Dinner seating

[twocats]

I am interested in opinions regarding the seating arrangement at traditional dining. If you are seated at a large table do diners usually sit at the same spot each evening or move around the table. My preference would be to move around to be able to talk with new people and perhaps enjoy a different view out the window or of the dining area each evening. Do people "claim" a spot or what? Perhaps first ones in pick their spot? Any opinions?

[Mike2131]

I am interested in opinions regarding the seating arrangement at traditional dining. If you are seated at a large table do diners usually sit at the same spot each evening or move around the table. My preference would be to move around to be able to talk with new people and perhaps enjoy a different view out the window or of the dining area each evening. Do people "claim" a spot or what? Perhaps first ones in pick their spot? Any opinions?

 

Hi!

We were on the Coral for the 12/10 Panama Canal cruise and had a great time. We were at a nice, quiet, corner window table for 6 (172 or173) and the rule of thumb (never really discussed) was that whichever couple arrived first took the window seats. It worked great - everyone got to sit by the window multiple evenings. By the way, our table was rectangular, not round.

Have a great cruise!

[GloriaF]

It seems at our tables, we have tended to sit in the same seats the entire cruise -- it may make it easier for the waiters to learn your preferences -- but I would think it could be however the people at your table agreed to do.

[catdancers]

We were on the 12/20 Coral with a table for 10. Everyone tended to move around a bit which we liked because as Mike said we got to chat to everyone more. We found that at the large table for 10 we couldn't always hear what was said at the other end of the table due.

 

It wasn't a formal agreement--whoever arrived first just sat down on the far side of the table.

 

Have fun on your cruise!

[cruisingfreak]

We always change seats each evening. This way you can get to talk to different dinner mates.

 

 

 

Minetter

[regnig]

We travel with a group of 6 to 8 other people and we alway play musical chairs at dinner. It is the one time during day we are all together and it gives each of us a chance to chat with everyone. The custom actually got started for us on one of our first cruises when Silvio (many of you know him) was our waiter. We had a large round table of 10 and he wouldn't let us sit in the same chair two nights in a row. How in the world he remembered is beyond me but he did. "No, No! Can't sit there tonight, that's the same place you were last night". What fun we had!! We warn our wait staff in advance and they have always managed to match our personal preferences with the correct person.

[98Charlie]

Changing seats each evening not only gives you an opportunity to chat with different passengers but also gives all at a table of say 8 or 10 an opportunity to get different views around the dining room.

 

On a cruise last fall on RCI to Mex. Riviera, we were seated at a table for 10. Four of our dining partners were from one family. By moving to different seats each night we were not only able to get to spend more quality time talking to each other, we also found each of us received at least one or two dining evenings watching the beautiful sunsets out the dining room windows as we had early seating.

 

Dianne

[Crowsie]

The four of us always sit at a table for four.

We rotate seats every night.

We like the view you get from different seats.

 

We also designate one seat as the "wine chair"...whoever sits in that seat gets to choose the bottle of wine for the evening. It's fun because the waiter knows who is in the wine chair and always gives the list to that person!

[Pam in CA]

Whether I've been cruising with a group or just one other person, we have almost always changed seats every night. The only time we haven't was a cruise I took with my daughter and we were placed at a table for four with another young couple.

[debbue19511972]

We usually are the first ones at the table to eat (I'm very prompt). It's fun to see your tablemates come in and watch the wheels turn when the table seating is different from the night before.

[FANC6]

We prefer to change seats every night for the same reasons (talk to different people and get a different view of the dining room). On one of our cruises we were with another couple and sitting at a table for 8 with 2 other couples.These other couples always sat in the same seats and we always had to sit in the aisleway. One night we manged to get to dinner before them and "took" their seats! Nothing was said but the next night they made sure they got there before usand sat in their seats. It actually was funny and became a big joke among us and the waitstaff. :)

[critterchick]

I like to change seats if I'm at a large table. That way I can get to know everybody a little better. I always sit next to DH, though. We always seem to have tables in the interior of the restaurant, so views aren't that much of an issue.

[Genessa]

On our first Princess cruise (also the first cruise dh & I went on by ourselves) we were seated at a table for 6. I can't remember who started it, but the second night we switched seats and the look on the waiter's face was priceless. He started pretending that he was getting us mixed up (almost putting a beverage down that he knew someone else wanted, etc.).

 

The third night we switched again and kept switching until the cruise was over. As a table we really clicked and all of us and the waiter and assistant waiter had a fun time, with the waiter misremembering our names and room numbers (again, on purpose).

 

Unfortunately, all the other cruises we've gone on the others didn't seem receptive to switching seats - strange looks and then the others are VERY early the next evening and sitting in their "old" seats is the typical reaction.

[alans]

We always switch seats every night so that we sit next to different people each night. We request a table for 8 people and enjoy meeting people from all over the world.

[twocats]

Ok, I guess I need to watch about the third night to see if people are back in their original seats and looking upset. LOL Well we are hoping to move around the table and that seems to be what most CC cruisers like to do. Thanks for the responses.

[flowy]

We have been on over 15 cruises and we usually kick it off by saying to the table that we have always had a great table with terrific conversations and this looks like one! Let's change seats every night and have a ball. It sets the mood for the cruise and usually our table is the last to leave every night because of the lively and great conversation. We also let everyone know that we like a drink before dinner and what bar we will be at -- please join us. Every cruise, most everyone at the table winds up at the bar and joins us for a predinner drink. Sets the mood and everyone has a wonderful time.

 

Enjoy!

[twocats]

Great idea for first night suggestion and the bar idea. Thanks

[MauiLuvr]

I travel with a group of 4 and we have always been assigned a table for 8 in traditional dining. Our group of 4 tends to move around (not just changing seats but also changing the configuration in which our group sits) and, as we are often the first to arrive each night, I always find it interesting to see how the other people react (some people definitely get discombobulated by the disruption in their routine! hehe).

 

On our first cruise, we had a couple older than us and a couple younger than us at our table. That made for a good variety of conversation depending on where you were sitting, because they were very different people with very different experiences.

 

On our second cruise, we were seated with a step-mom, dad, college-age daughter and her boyfriend and they ALWAYS sat in the same configuration--Mom and boyfriend on the outside, Dad and daughter on the inside. So my group never got to know the Dad and daughter very well other than from the general group conversation. Disappointing...I wish they'd been a bit more flexible and able to go with the flow of changing things up!

 

My third cruise was just with my mother, and we were seated at a table for 6. On the first night, one couple didn't show and the other couple were Mr. and Mrs. Whiner. I remember thinking "This is going to be a looooong week." Second night, missing couple showed up and the Whiners didn't. Turns out the Whiners changed to personal choice--yay! So that was a very different experience for me...just having 2 other people at the table to talk to! They were nice (though not very open) and they were from my home state, so that gave them and my Mom plenty to talk about!

 

My fourth cruise, in 2004, was with my group of 4 again. This time, once again, we were assigned a table of 8, but one couple never showed the entire week! First time that ever happened to us. So luckily the OTHER couple were fun and had lots of interesting stories! We had fun with them and said they were lonely for us the night we went to Sterling Steakhouse and left them alone at the table (we told them and the wait staff in advance that this was our plan so they knew not to wait dinner for us).

 

The funny thing is that I am VERY introverted and not at all good at small talk and yet I love sitting at a table of people I don't know! You meet people from all walks of life, all ages, and with such interesting experiences. Love it!

[Princess Chatterer]

On our Island Princess cruise last November they seated nine at a table for eight. The ninth was a single. We made the best of it. Each night the seating was whoever got their first picked where they wanted to sit. It seemed that the group changed seats every night so they could get to know each other better. On the last night there was the typical exchanging of email names which was likely followed by pitching that info in the trash can latter that night.

[drew16]

We normally travel with a group of 4-5, so we are usually put with a couple. We have always sat in the same seats, but have always asked our other table mates if they wanted to switch seats nightly and no one ever wanted to, so I guess its up to each table.

[mii]

On all of our cruises we usually start out for the 1st few days trying different seats but on the third day we always sat at the same place and all of those talked to each other and never individual conversations. It was great.

 

Marilyn