nedward Posted June 18, 2012 #1 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Hi: DW and I are sailing our first Oceania cruise on Riviera in January. Although not antisocial, we prefer a table for 2 at dinner. Are these difficult to come by? Thanks, Ned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunding Posted June 18, 2012 #2 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Hi: DW and I are sailing our first Oceania cruise on Riviera in January. Although not antisocial, we prefer a table for 2 at dinner. Are these difficult to come by? Thanks, Ned Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dundeene Posted June 18, 2012 #3 Share Posted June 18, 2012 We did a 10 night cruise and ate alone every evening. It was our 25th anniversary and we scheduled out that time to be alone. We toured every day with groups of 6-8 CC roll call friends. We did not have any trouble whether in the MDR or specialty restaurants. The one evening we ate in the buffet we sat at a four-top alone. Have a great cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nedward Posted June 18, 2012 Author #4 Share Posted June 18, 2012 Thanks everyone for such a quick and positive response! Regards, Ned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted June 18, 2012 #5 Share Posted June 18, 2012 I'll just chime in after the fact and say that while we prefer to share a table, more often than we like we have ended up looking at each other over the table! It's not that we don't want to have dinner with each other but after a long marriage, we do that every night! And so when we're on a cruise we like to share a table with others. We've met some wonderful friends this way. But for those people who want to share a table, it can really depend on when you arrive. They won't start a table for 6 or 8 with just two! And they won't add two people to a table that started 15 minutes earlier. Timing is everything. From our perspective, NO ONE should have a problem getting a table for two if that is what you want. It can be more difficult sharing, I think. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azam71209 Posted June 18, 2012 #6 Share Posted June 18, 2012 We've had the same experience as Mura. We love to share. Sometimes there are others who want to and sometimes not. If it looks unlikely, they have put us at a table for 4 and if two others come, great. It's always interesting to get to know our fellow travelers better. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisecountess Posted June 18, 2012 #7 Share Posted June 18, 2012 We may be in the minority, but we enjoy attending the shows. We find that dinner takes longer when we eat at a table for six or eight. We don't order every course but have to have our meal spaced out so it aligns with those who do. We found we can have the best of both worlds by taking a table for two in the row of tables for two ( that's how it's set up on the R ships). The tables are close enough that we can strike up conversations with our neighbors, but we don't have the pace of our meal determined by them. Harriet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted June 19, 2012 #8 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Harriett, That IS the perfect solution for people who want to "share" but are concerned about the time. Being at a table for 4, 6 or 8 does mean that you are going to wait at some point if others at the table are ordering more courses than you have. Our luck (or bad luck) has been that whenever we have been seated at one of those "triple tables for two" the first two tables have already been taken, and those people are talking to each other ... but they don't include us (!) and of course leave earlier than we do. It IS difficult in that situation to include all three tables in the conversation because the tables are slightly separated ... which means that the third couple to show up may well not have much conversation with the neighbors. Maybe if we were people who jump into what seems to be a private conversation would make a difference ... It's not a problem! Just an observation. Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook1 Posted June 19, 2012 #9 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Mura, You really are the Dear Abby of cruising. How I enjoy your sensible, even whimsical replies to such varied inqueries. Dear Mura, Thank you for saving my cruise... Ron:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted June 19, 2012 #10 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Ron, I don't know that I'm the "Dear Abby" of cruises (although my college friends DID call me Momma Murph -- long story there -- because people did tend to come to me for comfort and/or advice. But I appreciate the compliment! We must cruise together some time ... Mura Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary Ellen Posted June 19, 2012 #11 Share Posted June 19, 2012 We found we can have the best of both worlds by taking a table for two in the row of tables for two ( that's how it's set up on the R ships). The tables are close enough that we can strike up conversations with our neighbors, but we don't have the pace of our meal determined by them. We prefer to share but when we request a table for two it is because we don't want to strike up conversations with others. Typically it is because one of us isn't feeling well or we're just tired of having the same 'first night' conversation over and over. Being seated at tables for "two" like this isn't what we want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy cruzer Posted June 19, 2012 #12 Share Posted June 19, 2012 We prefer to share but when we request a table for two it is because we don't want to strike up conversations with others. Typically it is because one of us isn't feeling well or we're just tired of having the same 'first night' conversation over and over. Being seated at tables for "two" like this isn't what we want. I assume that people at tables for two do NOT want to start up a conversation that's why they picked a table for two. We had assigned seating on a different line at a table for two once next to another table for two. The lady in that couple made a point of telling us that she did not mean to be rude but they would not be talking to us at all during the cruise of 20 nights because they preferred to dine as a twosome. So hopefully with unassigned seating this will be a more rare problem. - talking or not talking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted June 19, 2012 #13 Share Posted June 19, 2012 We prefer to share but when we request a table for two it is because we don't want to strike up conversations with others. Typically it is because one of us isn't feeling well or we're just tired of having the same 'first night' conversation over and over. Being seated at tables for "two" like this isn't what we want. There have always seemed to be more than enough tables for two that are not in this configuration. As to the woman mentioned in the post after yours, about the neighboring twosome who announced they wouldn't be talking to "you" for the 20 nights of the cruise, oh my. I can understand their wanting to be alone, and I suppose it is better to make your feelings clear when tables are close together, but planning on not saying anything to your neighbor for 20 nights seems a bit much to me. Even if you don't want to converse on a regular basis, wouldn't a few comments back and forth be permitted? I guess not. Then again, when you have assigned seating and people have requested a table for two, I guess it would be clear that you prefer to talk to each other and not your neighboring table. In that case maybe the cruiseline should reconsider their table configurations. (I'm not ignoring the possibility that space may be at a premium and they just don't have room to move tables for two a little further apart.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spook1 Posted June 19, 2012 #14 Share Posted June 19, 2012 Ron, I don't know that I'm the "Dear Abby" of cruises (although my college friends DID call me Momma Murph -- long story there -- because people did tend to come to me for comfort and/or advice. But I appreciate the compliment! We must cruise together some time ... Mura Dear Mura, Cruising togther is a nice goal and we might even dine togther. I will say we always like a table 6 to 8 (round) if possible. In fact I have over the years been asked many times what it is about cruising I like the most and my answer is dinner and a great table...the same table and same people. Of course back when we began there was only main and late seating for dinner except for a few ultra lines such as Royal Viking. Funny how things can work out. Many years ago upon boarding Independance in Honolulu for a quick crossing to Los Angeles we entered the dinning room before even leaving port and were going to be seated at a table for four with an elderly man and his wife. Before our presence was known to these two I spied a table with two couples just a bit our junior and asked to be seated with them. Well as it turned out we laughed our way across the Pacific on a half empty ship. Low and behold just before port we learned one couple had had a bad arguement shortly after leaving Honolulu and were't speaking...EXCEPT at the dinner table. Put the boxing gloves away it is time for wine and grub and good coversation. Our last night a dress-alike couple walked to our table to inform us they had never in over forty years of cruising seen a table laugh as much. So beware! Ron:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelglobetrotter Posted June 20, 2012 #15 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I much prefer sharing a table, but my DH cannot hear anything from his left ear and finds tables for 2 much easier. He can converse with those on his right side only. Background noise combined with a large table can make a meal painful rather than delightful for him, so we're very glad that O has so many tables for just 2. He likes the specialty dining because it's quieter there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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