.  I think that your 14 year old would be welcome, especially if she is a true connoisseur.  I'm sure they would strongly discourage younger children that would be likely to disrupt but I think a 14 year old would enjoy it if she likes trying new things.

Obviously there would be no wine for her and I wouldn't expect any price break but if you're ok with all of that I would say go for it for a dad and daughter date.  I think it's very endearing.

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I think if your daughter is a foodie and mature enough to sit for a long meal (it is usually a couple hours)  then she will love it.  My oldest would have enjoyed it, my other 2 would have been bouncing off  walls.   It is definitely an older crowd, but the food was great.  I think freedom includes a galley tour,  which I'd think she'd really enjoy.   Its easy to check the age requirement...just try to make the reservation in the cruise planner.   It knows how old she is so if it's a problem,  it won't let you reserve.   

   Have a great time...we are doing it the week before!   Jane

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Yes, she could easily sit through a 2-hour meal, especially if the food is as good as it seems from the sample menu and some reviews I've seen here and elsewhere. Good idea about just trying to purchase and pulling her name from the linked reservation like I've done for excursions and other reservations! I hadn't thought of trying that.

To give you an idea of what she's like -- we went to Lambertville, NJ on Wednesday and had lunch at a local eatery that everyone raves about (Lambertville Station Restaurant, for those familiar with the area). They had a new "cheesesteak sandwich" on the menu, which is a bit of a misnomer since it was served with onion bread with fresh-made au jus on the side, and the meat was slow-roasted for hours and sliced to serve instead of being the typical frozen slab quickly fried up on the grill. She spent the entire meal raving about that sandwich! How the meat was perfectly juicy, enough to melt in her mouth but not so moist that it turned the bread soggy. And the cheese had these hints of spices in it that she was picking up as she ate it, couldn't tell if it was cherry pepper or jalapeno or something else. And the au jus was really good and flavorful and accented the sandwich perfectly. She was still going on about it an hour after we left, and how she's been ruined for cheesesteak sandwiches from anywhere else!

And then we went for ice cream at a nearby gourmet place, where she tried Rosewater Cardamom and talked about how the flavor starts off filling your mouth with the cardamom; but as you swallow, that flavor quickly fades and the rosewater almost floats up from the back of your mouth to fill your nostrils as a really nice finish. That was opposed to the Indonesian Vanilla, which she described as just "meh" for flavor compared to the Madagascar vanilla we have at home for baking. And the "I Hate Chocolate", which was the best chocolate ice cream she's had to date.

 

So yeah, I think she'd absolutely love the Chef's Table experience. I just might have to be ready to hear about it for the entire rest of the cruise. :10_wink::6_smile:

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Just did a quick test, I can add my daughter to the reservation without any trouble at all! And apparently you can reserve that meal for any night of the trip. I thought it was just on one specific night, maybe two, and needed a super-early booking to ensure a seat.

So now I just have to talk with the missus, see if she's OK with that plan, and then...

YOLO! BOOK IT!

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Im so glad you are going for it.  It truly was one of the highlights of my adventure cruise, although for me the wine pairings were amazing as well.   Please let us know how she enjoys it.  I wish we were cruising a week later...it would have been fun for our teen girls to meet!  Jane

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4 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Yes, she could easily sit through a 2-hour meal, especially if the food is as good as it seems from the sample menu and some reviews I've seen here and elsewhere. Good idea about just trying to purchase and pulling her name from the linked reservation like I've done for excursions and other reservations! I hadn't thought of trying that.

To give you an idea of what she's like -- we went to Lambertville, NJ on Wednesday and had lunch at a local eatery that everyone raves about (Lambertville Station Restaurant, for those familiar with the area). They had a new "cheesesteak sandwich" on the menu, which is a bit of a misnomer since it was served with onion bread with fresh-made au jus on the side, and the meat was slow-roasted for hours and sliced to serve instead of being the typical frozen slab quickly fried up on the grill. She spent the entire meal raving about that sandwich! How the meat was perfectly juicy, enough to melt in her mouth but not so moist that it turned the bread soggy. And the cheese had these hints of spices in it that she was picking up as she ate it, couldn't tell if it was cherry pepper or jalapeno or something else. And the au jus was really good and flavorful and accented the sandwich perfectly. She was still going on about it an hour after we left, and how she's been ruined for cheesesteak sandwiches from anywhere else!

And then we went for ice cream at a nearby gourmet place, where she tried Rosewater Cardamom and talked about how the flavor starts off filling your mouth with the cardamom; but as you swallow, that flavor quickly fades and the rosewater almost floats up from the back of your mouth to fill your nostrils as a really nice finish. That was opposed to the Indonesian Vanilla, which she described as just "meh" for flavor compared to the Madagascar vanilla we have at home for baking. And the "I Hate Chocolate", which was the best chocolate ice cream she's had to date.

 

So yeah, I think she'd absolutely love the Chef's Table experience. I just might have to be ready to hear about it for the entire rest of the cruise. :10_wink::6_smile:

Your daughter does sound like a real foodie.  What a great thing for a person her age!  You should definitely take her to Chef's Table, even if you have to eat the cost for the wine she doesn't drink.  She deserves it.

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I talked with her about it, and showed her a video posted by RCI, as well as the sample menu on the Cruise Planner. She wasn't sure about the menu, thought it might be a little TOO adventuresome. She also feels it's as much about the wine as the food and that it wouldn't really work for her because of that.

I'm guessing that the average age of the people in the promotional video didn't help. She probably would be the youngest one there by a country mile, and she's already self-conscious about being "old for her age".

It was worth a try. I may still go on my own, or she may change her mind over the next 8 months. Will take it as it comes.

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Maybe you guys can just be sure to try some of the more varied windjammer options as a "predinner" together (as matt world call it).  Then you still have that bonding experience.   Judging from my last cruise,  we will be lucky if we see my 15 year old at all!  Jane

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