Dinner table assignments with party of two?

[CityChickCruising]

Hi all, my mom and I (23 y/o female) are taking a 3 night cruise on the Navigator of the Seas over Memorial Day Weekend. We usually cruise with our family of six, so we aren't put at a table with other people. We have dinner set for 6pm every night. Will we automatically be put with other groups? How big are they usually and is there any way to ensure this doesn't happen? Would also love people's happy and horror stories on being sat with other folks 🙂 Thanks friends! 

Edited March 16, 2019 by rikkimiller

[Clarea]

Try sending your dining table preference to rcldining@rccl.com about 3 weeks before the cruise.

[matj2000]

What is wrong with sitting with other people?

 

 

[blueridgemama]

2 minutes ago, matj2000 said:

What is wrong with sitting with other people?

 

 

 

Some people, myself included, like to sit at a table for 2 on a cruise just like at restaurants at home. Some people like to sit at a larger table and socialize. Different strokes for different folks.

If you are doing my time dining just request a table for 2. You can also go to the main dining room as soon as you get on the ship and talk to the dining room staff and request a table for 2.

[CityChickCruising]

21 minutes ago, matj2000 said:

What is wrong with sitting with other people?

 

 

That wasn't the point of my post. I am not a fan of the unknown possibility of crying kids, bickering couples, or people who want to start political arguments with their new table mates. A simple question that required a simple answer 🙂

Edited March 16, 2019 by rikkimiller

[CityChickCruising]

6 minutes ago, blueridgemama said:

 

Some people, myself included, like to sit at a table for 2 on a cruise just like at restaurants at home. Some people like to sit at a larger table and socialize. Different strokes for different folks.

If you are doing my time dining just request a table for 2. You can also go to the main dining room as soon as you get on the ship and talk to the dining room staff and request a table for 2.

Exactly! Thank you for this. We will go to the dining room once on the ship to ensure our request is made 🙂 Thanks again! 

[Jasukkie]

Open suggestion to anyone sitting at a group table, for the love of God please do not start talking about politics. I've only experienced sitting with others at breakfast and lunch on sea days. Mostly a positive experience, but twice turned to politics. If it happens at dinner with people I'm sitting with the whole cruise, I will be reassigned. 

[CityChickCruising]

4 minutes ago, Jasukkie said:

Open suggestion to anyone sitting at a group table, for the love of God please do not start talking about politics. I've only experienced sitting with others at breakfast and lunch on sea days. Mostly a positive experience, but twice turned to politics. If it happens at dinner with people I'm sitting with the whole cruise, I will be reassigned. 

yep, exactly! thank you.

Edited March 16, 2019 by rikkimiller
because

[CityChickCruising]

44 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

Try sending your dining table preference to rcldining@rccl.com about 3 weeks before the cruise.

super helpful! Thank you! 

[BigHouseFootball]

I echo sending the request to the email listed above. I have done that for my 3 previous cruises and have always recurved the table for 2 that we requested!

[CityChickCruising]

55 minutes ago, BigHouseFootball said:

I echo sending the request to the email listed above. I have done that for my 3 previous cruises and have always recurved the table for 2 that we requested!

will do!! Thanks so much! 

[suesnake2002]

Well after hearing how many pounds of skin one had cut off after bariatric surgery......and having one couple wanting to go to early shows with early seating, we were all rushed thru dinner. 

 And after joining a large table for breakfast in mdr, we opted for the buffet in mdr. We had to listen to a 30 minite dissertation on why go to mdr if your not gonna order from the main menu. Loud and highly opinionated people. We just smiled shook our head. Wolfed our food and ran. 

I actually enjoy my husbands company. We don't mind be alone with each other. If we want to socialize. We go to the bar. If we don't care for the company we take our drinks and move on. We are not stuck with them for 2 hours times seven

[gatour]

Not clear if you are doing MTD or Traditional.  If it is MTD then most likely they will seat you at a two top for dinner as a default.

[Junkhouse]

The last 2 cruises (main dinning room) we (2) have been seated at tables of 8. But there were only 2 or 3 people that showed up.  I also saw several tables that were for two.  So just make a request and hopefully you will get one of those.  However, the late seating seems to be less crowded then the early seating so you might have a better chance at that.

[Clarea]

50 minutes ago, gatour said:

Not clear if you are doing MTD or Traditional.  If it is MTD then most likely they will seat you at a two top for dinner as a default.

 

Good point, I should have mentioned that to the OP.  Sending the rcldining email is generally only effective for fixed (traditional) dining.

[HicksRA]

And most of those two tops are placed so close together that people have to drag their butt across your table to get by. 

[cruiseguy1016]

15 hours ago, HicksRA said:

And most of those two tops are placed so close together that people have to drag their butt across your table to get by. 

 

And then trying to start a conversation with you as if you were sitting at the same table as them.

[h20skibum]

Depending on Royal’s consistency, you may have to have your TA make the request.  

[Baron Barracuda]

When booking, dw and I always request late traditional, table for 2.  Confirm invariably states "small table".  Too many times though we discovered we'd been assigned us to a large table.  Now we always visit mdr at embarkation and verify seating.  By coming early hw on duty usually has the flexibility to correct any problems.      

Edited March 17, 2019 by Baron Barracuda

[Beav1279]

My DH and I have been placed at larger tables a few times. We've always had a great experience! Lovely people from all over the country and/or world! I'm a teacher and we always seem to be with at least 1 other teacher, so we always end up "talking shop" 🙂 

[Paulette3028]

1 hour ago, Beav1279 said:

My DH and I have been placed at larger tables a few times. We've always had a great experience! Lovely people from all over the country and/or world! I'm a teacher and we always seem to be with at least 1 other teacher, so we always end up "talking shop" 🙂 

DH and I often sail by ourselves.  I send in a request to rcldining@rccl.com all the time to be seated with other people, preferably a table of 6-8.  I can have dinner at home with hubby every night, so we look forward to the company on a cruise.  Have we had people who want to talk politics (sometimes, but rarely) usually it is banter about what everyone did that day or is planning to do that night or the next day. We find our where people are from and their outside interests. For us it is GREAT.

 

 

What we have noticed lately is with so many specialty restaurants available the amount of people (even on the mega size ships) utilizing traditional dining, has diminished.  Often we find ourselves at a table for 6-8 but we are the only ones that have arrived for dinner.  

 

We tried MTD on one sailing and just did not like it.  Did not like not having the same wait staff, did not like, not knowing exactly where our table would be.  The tables were so close together we felt like we were sitting in the lap of the people next to us.

 

Only you know what you will enjoy.....just sharing our experiences....and rcldining@rccl.com is a great help.

 

 

[FOXTROT]

We did dinner at large tables & for years everything worked out. We then started doing a table for 2. Tables are close enough to talk with other people. We will only do a table for 2 from now on.

[cruiseguy1016]

10 hours ago, FOXTROT said:

We did dinner at large tables & for years everything worked out. We then started doing a table for 2. Tables are close enough to talk with other people. We will only do a table for 2 from now on.

 

Please understand that some people choose a table for two because they DON'T want to talk to other people.

[DISFANS3]

Just ask for a table for two..

[ShillyShally]

On 3/16/2019 at 2:01 PM, suesnake2002 said:

Well after hearing how many pounds of skin one had cut off after bariatric surgery......and having one couple wanting to go to early shows with early seating, we were all rushed thru dinner. 

 And after joining a large table for breakfast in mdr, we opted for the buffet in mdr. We had to listen to a 30 minite dissertation on why go to mdr if your not gonna order from the main menu. Loud and highly opinionated people. We just smiled shook our head. Wolfed our food and ran. 

I actually enjoy my husbands company. We don't mind be alone with each other. If we want to socialize. We go to the bar. If we don't care for the company we take our drinks and move on. We are not stuck with them for 2 hours times seven

Yikes!  And yep, same page, my husband and I have had wonderful times at tables for just us, we never run out of conversation topics and we do the same at bars or other venues.  We're always happy to chat with other cruisers but we'll make a needed escape if it's turning south!