Dining question how are "table buddies" matched up?

[2Xtraveler]

Does anyone know if they try to match your table partners up? For instance...people with kids sit together, or same age sit together, or singles vs married couples? Or is it just the "luck of the draw?" I was just wondering:rolleyes:

[paul929207]

Other than where people have requested to sit together, I think it is the luck of the draw

[cb at sea]

We've never been seated with families with kids, but we have been seated with different age groups...and that's kinda fun. Our best tablemates were a couple about 20 years our senior...what a hoot they were! I guess the majority of our tablemates have been somewhere in our age group, but we have had older and younger...they're all interesting!

[GlendaleCruiser]

As a family of four we were seated with another family. As 3 singles we have been put at a big table with other singles and we've been put at a table for 4 alone. I've requested to be a part of a big table group next time.

[Hlitner]

After more then 50 cruises (about 2 years on ships) we still have no clue. We have even talked to some Maitre'd's and most try to match tablemates so there are no language difficulties (but they do not always have all the information to guarantee same language tables). We were once on a cruise where we were assigned to a table that had 6 children and us (the children's parents were all sitting together at another table nearby). Of course we quickly got the Maitre d to find us another table. We have since become addicted to "as you wish" dining options (now offered by most cruise ships) where we can dine when we please. We generally ask to share a large table (the maitre d's love this) and it gives us an opportunity to meet a lot of different passengers (we take long cruises). Usually after a few days we often will meet some of the same folks for dinner and essentially form our own tables.

 

Hank

[luvs2travl]

Does anyone know if they try to match your table partners up? For instance...people with kids sit together, or same age sit together, or singles vs married couples? Or is it just the "luck of the draw?" I was just wondering:rolleyes:

 

We choose the "Open Seating" or "Anytime Dining" so we will not be locked into a specific dining time each evening. That way, it will not interfere with our off-board or on-board activities. It is pretty much "luck of the draw" if you wish to sit with others, which we generally do. Every once in awhile, we will request a table for two.

 

We have, many times, met couples with whom we "click" and we will all request to be seated together. We have seldom, (maybe once or twice that I can recall), had tablemates with whom we did not get along or enjoy meeting. Guess we've been lucky, but we enjoy meeting new people and learning about them and their adventures, travels, homes, and families. We have been fortunate enough to now have friends all over the US and Canada with whom we keep in touch and even travel together, thanks to cruising!

[LV2COOK]

For the last several cruises, which I have done alone with my daughter who is now 19 we have been seated with other families traveling with their children in the same age range as my daughter. This works well for the most part.

 

On our upcoming cruise I did request a large table as it is a long cruise.

 

On the Solstice at Christmas...we were at a table for eight. My hubby was with us...the others at the table ate in specialty restaurants almost every night and we sat alone at a big table...didn't enjoy that:(

[Prphan2]

We choose the "Open Seating" or "Anytime Dining" so we will not be locked into a specific dining time each evening. That way, it will not interfere with our off-board or on-board activities. It is pretty much "luck of the draw" if you wish to sit with others, which we generally do. Every once in awhile, we will request a table for two.

 

We have, many times, met couples with whom we "click" and we will all request to be seated together. We have seldom, (maybe once or twice that I can recall), had tablemates with whom we did not get along or enjoy meeting. Guess we've been lucky, but we enjoy meeting new people and learning about them and their adventures, travels, homes, and families. We have been fortunate enough to now have friends all over the US and Canada with whom we keep in touch and even travel together, thanks to cruising!

 

As I started to read this thread I decided that I might have to start one to ask if we can sit with others when doing Anytime Dining. You totally answered my question for me. Thanks!!! We did MyTime Dining on RCCL last year and never thought to ask to be seated with others, but this time around I think we will. Like you, we do the Anytime/MyTime Dining due to our daily activities, etc...

 

Happy cruising!

[Cuizer2]

Does anyone know if they try to match your table partners up? For instance...people with kids sit together, or same age sit together, or singles vs married couples? Or is it just the "luck of the draw?" I was just wondering:rolleyes:

 

They use all the information you provide the cruise line when you sign up (age, marital status, gender, the type of cabin you are in, where on the ship your cabin is located, previous cruise experience, they area where you live, the make up of your group ...) and they feed all of that information into the computer. Then they have the waiters and waitresses draw names out of a hat.

[luvs2travl]

They use all the information you provide the cruise line when you sign up (age, marital status, gender, the type of cabin you are in, where on the ship your cabin is located, previous cruise experience, they area where you live, the make up of your group ...) and they feed all of that information into the computer. Then they have the waiters and waitresses draw names out of a hat.

 

Now - THAT's funny!! :D:rolleyes::) And - probably more true than we know, huh??

[cruise kitty]

we've always been seated with others in our age group- even when we had a table for two, the couple seated near us was in our age group, this was on celebrity.

[sail7seas]

:D DartBoard. :)

 

[bplazo]

After more then 50 cruises (about 2 years on ships) we still have no clue. We have even talked to some Maitre'd's and most try to match tablemates so there are no language difficulties (but they do not always have all the information to guarantee same language tables). We were once on a cruise where we were assigned to a table that had 6 children and us (the children's parents were all sitting together at another table nearby). Of course we quickly got the Maitre d to find us another table. We have since become addicted to "as you wish" dining options (now offered by most cruise ships) where we can dine when we please. We generally ask to share a large table (the maitre d's love this) and it gives us an opportunity to meet a lot of different passengers (we take long cruises). Usually after a few days we often will meet some of the same folks for dinner and essentially form our own tables.

 

Hank

 

That is too funny that the parents did not want to sit with their children but they put strangers at the table with them. I would have run from that table.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Good question -- for years we used to request tables of 4 - 6 -- and many times we lucked out and had decent table mates -- ranged in all ages. Then suddenly we started to get some bummers.

 

So now we just ask for a table of 2.

[FUN33]

I can only speak for RCCL. There is a sophisticated algorithm that matches dining room partners. It takes into account age, number of past cruises, your status in Crown & Anchor, sex, nationality, geographic location and of course your preference of Main or Late seating and size of table preference. There may be additional parameters.

 

Despite the sophistication of the program you will inevitably be seated on occasion with folks you do not blend with. Best solution is to try it for one night, if you are not comfortable speak to the Mater Dei immediatley and you will be at a new table the following evening; if that does not work out speak to the Mater Dei again.

[Fattony]

Does anyone know if they try to match your table partners up? For instance...people with kids sit together, or same age sit together, or singles vs married couples? Or is it just the "luck of the draw?" I was just wondering:rolleyes:

 

Maybe I read through the posts too quickly, but I'm not clear as to whether you mean set seating or anytime dining. I assume you mean the former; they they may try to match people up, as they would have time to look at interests, ages, any expressed preferences, etc., but we've only gone anytime dining. With anytime dining, it's like at a restaurant where there are shared tables: depends on who's there at the same time and which tables have available seats. Couldn't be feasible to ask each person their interests, ages, backgrounds, astrological signs, etc. and the see if there's a table available that matches those. We've usually been given the option to have our own table for two (space permitting, of course). I like meeting new people each time. And have met some people I would not want to dine with more than once (especially those who seem to be trying to impress their fellow diners with their knowledge of food; one dinner, proudly declaring he knew cilantro and cooked with it a lot, went as far as to berate the waiter with, "This is not cilantro! I know cilantro!").

[navybankerteacher]

As a solo cruiser for a number of years I always requested a large table, and was usually seated at one for 8 or 10 -generally well matched to my own age. I found it a great way to get to know people. Now that I have remarried, we make the same request - also with good results. On our recent Celebrity cruise we were seated with two couples from Quebec - who either could not or would not speak English. We requested a change after the first evening - and were reassigned to a table with two couples from Russia, who were delightful - and enjoyed the opportunity to practice their English -- which was better than they thought; as well as a couple from Chicago --again pretty well matched as to age.

 

Given the regular good experience, we always request assigned dining at large tables -- and now avoid NCL, which hasn't that option.

[Traveler353]

I cruise solo and have been generally matched with other solo passengers when cruising. Sometimes a pretty broad cross section. No real rhyme or reason to it to me. Only once have I had a personal issue with a table mate. No problem, I moved to another table the second night along with everyone else at the table except the person in question. :eek:

[juanacrow]

One my first cruise two years ago, Carnival's maitr'd seated six of us solo cruisers together at a table. We were all in the same age group(50-65). We did not request this special, and did not know each other beforehand, but everything was organized to our liking.

[redrob1234]

On our first cruise back in the 90's it was a Princess ship out of Fort Lauderdale. My husband and I in our 20's were seated at a table for 8 with only one other couple in their 70's. We did have something in common though - we were the only 4 Australians on the ship!

 

They were a very nice couple but it was like having dinner with Nan & Pop every night while all the tables around us were laughing and having a wonderful time......:confused:

[cherylandtk]

I don't know the system, or if one is used, but we asked this question of our waiter one night and she told us they had list of our cabin numbers and ages, that was it. It just happened that they seated three couples with teaching backgrounds together. We were of similar age groups and same cabin categories.

[DonnaK]

it's been our experience that they TRY to match you up with people of similar demographics. On Adventure of the Seas, we changed from late to early dining, and the maitre-d insisted on finding a table that had another family with children the same age as ours. Of course, sometimes this cannot be done, but it seems that they do try.

 

On Mariner of the Seas, we also changed our dining time, and our new table contained a seemingly hodgepodge mixture of demographics. A senior/retired couple, a honeymooning couple and our family with teens. It turned out to be tremendous fun for all!!! So, you never can tell who you'll click with. Incidentally, this was the ONLY time we weren't seated with another family.

[boating girl]

The only time we have been seated at a table where we were not comfortable was our first cruise. We were in our 30's and were assigned to a large table where everyone was in the 70-80's age group. It was not

the age group that bothered us, it was the snobby attitude because it was our first cruise and that we were "working people". It was cute to them that we were an RN and police officer since all of them claimed to be retirees of very high ranking jobs. They were also the worst complainers we have ever ran across in our travels. Several of them had to special order because they did not like anything on the whole menu. We wasted no time in asking to be moved. Then, we shared a table with a delightful couple in their 80's. So, just ask to be changed if your table assignment is not suitable. We have never asked for another change in over 20 cruises.

[simplelife]

We've never been seated with families with kids, but we have been seated with different age groups...and that's kinda fun. Our best tablemates were a couple about 20 years our senior...what a hoot they were! I guess the majority of our tablemates have been somewhere in our age group, but we have had older and younger...they're all interesting!

Our best tablemates were 4 other couples of varying ages, none of which were traveling togther. We ranged in age from 40's to 80's. We truly enjoyed each other's company - spent time together at the captains party too, and met one of the couples for a couple of music events. I'm assuming there was not a group who needed that particular large table, so they just filled it with couples traveling alone. Worked out great and I hope we get the same thing again this cruise.

[cruisemom42]

I think when ships were smaller and had fewer passengers, they made more of an effort to seat compatible folks together.

 

I always enjoyed having tablemates at a large table, until on one cruise we were seated with 3 Japanese couples who did not speak English (eventually arranged a move). Next cruise we were seated with the British woman from $%## who had no tolerance for my polite 13-year-old son sitting at table with us and made that fact very clear on the first evening.

 

Ever since then we have done Anytime dining (Princess) and it has worked out well for us. When DS joins me for dinner, we get a table for 2. When he's busy with activities, I will usually request to be seated at a larger table where I enjoy meeting others.