Seating Strategy with fixed Dining Option

[john watson]

We most often opt for a large table on a specific early or late sitting - fixed dining. This has generally given rise to sharing a table of eight seats. Typically this will be four couples. I am sure many people have done this. On a 10/14 day cruise where do you sit?

 

I have done this where everybody has claimed a specific seat and remained in that one every meal; alternatively they have sat in the same formation consecutively around the table moving seats but maintaining neighbours throughout. I have also noticed where people sat as couples but seating order has changed throughout the cruise and finally last cruise we sat generally as couples but not everybody in a more random manner which developed more as the cruise progressed. This seemed to me because people wanted to talk more in depth with the far siders who previously were harder to engage.

 

This latter set which evolved seemed to me to be the friendliest cruise we have had and I am thinking table seating is an indicator of happiness levels. How do you find your table works on a longish cruise?

 

Regards Keith.

[oskidunker]

Normally we try to get a table for 4 if there are four of us. We don't like sharing a table because we dress formally on formal night and dont want a guy in a T shirt and baseball cap at our table on formal night. Though most people honor the dress code, some either dont have a clue or are promoting their back yard wardrobe

Edited February 14, 2015 by oskidunker

[Husky61]

We only have a table for two, we don't sit with others.:)

[panoramaofthepast]

We most often opt for a large table on a specific early or late sitting - fixed dining. This has generally given rise to sharing a table of eight seats. Typically this will be four couples. I am sure many people have done this. On a 10/14 day cruise where do you sit?

 

 

 

I have done this where everybody has claimed a specific seat and remained in that one every meal; alternatively they have sat in the same formation consecutively around the table moving seats but maintaining neighbours throughout. I have also noticed where people sat as couples but seating order has changed throughout the cruise and finally last cruise we sat generally as couples but not everybody in a more random manner which developed more as the cruise progressed. This seemed to me because people wanted to talk more in depth with the far siders who previously were harder to engage.

 

 

 

This latter set which evolved seemed to me to be the friendliest cruise we have had and I am thinking table seating is an indicator of happiness levels. How do you find your table works on a longish cruise?

 

 

 

Regards Keith.

 

 

We routinely rotate around the table. If someone comments, we just say we like a chance to cgT with everyone. I have noticed that those who like the same seat will get to the table early - no harm, no foul. To each his own

[Pam in CA]

We request large tables and let the others know the first night that we like to switch around so that we can talk to each of them. No one has ever objected. And that's a lot of cruises.

[OCruisers]

We request large tables and let the others know the first night that we like to switch around so that we can talk to each of them. No one has ever objected. And that's a lot of cruises.

 

That's exactly what we always did back when we booked traditional.

Everyone always loved doing it that way! :)

LuLu

[shredie]

We usually request a table for six, and it works out well. Not too small and not so large one has to shout to be heard. I find that the first people to arrive will set the seating pattern. If we arrive last, we take whatever seats are left, but we usually find the others in the same positions each night. We try to switch between the two of us so we are next to different people each night. We had one of the best tables so far on our recent South American cruise with absolutely great table mates.

Edited February 14, 2015 by shredie

[Potstech]

Normally we try to get a table for 4 if there are four of us. We don't like sharing a table because we dress formally on formal night and dont want a guy in a T shirt and baseball cap at our table on formal night. Though most people honor the dress code, some either dont have a clue or are promoting their back yard wardrobe

 

And the fashion critics strike another thread. And away we go.

[eandj]

Normally we try to get a table for 4 if there are four of us. We don't like sharing a table because we dress formally on formal night and dont want a guy in a T shirt and baseball cap at our table on formal night. Though most people honor the dress code, some either dont have a clue or are promoting their back yard wardrobe

 

Your commentary doesn't address the question. But maybe you are just reliving recent threads.:o

[eandj]

The larger tables make it hard to have just one conversation going, so mixing up the seating would be the only way to converse with all. When we don't have a table for two, we like 6 tops, so all can be involved in the same conversation.

[CruiseMousse]

We have had our meals together since 1972 so a little new conversation is welcome. You take a risk with a table for 4 - We've gotten lucky but we've also had to bail on some truly odd tablemates or ended up alone every night before having the maitre d' add us to another table. A table for 8 can be fun but it is difficult to carry on conversations with the whole table. Our last cruise was supposed to be 8 but for 15 days it was only us and another couple. They turned out to be great company so it worked out. A table for 6 usually works out best. If one couple goes to a specialty restaurant or skips for another reason you still have company. At any rate you're on a cruise so how bad can it be?

[triple7tahoe]

We often travel with some very good friends and found ourselves enjoying pre-dinner tapas, etc. that we had given up traditional dining in favor of anytime. On recent b2b cruises, on the Ocean Princess, anytime was not an option (and we were without our travel buddies) we opted for a large table and what a blast. When we joined for the first leg, two couples remained from the previous cruise and two couples joined for our first leg. One of the remaining couples welcomed us to "their" table and told us we would be changing seats each night. Interesting conversations, even though we all kind of agreed that politics and religion were not dinner conversation topics:) This table was predominately of one thought and it was not conservative. 2nd leg, we lost the first two couples and added two more. It was now "our" table and we set the same rules. the two new couples were much more conservative.

The 28 days we spent on these b2b cruises were probably the best dinner times we have had without our travel buddies. The different conversations each evening as we all tried to find out more about each other were wonderful. I am sure that the wait staff wished we had not gotten along so well, as we were almost always the last to leave each evening.

Must admit I miss anytime dining, as I feel, sometimes, that I don't want to bother getting ready for dinner or spending all the time in the dining room that traditional dining can take.

[john watson]

We request large tables and let the others know the first night that we like to switch around so that we can talk to each of them. No one has ever objected. And that's a lot of cruises.

 

Pam; this is exactly the traditional cruising style I have enjoyed for years. It still amazes me how you meet such a diverse range of interesting people. The camaraderie which develops throughout the cruise and tips you receive from fellow diners.

 

Regards John

[cb at sea]

We enjoy others, and the larger the table, the better! Sometimes, we're all in the same seats...sometimes, we move around....

[DoulaAnn]

When we were a group of 4, we had one cruise where we were seated at an 8-top and one cruise where we were seated at just a 4-top. At the 8-top, we tended to be the first ones there, so would alternate sitting next to each other and across from each other. Made for a way to talk to everyone and table mates were great.

 

When we got the 4-top, we actually chatted some with the table next to us, but no in-depth conversations.

 

As a twosome, we chose AD, and we kept asking to share, but rarely got it. Not sure why.

 

Ann

[Croptop]

My wife and I have only done 6 cruises so far and have opted for Anytime dining for all of them. We've been afraid to commit to a fixed dining time - even though we tend to eat at the same time every day - or dining with a fixed group of people. But all of you are selling the idea of Traditional dining very well. I might just have to start working on convincing my wife to give Traditional a try next time.

[caribill]

We usually request a table for six, and it works out well. Not too small and not so large one has to shout to be heard. I find that the first people to arrive will set the seating pattern. If we arrive last, we take whatever seats are left, but we usually find the others in the same positions each night. We try to switch between the two of us so we are next to different people each night.

 

Pretty much the same for us. We usually request a table for eight because there is a better chance others will show up each evening.

 

If we are first there, we will usually pick different seats each evening. If there are already people there, we just pick from what is left not caring where we sat the previous night.

[as19111]

Our most recent two cruises were traditional dining. We mixed it up every night. We were often the first to arrive at the table, and we just kept switching seats. On the last cruise, it was a round table for 8. The waiter would put out the open wine bottles in front of where each of us sat the previous evening. Then he would have to move them around once we were all in place. It was a nice way to have more conversations especially if the person was soft spoken or had an accent that required closer attention to understand.

 

I also recall a formal night in the anytime/early traditional seating dining room. At this particular table, the maître 'd sat us in two empty places that the husbands left vacant because they refused to get dressed up and come to dinner. Well, the rest of the table chose to ignore us and were quite put out that they had to move their sweaters and jackets from our chairs. What a pleasant meal that was!

 

Although I had a fear of a long cruise with incompatible folks, so far, we've been blessed with great company!

[jagsfan]

We've been lucky with our table mates, and I hope I'm not jinxing us.

Once in a while there's been an oddball, but that gave us something to talk about later.

Then there was the time we watched a couple from Birmingham England sit down at our long table, and then their adult children with spouses and their little granddaughter.

12 days of a family talking to each other and ignoring us, and the little girl playing with her food, kicking the table, throwing a tantrum. I was resigned to not enjoying dinner.

Wrong! We had a wonderful time, we all talked about everything and the little girl was a doll.

I love big tables, because Forrest Gump's Mama was right.

[geoherb]

I like to switch seats around so that we're not sitting next to the same people night after night. On one cruise, there was one couple who wanted to sit in the same seats. We switched up with the other couple at the table.

 

One of our best tables ever was with a British couple and two couples from Canada. Sometimes the Canadian couples set as couples, and sometimes the wives sat together and the husbands sat opposite them. It was great conversation every night.