Is this rude? (Dining)

[john watson]

A sign saying SOLO CRUISER GONE TO GET DESSERT PLEASE DO NOT TAKE MY SEAT/THINGS would be reasonable. Exclusive to reserving one seat not one table so abuse would not be an issue.

 

Regards John

[cruisevv]

A sign saying SOLO CRUISER GONE TO GET DESSERT PLEASE DO NOT TAKE MY SEAT/THINGS would be reasonable. Exclusive to reserving one seat not one table so abuse would not be an issue.

 

Regards John

 

Nope, I need the entire table. Often I grab a four-seater and spread my plates out a little. If I wanted to sit with someone I would cruise with my family. ;)

[john watson]

Nope, I need the entire table. Often I grab a four-seater and spread my plates out a little. If I wanted to sit with someone I would cruise with my family. ;)

 

On this basis; I would say in answer to your original question; yes very rude. If everybody did this it would make dining on a cruise an awful experience. People always try to sit on a separate table where these are available. If you arrived at the dining venue and found one person sitting at each table with lots of empty seats would you feel happy you could not eat?

 

Regards John

[cruisevv]

On this basis; I would say in answer to your original question; yes very rude. If everybody did this it would make dining on a cruise an awful experience. People always try to sit on a separate table where these are available. If you arrived at the dining venue and found one person sitting at each table with lots of empty seats would you feel happy you could not eat?

 

Regards John

 

Considering I'm a fast eater, I get to 'my' table right at opening, and rarely stay in the buffet dining rooms longer than 40 minutes, no guilt here.

[vacation luvver]

A sign saying SOLO CRUISER GONE TO GET DESSERT PLEASE DO NOT TAKE MY SEAT/THINGS would be reasonable.

I agree that it is reasonable, but I doubt if it would work, because I am not convinced that a buffet worker would understand it, if he took the time to look at it before assuming that it was a piece of garbage and throwing it away.

[john watson]

Considering I'm a fast eater, I get to 'my' table right at opening, and rarely stay in the buffet dining rooms longer than 40 minutes, no guilt here.

 

In your original question you ask "Is this rude? (Dining). You must have an idea that it may well be rude otherwise you should not need to ask the question.

 

You are now saying you are a fast eater which does not sound couth. Your use of "my" table as an expression confirms this to me and indicates a poor attitude. Then you go on to say that you rarely stay in the buffet longer than 40 minutes. Perplexing as this is quite a long time in my opinion particularly to block a larger table. Then you say "No guilt here", so why has the concept of guilt come up in your mind?

 

You really ought to know that the practice of taking a big table alone, spreading your plates etc. out to stop others sitting at the table and eating quickly is not at all polite. I should think diners on adjacent tables might well notice your spectacle and either s****** or simply be disgusted.

 

Regards John

Edited May 17, 2015 by john watson

[vacation luvver]

In your original question you ask "Is this rude? (Dining). You must have an idea that it may well be rude otherwise you should not need to ask the question.

I humbly beg to differ. In the original post, cruisevv asked "Is this rude?" in reference to a table tent containing the word "Reserved," which would hopefully guarantee that he/she could leave the table for half a minute to get something and return to the table and find that his/her food was still sitting there. The question was not asked regarding the wish to be the sole occupant of a table seating four people.

[maywell]

I just put a sweater or beach tote on the chair or just tell the buffet worker you'll come back right, you're just getting more. Regarding sitting at a table for 4 - People will notice that you're alone and will ask if you don't mind sharing the table especially when the buffet is crowded(Personally, I don't mind sharing if that's the situation I put myself in). That's why I don't eat during the main rush hours during lunch and breakfast, instead I go during the off-peak times; less people vying for tables, lol.

[john watson]

I humbly beg to differ. In the original post, cruisevv asked "Is this rude?" in reference to a table tent containing the word "Reserved," which would hopefully guarantee that he/she could leave the table for half a minute to get something and return to the table and find that his/her food was still sitting there. The question was not asked regarding the wish to be the sole occupant of a table seating four people.

 

Absolutely nothing rude about the tent sign which OP devised for trying to guarantee that stuff would be found gone on return to table. In fact I suggested a more appropriate wording to indicate that it was just a solo cruiser returning to table where it was hoped stuff would be there upon return.

 

The rudeness became apparent later on when OP divulged that he/she required a complete table for self and justified this in a number of ways. The "reserved" sign did seem to indicate the whole table was taken and I thought originally a reasonable requirement was being sought.

 

Regards John

[suncityjim]

Maybe the OP will need several copies of whatever sign to put on the other tables surrounding the OP's table so that no one sits near him/her.

[GeeDunk]

[Dancer Bob]

I initially agreed with Mr Watson, although I probably wouldn't have digressed into couthness. But then I read through the posts and added up all the food involved. So many dishes a four-top is required, 40 minutes even for a fast eater, trips for more courses. From my own experience with a healthy eating budget of 2,000 calories/day plus what I've seen on ships, the real problem looks to be more fundamental.

[suncityjim]

I initially agreed with Mr Watson, although I probably wouldn't have digressed into couthness. But then I read through the posts and added up all the food involved. So many dishes a four-top is required, 40 minutes even for a fast eater, trips for more courses. From my own experience with a healthy eating budget of 2,000 calories/day plus what I've seen on ships, the real problem looks to be more fundamental.

 

So, what you're saying is that for the OP a table for 4 by themselves is appropriate because of all the food they might choose to eat?

 

Then I guess a family of 4 should get a table for 16 and communicate with each other via handheld machine.

 

Oh, I forgot, that's probably what they do anyway.

[Khaos WolfKat]

I initially agreed with Mr Watson, although I probably wouldn't have digressed into couthness. But then I read through the posts and added up all the food involved. So many dishes a four-top is required, 40 minutes even for a fast eater, trips for more courses. From my own experience with a healthy eating budget of 2,000 calories/day plus what I've seen on ships, the real problem looks to be more fundamental.

 

Wow, I don't know about specific shipboard etiquette in regard to the OP's question, but I certainly don't need the check with Judith Martin in order to know that this post is rude!

 

You may think that your post, insulting the OP with your insinuations regarding their eating habits is clever and amusing, but, personally, I find it in extremely poor taste. Speaking of uncouth!

[Khaos WolfKat]

Considering I'm a fast eater, I get to 'my' table right at opening, and rarely stay in the buffet dining rooms longer than 40 minutes, no guilt here.

 

I think you are implying here that you get in and out of the venue before it is crowded, so no one is inconvenienced by the amount of table you are using.

Is that right?

 

If so, I don't see anything wrong with it, as long as you make room for others whenever there aren't plenty of empty tables available.

 

As for the "reserved" sign to keep your food from going walkabout, I don't think it would be rude, but you may want to check with the cruise line to make sure they wont have a problem with it. And, while you're at it, ask them if there is some specific way they encourage you to keep your seat or food from being taken before you're done! It may or may not help, but it can't hurt.

[vacation luvver]

As for the "reserved" sign to keep your food from going walkabout, I don't think it would be rude, but you may want to check with the cruise line to make sure they wont have a problem with it. And, while you're at it, ask them if there is some specific way they encourage you to keep your seat or food from being taken before you're done! It may or may not help, but it can't hurt.

 

I don't see them having a problem with it, but they might say that you would have a problem with it, since you can't count on the buffet waiters being able to read English (speaking English and reading English are two different things), and they might consider a sign saying "reserved" to be a piece of garbage and throw it away.

 

I doubt if the cruiseline would have anything specific to suggest to keep your food from being thrown away when you're away from your table for half a minute, because I have written to Royal, Celebrity, HA, and NCL to suggest that they make some sort of sign (a table tent before I knew that the term "table tent" existed), and none of them acknowledged my suggestion, not even to say why it wouldn't work. It seems to me that they just couldn't care less about wanted food being thrown away too quickly.

[Julie MacCoy]

I was recently on the Celebrity Summit, and I decided to see if everyone out there knows that a tipped chair means "I'll be right back," because I had never heard of this before. Unwilling to try this out with food that I wanted to eat (and didn't want to risk losing), what I did was put a plate with a small amount of food on it across from me and then tip the chair across from me.

 

Every single time, either a waiter grabbed the plate and took it away (not even giving me a chance to say, "Hey, that person is coming right back"), or someone entering the buffet looking for a seat untipped the chair and asked me if that seat was taken. No one seemed to realize that the tipped chair meant "Don't touch this food, and don't sit in this chair, because I'll be right back."

 

Something more than a tipped chair or a table tent saying "I'll be right back" or "Reserved" or "Gone grazing again" is needed.

[elycelynne]

I was recently on the Celebrity Summit, and I decided to see if everyone out there knows that a tipped chair means "I'll be right back," because I had never heard of this before. Unwilling to try this out with food that I wanted to eat (and didn't want to risk losing), what I did was put a plate with a small amount of food on it across from me and then tip the chair across from me.

 

Every single time, either a waiter grabbed the plate and took it away (not even giving me a chance to say, "Hey, that person is coming right back"), or someone entering the buffet looking for a seat untipped the chair and asked me if that seat was taken. No one seemed to realize that the tipped chair meant "Don't touch this food, and don't sit in this chair, because I'll be right back."

 

Something more than a tipped chair or a table tent saying "I'll be right back" or "Reserved" or "Gone grazing again" is needed.

 

Maybe they were confused because you were actually at the table with the tipped chair as opposed to doing it at an unattended table with food on it. Or maybe it's something that's unique to Holland America and their Lido staff. I don't know the practices of other lines since I've only cruised with Holland America, but I've always come back to an undisturbed table every time I've done the tipped chair.

[Hondu]

I made up a few signs and laminated them:

 

Be Right Back

Do Not Touch

 

2 X 3 in size.

 

I have used them on about 4 cruises so far and the waiters have not removed my food. Anytime, I have forgotten to put one of them in my pocket before going to the Buffet, I simply remove my cap and sit in on the table. Since the tables are also pretty close, I would asked a neighbor to prevent the waiter from taking my stuff. Seems to work.

[cb at sea]

It would probably be easier to just go to the dining room, where you don't have to get up and leave your food unattended!

[HowardK]

I've thought about bringing a sign that just says "Be back in a second- but you are welcome to join me". Maybe something like "Help yourself to one of my wings/pizza slices etc.. in the meantime.

[Lois R]

It would probably be easier to just go to the dining room, where you don't have to get up and leave your food unattended!

 

Maybe they are asking the question because they are choosing not to

eat in the main dining room...did you read the whole thread?:confused::eek:

 

I enjoy the dining room, but many times when folks are dining alone,

they prefer other venues.

[Khaos WolfKat]

I've thought about bringing a sign that just says "Be back in a second- but you are welcome to join me". Maybe something like "Help yourself to one of my wings/pizza slices etc.. in the meantime.

 

ROFL! I like that one!

 

Maybe they are asking the question because they are choosing not to

eat in the main dining room...did you read the whole thread?:confused::eek:

 

I enjoy the dining room, but many times when folks are dining alone,

they prefer other venues.

 

Yeah. Sometimes you just want more selection, or a more casual setting, or whatever. The suggestion of, "go to a different restaurant" to solve the problem of people hijacking your table or clearing away your food is really not acceptable, IMO. The choice of dining venues is included in the fare, and everyone should be able to actually choose whichever one(s) they want, without having to fight to keep their seat and food!

[Julie MacCoy]

Maybe they were confused because you were actually at the table with the tipped chair as opposed to doing it at an unattended table with food on it.

I don't see why that should have confused them. I got the impression that even if the chair hadn't been tipped, they would have grabbed the plate and taken it away. As I said, they never gave me the chance to say that that person would be coming back.

 

And what about the passengers who didn't know that a tipped chair means that the occupant will be coming right back? Were they confused, too? Or were they just unaware (just like I was unaware) of what a tipped chair is supposed to mean?

 

I've thought about bringing a sign that just says "Be back in a second- but you are welcome to join me".

I don't know if a waiter would understand this, assuming that he took the time to read it instead of instantly concluding that it was garbage and throwing it away.

[Splinter]

I just put a sweater, jacket or shawl over the back of the chair. Since I usually am carrying a book or Kindle I have also left this at my place and never had anyone take it.

 

Tipping the chair makes it difficult for others to get past your table (especially anyone with a mobility impairment) and can trip someone. It is not safe and I actually find it a bit inconsiderate.