Dining Room Table Anxiety

[njmomof2]

We used to do set dining and were placed at larger tables. I always thought that dining placed similar family types together, until my family (me, my husband at the time, mom, and 2 boys) were placed at a table with 3 other couples, all mature and none travelling with kids. I think the first look on their faces when they walked over and saw my younger son in the high chair was almost comical, but to their credit, they sat down and joined us. Luckily, both of my boys knew how to act in a restaurant, and they were lovely people, and we all became friendly.

 

Now, we utilize MTD for my group. We travel as a foursome (me, mom and the boys) so we usually sit on our own. This upcoming trip in August, I'm taking 3 of my older son's friends (all will be 17) so we'll do a table for 7, if the kids all join us for dinner.

 

To PositiveLad and others, I have yet to understand how people can sit in judgment of others, especially on the topic of whom they love. I for one would be honored to sit with any of you, and I can guarantee that we'd have a totally fun time.

 

If any of you are sailing end of August on Freedom, let me know. I'd love to meet you and say hello. I think I'll need some sort of distraction from keeping track of four 17 year old teens and my 13 year old younger son LOL!!

[janabelle61]

My sister and I frequently travel together and enjoy the large table setting in the MDR as we have met so many interesting and fun people over the years. On our most recent cruise - on the Serenade - that was put to the test!

 

Night 1 - We were two at a table for ten. OK - First night, people unpacking, no worries.

 

Night 2 - We're joined by one other couple. Four at a table for ten. Better, but what the heck?!

 

Night 3 - I was ill, so didn't make it to dinner. My sister ate at the WJ while the other couple ate alone at our very big table.

 

The next day, we ran into our tablemates during the day only to find out they had received notice of being moved to another table! I went to the dining room and confirmed that we had once again been left alone at the table. They moved our tablemates, but not us! I explained that this didn't make sense, but only after insisting did the person I spoke to (I don't believe it was the maître de) agree to move us so we wouldn't have to dine alone at that very big table (it seemed to get bigger every night!).

 

Night 4 - When we entered the MDR, our table mates were at 'our' table. They had decided to take matters into their own hands and arrange their own dining arrangements. We followed suit and told our wonderful waiters that if it was ok, we would just be staying there :)

 

From that point on, we had a great time with our tablemates. Why this couldn't have been sorted out by the MDR staff is a mystery, but I guess sometimes you just have to take control of the situation.

[BigB0882]

This is one concern for my cruise next year. It will be my husband and I (we are both men) and I don't know if we should sit at a table and be open about our relationship or pretend to be friends. I hate pretending, we have to do it all the time at home and I am hoping it will be different on a European cruise. But at the same time I don't want to land at a table with some conservative types. Does RCCL allow you I request a table for two?

[njmomof2]

This is one concern for my cruise next year. It will be my husband and I (we are both men) and I don't know if we should sit at a table and be open about our relationship or pretend to be friends. I hate pretending, we have to do it all the time at home and I am hoping it will be different on a European cruise. But at the same time I don't want to land at a table with some conservative types. Does RCCL allow you I request a table for two?

 

Yes, you can request a table for two.

 

I have to say, maybe I'm just naïve and stupid but I find the fact that you have to pretend all the time at home that you and your husband are "just friends" to be so sad and highlights the pathetic nature of some people. I remain ever hopeful that our Supreme Court will hand down the correct verdict and end this stupid practice of allowing various states to tell people who they are legally allowed to marry. It's time that the entire country accepted the fact that everyone has a legal right to marry.

[welshy74]

This is one concern for my cruise next year. It will be my husband and I (we are both men) and I don't know if we should sit at a table and be open about our relationship or pretend to be friends. I hate pretending, we have to do it all the time at home and I am hoping it will be different on a European cruise. But at the same time I don't want to land at a table with some conservative types. Does RCCL allow you I request a table for two?

I have the same anxiety. We board the Allure of the Seas on 31st May for a weeks Med cruise. We are a male couple (not married yet). I see no point pretending to be friends and just hope we have a good mix of liberal people. We have cruised many times but often as a group with friends.. Tables have been fine, most are ok but there has always been one couple or single person who is noticeably uncomfortable. This is our first cruise just the two of us. We have a few night speciality restaurants booked so that will be table for two but would like a big table in the MDR.

[Cinders411]

I always enjoyed sitting at a large table and meeting table mates until.............

we were seated at a four top on the Carnival Dream. It was just all kinds of awkward for me. I guess I felt more pressure to converse since it was only the four of us. After that, we decided to just do Any Time/ My Time Dining. It is okay but, you are sitting so close to everyone else it feels like you have table mates anyway LOL!

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

I have been on a pile of cruises and have shared a table with strangers on several occasions. Here are a few of the more interesting people I remember:

 

1. We ate with an Oceanographer. He talked endlessly about how water color determines how healthy the ecosystem below is. If the water is clearer (think Caribbean) then that means that there is little ocean life below and essentially you are in a water desert. Meanwhile the murky waters of Alaska means that there is tons of living creatures below. Was rather fascinating honestly. Found out later in the week he was a paid speaker on the ship for that sailing.

 

2. I went on a Carnival cruise one time and we were going around the table introducing ourselves. The guy next to me states his name and then proceeds to tell the table he was born with only one testicle. An awkward silence then followed. Um, how exactly were we supposed to respond to that? He really felt that we all needed to know that though.

 

3. We shared a table with a doctor one week and his family. They ate grilled chicken and vegtables each night at dinner. He would lecture us on how unhealthy the dinner menu was and stare in disgust when our desserts would arrive while they drank coffee. I am sure he will outlive my family, but come on man let us enjoy the food on the cruise without the lecture please.

 

You certainly do get to meet some memorable people on a cruise.

Edited May 22, 2015 by WhenIsLobsterNight

[calypso73]

Welshy74 I've been told that people do some of their best learning when out of their comfort zone. I hope the people who were uncomfortable at being seated with you and your partner learned that love is love regardless of the genders of the people involved and that LGBTI couples are just couples like anyone else and can be good bad or indifferent table mates depending on individual personalities. BigB0882 I hope that you and your husband have a wonderful cruise and that you never feel that you have to pretend to be less than you are. It makes me really sad to think you have to pretend at home and I hope the day comes soon when that is no longer the case.

[dsu_2003]

While I have meet some great people on cruises...

I am a slow eater, my spouse is not...

My spouse is not that much of a talker and has a hard time hearing sometimes, not to mention accents, it makes the work harder for me.

I like to sample the menu, try things I'd never order in my real life, I don't want to hold you up....

I was attacked once at an open seating by a fellow passenger about my job, thank goodness another stranger at the table ended the conversation.

 

But I love when I meet people hit it off and have dinner with them, or talk to another table. Meeting people is fun. Just not into the stress of it. So I'll do MTD.

[welshy74]

Welshy74 I've been told that people do some of their best learning when out of their comfort zone. I hope the people who were uncomfortable at being seated with you and your partner learned that love is love regardless of the genders of the people involved and that LGBTI couples are just couples like anyone else and can be good bad or indifferent table mates depending on individual personalities. BigB0882 I hope that you and your husband have a wonderful cruise and that you never feel that you have to pretend to be less than you are. It makes me really sad to think you have to pretend at home and I hope the day comes soon when that is no longer the case.

 

Really nice of you to take the time to say that. I hope I get people like you on our table that's for sure!! :)

[pseudoware]

Yes, you can request a table for two.

 

I have to say, maybe I'm just naïve and stupid but I find the fact that you have to pretend all the time at home that you and your husband are "just friends" to be so sad and highlights the pathetic nature of some people. I remain ever hopeful that our Supreme Court will hand down the correct verdict and end this stupid practice of allowing various states to tell people who they are legally allowed to marry. It's time that the entire country accepted the fact that everyone has a legal right to marry.

 

Like the smoking population, this "pathetic nature of people" is slowly dwindling over time. And the Supreme Court will eventually make this ruling. It's just a matter of time.

 

To the cruisers who unfortunately need to deal with the occasional "uncomfortable" table mates, as someone who typically prefers to only dine w/family, you're always welcome to share a meal w/us. I just hope you're not "uncomfortable" w/me wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the MDR. 😀

 

Sent from my LG-D850 using Tapatalk

[Summerknight]

I truly feel I could write a comedy routine of our dining experiences after 24 cruises. Some were amazing and of course some not so much.

 

One story makes me giggle every time I recall it. We were seated at a table for four. The other couple were a bit older than us. We introduced ourselves and asked where they were from and what their next day plans were. The man would say"this is our 15th cruise and this is this works. This is our 15th cruise and this is how that works." The wife never spoke. After he did this 6 times, I smiled and said as sweetly as possible, "this is our 18th RCI cruise."

 

He did not speak the rest of the night nor did they return to our table the rest of the cruise.

 

It amazes me to this day that it never occurred to him to ask if we had cruised before.

 

Oh and then there was the cruise that we were at a table for 12 and I was the only female. Yikes!!!

[Summerknight]

I see a few words missing from my previous post. Apologies. I think you can all figure it out. Where's my coffee?

[Alohaaloha]

I truly feel I could write a comedy routine of our dining experiences after 24 cruises. Some were amazing and of course some not so much.

 

One story makes me giggle every time I recall it. We were seated at a table for four. The other couple were a bit older than us. We introduced ourselves and asked where they were from and what their next day plans were. The man would say"this is our 15th cruise and this is this works. This is our 15th cruise and this is how that works." The wife never spoke. After he did this 6 times, I smiled and said as sweetly as possible, "this is our 18th RCI cruise."

 

He did not speak the rest of the night nor did they return to our table the rest of the cruise.

 

It amazes me to this day that it never occurred to him to ask if we had cruised before.

 

Oh and then there was the cruise that we were at a table for 12 and I was the only female. Yikes!!!

 

Lol I loved that story! Touché!

[Pam bam]

I have the same anxiety. We board the Allure of the Seas on 31st May for a weeks Med cruise. We are a male couple (not married yet). I see no point pretending to be friends and just hope we have a good mix of liberal people. We have cruised many times but often as a group with friends.. Tables have been fine, most are ok but there has always been one couple or single person who is noticeably uncomfortable. This is our first cruise just the two of us. We have a few night speciality restaurants booked so that will be table for two but would like a big table in the MDR.

 

 

We are also on the 31st of May cruise, it will be me and my boyfriend his abit older than me I'm 32 his 48, we will be anxious as well, coz I'm shy for a minute hoping the people we sit next to are chatty and friendly, I agree don't pretend to be friends every body has a right to be loved, no matter what, we had big celebrations here in Ireland yesterday coz marriage referendum and it was about time too, I hope we get to meet ye onboard welshy,

[welshy74]

We are also on the 31st of May cruise, it will be me and my boyfriend his abit older than me I'm 32 his 48, we will be anxious as well, coz I'm shy for a minute hoping the people we sit next to are chatty and friendly, I agree don't pretend to be friends every body has a right to be loved, no matter what, we had big celebrations here in Ireland yesterday coz marriage referendum and it was about time too, I hope we get to meet ye onboard welshy,

 

Great news from Ireland yesterday!!

If you see two British guys with not too much hair on top then feel free to join us for a drink!! :)

One week today... !!!

[Pam bam]

Great news from Ireland yesterday!!

 

If you see two British guys with not too much hair on top then feel free to join us for a drink!! :)

 

One week today... !!!

 

 

Yes no bother we will, are ye going to the meet and mingle after the master drill We might see ye there, keep any eye out for us, that's us in my profile picture,

One week today, but I'm nervous as hell coz I hate flying, but can't wait to meet new people and our cruise,

[Jenhem31]

I hope that no one here feels that they have to pretend to be "friends" just to appease everyone else at their table. If they have a problem with it, let them request to be moved.

I know it's not much, but I would never, ever want anyone to feel that way around me. It just makes me a little bit sad. If you want to sit in a group, be yourselves. If you're a bit apprehensive, you can always request a table for 2.

[Pam bam]

I hope that no one here feels that they have to pretend to be "friends" just to appease everyone else at their table. If they have a problem with it, let them request to be moved.

I know it's not much, but I would never, ever want anyone to feel that way around me. It just makes me a little bit sad. If you want to sit in a group, be yourselves. If you're a bit apprehensive, you can always request a table for 2.

 

 

Well I don't care who I sit beside once they are not snobby there is nothing more uncomfortable than sitting beside people that are snotty, it's good to meet new people have the owl chat about there experience on the ship and give me some tips as I'm new to cruiseing, I'm a very down to earth person, now I'm very shy at first but only for a minute coz I'm looking to see are they down to earth like me, if not I want to run away, lol lol

[Calgon1]

The only strange . . . they never came back the rest of the cruise. We never even saw them around the ship after that first night. :cool:

 

That's because he probably threw her overboard for speaking to others without permission . . , :eek:

[Calgon1]

[quote name='welshy74']I have the same anxiety. We board the Allure of the Seas on 31st May for a weeks Med cruise. We are a male couple (not married yet). I see no point pretending to be friends and just hope we have a good mix of liberal people. We have cruised many times but often as a group with friends.. Tables have been fine, most are ok but there has always been one couple or single person who is noticeably uncomfortable. This is our first cruise just the two of us. We have a few night speciality restaurants booked so that will be table for two but would like a big table in the MDR.[/QUOTE]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Indigo"]Go with MTD. Usually on the first day, there will be an LGBT get together. Pretty good odds that you'll meet another couple (or two, or three, or more) and can then request a larger table for the duration of the cruise . . .:)[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]