Have you ever eaten with the Captain?

[karin5]

Has anyone ever eaten with the Captain on DCL? Just curious. I was reading threads from a different cruise line, and apparently it is common for a few passengers to have dinner with the Captain. Does Disney do this too? If you have a story, please share.

[Loonbeam]

I've seen it happen, has not happened to us on DCL. All depends on the Captain and the watch schedule, some are more social than others

[Cedricandsophie]

On a 14 day princess cruise several years ago our four person party was invited to dine at the captains table on the second night. We assumed it was just for one night. Turns out he had us seated there every night along with another couple. My husband contends that he wanted an all blond table...all three women at his table were blond! He was a flirt. But it was kind of fun. The whole dining room had to wait to be served until we sat down! Ive seen a captains table on Crystal cruise, but never got invited. I've never even seen the captain eat on a Disney ship...assumes he does somewhere!

[owensamo]

I don't think Disney has a Captain's table. However, in our 10 cruises, we've had the Captain in our dining room a handful of times. At least once he was dining with his family at a 4-top, and once with other officers. I've also seen some of the entertainers dining in the dining rooms. It doesn't seem that any of these people have a set schedule or table - it seems that they dine in the dining rooms when their schedule permits and tables are available.

[nolatravelgirl]

Officers dining with passengers is part of their job and personally I find it like watching paint dry. It is overly formal and the officer "host" (whether the Captain or other officer) is merely performing a job duty that they do week in and week out. I would much prefer a table of unique passengers who are excited about the day's activities.

 

The Captain on a Disney cruise (and many other lines) is taking the cruise multiple times in a row. The questions and conversations are canned.

[Loonbeam]

Actually most lines have eliminated it as a job requirement except in special cases, weddings come to mind. You are more likely to get those canned stories on backstage tours or similar. It really does depend on the staff member.

 

There's one captain on Princess who is well known for asking if he can join people at their table at the Buffet for lunch and apparently he is incredibly engaging. On the flip side, there was another who did come to the M+G and dear lord sitting with him at a table would have been torture.

 

Officers dining with passengers is part of their job and personally I find it like watching paint dry. It is overly formal and the officer "host" (whether the Captain or other officer) is merely performing a job duty that they do week in and week out. I would much prefer a table of unique passengers who are excited about the day's activities.

 

The Captain on a Disney cruise (and many other lines) is taking the cruise multiple times in a row. The questions and conversations are canned.

[moki'smommy]

Officers on DCL typically dine in the officer's mess. When they have family on board, they may dine in the main dining room with their family members. There is not a captain's table, and it is not normal for people to be invited to dine with the captain.

 

All that said, I was invited to dine with the captain and cruise line president in Palo on my first 14 night cruise. When I called to RSVP, I asked how/why the invitation came about. I was told that they had invited the people with the most previous DCL cruises. Note--this was in 2005; I have not been aware of any similar events since that time.

 

One interesting point. The then president asked us what we would do to improve the ship or line and then shot down every suggestion made whether simple or complex. Example of simple--install a shelf in the spa shower for those who might choose to use their own shampoo or other shower products. No kidding--when 3 women "seconded" this idea, he said that NOTHING was simple with Imagineers, they would have to match the Italian marble perfectly, and it just couldn't happen.

Edited September 23, 2014 by moki'smommy