help with dining

[Irish192]

My mom is very shy and it will just be the 2 of us cruising. We don't mind what time we eat. I understand tables for 2 are hard to come by. What's the chance of us getting a table for 4, with just the 2 of us assigned. How should I go about this?

 

Thanks!

[JJPacer]

Call HAL Ship Services Department at 800-541-1576. Ask them for the person's name on your ship that you can e-mail or fax a request for a special table. They will tell you the person's name, and how to contact them. I just did this for the Volendam. If you are sailing on the Volendam, let me know. I can give you her contact information. This was her reply

 

"Please be advised that all table assignments are done by the Dining Room Manager onboard approximately one week prior to sailing, and he will receive a copy of your request for use in that purpose. "

 

This is our fourth cruise and I am just now finding out that you can actually request a table! How pathetic is that!

 

I can understand shyness. I hope you and your Mom have a great cruise.

 

I hope this helps you.

[lougee1043]

My mom is very shy and it will just be the 2 of us cruising. We don't mind what time we eat. I understand tables for 2 are hard to come by. What's the chance of us getting a table for 4, with just the 2 of us assigned. How should I go about this?Thanks!

 

your mom is going to be exposed to lots of people on this cruise --wherever she goes there will be people and on a cruise these people like to talk --so this will either be a good thing or a bad thing for your mom

 

you could always eat in the lido --there are lots of tables that can be made into a table for 2

 

was wondering if a cruise was the best choice of vacation for your mother people wise

[karolm]

Not too worry. Most people love great listeners.......

[Krazy Kruizers]

Do not count on getting a table that seats 4 people and your mother and you being the only ones there.

[LHC]

Dear Daughter and I ate at a table for two at the Pinnacle...we shared dinner with 5 other delightful passengers at a round table. Both of us love people and enjoyed the interaction. there have been times in my life where I wanted to simply enjoy the moment, share quiet times, or not talk at all....I would let the dining room know that I wanted a table for two and then if it does not happen, you may always eat in the Lido at a table for two...you do not have to dress up for it, which I think is half the fun. The dining room manager can make it happen, if possible even after you arrive aboard the ship, see him after you check in.

Many times I go to restaurants alone. I people watch, eat, read, or just sit in solitude. Sometimes some of the best moments are the quiet ones shared by two people.

LHC

[babyher]

I doubt you will get a table for 4 for just the 2 of you. But getting a table for 4 is still your best bet as you only have two other people with you during meals, seeing as your mom is so shy.

 

I am Italian so I really don't know what the word shy means *LOL* :) but I am sure your mom will be fine. Remember everyone is on vacation to have a good time. Conversation comes a little easier in that type of setting than your normal everyday world.

 

She doesn't have to be the life of the party to enjoy a nice chat about the basics. Usually "How was your day in port?" or "What do you have planned for tomorrow in such and such port?" can braek the ice.

 

I am sure she will have a very nice time.

 

Enjoy:)

[KAKcruiser]

You can send a fax to ships services and request a table for 2. They usually try to honor requests in the order they are received. When you get onboard, check your seating card and if you are not seated at a table for 2 you can see the maitre'd and request a change there.

[kryos]

My mom is very shy and it will just be the 2 of us cruising. We don't mind what time we eat. I understand tables for 2 are hard to come by. What's the chance of us getting a table for 4, with just the 2 of us assigned. How should I go about this?

You could take late seating and hope for the best.

 

I was at a table for eight with only two other people on the Amsterdam this past month. Before I got there, they only had two people dining at this table for eight. I switched over from early seating when it was working out time-wise for me.

 

However, I should tell you that your mom is not gonna be able to avoid interacting with people on most cruises. I don't know what kind of cruise you are taking, but if it is a longer one, on a smaller ship, she is gonna be bombarded with lots of friendly people striking up conversations. It's fun and if you can just get her to relax, I'm sure she'll enjoy the opportunity of meeting so many new and interesting people.

 

Of course, if you're sailing on a larger ship, during a period of time when there will be a lot of families onboard, maybe people won't be quite so friendly and outgoing since they will pretty much be involved in their own groups during the cruise.

 

Either way, though, I personally think you're better off asking for a large table with the hopes of dining with several interesting people during the cruise. You and your mom both are sure to enjoy it, and you do get to know those people over the course of several meals as they are your steady dining companions for the cruise. After the first night, the ice is broken, and more often than not everyone begins to relax and have a good time. Meal times actually become the high point of your day as you look forward to hearing how everyone spent their day ... especially if you were in port. Of course, if there really is a problem with any of your dining companions (personality conflicts or whatever), a quick chat with the matri 'd can always get you moved to another table.

 

Tell your mom that meeting new people is half the fun of going on a cruise. Try to encourage her to relax and have a good time!

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[AAL]

This topic sure separates the introverts from the extroverts! It's one thing to have a casual converation with someone at the pool or bar. I can handle that -- and it's always optional. But being trapped with people I never met before every night at dinner -- horrors! It is very hard work for us introverts to keep up a conversation for an entire meal, and being forced to be sociable detracts from my enjoyment of the meal -- and of course, meals are one of the things I like best about a cruise! Fortunately, I've been blessed with sharing a dinner table with only my family members so far, and it's been a great opportunity for everyone to reconnect.

 

I'm not antisocial, but I prefer people in small doses. I enjoy the dining room much more than the Lido, so I do often eat with strangers at breakfast and dinner, and that's plenty of social interaction for me.

 

It's unlikely that Irish's mom is going to change her personality on her cruise -- and that's okay. I've accepted that this is the way God made me and that the world needs us introverts too! Wouldn't the world be a boring place if we were all the same?

[maryvbhome]

Just got off the Oosterdam. I am an extravert and my boyfriend an intravert. While he enjoys the company of others, too much could be draining on him. We had no problem getting a table for two. Request it, and why you get on board, go directly where they are making table changes (ask), check your table size, location, etc. If you don't like it, now is the time to ask for a change. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to change. It is more difficult to obtain the table for 2 at the early sitting. Good Luck!

 

PS

 

We are both Italian also!

[kingclick]

Well my advice would be to NOT get a table for four. If you sit at a table for 6 or 8 there will be enough table mates that your mother will be able to easily avoid conversation. But picture yourself at a table for 4. There would be no avoiding conversation at that point.

[noblepa]

Definitely, you should request a table for two. My wife and I booked a seven day cruise on the Veendam last April, just three weeks before sailing. We asked for a table for two and got it. We didn't even have to speak to the maitre'd; we asked during the booking process, and while there are no guarantees, there was apparently no problem.

 

Ask. The worst that can happen is that you won't get it and you will have to speak to the maitre'd. If you don't ask, you almost certainly won't get it. There are quite a few such tables and I don't know how often they are requested.

 

Paul Noble

[Krazy Kruizers]

A long time ago we were at a table for 8. The man sitting next to me would not talk - I tried making conversation with him. And the others at the table would not rotate so we were stuck in the same seats each evening. Never did a table for 8 again.

[Orcrone]

I had exactly the same situation. Here's my solution.

 

Don't shower for several days before the cruise and show up for dinner in dirty, tattered clothing. Dine on beer and baked beans for the day ahead of the cruise to increase your bodily functions. Make sure you show up slightly late to dinner to make a spectacle of yourself and proceed to complain about anything and everything you can think of.

 

I get a table to myself each and every time.:D

[cruisequeen10]

On my first cruise on the Pacific Princess (original love boat), my travel agent told us that there were no tables for 2, so we had a table for 8. When we went to the dining room, you wouldn't believe how many tables for 2 there were.