How to cruise with Friends?

[utowngirl]

Hello!

My husband and I would like to take a cruise with another couple. Any advise on how to have the same table at dinner? We are not concerned about rooms right by each other. Can we still book apart and get this? Or if we both choose My Time Dining can we eat together? I'm looking at Jewel of the Seas for Western Caribbean 5 nights, not until Feb. 2013 so this is awhile off :)

thank you!

Tanya

[Wayah]

By giving either Royal Caribbean or the travel agent each others names and reservation numbers they can link you for the dining room.

[utowngirl]

ok thank you! Does anyone know about the My time dining can you sit with others when you do that?

[north29]

Many people who cruise/travel are not adventurous, and need a group to go to the bath room, much less a side trip to a go forsaken place like Labadee LOL.

When we travel with friends, I always say we do what we want, you do what you want, and if they are the same, great, if not see you later. I do mean this whether for dining or what ever. This is done up front, but not to say we do not discuss our plans with our traveling companions, which is a open discussion.

[copnlpn2]

Tanya- just thought I'd mention something my friends and I do when we cruise together, regardless of whether its the same cabin or separate cabins...we agree prior to the cruise that we will join up to have supper together - and aside from that everyone is on their own to come and go as they please. Our paths may cross during the day/evening/night but we find that not "being joined at the hip" works great for everyone.

 

Some of us prefer to sleep in, others are night owls, one loves to eat the minute she wakes up, others like myself prefer to skip breakfast altogether, etc.

 

This might be something you and your friends want to discuss before you ever get on the ship...

 

Have a great cruise!!

[firefly333]

Im the same way when I cruise with someone. Dont want to be tied to them. I want to sit out with a book and not have to watch the clock to meet up with someone.

 

I would agree to have some excursions together if you both agreed on the same ones and eat dinner, maybe breakfast but doesnt have to be, more if you got up at the same time.

 

I would not want to be tied at the hip to someone on a cruise.

[morganboys]

I'd suggest that you don't get rooms next to each other. The walls are thin and you will be able hear them and they hear you. May create an odd feeling at breakfast if either room is a little noisy.

[bubbadog]

I Agree,maybe do a couple of excursions together,and meet up for dinner,or breakfast,BUT not all day,everyday,I Like to breathe a little:))):D:rolleyes:

[njoyndride]

ok thank you! Does anyone know about the My time dining can you sit with others when you do that?

 

 

Yes just show up together, all you need to do! Have fun.

[jletsgo]

whether you reserved your cruise thru a TA or RCCl, you can contact either party and have your reservations linked and then when you make your dining reservations you will be seated together no matter if you chose MTD or Traditional. We do this all the time and are sailing in 13 days with our best friends to the mediterranean/greek isles on the brilliance.

[utowngirl]

thank you everyone for all the great tips :)

[cb at sea]

As long as you both have MTD, you can show up together or seperately...your choice....they don't care!

 

If you have traditional dining, your reservation #'s need to be linked to be at the same table....you don't need to "link" if you both have MTD!

[Mr. Bungle]

I will echo most replies here by saying if you want to keep your sanity AND friendship intact, you and your friends will agree on taking some advice from FleetwoodMac and 'Go Your Own Way'... :rolleyes:

 

Most of us can agree that cruising with friends is a great time but eveyone needs their space. Sit down a few weeks before and talk out what each want to get out of the trip and what each wants to do most of all. If you agree and can schedule some excursions together, fantastic. If not, just agree on a meet point either for dinner or for after dinner beverages. Heck... We have even told family 'see you tomorrow' on one trip. They wanted to lay low on the ship one day and we did excursions, dinner in a specialty restraunt, a little gambling, and a lot of dancing. Let's just say we missed them for breakfast too... ;)

 

Our next trip is a 12night with friends and their 3 kids. I might put an offer on the table that the guys go one way and the girls go another for a day or maybe 2. Help keep the sanity in the cabin too.

[Lucinarei]

I'll echo what everyone has already said... I just got back from my first cruise with friends (there were six of us altogether), and it was a blast! It was so much more fun than if just DH and I had gone by ourselves. That being said, we're very good about doing our own things and meeting up if we met up, but not caring if we didn't see each other all day. There were days that we were together for most of the day (excursions and such) and other days when people wanted to nap, others wanted to sit by the pool, and still others wanted to climb the rock wall. It was awesome.

 

We did traditional seating for dinner and just linked our reservations. They seated us at a table for six (which was awesome, because we would have felt badly for anyone who was forced to sit with us) and we had no problems at all. We also had three staterooms in a row (and DH and I shared an adjoining room with one of the couples), which I thought worked nicely.

 

Go and have a great time!! :D

[luvstwocruise]

Years ago we traveled with a group, they wanted to be joined at the hip...We spent more time sitting around waiting and waiting..finally it came to the point where we said where going to XXXX at 3 if you want to go be at the elevator at 3 , if your not there..we'll see you at dinner.

Thats what worked best for us...It came to that point or someone was gonna get hurt!

 

Now were going in February with a group of friends...we saying up front that were not bound together...if you want to join us..fine..Im not waiting for anyone,

 

You do you thing and I'll do mine.....

[Virtopia]

I went on my first cruise with my sister ... it was a 7 night Western Caribbean cruise on the Liberty of the Seas. It was both of our first cruises and we were excited, but after day 3 of being attached at the hip, I had to find some time to myself. From then on, we'd have breakfast together, come off the ship if we were at a port, have dinner and see any evening shows. All daytime hours, including lunch, were spent on our own and I definitely prefer it that way.

 

I just recently went on a cruise with a good friend of mines and although we were together most of the time, I was fine with it because we were doing something that we both wanted to do, whether it was sit or sleep by the pool, eat, or see a show. Lucky for me, she agreed to come with me on my birthday cruise as well!

[karinad]

I think it depends on where you're cruising to. We used to cruise with my sister and her husband. We went to Europe a few times, and also Alaska. It's nice to have another couple to buddy-up with in foreign countries or places where you're more likely to do tours. We would usually agree on a tour a couple nights before the port. The days when we were at sea we just did our own thing and met up for supper. There were a few seminars, like ones on skincare or make-up, that my sister and I would do girl time together. It was nice because we live in different states and don't see each other a lot. It was also nice to have company to see some of the shows at night.

 

Things have changed the past few years. My husband and I have been going on caribbean cruises. My sister and her husband both lost their jobs 3 yrs. ago. I did too, but my dh and I have been cruising the caribbean alone. We're fine by ourselves, especially in the caribbean.

[English_in_Spain]

Even with just DH and myself we do not always do the same thing during the day. We always have dinner together - MTD sitting with others usually.

 

One of the reasons we love cruising is that we can follow our own interests. That is not so easy to do on land based holidays.

[struther1]

Hello!

My husband and I would like to take a cruise with another couple. Any advise on how to have the same table at dinner? We are not concerned about rooms right by each other. Can we still book apart and get this? Or if we both choose My Time Dining can we eat together? I'm looking at Jewel of the Seas for Western Caribbean 5 nights, not until Feb. 2013 so this is awhile off :)

thank you!

Tanya

We frequently crusie with another couple. Our TA always got us a table for 4 by linking the reservation numbers. Had cabins right beside them on occasion but didn't always want to be.

[pmkejk]

I am traveling with my husband, our 24 year old daughter, her friend and another couple.

 

When booking our my time dining and shows I added both couples as friends on my reservation. This allowed me to book the dining and shows for all six of us.

 

That being said, I told them that they can feel free to do any of the shows and dining with us or to go off on their own. When traveling on the Allure/Oasis it is best to make reservations before boarding and then later decide if you are in the mood to do something else.

 

We are diamond plus, our friends diamond and our daughter gold. I told our daughter that we would not be seeing her before dinner each night as we will be going to the diamond club with our friends.

 

Agreeing to allow everyone to do his or her thing, makes for a much nicer cruise.

[BND]

We've cruised with friends 3 times. One couple twice. We have dinner together, but beyond that we're on our own. We meet up for drinks before dinner and go to some shows together but we book our own cabins where WE want. We occasionally run into each other in the Solarium or while doing other things during the day but we don't spend the majority of the day together. We've also done a couple of excursions together.

 

The main reason we won't cruise with DH's parents is that they would want to be joined at the hip 24/7. Literally, they would expect to eat all meals with us and would follow us around all day long. They have a difficult time doing things without other people. They liked the one cruise they've been on with another couple but will not book one on their own (DH's dad won't, DH's mom would book but still would want to be with us.) DH and I on the other hand are perfectly content to spend the day just with each other. My parents won't cruise so it's not an issue with them.

[mamacat3]

When cruising with friends it is understood up front that it is each persons vacation for them to do as they wish. That being said we usually all want to do the same thing and it has always worked out just fine. Enjoy your friends and enjoy your cruise!! Happy sailing!!:)

[Desert Cruizers]

We met a wonderful couple on our Roll Call during our last cruise and did link our dining, yet during the day we went our own ways. During the evening after dinner we met again for the evening show and moved unto the casino afterwards, otherwise, we didn't see each other except for the planned activities our Roll call did.