Logic to Table Assignments

[mastone25]

I am going on my first cruise on Constellation - New Year's.

I am wondering how tables are assigned. Is it totally random or do they put people together based upon things like age, couples vs groups, families with small children or families with teenagers . . .etc.. . Just curious if there is any logic to it.

[dileep]

We have been on 2 Celebrity cruises. We booked the first one fairly late and we ended up with a mix of 8 people at a table for 10. 6 of the 8 were in cabins with balconies.

 

On our second cruise, which we booked almost a year ahead, we asked for a table for 8 and all 4 couples were in Concierge Class - 2 from US and 2 from UK. Everyone got along really well.

[shonuf]

I am going on my first cruise on Constellation - New Year's.

I am wondering how tables are assigned. Is it totally random or do they put people together based upon things like age, couples vs groups, families with small children or families with teenagers . . .etc.. . Just curious if there is any logic to it.

 

We (either my mother and I or DH and I) have always requested a large table and except for Carnival have gotten our request. On one cruise with my mom, each "couple" consisted of a parent and adult "child". Other times we were with mixed couples and maybe one parent/adult child couple.

 

With DH, we have been given tables where each couple was in a deluxe suite, one time half the couples in deluxe suites and half in inside cabins (best table ever!), and just about every combination you can imagine. For the most part very enjoyable tablemates. Exceptions, a really rude couple from north of Dallas, and a table of all women (11) on Carnival who wanted to know why we were at "their table". They needn't have worried, we were off to see the Maitre 'd IMMEDIATELY after dinner. The next table they put us at was 6 members of one family. We actually had a friend in common with one of the members and had attended the same party.

 

I do think they attempt to put families with children together.

 

Have a great time on your cruise!

[DaneViking]

I don't think it is completely random. We are Danish and on one of our cruises we were seated next to the only other Danish couple on the entire ship. With about 2000 pax, the statistics wotes against randomly seating.

[Petert]

We have been on some forty odd cruises, and have usually been seated with others of a similar age, geographic location or cruise experience. Since it is the maitre 'd that is responsible for the seating arrangements, there are bound to be individual differences in their criteria. We have had obvious mismatches, such as when my wife and I were seated at a table for ten with a family that had six members at our assigned table and four at an adjacent table. We were able to correct the situation very quickly when the head waiter was informed of the problem.

 

In the long run the seating assignments seem to work out well, with most cruisers intent on being pleasant and enjoying the opportunity to meet new and interesting people.

 

Petert

[Ma Bell]

In the 40 some cruises we've been on I don't think the subject of what kind of cabin people are in has ever been brought up at the dinner table.

[gone_cruisin]

On 2 of the cruises, we ended up with people who were just steps from our room (both inside and outside). Everyone at the table with in the same age range. Another cruise we were at totally opposite sides of the ship, but were still within our age range.

[SS Cruise Lady]

I don't know if it is just a coincidence, but Celebrity has done an amazing job of assigning us to dinner tables where we have a lot in common with our tablemates. On all of our Celebrity Cruises, we have looked forward to having dinner each night with our "new friends".

[Susan-M]

In the 40 some cruises we've been on I don't think the subject of what kind of cabin people are in has ever been brought up at the dinner table.

 

On our recent Med cruise, there were 3 couples at our table, all in balcony cabins. I was glad that one of our tablemates asked which type of cabin we were in....one more topic of conversation to share.

There is definitely an effort to match people up, and based on our experiences, for the most part, they do a great job!

[ACCagent]

Celebrity and Royal Caribbean actually have a software that allows them to input info on guests and match up for seating. They used to do this by hand. There are many different categories that they may match such as age, children, categories, etc.

[hmg]

DH and I, along with our 20 & 17 year old sons have sat with all kinds of table mates. Families with toddlers...families with kids similar ages to ours...people from all over the world.

One time we were placed with two retired couples from England for a two week cruise. We had nothing at all in common, and yet we had the best time ever with these people.

[pbcbbc]

In the 40 some cruises we've been on I don't think the subject of what kind of cabin people are in has ever been brought up at the dinner table.

Really? Every cruise I have been on what kind of room you are in has always been, at the least, a part of the topic of conversation. Hard to avoid, actually. There are so many topics that lead to it.

[davekathy]

To those being seated with others. When you book your Cruise, do you ask for a specific table size? We always do and get the dining time and table size we request. Everytime no matter the Cruise Line. We always book our Cruise early.

[momofmeg]

Celebrity will do a great job with us on our upcoming cruise as we are now 4 couples going, (another couple booked) and we have ben assigned to eat together at our request.

 

Hopefully they will put us at a table for 8-I would not mind another couple being put with us but I do feel it would be a dis service to them-since the rest of us will be friends and know each other.

 

I know on our HAL cruise we went with my inlaws and our daughter and we were a family of 5-they put one poor woman with us who was traveling alone-we did our best to make her comfortable but I sure felt HAL had done her a dis service. she had to be bored to death-even though we did our best to include her in the conversation.

 

On every other cruise it seemed we were well matched with our tablemates except for this last cruise we had on Mariner of the Seas.

 

Hubby and I are middleaged and we had our daughter who is 21 and a friend who is 35 with us. We were seated with 2 couples in their early 60's who were friends.

 

I guess they figured just 2 groups of friends at one table-but to me it would have made more sense to put us with a family or friends of varing ages.

 

It was not so bad for hubby and I-but I felt for my daughter and our friend it could have been better.

[northerncruszr]

We (husband and I) stay in everything from inside to suites.....it all depends on the cruise, the ship and how intensive the ports. Our next 6 cruises booked are 1 inside, 1 balcony, 1 CC and 3 suites. No matter where one is "sleeping", we all have one thing in common.....we are happy to be on a cruise ship. We enjoy meeting new people on every cruise and usually ask for a table for 6. This size is perfect for cross table conversation. We have never been assigned a table where we didn't have good conversation and many enjoyable topics to discuss.....cabin type and location has only come up on 1 or 2 cruises out of 20+. Our tablemates have ranged from young honeymooners to 85+ young years, all walks of life and multiple countries. It has always been fun!

[Cruise Arizona]

On our last cruise we requested a table for 4 because we were with our two children 7 & 9. The table the put us at was in the corner near the entrance so the kids could easily come in and out to use the restroom with no problem. Also the corner made it easy for the kids not to call attention to themselves if their table manners were less than perfect. We were very pleased with our location and table size.

 

On Merc. with just DH and myself, we were at a table for 8 with most of the couples 15 - 20 years older than us, but the international group(One couple from UK and one from Australia) really hit it off and found we had much in common. We just met the Au. couple in San Diego before our last cruise and we had dinner and they took pictures of us on our balcony from shore. Great couple and so nice to have made friends from around the world.

[mrs66]

I think you just need to keep an open mind. Besides the obvious problems of being seated with people who speak a different language or with a large group travelling together, you can usually find something to talk about with your tablemates. On our last cruise we were seated with two couples in their mid-fifties (traveling together) and a couple in their early 70s; we were in our late 30s. I never would have imagined that we'd have much in common, but we had an absolutely delightful time with them and we all ended up spending a good deal of time together outside the dining room. Meeting different people that I wouldn't normally have the opportunity to do in "real life" is one of my favorite things about cruising!

[Coolcruise02]

I would like to know what "software" Celebrity uses to match up table mates? My husband and I are in our early 50's and we were seated at a table with a mother and 2 children from England and a retired couple from Boca Raton. Nothing in common!! We still had a good time at dinner.

[Bruin Steve]

This is actually a little more complicated than everyone thinks...

It has changed over time...

 

We had some very mixed results, so I asked the Maitre d' on the Constellation ...they used to do the table assignments by hand--the Maitre d' and staff actually matched up tables based on what information they had or could figure out from the booking...Then, they switched to a computer program that was basically random...Then, they supposedly started adding back in some less random features...

 

I don't know if cabin category figures in...but, in my mind, it shouldn't...If I book a balcony, it doesn't mean I have anything in common with the Japanese folks who don't speak English who also booked a balcony...or the octagenarians in the balcony or the honeymoon couple in the balcony...I'd rather be at a table with other English-speaking 40- and 50-somethings...

 

Here are the mixed results on our last four Celebrity cruises:

Aug 2003 Millennium: Wonderfully matched table for 8--Four couples, each of which had at least one spouse around 48-50, all English speaking, several occupations or businesses in common.

July 2004 Summit: Went with our college-aged daughters and the four of us were seated at a table for 10 with three much older retired couples...kids wished we were at another table...

March 2005 Constellation: Table for 8, but one pair never showed...Other three couples--all of us were in the 45-60 range...all three men were attorneys, everyone American...

July 2005 Constellation: Back to mismatch: the two of us with three retired couples...they all spoke Ennglish, some of them just couldn't HEAR it...

 

I do wish they'd go back to letting the restaurant staff match people up...

[Cruise Arizona]

I talked to several people on our last cruise who had to have thier tables reassigned because of mis-matches. One friend said that the other lady at the table was just negative and cut down her activities that she liked to do at home. Another friends just had somwone with which they had nothing in common.

 

They got rearranged and were much happier. You paid too much for your cruise to have it ruined by a bad table mate.

 

If you bump into your old table mates, say something nice, like "We met some poeple who had no show table mates and they asked if we could join them."

 

Like I said, we've been very lucky, but we could alway get un-lucky.

 

Anybody had better luck with their second or third set of table mate?

[constantcruiser]

We've been amazingly lucky, too. Interestingly, though, if I had been given a list of demographics about many of our tablemates, I probably never would have selected them. But when we got together, we truly enjoyed each other's company. My opinion is that, when you are at home, you most often dine with people who are your age, from your part of the country, your occupation, etc. Why not take the opportunity of a cruise to meet people who are different?