Have you ever been invited to dine at the Captain's Table?

[joelmarj]

It seems to me that each ship made their own rules as opposed to one hard rule across the fleet, thus accounting for the major differences in selections. When we sailed on the Millenium, we were talking with the Maitre'd about our table assignment (he was letting us switch for the evening to late seating, table for two). As he was checking for our table, we looked at a list he had and it was the Captain's table assignments for that night. It listed the passengers names and cabin numbers. Sure enough, every one of them was a suite. On the last night, we got into a conversation with the maitre'd about the Captains Table (we actually were seated at the table right next to it). The question of who sits there came up and he explained that they selected based solely on suites then Elite status. He said it changed a while ago, and that is basically the rule they use on the Millenium.

I'm sure someone here will be the exception to that, but it's just what we were told and witnessed. (Hoping the same rule applies to the Constellation - have a suite on that, and would love the experience)

[bob278]

Hi Phil,

I'm not a captain, but you have an open invitation to sit with us.

We were invited on our first RCL cruise on the Legend to Alaska. I'm still not sure why. Although at that time I traveled a LOT on busines and was a Hyatt Platinum member and was traveling on an award, so who knows. Anyway, the part that made it so great for us is probably not part of the experience anymore.

We were taken up to the bridge and given about a 15 mintue tour then left on our own for another 15-20 minutes to just look around. That was fantastic! Then the group of us was escorted to the captain's quarters where we had champagne, wine and h'orderves (or however you spell it). And, finally, we were escorted into the dining room quite publically (I could have done without that) and had a great dinner.

The people were interesting, with one exception. There was one couple who obviously cruised with RCL a lot because they kept dropping names of captains that they "knew so well". There was also a navy nurse and her mother who were cruising in celebration of her recent promotion to commander and a couple who served as guest lecturers.

Without the bridge tour, I could easily pass, but it would be nice to be asked.

I saw a quote somewhere (not sure where)and don't even remember for sure who was quoted, maybe Lady Astor (whoever she was). My memory is really going.

"Why would I want to dine with the help?"

[WeBeCruisin']

[quote name='cruising with marti'][b]FIREGUY[/b]
[b]I agree a party is a party, but only when it is a party. [/b]

[b]at our table was the Assit hotel mgr. who was polite but very subdued. also at our table was the guest lecturer on wine. he pretty much bored us to tears with his endless prattle about wine and his homes in London and the south of France.[/b]

[b]I guess my point is, we would rather have had dinner at our regular table with a group of people who knew how to have some fun and made a party a party.[/b]

[b]Phil[/b][/QUOTE]

I guess it's called "diversity". To me, the ship's officer, with his welath of cruising experiences and passenger "encounters", and the guest lecturer, with his knowledge of wine and his homes in London and the South of France, both sound extremely interesting. But then, I don't really know the meaning of the word "boredeom". I can just about always find [i]something[/i] interesting about anyone and any topic. I guess that's also why we've never had tablemates who were so bad we had to move. Also, some people are shy or timid to speak out, and there's an art to drawing out their interests and stimulating them to join the convesation.

If my main concern was about being at a "table with a group of people who knew how to have some fun and made a party a party", I could save a poopload of money by just going down to the neighborhood sports bar.
:cool:

Allen

[Karynanne]

On our last cruise, Infinity-Alaska we were asked to dine at the Captains Table. We were at the Select level and on that cruise had an Oceanview Cabin...but we did meet the Social Hostess when we originally checked in at embarkation. I jokingly asked her, "since I'm not at that Select level (DH was at that time), can I go to all the events with him, or do I get left behind"? She said, of course you can go along.

I think they pick people according to how "they" think you'll fit into a good table mix. Not everyone had a suite...just fun, outgoing, well mannered (at least they seemed so!) people.

My point being, maybe personality, friendliness, etc. does have a lot to do with the "picking process". Who knows? Maybe each ship and each Hostess is different.

Karyn

[flagger]

We were invited at check-in by the social hostess. We sat with the captain and the hotel manager on the second formal night. We arranged for in-cabin babysitting so having our daughter at the table would not be a distraction.

It was a quiet experience until I asked the captain about his family and he warmed up quite a bit.

[Bruin Steve]

[QUOTE=WeBeCruisin']To me, the ship's officer, with his welath of cruising experiences and passenger "encounters", and the guest lecturer, with his knowledge of wine and his homes in London and the South of France, both sound extremely interesting. But then, I don't really know the meaning of the word "boredeom"...[/QUOTE]

Okay...it all reminds me of an old episode of the old Rod Serling TV show "Night Gallery"...

This guy finds himself in a room with all sorts of tacky and boring stuff and a couple who insist on showing him their 1,235 slides of their vacation in Ensenada...and he finally figures it out...he's died and he's in h*ll...

So, he asks the guy in charge to confirm that and his fear is confirmed...this IS h*ll...

So, he has just one other question, out of curiosity: "What is heaven like?"...
...and the guy responds: "They have the SAME ROOM up there".

Yup, one guy's boring h*ll is the next guy's heaven...To each his own...

[CamelliaCity]

[quote name='Joe_Antonelli']Just really curious how people get invited to the Captain's Table, would love to read about your own personal experiences. Thought it would be a fun and interesting topic for all of us!

Joe[/QUOTE]

[color=magenta]No, I guess Captain's don't like NASCAR junkies:eek: [/color]
[color=#ff00ff][/color]
[color=#ff00ff][/color]

[color=magenta][img]http://www.talladegasuperspeedway.com/uploads/photo/AD8AAE2B075B420F882945B6ED08DED8.jpg[/img][/color]

[WeBeCruisin']

Camellia, I live about five miles from Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR capitol of the world, and we got invited to the Captain's table. Nyahhh! Nyahhhh! Of course, we had to sign an affidavit first stating that we thought Dale Junior sucked.:eek:

Allen

[CamelliaCity]

[QUOTE=WeBeCruisin']
[b]we had to sign an affidavit first stating that we thought Dale Junior sucked.:eek: [/b]

Allen[/QUOTE]

[b][color=magenta]Well:eek: I certainly hope you refused to sign that thing!!![/color][/b]
[b][color=#ff00ff][/color][/b]
[b][color=#ff00ff]Hey, did the Captain discuss NASCAR with y'all?;) I have to know.[/color][/b]
[b][color=#ff00ff][/color][/b]
[b][color=#ff00ff][/color][/b]
[b][color=#ff00ff][/color][/b]
[b][color=#ff00ff][/color][/b]
[b][size=1][color=#ff00ff](avid SEC football fans too)WAR EAGLE[/color][/size][/b]

[idssms]

Some of the best times I have had cruising was dining with the Captain.

Our last experience was in Jan 05 on the Zenith. We sat with Captain Georgio (sp) on the first formal night. He was a hoot, funny and very entertaining. The service at this table was even better than normal and the extras really added to the experience. Of course the red rose given to my wife was a nice touch. The pre dinner get together was very nice and our tablemates all had fun with the Captain. Never boring.

idssms

[fireguy091]

[quote name='cruising with marti'][b]FIREGUY[/b]
[b] I agree a party is a party, but only when it is a party. [/b]

[b]at our table was the Assit hotel mgr. who was polite but very subdued. also at our table was the guest lecturer on wine. he pretty much bored us to tears with his endless prattle about wine and his homes in London and the south of France.[/b]

[b]I guess my point is, we would rather have had dinner at our regular table with a group of people who knew how to have some fun and made a party a party.[/b]

[b]Phil[/b][/QUOTE]
Phil I know what you mean, I didn't mean anything negative towards you. I quess we have been lucky so far but my wife does seem to get those stuffed shirts to loosen their collars a bit...:)

[roboref]

I casually made friends with the social Hostess on our Grandeur of the Seas (RCL) 11 day cruise last summer. Most of the social hostesses we had met or seen on the cruises we had been on were generally pretty snobby. Our social hostess (Jeannette) was very friendly and seemed to be more like one of the cruise staff. Jeannette participated at the trivia contest and several of the game show type venues. We were very friendly to her and always greeted her by name when we saw her. A couple of days into the cruise she was walking through the Atrium while I was reading a book. I said hello and she stopped and we talked a few minutes.

I thought I didn't have anything to lose and mentioned that we were cruising with another fellow and this was our second cruise on RCL and we had cruised 3 times on the siter line of Celebrity. Then mentioned that we had always wanted to sit at the Captain's table. She said she would see what she could do.

When we went to our cabin after dinner tht night we had an engraved invitation to the Captains's Table on the next formal night. We were to meet 30 minutes prior to dinner in the Schooner Bar for cocktails and hors d' oeurves. Jeannette mentioned it would not be the Captain but the Staff Captain which is 2nd in command. He was only 35, but very personable and enjoyable to visit with. Our table consisted of Patrick (Staff Captain) and his girlfriend (who was a purser) and her best friend who was sailing for the 1st time. A very rich British couple another staff officer and her brother and fiancee.

We entered about 10 minutes after 8 after everyone else had been seated, down the grand stairway to the Captains Table. I think everyone involved would have gladly skipped this part, everyone was looking at us and it was embarassing and then we posed for a picture at the table and were seated. As we sat down everyone clapped and again were all embarassed.

Dinner was wonderful, Patrick was charming, we were served wine by the Head Maitre'd and our table server was the head waiter, Service was impeccable and conversation was wonderful. When dinner was finished, Jeannette came around and presented us with the Menu and a picture of the group that was taken before dinner, along with our name plates from the table.

Overall a wonderful experience.

[WeBeCruisin']

[quote name='CamelliaCity'][b][color=magenta]Well:eek: I certainly hope you refused to sign that thing!!![/color][/b]

[b][color=#ff00ff]Hey, did the Captain discuss NASCAR with y'all?;) I have to know.[/color][/b]




[b][size=1][color=#ff00ff](avid SEC football fans too)WAR EAGLE[/color][/size][/b][/QUOTE]

We mentioned NASCAR, and the Captain called in four waiters and commanded them to scrub all the red off our necks. Sigh.

Allen

[CamelliaCity]

[QUOTE=WeBeCruisin']We mentioned NASCAR, and the Captain called in four waiters and commanded them to scrub all the red off our necks. Sigh.

Allen[/QUOTE]

You should have told the Captain that red neks can't afford to [b]DO[/b] Nascar anymore:eek: . You should have educated him on an infield filled with extemely expensive RV's out for a weekend of entertainment? It is truly an amazing
sight:p and...he should see those million dollar bus RV's that belong to those red nek drivers, yikes:D ....[size=1]I wanna be a red nek.....I wanna be a red nek.....[/size]

[sea witch]

We had the pleasure of dining at the main seating captains table on the 3-21-05 Sumitt Cruise, with the Hotel Director. We are not really sure why we were invited, and no one else at the table was either. We all met in the martini bar prior to going to the dining room. We had a very chatty and friendly table making it a most enjoyable evening. The ships photographer took a picture of the table which was delivered to our stateroom the following day. It came with a layout of the table with everyones name on it. The ladies all recv'd a single red rose at the end of dinner. It was the first time in 15 cruises we had ever been invited. We had a couple of problems on the ship and thought maybe it was a way to say sorry. We were also celebrating our 25th anniversay. Who knows!! We definitely enjoyed the experience!

[Randyk47]

We just got off the Galaxy this past Saturday and did indeed, for our very first time, get invited to the Captain's Table. It was the first formal night and it was fantastic! My wife and I were talking about it yesterday and neither of us could even remember what we ordered!!! :o It may never happen again but now we have this wonderful memory to highlight what was a fantastic cruise.

[cruisebliss]

I just love reading about this topic. I am happy that I did not turn down my invitation to dine at the Captain's table.

[patrioticgirl]

In March we were invited to dine with the assistant hotel director and in June we were asked to dine with Captain Lekkas on the first formal night. Both gentlemen were delightfully entertaining and I considered the invitations, the pre-dinner gatherings in the Rendevous Lounge, and the dinner experiences the highlight of each of the voyages. We thoroughly enjoyed meeting our interesting dinner companions and the conversation was lively and spirited on both occasions.... probably due to the great wine that flowed freely:D! And the service? Impeccable!:)

[socialworker]

Yes once, this past April on the Infinity,and it was a delightful experience. Our host was the Hotel Manager and he was a wonderful dinner companion. Another couple, who we met through CC, were also invited, so we felt quite at ease. That couple has been numerous times and even a couple of those times with the same host.

I have no clue how we got on the invitation list, but I hope we are invited again sometime. I almost turned down the invite because we were supposed to share champaign with our usual tablemates. But my husband said, "We're sitting at the Captain's Table...we'll do the champaign another night."

Judy

[idssms]

Its hard to believe some cruisers turn this invite down since it has always been one of the significant-memorable things we have done on a cruise. I am honored to say the least to be invited.

Again, if anyone gets an invite I am sure 99% of us on here would say, "Go for it!!"

Novice Cruiser - Don

[patrioticgirl]

Don, I will second that! :D

[Libracruzer]

I dined with the Staff Captain on the AOS last September - had great fun. Have no idea how they selected us, but I would gladly say yes, again. Highlight, however, was a trip to the bridge the next day when we sailed.

[idssms]

For some reason I think a bridge tour always follows the invite to the Captains Table for dinner.

Must be some sort of Ship Protocol.

Now that I think about it, each time I was invited to the Captains Table I have been to the bridge for a departure or at sea.

The additional bridge tour enhances the overall experience.

Don

[salt_salt_salt]

weese
too funny!

yes, it is fun to be at the captain's table. i wonder if it was me taking in the stunning beauty of the social hostess while boarding? maybe that is why she invited us to the table?

[Char]

[quote name='idssms']For some reason I think a bridge tour always follows the invite to the Captains Table for dinner.

Must be some sort of Ship Protocol.

Now that I think about it, each time I was invited to the Captains Table I have been to the bridge for a departure or at sea.

The additional bridge tour enhances the overall experience.

Don[/QUOTE]
Hey Don :D

We have had a few bridge tours (including the Galaxy Transatlantic we sailed with you) but never after a dinner with the Captain. So it's not protocol that one naturally follows the other. :p