Rude passengers!!!

[Josy1953]

7 hours ago, Winnie Witch said:

We shared a table with a man who was so rude to the waiters that he couldn't even look at them and insisted on ordering two steaks every night. On the same table there was a woman who talked about her allergies and ailments non stop and injected insulin into her arm. The other couple produced a laptop one night onto the table. 

We were disgusted by the man who was rude to the waiters and asked to be moved explaining why. 

 

Wow, you really were unlucky.  We have done over 50 cruises and have never been so unfortunate. 

 

There is absolutely no excuse for the man who was rude to the waiters or for the people with the laptop. The couple with the laptop are probably used to doing that at home and don't even think about it particularly if they were a younger couple, I tell the younger members of our family that phones etc are not welcome at our table, meal times are for eating and catching up on what is going on in all of our lives.

 

The lady with all of the ailments I probably would have tried to steer the conversation away from health issues but with regard to the insulin there is nothing anyone can do about that, I have an insulin dependant friend and she has to inject when her food arrives because she can't not inject but equally she can't inject before going out because the insulin would be in her system before it is not needed and could put her into a coma.

 

 

 

[brillo]

Done over 20 cruises some quite long and never had this problem.

 

[Adawn47]

I tend to think that people who are rude to waiters are insignificant little people with a large sense of entitlement. I was bought up to believe that no -one is better than me, but then I'm no better than anyone else. 

[Harry Peterson]

19 minutes ago, Adawn47 said:

I tend to think that people who are rude to waiters are insignificant little people with a large sense of entitlement. I was bought up to believe that no -one is better than me, but then I'm no better than anyone else. 

Spot on!

[Winnie Witch]

3 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

Wow, you really were unlucky.  We have done over 50 cruises and have never been so unfortunate. 

 

There is absolutely no excuse for the man who was rude to the waiters or for the people with the laptop. The couple with the laptop are probably used to doing that at home and don't even think about it particularly if they were a younger couple, I tell the younger members of our family that phones etc are not welcome at our table, meal times are for eating and catching up on what is going on in all of our lives.

 

The lady with all of the ailments I probably would have tried to steer the conversation away from health issues but with regard to the insulin there is nothing anyone can do about that, I have an insulin dependant friend and she has to inject when her food arrives because she can't not inject but equally she can't inject before going out because the insulin would be in her system before it is not needed and could put her into a coma.

 

 

 

I do understand about the insulin. I have a neice  who is diabetivc but injects discreetly at the table so you don't even know that it's been done

This woman seemed to make a performance out of it 

[snaefell]

5 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

 The couple with the laptop are probably used to doing that at home and don't even think about it particularly if they were a younger couple, I tell the younger members of our family that phones etc are not welcome at our table, meal times are for eating and catching up on what is going on in all of our lives.

 

 

 

That I can well believe,I am quite astonished(but no longer surprised these days) when I see people 'sightseeing',walking around scenic areas while staring at their phones or young people sat in a restaurant having a meal while staring at their phones & not speaking to each other,if it turned out they were communicating by messaging each other I don't know if I would laugh or cry!

[Adawn47]

At breakfast one morning we were seated at a two top near to a mother, father a two children aged about 8 and 10. Through the entire meal no-one said a word except to order. They were too busy on their tablets / iphones etc. I wonder if evolution in the future will produce humans without a voice but extra large thumbs 😊.

[2BACRUISER]

We were in a posh restaurant in Barcelona around Valentine's night and the young couple at the table opposite us were on their phones from sitting down to leaving the restaurant! Apart to order they hardly spoke and even continued one handed whilst they ate! So sad. 🙄😥💔

[Ranchi]

Generally when folk are on their phone at table it’s to text their partner about the dress sense of the nosy couple on the next table. They are obviously too polite to mention it en clair so as not to embarrass the couple on the neighbouring table. 

 

No, I am not being serious! 

 

I did once text text my wife as we sat in a famous vegetarian restaurant ( no we aren’t vegetarians but just fancied the fare) and a lady on the next table gave a stitch by stitch and drop by drop description of her recent surgical procedure. 

[Son of Anarchy]

A few years ago we were in Café Jardin and an after dinner speaker with his young lady were sat a the next table.  Won't name & shame him, but suffice to say he was a GB athlete who has World Championships medals of the silver and gold variety.

 

Anyway, he was constantly on his phone, either speaking or texting the whole time.  I don't think I noticed him speaking with his young lady the whole time.

[Deeliteful]

I have moved tables a couple of times because of rude table mates. 
The worst about 3 years ago was on RCL. I was cruising with my brother and they sat us at a table of 4. The couple on the table were man and wife from Scotland, he frae Glasgow, her from Edinburgh ( their nationality doesn’t affect the story though!).

From the moment we sat down they were very friendly and chatty but every other word began with an F or a C!

Now I can swear with the best (or worst!) of them but there is a time and place!

I excused myself and saw the Maitre d’ who promptly moved us for the next evening.

[mercury7289]

2 hours ago, Deeliteful said:

I have moved tables a couple of times because of rude table mates. 
The worst about 3 years ago was on RCL. I was cruising with my brother and they sat us at a table of 4. The couple on the table were man and wife from Scotland, he frae Glasgow, her from Edinburgh ( their nationality doesn’t affect the story though!).

From the moment we sat down they were very friendly and chatty but every other word began with an F or a C!

Now I can swear with the best (or worst!) of them but there is a time and place!

I excused myself and saw the Maitre d’ who promptly moved us for the next evening.

F------ hell unbelievable! 🙉🙉🙉

[mercury7289]

2 hours ago, Deeliteful said:

I have moved tables a couple of times because of rude table mates. 
The worst about 3 years ago was on RCL. I was cruising with my brother and they sat us at a table of 4. The couple on the table were man and wife from Scotland, he frae Glasgow, her from Edinburgh ( their nationality doesn’t affect the story though!).

From the moment we sat down they were very friendly and chatty but every other word began with an F or a C!

Now I can swear with the best (or worst!) of them but there is a time and place!

I excused myself and saw the Maitre d’ who promptly moved us for the next evening.

Fish and Chips!

[Tom Baker]

On 2/10/2020 at 9:10 AM, AndyMichelle said:

We often get parents apologising to us about their kids, usually for absolutely no reason. 

We all have to remember it's the kids holiday too and a daunting experience for them and we happily sit amongst them, most of the time it's a joy. 

However, we have seen babies in the nightclub at 1am, totally shattered, but the parents want just one more drink.. 

Kids should not be allowed to run riot either, for their own and others safety, but good parents don't need to be told this and the majority that we have encountered are fantastic parents. 

If it really bothered us, all our cruises would be on Aurora/Arcadia. 

Andy 

Only the good parents with well brought up children will apologise. There are some who will never apologise even when their kids are being vile.

 

We were sat at dinner on a 6 sharing with one other couple. The lady tried to engage with our 8 year old son, asked him several questions to which he gave no reply. She said to him "Cat got your tongue" to which he promptly stuck it out, wiggled it up and down and said "no it's still there" She was disgusted. We then spent the rest of the meal explaining autism.

[Josy1953]

8 hours ago, Tom Baker said:

Only the good parents with well brought up children will apologise. There are some who will never apologise even when their kids are being vile.

 

We were sat at dinner on a 6 sharing with one other couple. The lady tried to engage with our 8 year old son, asked him several questions to which he gave no reply. She said to him "Cat got your tongue" to which he promptly stuck it out, wiggled it up and down and said "no it's still there" She was disgusted. We then spent the rest of the meal explaining autism.

Love the story.  Having several young children in our extended family we are used to the unexpected when talking to them.  We would probably have had to be picked up from the floor where we were laughing.  I have a friend who has 2 autistic grandchildren and though somethings that they say and do are outside the norm they are lovely boys.

[AndyMichelle]

10 hours ago, Tom Baker said:

Only the good parents with well brought up children will apologise. There are some who will never apologise even when their kids are being vile.

 

We were sat at dinner on a 6 sharing with one other couple. The lady tried to engage with our 8 year old son, asked him several questions to which he gave no reply. She said to him "Cat got your tongue" to which he promptly stuck it out, wiggled it up and down and said "no it's still there" She was disgusted. We then spent the rest of the meal explaining autism.

See, that's funny, we would have laughed. 😊

Even without autism, kids get shy or cheeky, I don't call that bad behaviour. 

Andy 

[DamianG]

We've only asked to move table once, club dining on Ventura in 2012 on a table for 8 where the only other couple to turn up were very young and new to cruising. Straight away they asked if we did "all that dressing up" (the chap was dressed in a t-shirt so I don't know how he got into the MDR if the first place) and we did our best to be friendly and share our experience without being pushy or overbearing. Conversation was difficult but we hoped that the table would fill up on the other nights and things would get easier.

2nd night it was formal dress code and the chap turned up in a shirt and tie (that he had bought on board) so when he told us the tale we said "Good for you." That was pretty much the last conversation we had as he spent the rest of dinner either on his phone or leaving his seat to "get a better signal." After that the restaurant manager kindly switched us to freedom dining.

Funny enough on that same cruise we shared a breakfast table with a former miner from South Yorkshire and it was by far the worst dining experience ever. He lectured the whole table about Thatcherism and the miners strike (1984-5) and criticized the waiters and ship staff saying things like they'd never done a hard day's work in their life etc etc. He just never stopped throughout the breakfast service and no-one was spared from his criticism. At the time I worked for a retail bank but when he asked what I did I daren't tell him!

[davemorton]

At breakfast, can you request a table for 2, or is it just take what seating is left?  I'm not much into conversation until I have had at least 2 coffees on a morning. 

[AndyMichelle]

1 minute ago, davemorton said:

At breakfast, can you request a table for 2, or is it just take what seating is left?  I'm not much into conversation until I have had at least 2 coffees on a morning. 

MDR table for 2 for breakfast or lunch is no problem. 

They will try to encourage you to share, but always seem to find a 2 for us. 

Although we love club dining, we do like (mostly) to be on our own at breakfast. 

Andy 

[Adawn47]

1 minute ago, davemorton said:

At breakfast, can you request a table for 2, or is it just take what seating is left?  I'm not much into conversation until I have had at least 2 coffees on a morning. 

Yes you can. Just ask before they seat you. You might have to wait sometimes the same as you would on freedom but it's well worth it. We aren't anti-social but prefer to eat quietly together at breakfast and chat as and when  we like without being pulled into conversations.

[terrierjohn]

10 minutes ago, davemorton said:

At breakfast, can you request a table for 2, or is it just take what seating is left?  I'm not much into conversation until I have had at least 2 coffees on a morning. 

There the same number of 2 tops at breakfast as at dinner, so ask if one is available. I don't believe they would offer pagers for breakfast, but if one is almost ready they will probably allow you to wait.

 

You beat me to it Adawn47.

Edited February 20, 2020 by terrierjohn

[Adawn47]

And Andy just bet me. Great minds and all that 😉

[AndyMichelle]

31 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

There the same number of 2 tops at breakfast as at dinner, so ask if one is available. I don't believe they would offer pagers for breakfast, but if one is almost ready they will probably allow you to wait.

 

You beat me to it Adawn47.

I think the quicker turnover at breakfast coupled with many using the buffet, makes it much more likely to get a table for 2.

We have never had to wait. 

Andy 

[Tom Baker]

In our experience, if there are no two's available at breakfast and you request a table for two they will seat you on a four and not put anyone else with you.

[Adawn47]

8 minutes ago, Tom Baker said:

In our experience, if there are no two's available at breakfast and you request a table for two they will seat you on a four and not put anyone else with you.

Exactly what they do on freedom. One table, one couple. Same difference, just more elbow room 😊

 

Edited February 20, 2020 by Adawn47