Table mates

[darladelight]

Where do you fill out all of the demographic info? When you book? We had someone else book it (a gal from my husband's parent compnay who doesn't even know us) so if that is the case, it will be interesting to see who we get! :)

 

Good question I was wondering the same thing. My sister and I are going on a cruise. All Carnival has is our ages and address. It will be interesting to find out. She is in her 30's, I am in my late 20's. People travel together and dont always have the same last name. How would they know if you are a couple? If i am seated with couples I will be switching as this is a girls getaway.

[darladelight]

Where do you fill out all of the demographic info? When you book? We had someone else book it (a gal from my husband's parent compnay who doesn't even know us) so if that is the case, it will be interesting to see who we get! :)

 

Guess what happened to me?

[smashley]

my question hasn't been answered so I will be a pest and ask again ;) my boyfriend and I, along with our two friends, are booked separately but we did it with the same PVP when we called. will we be seated at the same table since we booked it all at once or will we be separated because of the different rooms?

[Young cruiser]

I don't remember being asked any question other than what time would you like to be seated.......We booked with Expedia.com...could this be why?

 

Ashley

[Knights on the Beach]

Yeah, ha ha, it's funny and all to claim to be a married 60 y.o. retired banker with a summer home in Hawaii when you're really just a 28 y.o. auto mechanic who resents all the nosy questions.

We've always been asked to give our birthdates when booking. Are we the only ones they ask? ;)

 

On the Legend, my husband and I were celebrating our 25th anniversary and were seated with a couple our age also celebrating their 25th.

[Mrs Lewdawg]

It could go either way. Check your sign and sail card when you get onboard for your table assignment and then go to the maitre d and make your request if it is not how you want it. Easy!

 

The last cruise we went on, on the Fantasy, we took my teenage daugher and we sat with the nicest family who had 5 sons ranging from 14-21 years old. Needless to say, that REALLY worked out for her!

[Marmarjudy]

my question hasn't been answered so I will be a pest and ask again ;) my boyfriend and I, along with our two friends, are booked separately but we did it with the same PVP when we called. will we be seated at the same table since we booked it all at once or will we be separated because of the different rooms?

 

Be sure that your reservations are cross referenced with your friends so you will be at the same table, and ask for a table for 4. A good travel agent/PVP (ugh! to the PVP) will have already done this.

 

As soon as you get on the ship, check the daily schedule/Capers and see when the maitre d is available (it will be mid afternoon) and check with him/her about your dining assignment. If it's not right, he can fix it, if not the first night, definitely by the second. If your reservations weren't cross referenced, as you requested, find a new travel agent, for sure.

 

Judy

[5668200]

On our first cruise we were at a table for six. Two newly married couples, and us in our 40's. They were nice couples, but we had nothing in common with them. We had grown kids and they didn't have any. We were all from MN so that may be why they put us together. DD went on a cruise two three years ago, the Imagination I think, and they were put in a booth for four people, they are in their early 30's the other couple was in their late 50's. No connection at all. They "lived with it" but weren't real happy about it. They, too, had absolutely nothing in common. So, I think sometimes you just take what you get, and don't have a fit. :)

[Chigirlcruzin]

CCL did awesome with my Miracle cruise. I was the youngest at my table, but we had 2 guys om their early 40s each sailing solo, another woman in her early 30s sailing solo, 2 single brothers in their 30s, and 2 single women in their 50s. We all clicked and had a blast.

[Cruisin2Sun]

my question hasn't been answered so I will be a pest and ask again ;) my boyfriend and I, along with our two friends, are booked separately but we did it with the same PVP when we called. will we be seated at the same table since we booked it all at once or will we be separated because of the different rooms?

 

Like Marmarjudy said....

 

The way my PVP explained it to me....if you ask the PVP to "tie your reservations together," then you will be at the same table.

[Galadraal]

We have 12 in our group and we were hoping for two six tops at the stern of the Victory. We cruise Feb 4. Is there anyway to email the maitre D in advance? The Carnival Lady I booked through says we can request a change when we get on the ship but my friend thought it'd be too late once we're on board.

 

Thanks in advance,

Joanne

[cmalibu1]

How often do they randomly (or not so randomly) assign a couple to a table alone? I hate to be anti-social, but this is our first vacation together, and as much as we love chit chat with other people, we love to just sit, talk and enjoy a long dinner the 2 of us. If we do decide to change our seats, does it have to be after the first night?

 

We are also assigned the late dining time..does that better our chances for a table for 2?

 

Thanks!

[MistyRo76]

My first cruise was when I was 23. I was with one of my best friends and my sister. Our table mates were great. We were at a booth for 6 with three other single guys around our age. Then the first night my sister met a another pair of sisters around our age in the casino. They had requested late dinner but got stuck on early. So we asked the maitre'd if they would be able to be added on to our table. They addded a little table for two to our 6-top and the gals joined us. We had a blast every night at dinner and it was great of Carnival to make our request work.

 

Although...every other cruise since then we haven't had that same dinner magic. Nothing terrible just no great matches. This last cruise in Sept, it was just another friend and I. We were seated at a 6 person booth and no one showed up the whole week. It was just the two of us.

 

But still great fun,

 

Misty

[Nightwind]

I've always had good luck with tablemates, but the best was, ironically, on my last cruise on the Destiny this past March. On the first night, which is open seating, my housemate and I were seated with a Puerto Rican couple at a table for four. We became really good friends on the cruise, going on excursions together and hanging out and such, and we kept in touch in email and over the phone after the cruise. Then last summer, we went to Puerto Rico for a land vacation and stayed with them. And then they were just here in Colorado last week visiting us. We took them snowboarding, and it was a blast, particularly because they'd never been anywhere where it got below 60 degrees! They got off the plane, and we had to take them to buy parkas right away because you can't get them in PR. So much fun. We've made friends for life, I think, and these weren't even our assigned tablemates. We both requested a table change, though, so we could sit together for the whole cruise after that first night. No problem. We'll be on the Elation in a couple of weeks, but unfortunately our friends can't join us. :(

[stamptherapy]

but you've got 6% at the end and you do the best you can according to age, income, family status, seating preference ... No heuristic is perfect. And that's why they'll leave x% of each seating unfilled so that people can play musical chairs.

 

 

I'm just curious -- new cruiser here, just booked today... we went through an internet agency and the only thing they really asked us was birthdates... do they seriously ask your income level, profession, etc? Sorry if this is a dumb questions.

 

Susie in MN

[Casino Player]

Does any one know if carnival makes any type of effort to seat you with people of the same age....or is it just random

 

I will be sailing on the Glory 1/27/07 with two girlfriends all in our early 20's at a "large table" just tring to get a feel for what to expect at dinner

 

thanks

For the most part it is like a crap shoot. You don't know what will come up. Your best bet is to request a table for four. Good luck.

[BillnBobbi]

The only time we had bad tablemates was when we went to the dining room for breakfast instead of the buffet. Big Mistake! We were seated with this woman (our age) and her snobby daughter that thought they were on the Titanic in first class. We couldn't eat fast enough. I guess we should have put on a "country bumpkin" act and really entertained her.

 

Our dining tablemates have always been great and somehow we always had something in common.

 

If you don't like the table, you can always nicely ask for another.

 

Linda

 

There is no reason why you can't request a table for two at breakfast. Simply ask and they will do so. There is no reason to have to carry a tray for yourself upstairs at the buffet unless you want to. Breakfast is much more leisurely in the dining room, and more quiet.

 

When we went to the dining room (its usually only the aft dining room open for breakfast) for breakfast we simply stated "two". At that point the hostess started marching us over to a table with six or eight other people. I simply said firmly, "I meant I wanted A TABLE FOR TWO, I DON"T WANT TO EAT BREAKFAST WITH STRANGERS". And they gave us a nice table for two near a window.

 

They simply decide to sit you down to fill up a table because IT IS MORE CONVENIENT FOR THEM. Don't put up with that, you have a perfect right to have breakfast in the dining room and not have to sit with strangers.

 

In fact, the first time the hostess looked for a table in a corner near one of the kitchen doors and plopped us there. I simply got up and told her that that table was UNACCEPTABLE. She reseated us. I guess she also remembered us, because I didn't have to say a word for any future breakfast.

Don't let someone take advantage of you for their convenience. Be firm and polite and you will get your choice of table.

 

BnB

[Payd]

We have either been well matched at a table for 8 or seated on our own at a table for 2.

 

Both were great.

 

Payd:)

[tylerdad]

One of the best cruises we had was our second. We went with friends and we were all 20 somethings. As we walked to our table we saw 2 grey haired couples that seemed pretty quiet. We thought oh no :eek: because we were in the mood to party. As we got nearer though, we saw they all had martinis - triples that they had made in their cabin! :D We had so much fun with these people, we spent alot of time on the cruise with them and kept in touch after. Just remember to keep an open mind, you never know what kind of fun you might have.

[cruisinsly]

The last cruise we were on, DH and I were seated with two other couples. At the time, we had been married about 3 yrs. One couple had been married over 10 yrs, and the other couple had just married on the day we sailed. Our table mates were ok, but not who we really wanted to hang around any other time. The interest just were not the same. We were the only couple who had a child. Our little guy wasnt with us, but the conversation didnt always flow as well because we were on different wave lengths. Dont get me wrong, they were great people... we just didnt connect.

 

Have fun on your cruise.

[flyingb]

Does any one know if carnival makes any type of effort to seat you with people of the same age....or is it just random

 

I will be sailing on the Glory 1/27/07 with two girlfriends all in our early 20's at a "large table" just tring to get a feel for what to expect at dinner

 

thanks

 

 

DH and I haven't ALWAYS :( been happy with our dinner companions. For instance, once we were seated with eight French Canadians, most of whom couldn't or wouldn't speak English. Asked for another table and was told we couldn't change. That was on NCL, we haven't sailed with them since. On CCL we now have freinds in AZ and TN that we visit and write regularly. I think CCL tries to match you up. Happy cruising! :D

Luv's Crusin'

[crusinpsychRN]

On the Miracle last November my son and I were assigned to a large table in a very busy area. The first night there was a high chair at the table but no one showed up and we ate alone. At the next table was an older woman who complained about everything. We asked to move to a table for two and got a very nice table upstairs. We saw one woman who ate a hamburger EVERY night! The food was great!

 

Our first table mates only showed a few times all week...their baby cried and fussed all the time so I imagine they stuck to the buffet.

[IrishGirl1230]

I'll be cruising on the Valor on 9/30. We are a party of three - 2 adult daughters (26 and 31) and mom. On our first cruise, we were a party of 7 so we had our own table. When we cruised last time we specifically requested a small table for just the 3 of us. At the time, it was believed that I had a severe allergy and it was safer to just be the three of us. Now that the allergy is no longer an issue, we have not requested anything specific. I am very curious to see who we will be seated with. On our cruise last year, one of the nicest lunches we had was at a very large table right by the window. There were the three of us, a man by himself, a mom and younger daughter from Canada and I dont recall who was at the other end of the table. We met some nice people along the way.. and actually met a couple whos in laws live on the same street as friends of ours. Small world. Im enjoying every one elses experiences and getting excited for my trip.

[falconfan]

I am hoping for better luck on Carnival than on RCCL. I have a wife (let's just say shes over 30) and a 10 yo son, I am 36. on our RCCL crusie we were placed at a table with a woman in her late 70's to earyl 80's and her 2 sons late 40's to early 50's. We had nothing in common and it was a struggle to carry on a conversation. At the next table over (I think a 10 person table) they had a hodge-podge of people. There was a couple about our age with two daughters, another couple with 3 teenage children, a newlywed couple and an older married couple. In fact that seemed to be a common theme throughout the dining room.

[UpstateCruizer]

Our first cruise we had a booth that they sat our family of 4 at. The next cruise it was just my dh and myself. We were at a table for 10 with 4 other couples. The entire table was from the east coast and a wonderful group of people. We spent time outside of dinner as a group on many nights. They couldn't have picked a better group of people to put us with :)