MDR table sizes -- Infinity

[What A Market]

I have booked a cruise on the Infinity for this June with my extended family. There will be a total of eleven us making the trip, including my DW, our adult children, my brother and his DW plus adult children, and both my mom and mother-in-law. *(Yes, wish me luck keeping everyone happy!)

 

What is the maximum table size in the MDR? Will I be able to seat my whole family at one table? I doubt we will dine together every evening (we all have Select Dining), but my mom will expect and hope to have the whole family together for dinner, at least occasionally.

 

Thanks in advance for the responses.

[Denny01]

The Infinity has 8-person tables, maybe bigger, but I've had that size before.

 

And keeping everyone happy? A great thing about cruising is there is so much for people to do, and you dont have to make plans and coordinate it all for everyone. Let them pick and choose themselves.

 

We've done family cruises before and I love them because I'm usually the one who is stuck with organizing land vactiions....you know, someone hates fish or italian (is that possible???) and so on. On a cruise.....its up to them to take care of themselves. We will book our tours and suggest whoever wants to join in, do so, or do your own thing.

 

We always set a time to meet at a lounge prior to dinner and join up those that wanted to. That way, no one was trying to 'organize' it all. If someone is late, they know where to go, or whatever.

 

Enjoy and a Cruise is perfect for a diverse family!

 

Den

[What A Market]

Hi Den

Thanks for the quick response. Like you, I am the designated planner for trips. This is particularly true with cruises.

 

If not for my mom, my general approach to meal planning would be to tell family members what I'm doing any to feel free to join. With my mom on the trip, this won't work as easy.

 

My mom raised six boys. I've lost count of her grandkids. Her idea of a fun family dinner would be to squeeze the eleven of us on the cruise into a table that seats six. It's just the way she rolls. Needless to say, this is not my idea of a good time. :)

 

Here's hoping that the M-class ships can host a dinner for up to twelve in the MDR. Has anyone seen this?

[JMC715]

I saw tables for 10 on the Infinity last year when on an Alaska cruise. I specifically looked for the largest b/c I too am planning a family trip this June on the Summit and wanted to know. (We have you beat though - 19 of us are going with our 85 yr old mom!!)

 

BUT, that was on the lower level and I believe that level is only for traditional seating. I don't really know what is on the upper deck for Select seating, but I kinda doubt there are tables that large. I would think they could somehow accommodate 11 in nearby seating however.

 

If you are interested in Qsine as a family group, it looks like they have a couple of 12 seat tables. We're planning that one night on our trip; should be a hoot with a big group.

 

I wish you and yours a wonderful family trip!

 

Janet

[Michigan honey]

My dh and I have the opposite problem. We need a table for two because we are hard of hearing and it is awkward communicating at a large table. Does Infinity have many tables for two? We have select dining.

[varoo]

The main dining room is usually crowded and noisy. When seated at a large table you only get to converse with the people seated closest to you and miss out on what is being discussed further down the table.

 

If seated in the middle, you often end up awkwardly swiveling your head left and right, trying to follow two different conversations at the same time.

It is the awkward feeling of being seated at a large banquet hall table for a wedding or charity event.

 

In cruise ship dining rooms, we find the medium-sized tables much more pleasant and conducive to good flow of conversation because everyone at the table can participate in the same conversation.

 

For a party of eleven or twelve, I much prefer two medium-sized tables instead of one large table.

If they wish, people can switch back and forth between tables on different nights to sit with different family members.

[ghstudio]

My dh and I have the opposite problem. We need a table for two because we are hard of hearing and it is awkward communicating at a large table. Does Infinity have many tables for two? We have select dining.

 

Yes, there are plenty of tables for two...it should not be a problem. You can make reservations for select dining and indicate that you don't want to share a table...or you can just walk up to the desk and they will ask you if you want to share with others or dine alone.

[cruisestitch]

Back to the original question --

 

This will be very tricky. To make it work, you will need to communicate directly with the person who is seating pax in the Select Dining area. They can tell you if they are able to set up a table for a group that large. Usually eight is the largest table available in Select, but they MAY be able to accommodate you.

 

A group of 11 will definitely need to pre-book, so I think that you should decide which night will be The One where you all dine together, and make sure everyone is aware. The rest of the nights, you should probably leave it up to the individuals what time they will have dinner, after all that's the beauty of Select Dining.

 

Even getting two six-tops side by side, as has been suggested, will take some coordination with the Host/Hostess.

 

Have a great time together.

[DaveandDiane]

We are going to be on the Reflection in May. There are four of us, and we would like to be seated with others. I currently have a table for 8 requested. Are the tables for ten all long tables, or are there some round ones?