Sharing tables

[navybankerteacher]

A turn off? I think the majority of people are working class professionals, who vacation to get away from the "every day" and spend time with family. We vacation several times a year, and while the phones and emails do not go away at Disney or weekend retreats, they do on a ship. It is family time, and we treasure that. The last thing I want to do is share that precious time with strangers at a dinner table.

 

Of course a family group traveling together is one thing - and dining as a group is part of the experience. But many cruise as individuals or couples - and interacting with others can be seen as an enjoyable facet of travel.

[mrobstad]

in addition to the points made by navyteacher, Ive found that Ive learned so much from fellow cruisers, whom i find interesting rather than annoying. To each his own.

[Suze10860]

Of course a family group traveling together is one thing - and dining as a group is part of the experience. But many cruise as individuals or couples - and interacting with others can be seen as an enjoyable facet of travel.

 

I understand what you're saying, but I don't think it's fair to expect others to feel the same way you do. Very early on in this thread someone said exactly what I think:

 

We don't share tables on land restaurants, I'm not sure why we would on a cruise.

 

Sometimes when people lead very busy lives they want nothing more than to have private dinners with their significant other. To us, that's one of the most "enjoyable facets of travel." And we're very social creatures. We talk up a storm with strangers and are really looking forward to making some new friends on our upcoming cruise. We just don't necessarily feel that spending 2 hours with them over dinner is the best way to do it.

 

Just my thoughts.

[mjkacmom]

As a family of 7, I'm glad they don't push people to share tables. We are always so pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to get a table without a wait, unlike on land. The ships seem to have plenty of 2 and 4 tops fir smaller parties.

 

I'm as social as they come - I can find my new bff on a line for the ladies room. However, I prefer to dine with just my family, especially on a cruise, since we tend to split up during the day.

[khaide612]

in addition to the points made by navyteacher, Ive found that Ive learned so much from fellow cruisers, whom i find interesting rather than annoying. To each his own.

 

No one above said they were anti-social. On my last cruise I went solo and I dined with people every night. However, the people that I dined with were people that I met during my time on the ship and chose to dine with and talk to - not people who I was thrown with at dinner because we happened to arrive at the same time. I spent most all of my time every day interacting and talking to people I met around the ship or at the CC M&G. I'm still in touch with several of the people I met.

 

When I cruise with friends, we use dinner as a catch up for the days events - usually spent separately doing what we each enjoy and meeting other people.

[mrobstad]

this has certainly been an eye opening thread!

Khaid, the banter using Conehead, seems to imply anti-social.

Edited March 30, 2016 by mrobstad

[kathybelcher2433]

As a classic introvert I found the practice of sharing tables with strangers gave me great anxiety. A huge selling point for me is the ability to dine alone or with my husband. I was asked at every dining room meal if I would like to share and each time the answer was no. Alone time for me is an opportunity to recharge. Sure, I can suck it up and share if needed but it's highly uncomfortable. But I am happy for others that are wired differently.

[April42749]

this has certainly been an eye opening thread!

Khaid, the banter using Conehead, seems to imply anti-social.

 

I don't see this as anti-social at all.

 

If I'm just not interested in someone's grandkids or operations, I'm just not interested. And I really don't want to discuss my health issues. I don't want to discuss "my job" because I'm always asked for advice. My husband doesn't hear well and English is not his native language, so he never is a part of the conversation and it's awkward and boring for him.

 

We meet people around the ship. If it clicks, great. If not, we are bffs.

[Suze10860]

I don't see this as anti-social at all.

 

If I'm just not interested in someone's grandkids or operations, I'm just not interested. And I really don't want to discuss my health issues. I don't want to discuss "my job" because I'm always asked for advice. My husband doesn't hear well and English is not his native language, so he never is a part of the conversation and it's awkward and boring for him.

 

We meet people around the ship. If it clicks, great. If not, we are bffs.

 

I agree. And as much as I love to blab about my 2 (now grown - and pretty darn wonderful) children, I'm going to assume other people don't really want to hear about them. Except for my husband. We can still discuss them every day - which is probably one of the reasons we're still very happily married and very content to dine alone together after over 27 years of marriage.

[300dtc]

We usually get a table for the two of us and most of the time the other tables are so close we end up talking to our neighbors anyway! But, our service is for our table alone and if we eat faster or slower than our new neighbors, it doesn't matter.

[xenagurl]

There are two sides to that. I've been on cruises where they asked and cruises where they didn't. Honestly I don't like being asked when I'm cruising solo or happen to be eating without DH when were cruising together. If I wanted to eat with someone else I'd let them know, they don't have to ask. As it happens if I'm eating alone that's the way I like it.

 

So they're darned if they do and darned if they don't. I don't want to be asked, and I rarely want to eat with strangers which is a large part of why I cruise with NCL and not other lines.

Edited March 30, 2016 by xenagurl

[NLH Arizona]

The couple of times I ate in the MDR, I was asked if I wanted to share a table. I say no on NCL, but I do do the fixed dining on Celebrity and have always gotten fantastic tablemates.

[LrgPizza]

There are countless ways to meet people on cruise ships, and dinner is merely one of many. To think that someone is anti-social because they prefer to meet and socialize with others 97 other ways instead of at dinner is ridiculous. If someone feels they must dine with others or else they are "hanging out on their own" (as someone said), then perhaps that person needs to work on his/her own social skills. I don't have to dine with a stranger to make friends on ships.

Edited March 30, 2016 by LrgPizza

[Barb Nahoumi]

We usually cruise with one other couple, and the four of us have dinner together.

[welove2cruise2014]

I like dining with my husband so NCL suits us just fine. I am fairly outgoing anyway so by default we will meet people out and about around the ship, and if we're so inclined, will meet them for drinks or arrange to have dinner together. (Or as someone else mentioned, we sometimes end up talking with the people seated nearby).

 

On land, I am very comfortable dining out alone.

[MERCE4]

I agree with CB at Sea that it is easier to find tablemates at traditional dining. In fact, I met the original poster, Mrobstad, on a 2012 cruise, and we have stayed in contact since then. We were both traveling solo, and were welcomed by a CC couple (whom we met at the meet and greet) to their table for eight. The interaction with the other people made the cruise one of the best I have ever taken.

 

I can't speak to NCL, since I haven't cruised that line, but I understand they do not have traditional seating. Perhaps there should be a way to indicate this preference pre-cruise...

 

Good to hear from you, Meg.

 

Annette

Edited March 30, 2016 by MERCE4

[3poundpuppies]

Prior to last August, we've only sailed NCL. We did a last minute Carnival just to get away, so we could not choose their anytime option. DID NOT like the assigned dining thing at all!! We only ate in the MDR one night, and did lido buffet the rest. We were very uncomfortable dining that way.

[Trumpster]

It's funny in the countless cruise I've taken since the 1970's with most of the well known lines and a few now long gone lines, we have only had tablemates once! And we have never done YTD, ATD on any cruise. Well until 20 days from now when we are doing ATD.

 

It was Carnival, some years ago with early seating, we were a family of 4 sat with another family of 4.

 

We have always scored either 2 or 4 or 6 table set ups with no one but our party or family.

 

NCL before freestyle included, never had table mates.

 

Never been asked to sit with others but since the free style days we have always had kids so perhaps that's why.