Table Mates: The Good, The Bad and the Meh..

[You Me & the Sea]

As the daughter of an army officer who served his country for 24 years, I feel your wife's pain at that callous and thoughtless remark. It was just wrong on so many levels.

 

Some people are just comfortable walking around opening their mouths and inserting a foot. Sadly most don't even realize they are offensive and others just don't care. My DH is a 70% disabled vet and is very proud of his medals, but he came out at a time when public sentiment was not so thankful for the service of veterans (1st Gulf war, Somalia).

[Vampire Parrot]

As the daughter of an army officer who served his country for 24 years, I feel your wife's pain at that callous and thoughtless remark. It was just wrong on so many levels.

 

Yes - ....

 

My dad and granddad both served in the military, each for 27+ years with distinction; also my wife's dad was in a platoon that took part in very hazardous missions; he was the only one who survived.

 

As such, and as I am "incapable of being embarrassed" (as my wife keeps reminding me), thoughtless or rude remarks about the sacrifices and work of our military personnel who defend my country and way of life result in a cold, polite, extremely cutting reply. And compared to my wife, I'm gentle/

 

Fortunately for my wife and I, almost all the people we've shared tables with have been friendly, fun, entertaining, intelligent and memorable :) And if someone on the table is a PITA, well.... I do enjoy a good wind-up :cool:

[c-boy]

My wife and I were on our second cruise to the Mexican Riviera. Seated at a table of eight. With my beautiful wife on my right and our table guest to my left who was twenty years older than myself and her spouse whom was twenty years older then her. She got up to use the ladies room, when she returned I stood and pulled her chair out and seated her. During the main coarse service this was repeated as well as desert. Second night my wife and I were the last to arrive at our table, I seated my wife and then myself, I took hold of the napkin and a card fell out onto my lap, I thought "Hmmm this is a cabin pass...what is it doing in a napkin" I turned to show my wife my find and I felt a tug on my left pant leg. I looked down to see my table mate to the left was on her knees under the table looking up at me "Oh there it is, I've been looking for that" she quickly swiped it from my hand and returned to a standing position beside her seat while looking at me with a what are you waiting for. My wife stopped her conversation in time to tell me " I think she wants you to seat her" so I did. My wife went back to telling her story of the days events to the nice couple to her right when I felt a hand on my left thigh. I calmly looked over to my left to see a gleeful look in an sixty somethings eyes. Bwuhahaa .....SOMMELIER! I shouted. I ordered wine lotsa wine. My alcohol tab was the most expensive excursion of the cruise.

Edited July 16, 2015 by c-boy

[capncarp]

<snip> I took hold of the napkin and a card fell out onto my lap, I thought "Hmmm this is a cabin pass...what is it doing in a napkin" I turned to show my wife my find and I felt a tug on my left pant leg.... when I felt a hand on my left thigh. I calmly looked over to my left to see a gleeful look in an sixty somethings eyes. Bwuhahaa .....SOMMELIER! I shouted. I ordered wine lotsa wine. My alcohol tab was the most expensive excursion of the cruise.

 

C-Boy, you're what they call "cougar-bait" in these here parts. ;)

[c-boy]

I have PSTD whenever I see that Volkswagen Jetta commercial.

[LMaxwell]

Did your BIL and his wife not notice at the first dinner that they were holding up the entire table? Are they always so self-absorbed? I'm afraid I would have had to say something to them about this inconsiderate behavior.

 

I know this is a day late and a dollar short; but the BIL and wife aren't the problems here. Self-absorbed? Why shouldn't they enjoy whatever meal they want (and have paid for). The problem was the service. You'd think after the first evening the wait staff might begin pacing food for the entire table to keep the flow going? Bringing one entree at a time is inefficient for the staff and the guests.

[LMaxwell]

For our honeymoon cruise we decided to take a slightly longer itinerary; meaning longer than a week. As such not only we were the only newly weds on the ship, we were among very few under 40 at all!

 

We initially were sat at a two top but there was a 6 or 8 top nearby with only 4 people (one older couple, and two gal pals). We got to talking and made fast friends. The older (not old, just older than us, late 50's/early 60's) were great to converse with. One night my wife was exhausted and asked the gal pals if they would take me out drinking. They happily obliged. One gorgeous brunette. One gorgeous blonde. They tell me they are both police officers / friends for years and wanted a girls trip. I only drank that night. I swear, officer. It was a lot of fun. So all in all that was a hit.

 

Then there was the cruise where we were at a 6 top with another set of fast friends. We were sat there a few nights in a row. My wife was not feeling well so I brought her bland dinner and she said to go to the MDR and have fun. I went and checked in and they asked where my wife was, I explained...and so they moved me to a 2 top table by myself. When the other 4 saw me they mocked like they were offended and then started making fun of me asking I had been put in time out. That one was a hit too.

 

We had gone to a chefs table and had a REALLY great bunch of folks, everyone was friendly and outgoing; by the 2nd glass of wine though one of the ladies took off like a bottle rocket. And from there it sort of fizzled out to one of the sloppiest drunk formerly mild mannered suburban moms I have ever seen. Sailor mouthed and stripper wanna be. WHOA. Better her than me. Lots of fun again. To this day my wife (who does not drink) will sometimes say at dinner 'Do you think I should have 5 glasses of wine tonight?'

 

We're outgoing and crack jokes. I don't talk religion or politics, and if someone tries it with me I shut them down immediately but nicely. It's just not conducive topics to an enjoyable vacation. I don't really have any oddball experiences with bad table mates.

 

There once was a nearby table having a food fight and I wasn't too amused about that, especially when food landed on our table. I caught the eyes of the parents and said 'Hey, come on...' and that didn't solve anything, so eventually I got up and left. On the way out the MD asked how my dinner was, I said I'd let him know after I got it up in the buffet where people weren't flinging food around. It really got under my skin.

[LMaxwell]

Re the proselytizing vegans: AND, I'd probably make sure some of that meat was veal and little lambykins! Maybe some Bambi venison if it's available.

Sometimes people just ASK to be tormented...:rolleyes:

 

I'd order those too!!! But not to be passive aggressive, but because they are so tasty :)

[tbmrt]

In recent years we choose Anytime or Select Dining rather than assigned tables for convenience. However, in the past:

 

My worst memory at a table for 10. One guy packed his meds in his suitcase which was lost..Not a happy couple.

 

Two other couples hardly spoke.

 

One of the wives complained constantly, too cold in dining room, waiter not good, meat was tough, argued that the ice cream wasn't sugar free (waiter, etc. as nicely as they could, told her it was). She was a nightmare so we asked to be moved the second night rather than endure additional nights with her.

 

Had wonderful, fun tablemates afterward with whom we stayed in touch for years.

[wwcruisers]

LMaxwell -- totally agree with you about some topics being off-limit. Growing up in the South, I was taught three things you don't bring up in casual conversation (with folks you don't know): religion, politics, and money.

 

We left a table once because others insisted on crossing that line. We were seated at a very nicely located 8-top. One couple did not show up that first night, and the other two couples arrived after us. None of us had ever met before, but -- right off the bat -- the other folks at the table got into a spirited political discussion. My gentle (but persistent) attempts to bring the conversation back to safer ground -- e.g.:talking about cruising -- fell on deaf ears. After dodging several pointed questions, my DH finally replied that he was on vacation, and didn't really care to discuss politics. Well, that was met with icy stares and silence. Before dessert, we politely excused ourselves -- and quietly went in search of the Maitre'd. He found us a very nice two-top that we immensely enjoyed for the rest of the cruise. Final note: this was one of Celebrity's smaller ships, and we did run into the other couples once or twice -- they just glared at us. That alone convinced me that we had made the right decision. :cool:

Edited July 20, 2015 by wwcruisers

[kdeans1010]

I have had great table mates, except for my second Disney cruise. On paper it looked fabulous. My group was me (early 30 something gal), my mom (50s plus lady), her brother/my uncle (60+ widower) paired with a mom/dad/late 20s son family. One big thing I should note my family is fairly liberal from the states of Washington and California. The other family? Super conservative super Christian Texans! That was fine until the second night the weird son (who lived with his parents, didn't have a job, and there was something just off about him) kept playing footsies and wouldn't stop (at one point his foot was in my crotch and I had my feet so far under my chair). I didn't want to make a scene so I just kept quiet. The rest of the cruise when going to the table, I intentionally sat on the opposite side of the table from the guy. The father complained about everything, constantly making the waiter run. I don't eat a lot of meat, the father would see what I ordered (one night in particular I had a gorgeous couscous cake with the prettiest red pepper sauce ever. It was so pretty I took a picture of it!) and asked the waiter to get me "some real food, you need meat" and ordered me a rare steak almost every night. .. Political, medical (I'm a nurse), and religious conversations weren't off the table- awkward. And the kicker? Last night of the cruise I fell, super ouchie ankle (giant goose egg, went to first aide, didn't want to pay, so I walked into dinner late with ice packs and a limp). I sat down (didn't get to pick my seat), and the son started to play footsies with my owie ankle. I had the steak knife because the father had already ordered me a steak. I don't remember it, but apparently I growled "you touch my (bad word) ankle one more (bad word) time I will (bad word) castrate you." He turned all kinds of pale, I then had to explain in front of his parents (and my family) that his foot had bedn in my crotch despite me saying "knock it off" and my body language clearly saying no. That was epic.

 

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Edited July 21, 2015 by kdeans1010

[Theredofshaw]

I don't remember it, but apparently I growled "you touch my (bad word) ankle one more (bad word) time I will (bad word) castrate you." He turned all kinds of pale, I then had to explain in front of his parents (and my family) that his foot had bedn in my crotch despite me saying "knock it off" and my body language clearly saying no. That was epic.

 

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:eek:

 

 

I don't ever want to be on your bad side.... ;)

[kdeans1010]

:eek:

 

 

I don't ever want to be on your bad side.... ;)

I was sooooo pissed. I was livid. Like I don't enjoy making a scene. My ankle was bright purple, giant swollen goose egg (frankly I should've gone into the medical bay and had them take a look at it. But the way the nurse reacted to me, as a nurse irked me. I went to on my ER as soon as I got home. Everyone in the ER, who I'm friends with, were shocked I traveled from Port Canaveral to super islandy Washington with a busted ankle. I got a new reputation at work)- and this twit starts rubbing his foot on the goose egg. Worst pain. I'm typically pretty polite, but even now-years later- my uncle talks about it.

 

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[john watson]

I was cruising with my buddy 14 days transatlantic and we were allocated an eight top fixed dining time table. So obviously we were in this for a few consecutive days. The others comprised a traditional family with children boy and girl and a "couple". After getting to know each other a bit better over the days it became apparent that the dynamics would be quite interesting. My buddy dislikes the MDR and if he is there he goes for a steak every night so usually he goes to the buffet. The family were often void of the children due to the childrens club attracting them after an early tea time. So the table was sparsely populated every night. The couple were a bit unusual to say the least. In confidence the man said his companion was not his partner just a cruising buddy. Now I have no real interest in this information but just say ok in a whatever sort of way. Then later the woman says she is the man's girlfriend and she is hoping this is it so I say ok in a similar mindset. They very rarely dined together though, one was ill then the other was ill. Very strange but the guy was very amusing. He told us he was a bus and coach driver and on one excursion a blind man got on with all the stuff dog, glasses etc. so he asked if he could borrow them and sat in the drivers seat with all the kit welcoming people aboard. Apparently someone complained and he was suspended for a week. It made us all laugh though. One night due to absenteeism I was dining alone with his girlfriend and six vacant chairs. So there was not a lot of consistency!

 

Then second to last night we had a full table even though the sea was getting a bit rougher! Everybody present; little boy stands up and tells his mum "I feel sick" then immediately does huge vomit straight onto middle of table. All hell breaks loose; maitre'd comes over, doctor arrives all the family are whisked away for medical assessment. Mother tells me they will be quarantined for 24 hours and all their cabin is due for stripping and special laundry. Waiters are clearing table into plastic bags and these are being removed. The remaining diners have been requested to sit further back from table if they had not already moved. Table gets stripped to the wood which gets some sort of antiseptic wipe. Then they start re-laying the table with cloth and glasses cutlery and everything. Then as this is all done new meals start arriving and we all tuck into the food as if nothing has happened but have a new conversation topic.

 

Regards John

[hdowney]

Yea. I'd have lost my appetite :eek: