Tablemate stories!

[DCT61]

LOL....I just looked at your cruise history...we were at the same table! Your description of that moron and his partner was so "spot on" it had to be the same guy. Ill never forget his harrassing the waiter to come to his cabin and give him a massage. A tht end of that particular evening, after we left the table, we went up to the waiter and apologized. We were MORTIFIED. Its a story we tell to freinds who cruise with us now. Ill have to show them your post.

[Mermen]

Wow, what a small world it is! Totally forgot about the massage in his cabin...I kind of felt the same way with our P.P. leader, he had a hard time keeping his hands to himself, LOL. We too talk about that idiot. I kind of felt sorry for his partner, who was fairly quiet for the most part. Rowell and I were embarassed too and gave our waiter a nice gratuity.

 

We enjoyed you two and the older guys from Palm Springs (who we've ran into on one other cruise).

 

-Gary

[RMorningglory]

Wouldn't an in cabin massage be more on the "Room Service" waiter's list of dutiees?? Yikes LOL

 

Seriously, I know this is a little off the topic but last year we did an Ultimate Balcony Dinner. We were a little hesitant about it as we thought what would the waiter do when he found two guys doing this super- romantic thing. I have to tell you, It was great. We had the dinner in our jammies, they sent a photographer, flowers and the waiter and his assistant left us alone other than to serve and clear and couldn't have been nicer. It was by far the most romantic thing we have ever done on a ship and we can't wait to do it again.

 

It is the Ultimate antidote to Table-mates. ;)

[Mermen]

Wouldn't an in cabin massage be more on the "Room Service" waiter's list of dutiees?? Yikes LOL

 

Seriously, I know this is a little off the topic but last year we did an Ultimate Balcony Dinner. We were a little hesitant about it as we thought what would the waiter do when he found two guys doing this super- romantic thing. I have to tell you, It was great. We had the dinner in our jammies, they sent a photographer, flowers and the waiter and his assistant left us alone other than to serve and clear and couldn't have been nicer. It was by far the most romantic thing we have ever done on a ship and we can't wait to do it again.

 

It is the Ultimate antidote to Table-mates. ;)

 

That does sound wonderful! Will have to check into that, thanks for sharing. We booked a Sky Suite a couple of years ago and we decided to eat formal night in our room, served by our butler. It was a nice touch. And I had the best table mate. :)

[COMBOY]

What I think what some folks forget is there are gay crew members that work on these ships. Probably the same percentage then gays on land. I think most keep a pretty low profile with passengers, but I'm sure many have relationships & friends on board. I remember one on my waiters (straight) on RSVP cruise telling me that his room mate was gay and was in a relationship (a bit rocky one & lots of drama) with another waiter. Also, many crew have worked the all-gay charters (the crew really looks forward to the charters from what I've been told) as well as the gay folks that just do the regular sailing. I remember talking to a Jamaican bar tender on RCCL telling me he knew of many gay people back in his home country. They're not all backwards or ignorant about gay people as you might think.

[CrusingJoe]

What I think what some folks forget is there are gay crew members that work on these ships. Probably the same percentage then gays on land. I think most keep a pretty low profile with passengers, but I'm sure many have relationships & friends on board. I remember one on my waiters (straight) on RSVP cruise telling me that his room mate was gay and was in a relationship (a bit rocky one & lots of drama) with another waiter. Also, many crew have worked the all-gay charters (the crew really looks forward to the charters from what I've been told) as well as the gay folks that just do the regular sailing. I remember talking to a Jamaican bar tender on RCCL telling me he knew of many gay people back in his home country. They're not all backwards or ignorant about gay people as you might think.

 

I totaly agree with you on this. On one of our cruises our table waiter came out to us and also had a BF on the ship. He told us just about the same thing your are saying.

[CrusingJoe]

"I have to say that our one and only negative experience was with a sloppy toad of a guy who not only outed every man at the table, but embarassed us when he then began to unashamedly flirt with the waiter"

 

RUH-ROH....we may have been at the same table, or this guy sails on every cruise..LOL

 

We were on this same sailing and also had a man at our table do the same thing. We were a table of 5 and did not meet many other family members on this cruise. No one showed up at the FOD other than us. Remember someone outing himself in the show?

 

Joe

[valleyvillage]

Glad I found this board, because I wanted to give a major shout to NY for passing marriage equality.

 

My partner and I had been together 16 years when we finally got the chance to marry in California (had to fly in from Utah!). We got married on the Sun Deck of the Queen Mary in Long Beach and then boarded NCL Star for our Honeymoon cruise.

 

We decided to splurge and fly first class and sail in a suite, our first experience with the NCL suite life!

 

We were amazed at how delighted and accepting people were when we told them about our special occasion.

 

We prefer to dine at a table for 2, so no real tablemates stories, but shipmates have always been delightful.

 

Thanks for listening!

[RMorningglory]

What I think what some folks forget is there are gay crew members that work on these ships. Probably the same percentage then gays on land. I think most keep a pretty low profile with passengers, but I'm sure many have relationships & friends on board. I remember one on my waiters (straight) on RSVP cruise telling me that his room mate was gay and was in a relationship (a bit rocky one & lots of drama) with another waiter. Also, many crew have worked the all-gay charters (the crew really looks forward to the charters from what I've been told) as well as the gay folks that just do the regular sailing. I remember talking to a Jamaican bar tender on RCCL telling me he knew of many gay people back in his home country. They're not all backwards or ignorant about gay people as you might think.

 

 

A few cruises ago we found a particular waiter we liked a lot (Straight guy) who worked the station right next to two guys Thiland. These guys were not in any closet. They were as gay as gay gets in all the ways we know two guys specifically from Thiland can be in a uniform (trying hard not to sound like I'm racial profiling but painting a picture here... forgive me). Through the course of the cruise we got to know them and they were a hoot and a half. They evidently did a drag thing below decks regularly and all their fellow crew mates seemed to love them.

 

I think that at the end of the day that the part of the cruise that we all see is in essence a floating hotel. Hotels are ment to be Hospitibal... thus Hospitality. In this industry you see it all and really learn that people are people and as long as they treat you with respect... you treat them with respect. Even if we had a jerk to deal with, we usually have made enough of an impression on the staff that is positive that we would have support. We have found cruise staff to be sooooo nice all together, especially waitstaff, and they make our usual table for two a wonderful place to be.

[debates2]

I can't believe your waitor had the nerve to bring the bottle of wine with that mote to your table. I hope you refused the "gift".

 

 

On our first cruise my partner and I were seated at a table for 8. Three straight couples, not traveling together and us. The talk was pleasant enough with 4 of them as we all were comparing notes about excursions for the day and what we did. After a few minutes we noticed one of the gentelmen had his chair partially turned away from us and would NOT engage in any conversation. He was ex military and very homophobic. We tried to humor our way through another evening, but the other 2 couples saw "his ignorance" so after that night we asked to be re-assigned to another table. At dinner the next night with our two new table mates a bottle of wine (White Zin....no less) arrived with a simple note that said. "Thanks for moving......Ima Hater". In spite of that rude introduction to cruising, we are still hooked on it!!

[BarleyJack]

We've a few stories.

 

I was on Constellation five years ago with my partner and two other gay couples. We were about done dinner and this woman our age (early forties, then), got up from her table about 4 tables from us, and started over. She weaved between the tables and somehow I knew she was drunk and coming to talk to us. She sashayed up and said "y'all just have to tell me why six men would ever travel together!" Her sister had caught up by then and tried to reel her in. I said, "we're actually three couples" but she didn't absorb that information and rambled on about how her husband would never travel with five friends and how wonderful she thought we were for doing it. I repeated that we're 3 couples. She just motored on about how they were going dancing later and would love to see us there. Her sister hissed at her "they're gay!" and she said in a very slow Carol Burnett-style drawl "whaaaaaaaat?" We saw her the next night in the martini bar. She was sober this time and looking a little embarrassed. We waved, to say there were no hard feelings, and so they came over. She asked what I was drinking and I said "a flirtini." She just said "oh, I give up!" We all laughed.

 

 

On Mariner of the Seas, we sailed without friends and were seated at a table for 6. One couple was a near-retired couple from western PA and the other was a military couple from Virginia who loved their NASCAR. It is still my favorite dining experience of all our cruises. We talked politics, religion and even NASCAR (well, I just listened to that part). Folks disagreed on some topics, agreed on others and were respectful throughout. our waiter thought we were traveling together, we were so chatty and happy. At the end, the older woman at the table said to me that we were the first gay people they had ever met. I smiled and said I was really glad to meet her but we were probably just the first people they knew were gay when they met them. She said she was going to think about that.

 

We ate at the Chef's table experience on Princess and it was truly a mixed crowd. There was us, an older couple from Arizona, a middle-aged couple from Vancouver, and a foursome from Las Vegas. We are sort of extra average people. The couple from Arizona was really likable and invited us to come stay with them sometime (amazing how quickly you become fast friends on cruises), the couple from Vancouver were very grand and showy, talking about how hard it is to manage two homes when you have a getaway, and how hard it is to fly coach after you've become used to first class. The people from Las Vegas were a hoot. The meal was paired with wine and each time the waiter would bring another course, he would replace the wine with a new pairing. One of the women from LV, who had a ponytail out of the side of her head, would grab her wine glass like he was going to steal it and would gulp the last ounces of the previous wine before slamming the glass down on the table and saying "filler' up."

 

LOL...was she wearing a Bob Mackie curtain rod dress? This so made my day, thanks :-)

 

We've only cruised once so far, on Carnival, and chose "anytime dining" to be able to have our own table and avoid such scenarios. I'm considering a Solo Celebrity cruise next year, and may reconsider due to the entertainment value LOL

[DCT61]

"We were on this same sailing and also had a man at our table do the same thing. We were a table of 5 and did not meet many other family members on this cruise. No one showed up at the FOD other than us. Remember someone outing himself in the show"

 

Dont really remember that..most of the time we went down to Michaels and watched Perry Grant perform, instead of the show. We did go to a couple FOD events, but with the exception of our group, they didnt seem to be well attended. Wow..that was a pretty popular cruise!

[Harry Cane]

glad i found this board, because i wanted to give a major shout to ny for passing marriage equality.

 

My partner and i had been together 16 years when we finally got the chance to marry in california (had to fly in from utah!). We got married on the sun deck of the queen mary in long beach and then boarded ncl star for our honeymoon cruise.

 

We decided to splurge and fly first class and sail in a suite, our first experience with the ncl suite life!

 

We were amazed at how delighted and accepting people were when we told them about our special occasion.

 

We prefer to dine at a table for 2, so no real tablemates stories, but shipmates have always been delightful.

 

Thanks for listening!

 

congratulations to you!!!!

[Harry Cane]

What I think what some folks forget is there are gay crew members that work on these ships. Probably the same percentage then gays on land. I think most keep a pretty low profile with passengers, but I'm sure many have relationships & friends on board.

 

I don't know for sure, but I'd guess it'd be an even higher percentage, at least with the restaurant/cabin crew. On a Baltic cruise last year we had anytime dining but were always seated with the same crew and they'd regale us with their port stories. Turns out the maitre d' and the head waiter were exes, and to complicate matters further, the maitre d's new boyfriend was also crew!

[MiamiSpartan]

I don't know for sure, but I'd guess it'd be an even higher percentage, at least with the restaurant/cabin crew. On a Baltic cruise last year we had anytime dining but were always seated with the same crew and they'd regale us with their port stories. Turns out the maitre d' and the head waiter were exes, and to complicate matters further, the maitre d's new boyfriend was also crew!

 

Oh my!! And it's not like you can get very far from the ex when you're on a ship!!

:eek:

[keithm]

I can't believe your waitor had the nerve to bring the bottle of wine with that mote to your table. I hope you refused the "gift".

He should have commented about "Audie Murphy"(WW2's most decorated solder)being gay(which he was)Bet that would have given that ex militay clown a real fit.

[twoontheisle]

I can't believe your waitor had the nerve to bring the bottle of wine with that mote to your table. I hope you refused the "gift".

 

We knew we were being watched by him, as we weren't very far away with our new tablemates. We had the waiter pour 4 full glasses, and none of us took so much as a sip of it. It was afterall WHITE ZINFANDEL. We each ordered a glass of full bodied red and left his "gift" behind......along with his gifts of arrogance and ignorance.

[topguy]

We knew we were being watched by him, as we weren't very far away with our new tablemates. We had the waiter pour 4 full glasses, and none of us took so much as a sip of it. It was afterall WHITE ZINFANDEL. We each ordered a glass of full bodied red and left his "gift" behind......along with his gifts of arrogance and ignorance.

What a perfect way to get your message across. Love it.

[Tazzycat]

I want to cruise with you guys, where the fun tablemates are!

The last cruise we took, it had open seating so we sat with different people every night (NCL) so it was easy to get away from loud-mouths, people in their freshly ironed = "formal overalls", predjudiced people, haters, people who love GW Bush, etc. I am set to go on 2 more scheduled cruises and I sure hope to have great tablemates like those on this thread.

 

Tazzycat

[mvdude111]

Ima Hater sounds like a bitter drag queen's name LOL.

[soldham]

VERY early in our cruising life we went on a Carribean cruise and were joined by royalty from a principality in Europe (I will say no more.) This man brought an entourage of staff (all male and mostly young through he was not) while his own mega yacht was in dry dock in Florida.

He had security guards, a massage person, and even someone to record everything he said. His 'partner' ate nothing but pounds of caviar and champagne at every meal.

 

Anyway - if you treated him with the respect he felt he so richly deserved he would have you at the head table or one of his rather opulent cocktail parties.

 

We never made it to either and I do not regret it to this day.

[twoontheisle]

Ima Hater sounds like a bitter drag queen's name LOL.

 

Now that I think about it, I should have brought out my alter-ego "IDA SLAPTER"!

 

I cannot take credit for that name, it belongs to a drag queen in Puerto Vallarta, but it makes me giggle every time I use it.

[BEAV]

Friends of ours were on a Europe cruise several years ago and found one of their tablemates to be quite pretentious and "full" of herself. It got worse once she learned they were from West Virginia. At one point she asked, dripping with attitude,

 

"what DO you do in West Virginia?"

 

Our friend, gesturing toward his partner, replied "my family hauls his family's coal...."

[Doonan]

Interesting .. we have been on a number of cruises and always go for late seating share table with 6 or 8 people.

 

Never had a problem ... we have met some great people and to make sure we get to mix after the firt night we always get to the table first and sit at different ends of the table so people have to move around and mix ... it works and after that we found everyone moves around every night. My friend and I have been together for over 20 years and eat together very night ... so as we say we do not need to it together always.

 

The interesting part .. we always go to the FOD get togethers. Have met some great people but after maybe a few emails the ontact ends.

 

Some non gays on the table have become friends. We keep contact after many years and not just by email also by letter, cards etc.

 

I should add we have met quite a few gay crew who are always a laugh. We ave never had any problem on any ship and are quite open that we are together.

 

Love cruising as we get to meet so many intereting gay and strait people.

 

Neil

[ShawninFL]

My partner and I have been on quite a few cruises and have never had any problems at all with table mates. On one of our first cruises we were at a table for 10 with 4 couples in their 20s and one couple in their 50s that requested to be sat with younger passengers. We were the only gay couple. This was one of our 2 best dining experiences. We got washed out in Grand Cayman and by chance most of us ended up at the hot tubs in the rain for the afternoon. We all bonded well and even did excursions together. We've actually cruised again with one of the couples. On another cruise, this time we were in our early to mid 30s, we were again sat a table of 10 - all 20 & 30s age group. One was a military couple on a honeymoon and another recently married Mormon couple. This group also was great. Absolutely no issues with the Mormon or Military couple. In fact they were both super friendly. The majority of the group would get together for drinks in the evening. The Mormon couple sort of shied away from the group outside of dinner, but not for the reason you would expect. Halfway through the cruise it came out that they through they would be a drag on the group since they didn't drink. I explained to them that I rarely drink and they were more than welcome to hang out with all of us. So for the rest of the cruise we all had a great time enjoying our vacation together. I've learned (not perfected) don't prejudge....you will usually be suprised.