Something new to think about?...

[elgato2]

Besides the fuel surcharge and smuggling booze topics...

The prior threads about segregating pax, garden villas etc got me thinking...

We've cruised fairly often in the last 5 years and have noticed that our tablemates usually have the same/similar cabin category...also similar ages occupations etc...wonder how much thought/time goes into putting people together on cruises. It seems to be consistent from line to line.

We've made some great friends..and actually NEVER had tabelmates that we didn't 'click' with.

Would like others feedback on their experiences with this..and do you think this is a form of 'class system' or segregation?

[Wennfred]

We've made some great friends..and actually NEVER had tabelmates that we didn't 'click' with.

 

Same here, but some people are not as sociable. I enjoy sitting at a table of 10, infact we had one on the Elation but because I was sick, I opted for a table for 2 for the very first time.

 

 

 

Fred

[Rirruto]

I believe age and your cruising party has a lot to do with it. I have cruised with my girlfriend (we're both 23) the past 2 times and we have been seated with 20 something year old couples both times.

[gojanie]

We haven't been assigned to table mates that we've clicked with yet. One couple was nice but a lot older, and another had no interest in chatting. We loved the anytime dining on the crown princess because we met new fun people at each seating!

 

Leaving Sunday! Wondering who they will sit us with since we are a family of 4 and have the late seating. We're always up for meeting someone new!

[LWiening]

I'm sorry but when I decide to go on a cruise..Its my vacation..Any pettiness of who I am sitting with ,fuel surcharge etc.etc all go with the package if you are oging on vacation..Life is a journey when We are on vacation we enjoy everything on Our journey. Especially remembering a time when We could not afford vacations like this..We have met so many interesting people on Our cruises like Legend whe we went to Panama Canal everyone hung out on thier balcanies each night we all carried conversation just standing there on different balcanies, or the newlywed couple last year during the Newlywed game (the groom was sure embarrased what his wife wrote )but it made it fun going up to start a conversation with him,Or the friends my stepdaughter & her friends made on thier last cruise who they still communicate with..This is life everything is going up..Even meat & potatoes because of the gasoline. If you feel that Carnival has a conspiracy against us then don't cruise with them..Personnally I love every cruise I go on because its one more memory to share with everyone...

[LHP]

We usually get a table for four...but the times that we have had tablemates..they were "for the most part" just like us....a family with children about the same age.

[Rockportgirl]

I'm sorry but when I decide to go on a cruise..Its my vacation..Any pettiness of who I am sitting with ,fuel surcharge etc.etc all go with the package if you are oging on vacation.This is life everything is going up..Even meat & potatoes because of the gasoline. If you feel that Carnival has a conspiracy against us then don't cruise with them..Personnally I love every cruise I go on because its one more memory to share with everyone...

 

I think the OP said "BESIDES the fuel surcharge topic"... :confused:

[elgato2]

Weining....I'm not saying a conspiracy at all! I was speaking in reference to ALL the lines we've been on...and think it's great to meet new people ..and likewise appreciate that someone takes the time to 'match' people with similar backgrounds, interests etc.

We are 50-somethings (but are unique in that we are retired and have been for a long time).

[NCTribeFan]

Our first cruise on Jubilee were me, DD, my friend and her DS. We were seated at a booth for 4. It was OK, but I thought it would've been nice to meet some other people.

 

RCI cruise was DD & I. Seated at a table for 8, two families of 3 with us (one family had a daughter my DD's age).

 

Fantasy #1 was the worst. I took DD and her friend for their high-school graduation. We were seated at a large, round table with 3 middle-aged couples who never appeared in the dining room again.

 

Fantasy #2 was great. DD & I and we were seated at a booth for 6. The others were two other mother-daughter pairs (this was over Mother's Day and there were lots of adult kids/moms). We all got along and all went dancing one night.

 

Elation last December was DD, her boyfriend from England, me and my friend from Cruise #1. We were seated with a mother/daughter pair. They joined us for Karaoke a couple of nights.

 

I think they do try to match up people with others, using the demographics of the passengers. I don't see anything wrong with that at all (and I totally do not understand LWiening's post).

 

We haven't made any "lasting" friendships with tablemates, but we have enjoyed the company of our dining companions on the past couple of cruises. That's why I always request a large table.

[Dihead]

We were on RCCL Vision a couple of years ago... age differences at the table weren't even close (we were 25 and 23 at the time) and were seated with a retired couple, another couple in their 40's and two other ladies that were in their 40's as well.

the cabin categories were the same except for the retired couple.

 

i guess we were the odd table they couldn't "match" with anyone else?

[Wennfred]

appreciate that someone takes the time to 'match' people with similar backgrounds, interests etc.

 

One year on a 10 day Paradise cruise they sat us with another couple, after day 3, I got tired of hearing this guys wife say "Well since what my Husband does" it got old quick, finally I asked him what the heck do you do that you are so limited on what you can do, he stated he was a Correctional Officer, I broke out in a loud laugh and took out my badge and showed him, he was relieved :D

 

Same Job type, how the hell does Carnival know this?

 

 

 

Fred

[jayesouthworth]

Out of all the things about cruising that I dread, is dinner time the first night. Having been down that road several times before, we got stuck at a table for 8 and seated across from us was a know it all couple. Actually, the wife was very nice, but the clod she was hooked up with was a real A-hole! He had been there done that, the biggest best, most. He complained about EVERYTHING! The food, etc. Everytime the wife wanted to say something, he would correct her. It was a race at the end of the cruise to get seated at the far end of the table so we wouldn't have to have conversation with them. Dining shouldn't have to be like that. I won't tolerate doing that again. We were in our 40's at the time and there was a couple in their 80's seated with us. They were the funniest couple. She packed a case of beer in her suitcase and would bring can and all to the table and drank away.

[NCTribeFan]

I hope I'm a fun old lady smuggling on beer and having fun with my tablemates one day! :D

[elgato2]

We really look forward to dinner the first night..fun to see where our table is and meet our tablemates. We always request a table for 6-8...10 is just too big..too hard to carry on a conversation. We go to the dining room every night cause we want to hear about what everyone did during the day. I guess we've been lucky that our tablemates have been cordial and fun to be with.

On NCL we request the same waiter every night so we at least have that consistency...It's fun to meet new people every night on NCL with their freestyle dining but telling your same initial backstory every night gets OLD! Why we like CCL the best!

[Kurbanfan]

We always get our own table with our groups now. Only one time me and dh had a table with 2 other couples. Age's were not even close. One couple only spoke chinese the other spanish. Go figure:rolleyes:

[Wennfred]

We always get our own table with our groups now.

 

We did that on the Pride twice with Roll Call friends and had a better time.

 

 

Fred

[kidless]

If you feel that Carnival has a conspiracy against us then don't cruise with them..Personnally I love every cruise I go on because its one more memory to share with everyone...

 

Did I miss something who said they felt Carnival had a conspiracy against them? They were only wondering if the cruise lines selected table mates at dinner because of age or other criteria.

[cruiselover49]

I too love to see who gets stuck with me and DH at dinner. We have always had good table mates and were fortunate enough to stay friends to this day. There was one time it wasn't so great 3 years ago on the Sensation. We had a table of 10 and we really didn't have that much in common .... oh, I forgot it was my whole family with me. I guess it wasn't that bad. At least we all still speak, except for my granddaughter who insisted on ordering fish every nite and wouldn't eat it because it wasn't Long John Silvers. We just won't let her forget. lol.

[KenMo]

On my Elation cruise, our DD and SIL were with us. We were seated with 2 other couples who were traveling together. We're from MO and the others were from AR. So same geographical area of the country. What was amazing was we knew some people in common from MO! They didn't believe me that I knew these people but I started telling them about the family......they sat there with their mouths open! I don't know how Carnival knew that!

 

Last cruise a couple we were seated with were a lot of fun. Turned out, the wife had the same Bday as me. My DH works on planes, hers on ships. We really had a lot to talk about!

 

Can't be just luck of the draw.....can it?

[BND]

What we usually have in common with our tablemates is age and cabin location and status (all couples, not all married, but either engaged or married). We have made friends with one couple on each of our (first two) cruises. Last year we met a couple that we've kept in touch with and we're cruising with them next Nov. We've had great table mates and have enjoyed meeting them. This last cruise we were with friends and knew others onboard(co-workers) so we sat with them for dinner and didn't get to know anyone new as well this time.

[jerick]

...do you think this is a form of 'class system' or segregation?

 

No, I don't think so. I think the line is just attempting to seat compatible people together. But maybe it would help if you were to elaborate on what you mean by "class system" and "segregation". Both terms have negative connotations.

[livestocruisetoo]

Weining....I'm not saying a conspiracy at all! I was speaking in reference to ALL the lines we've been on...and think it's great to meet new people ..and likewise appreciate that someone takes the time to 'match' people with similar backgrounds, interests etc.

We are 50-somethings (but are unique in that we are retired and have been for a long time).

 

I think that is most likely. On the Valor we had a table for four with BIL and SIL. On the other cruises we were with people that were couples though not always the same age group. One couple was from Maryland like us and on anther cruise there were two women from Virginia. On the Disney cruise we were with couples close to our age without children. There is probably some general demographic formula used.

[georgiacruizer]

They must look at several factors when making up the seating chart. On our honeymoon cruise, we were seated at a table for 8 with 3 other honeymoon couples. You'd think we would have a lot in common... For two of the couples, it was a second marriage and they were much older and the other couple was closer to our age but didn't speak much english. Unfortunately, we didn't make any lasting friendships on that cruise :rolleyes: .

[elgato2]

Did not mean to sound negative... I could not come up with a better choice of words I guess...There has been some discussion on the boards of late re: pax who choose to/ or are willing to pay extra for privacy...(secluded pools etc like on NCL Villas etc)..Just wanted a thread with a little different flavor and can't help but think that if similar backgrounds, careers, demographics are used to seat pax at dinner it does become a kind of 'segregation' (for lack of a better word) rather than just random.

Wondered what others experiences were in that regard.

We LOVE that someone puts in some time and effort into seating like folks,..not that I don't enjoy meeting people from all walks of life and all ages but I'm sure most folks' cruise experience is enhanced by not seating a family with toddlers with two 80 yr old couples for example.

Again..not to be negative...just trying to spark a 'different' discussion.

[sk8rpatty]

On my last cruise I was a single lady traveling solo and was seated with 3 other single ladies traveling solo. I think it's pretty cool that they make the effort to match people up.