Dining Preferences

[Mr. Luckytoo]

When dining in the MDR on your cruise what is your preference(s) and why?

[cb at sea]

We LOVE having tablemates! I'm not sure why folks are so afraid of tablemates....I guess they think they're "strangers"....but once you introduce yourselves....voila...not strangers anymore!

If you look around the dining rooms, it's the large tables that are having the fun....you will see the "private" tables sitting quietly...no fun there!

The waiters have more fun, too!

[karen327]

We LOVE having tablemates! I'm not sure why folks are so afraid of tablemates....I guess they think they're "strangers"....but once you introduce yourselves....voila...not strangers anymore!

If you look around the dining rooms, it's the large tables that are having the fun....you will see the "private" tables sitting quietly...no fun there!

The waiters have more fun, too!

 

 

Interesting, we have only sailed ncl, tried the optional shared table concept several times, it was awkward as we didn't have much in common with our tablemates.

[Andee]

We enjoy meeting and getting to know new people--we eat at a table for two almost every evening at home. I figure that I have something in common with every passenger--we chose the same cruise!

[BlueCat1105]

I don't mind the idea of a community table with anytime dining, but for a fixed dining situation, where you would be dining with the same people every night, no. The idea that you would be dining with people you may find no connection with with is OK for one night, but knowing that it would be every night of my vacation would not appeal to me.

[Hoyaheel]

We always request the largest table possible - it's the best of both worlds in that you get to meet new people (my husband gets me to himself the rest of the year) and if there are people at your table you might not get along with, you still have other people to converse with. It's worked well for us so far....(we prefer traditional dining and in fact have only once sailed on a ship that even had anytime dining....We did not opt for that)

[cruzeluver]

Love dining with new folks! Its a big part of the experience for us. And really, we're only talking 1.5 to 2 hours out of the day. Not like we get hog-tied to these folks for the rest of the cruise!:p

[jpg1747]

I cruise solo. I definitely want a big table. I don't like dining alone in the MDR. With a big table, there's a good chance I'll always have company during dinner. And if I don't like my first assignment, being solo makes it easier to be moved.

[uppitycats]

We've done both traditional and "anytime", and we'll not do traditional again, if we can avoid it. I'd much rather either eat with my spouse, or eat with folks we've met on the cruise, shared some other activity with them (like on an excursion, or at the bar, or somewhere else), find that we have common interests, and continue conversations over dinner.

 

Too many times with fixed dining we were stuck with people with whom we had very little in common, and dinner was always awkward. Once we got past "what did you do today?"...the conversation died, or we felt compelled to try to keep introducing subjects we thought might be interesting..and ended up eating in silence. Never again. We pay too much for the cruise to have to work through every dinner like that.

[Trevoli]

I've always cruised with a friend, so we ask for a large table. Love meeting new people, even if we never see each other again.

 

Were I to cruise with a SO, it might be different, but I doubt it.

[Treven]

I always cruise alone and so I want to eat alone; I don't want to be involved in forced communications with strangers across a dining table.

[SuitCaseBears]

My first choice is to dine alone with my husband some nights and at a larger table with others on other nights. But that wasn't a choice on the poll. :rolleyes:

[Greselda]

We always ask to be seated at a large table, and for the most part, have been accomodated.

 

In fact, we met, what are now our best friends, at a large table in the mdr on a 15 day cruise to Hawaii years ago.....just think, if we had been seated at a table for 2 we would have probably never met them:(

 

I just could not imagine cruising without them being with us now :eek: and we live in the southwest and they live in the northeast.....go figure;)

[Roadtripster]

Table for two here and also Anytime Dining.

 

DH and I never see each other during the week and only have dinner together maybe 3 times a month. On a cruise, we love the quiet time at dinner with just the two of us and a little bit of the romance feel that we get with a table for two. We both prefer it this way for us, so I guess it is meant to be.

[printingchick]

I like meeting new people at dinner, but I don't like assigned dining times (traditional dining), so I typically choose the anytime dining option.

 

On my last cruise, we at at a table for two the first night. We were very close to another table for two and ended up talking with that couple throughout dinner. We ran into each other the following day and arranged to eat together every night. It was wonderful. We got to meet new people, but were not forced into a dining time we didn't care for or seated at a community table where the other people never even showed up. For me, that was the best of both worlds.

[dexter99]

table for two. We are both very busy, especially my wife (a university professor). She is out of town 8-10 days each month, at a lot of functions when she is in town, and when she isn't often works late into the evening. We 'eat' maybe a dozen meals together a month, many of those just eating a quick dinner, not 'dining together' where we relax and enjoy the food, wine and one another. I book lunches with her 2 months ahead! So vacation is our time to be alone.

[bplazo]

On my first cruise I thought it was very awkward to have to sit with people that I did not know, however, it was alot of fun to make new friends. So, I would always choose a large table.

[tnincy]

i like the community tables. have met all sorts of interesting people from all walks of life. with that said, if i were celebrating anniversary or on honeymoon i may want a more intimate table.

[geoherb]

We like large tables with others, especially at dinner. Generally we have liked the people we've met. Even some of the ones who we thought we had nothing in common with at first became much better by the end of the week.

[beachchick]

I completely disagree with cb at sea on this (no surprise there, I suppose), but only on some points.

 

While it can certainly be true that "the large tables that are having the fun...." It is absolutely untrue that "you will see the "private" tables sitting quietly...no fun there!" Seriously, how the heck do you know that people aren't having "fun" just because they are not being boisterous or "loud"? Is it inconceivable that there are people who do enjoy sitting and conversing quietly while dining? That perhaps after a busy, active, hectic day, they look forward to a quiet meal before the evening's activities? I don't understand why some feel the need to project their own feelings onto other people they don't even know: We wouldn't have fun sitting quietly at a small table for dinner, therefore, no one would.

 

We have had nice and fun dinners in all situations: large tables with nice people (though not our preference because we do not like being "assigned" tablemates, not because we are "afraid" of it), tables with people we've met elsewhere onboard or in port (that is a fun way to make new friends for us), tables with just our traveling party (my DH and BIL can be hysterically funny when together), and just the two of us (after decades, my DH can still make me laugh really hard). I do not understand why some are so adamant that their preferred way of dining is the only "right" and fun way to do it? If you enjoy large tables with assigned tablemates, that's wonderful; I mean that sincerely. I would never put down anyone's choices and I wish you the very best of times. Although I don't actually consider it my job to make the waitstaff's job "more fun," we have had terrific waitstaff and plenty of good times with them. I wonder how someone knows the waitstaff has more fun at large tables. Could it seem that way because part of their job is to adapt to the style of service that their passengers want?

 

Anyway, I think it's interesting that thus far the voting is split equally. There is obviously a desire for all types of dining options.

 

beachchick

[Krazy Kruizers]

Years ago we had some bad experiences with larger tables -- even had to get table changed.

 

Now we just ask for a table for 2.

[lady_cruiser]

I prefer to sit with whoever I am cruising with. I am not anit-social. Seat me anyway in a lounge, show, chair by the pool or even on a bus going on an excursion and in minutes I'll be chatting up a storm making new friends but dinner time for us is "family time." It the time we get to sit, talk about our day, old family members and friends we have heard from.