Ever have awful Table mates?

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

I agree you can have conversations about booking cruises without mentioning prices, however, sooner rather than later, it will inevitably end up there as how can you say I got $X OBC for a X cabin with drinks and gratuities, without having a total price for comparison.

If the conversation turns to prices (which is fine with us) and everyone is comfortable with the topic, it becomes a fascinating discussion.   Comparing prices with various perks is actually pretty easy.  You simply value each perk based on its real value to you (not the faux value put on it by a cruise line) and then back into the price per passenger day.  It is an effective way to compare apples to oranges.

 

Hank

[MicCanberra]

2 hours ago, Husky61 said:

So you could post it on Cruise Critic.😲

Makes for some good strange cruise buddy stories.

[babs135]

Following on the discussion of how much did you pay for this cruise.  We had only just boarded our ship and were still getting our bearings when a woman came rushing up to us, paused and said 'how much did you pay, I only paid xxxx, got a fantastic deal' and then she was gone (never to be seen again!), leaving us both slightly shell shocked.

 

What was frustrating was although we thought we had got a fantastic deal, she had paid even less !!!!!

[MicCanberra]

2 minutes ago, babs135 said:

Following on the discussion of how much did you pay for this cruise.  We had only just boarded our ship and were still getting our bearings when a woman came rushing up to us, paused and said 'how much did you pay, I only paid xxxx, got a fantastic deal' and then she was gone (never to be seen again!), leaving us both slightly shell shocked.

 

What was frustrating was although we thought we had got a fantastic deal, she had paid even less !!!!!

There is usually one disappointed person in these type discussions.

[Anubi]

When asked how much I paid, I say I paid in Canadian dollars and everyone loses interest. 😉 LOL

[K32682]

Anyone at the table asking me what I paid for the cruise or boasting about their "great deal" would bring them very close to falling into the awful table mate category.  I am singularly uninterested in what someone else paid for the cruise.  What I paid is none of their damn business.   

[gooch47]

On 6/28/2019 at 9:23 AM, Hlitner said:

Sounds like they were giving you a message 🙂

 

Hank

 

But what made it so strange was that we didn't initiate the request.  They did.  

[XBGuy]

18 hours ago, Hlitner said:

There are many tables where booking strategies and pricing are never discussed.  Some folks do not want to get into those subjects and its just good manners to avoid topics that are not agreeable to an entire table.  But we have also been at many tables (and cocktail tables) where folks will start talking about their favorite cruise agents, how to get the best cabins, most OBCs, etc.  When we hear folks recommend agencies we will generally follow-up with our due diligence.  Sometimes the info turns out to be a very good tip and other times we find that the new agencies are not as competitive as our own favored places.  Knowing that many folks do not want to discuss pricing it is a subject I seldom to never raise.  But I might ask folks something like "who do you use to book your cruises" and see where the conversation goes.

 

On our recent Celebrity Summit cruise (10 days to Bermuda and NE) the subject was raised by another person at a table of 8.  Remarkably it turned out that all 4 couples had booked that cruise within the 4 weeks prior to embarkation!  We all laughed and thought that was pretty unusual and somebody else joked that "great minds think alike."  Nobody mentioned pricing other then to agree that the last minute deals were amazing.

 

Hank

 

Fair enough.  😉

[MicCanberra]

6 hours ago, gooch47 said:

 

But what made it so strange was that we didn't initiate the request.  They did.  

Yeah, that is strange.

[Hlitner]

10 hours ago, gooch47 said:

10 hours ago, gooch47 said:

 

But what made it so strange was that we didn't initiate the request.  They did.  

 

very strange.

 

Hank

[wwcruisers]

19 hours ago, Anubi said:

When asked how much I paid, I say I paid in Canadian dollars and everyone loses interest. 😉 LOL

LOL -- They're probably afraid that there will be a math question involved!😱

[ldubs]

On 6/28/2019 at 12:09 PM, XBGuy said:

 

When I first read this I was pretty offended.  However, you may be right.  I do tend to pontificate.  Also, I have great difficulty feigning interest in grandchildren or medical histories.

 

 

Boy oh boy, I agree about medical histories.  Why do so many folks have this need to share intimate details about their medical issues.  

[zitsky]

32 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Boy oh boy, I agree about medical histories.  Why do so many folks have this need to share intimate details about their medical issues.  

 

I have minor scoliosis but decent blood pressure, so I've got that going for me.

[RocketMan275]

It would seem that cruise critic should have a list of approved conversational topics for dinner in the MDR.

  

Based upon this thread, it would be a very short list.  Can't talk money.  Can't talk politics or religion.  Don't want to hear about how much some one paid for their trip.  Medical issues and grandchildren are out.  Giving compliments can be misinterpreted.  Etc., Etc.

 

Why in heavens name would anyone want to book a large table for dinner conversations when they disapprove of so many topics?

[zitsky]

6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

It would seem that cruise critic should have a list of approved conversational topics for dinner in the MDR.

  

Based upon this thread, it would be a very short list.  Can't talk money.  Can't talk politics or religion.  Don't want to hear about how much some one paid for their trip.  Medical issues and grandchildren are out.  Giving compliments can be misinterpreted.  Etc., Etc.

 

Why in heavens name would anyone want to book a large table for dinner conversations when they disapprove of so many topics?

 

Who said compliments are a no no?

[Geezer Cruiser]

I've found discussing life where I'm from and the other person works well. Previous travel stories are good. One table mate was a theater person. It just works without going into politics or religion. 

 

I'd find something along the lines of "Our trip retails for $8000, but our travel agent got it down to $6000" cringe worthy. Better would be "The initial price when we first looked into it seemed really steep, but our TA worked some magic to get it down to a level that wasn't bad." 

I'm not one to enjoy chatting at breakfast, but one day on my recent Danube trip a couple gave the difference between our current experience and the one they had a while back on Viking down the Rhine. 

 

 

 

[RocketMan275]

20 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Who said compliments are a no no?

Could be misinterpreted.  

[zitsky]

10 minutes ago, Geezer Cruiser said:

I've found discussing life where I'm from and the other person works well. Previous travel stories are good. One table mate was a theater person. It just works without going into politics or religion. 

 

I'd find something along the lines of "Our trip retails for $8000, but our travel agent got it down to $6000" cringe worthy. Better would be "The initial price when we first looked into it seemed really steep, but our TA worked some magic to get it down to a level that wasn't bad." 

I'm not one to enjoy chatting at breakfast, but one day on my recent Danube trip a couple gave the difference between our current experience and the one they had a while back on Viking down the Rhine. 

 

 

 

 

Share that Danube story please?  I have been on Viking.

[Geezer Cruiser]

The gist of the comparison was that the Danube trip was fairly leisurely, whereas she found the Rhine one far more "active" in terms of excursions. 

 

[RocketMan275]

9 minutes ago, Geezer Cruiser said:

I've found discussing life where I'm from and the other person works well. Previous travel stories are good. One table mate was a theater person. It just works without going into politics or religion. 

 

I'd find something along the lines of "Our trip retails for $8000, but our travel agent got it down to $6000" cringe worthy. Better would be "The initial price when we first looked into it seemed really steep, but our TA worked some magic to get it down to a level that wasn't bad." 

I'm not one to enjoy chatting at breakfast, but one day on my recent Danube trip a couple gave the difference between our current experience and the one they had a while back on Viking down the Rhine. 

 

 

 

Some consider stories about your life or previous travel stories as bragging.

Funny thing, but many questions on CC about how to find a good travel agent, but we're not supposed to talk about pricing?

 

The point is, almost any topic and be considered as offensive or inappropriate by some.   

If the objective is to avoid controversy, just get a two top.

On, no, can't do that.  There was a thread about how that might be considered rude and insulting to others.

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Some consider stories about your life or previous travel stories as bragging.

Funny thing, but many questions on CC about how to find a good travel agent, but we're not supposed to talk about pricing?

 

The point is, almost any topic and be considered as offensive or inappropriate by some.   

If the objective is to avoid controversy, just get a two top.

On, no, can't do that.  There was a thread about how that might be considered rude and insulting to others.

 

Not sure if same thread but there was a discussion where the 2 tops said "(please) leave us alone".

 

[K32682]

44 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

It would seem that cruise critic should have a list of approved conversational topics for dinner in the MDR.

  

Based upon this thread, it would be a very short list.  Can't talk money.  Can't talk politics or religion.  Don't want to hear about how much some one paid for their trip.  Medical issues and grandchildren are out.  Giving compliments can be misinterpreted.  Etc., Etc.

 

Why in heavens name would anyone want to book a large table for dinner conversations when they disapprove of so many topics?

It is as much about how the issue is discussed as the issue itself.  A thoughtful political discussion is worth having.  Listening to a chest beater dominate the discussion with why Donald Trump is great, why immigration is ruining America, how stupid Brexit supporters are, how Canada would be better without the French quickly becomes irritating.

 

A discussion about religion can be interesting until it becomes proselytizing or disparaging another faith.  Medical subjects can be educational but seriously no one really wants to hear the intimate details of your (insert affliction here.)  If you boast about what a great deal you got on the cruise I will assume you are lying.  

 

If an overbearing dinner companion is irritating or offensive I reserve the right to adopt a contrary position to provoke and demean them.  If the conversation is boring I will disengage until Chatty Cathy has run out of string.  

[julie3fan]

40 minutes ago, K32682 said:

It is as much about how the issue is discussed as the issue itself.

 

Bingo!  I feel this applies to just about any of the topics listed in this thread as being off limits.  A good conversationalist might also recognize when the topic needs to be changed and do so in a way as to not make anybody uncomfortable.

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, K32682 said:

It is as much about how the issue is discussed as the issue itself.  A thoughtful political discussion is worth having.  Listening to a chest beater dominate the discussion with why Donald Trump is great, why immigration is ruining America, how stupid Brexit supporters are, how Canada would be better without the French quickly becomes irritating.

 

A discussion about religion can be interesting until it becomes proselytizing or disparaging another faith.  Medical subjects can be educational but seriously no one really wants to hear the intimate details of your (insert affliction here.)  If you boast about what a great deal you got on the cruise I will assume you are lying.  

 

If an overbearing dinner companion is irritating or offensive I reserve the right to adopt a contrary position to provoke and demean them.  If the conversation is boring I will disengage until Chatty Cathy has run out of string.  

 

"I reserve the right to adopt a contrary position to provoke and demean them. "

 

At least you are consistent and honest about your MO on cruises.

[MicCanberra]

I also find that chatting around the table is best done between courses but especially after mains (Entrée for the Americans) and through dessert. If it is a good conversation, you will stay for coffee after the dessert, if not you leave.