Worst table companion you have had

[windjamming]

What a fun thread to read! We dine by ourselves so haven't had the pleasure of such interesting stories!

 

We have had some interesting dining neighbors, though. A few come to mind:

 

1. "Jabba the Hutt" - a lady at the table next to ours literally oozed into her seat. She was probably about 5' 4" or so standing up, but slouched so much that her head was barely above table level!

 

She had atrocious table manners, using her knife to stab cheese and eat it, and sending most things back to the kitchen. She seemed to end up having mashed potatoes as her entree most evenings and spoke in what only could be described as a screech.

 

She was at a 6 top with her husband and a father/son duo whom they did not know prior to the cruise. The father/son left at least one evening prior to dessert, claiming they were stuffed, but it sure seemed to me that they were looking to bolt. Btw, we ran into the father/son during the cruise, and they were 2 of the nicest, decent people - which they had to be, to put up with Jabba all cruise!

 

2. We sat next to 2 large tables of a multi-generation family. We shared a waiter with one of the tables, and it seems they were requesting that each person get their next course as soon as they finished (rather than waiting for the rest of the table). The kids at the other large table ate spaghetti with their hands and were generally a mess.

 

3. "Dick Cheney". The guy was a real doppelganger. We really honestly thought it was him. He held court at his 10-top every night, and all you would here was his voice giving his esteemed opinion on whatever the topic that evening.

 

That said, we've also sat near some really wonderful folks -- a large, friendly Brazilian family on the Oasis, who included us in their family celebrations (I don't know how to explain it...we just became part of their family), a Canadian family with whom we still trade emails, and a really nice Mexican family that we ran into so often during the cruise that it became a running joke.

[Fydlstyx]

Ihtink I owudl have embarassed her by telling her I did not care for "older women."-lol! No seruiously, that would be a good reason to change tables or go for my time dining.

 

 

I think it makes sense for him to have let his wife sit next to the woman. :rolleyes:

[Fydlstyx]

Disney? Whatever happened to the legendary Disney perfection? :confused:

This was most UN-Disney-like, if you ask me.

I would have thought that Disney booking agents

would have placed such a 'special needs' person at their own table

and not inconvenienced other cruisers with what you suffered!

 

Congratulations: you handled the matter with great aplomb,sir!

 

 

.

 

I so hope I read this response in exactly the tone it was intended. If so, nicely played, my friend. Nicely played.

[Kentchikan]

I think it makes sense for him to have let his wife sit next to the woman. :rolleyes:

 

We tried, dear god, we tried. We finally lined up before the doors opened, made a run, and established a beachhead.

[ViolaSwamp]

I agree. Our wealthiest friends are the least likely to talk about their wealth.

I love your screen name. Great book. Are you a teacher?

 

Nope... I just love that character, she's my alter ego when I am forced to deal with bratty people. :)

[Kentchikan]

Nope... I just love that character, she's my alter ego when I am forced to deal with bratty people. :)

 

Excellent thought.

[momofmeg]

I agree. On some ships I've been on it seems to be acceptable to "jump" to another area if you don't want anything from the section you're in. However one time I did go around a woman and move on to another section and she ran over and jumped in front of me and told me I was rude. I tried to explain expedient but it didn't fly.

 

I would have simply replied "Mam I was not intersted in getting what you were being served and my going ahead of you did not slow you down one bit. On the other hand you WERE slowing me down wiht your indecision"

 

Most of the newer ships now have stations instead of one long continous line. That is so much more effincent and it is meant if you are not interested in an item to go around-some do not understand that though. They have the "Picadilly's/ S &S " mentallity I guess. but even in those type places if a person is being served it is acceptable to go around them. I have had the servers motion me around even.

[momofmeg]

If this happened to us, we would have very politely asked our companions to please understand that we wanted to continue with our courses so that we might catch the show. I would have asked the wait staff to bring our orders to us ahead of the others and I think that they would have done that easily, at least on Princess and HAL ships. On the way out, I would ask the Head Waiter to be assigned a different seating for the duration of the cruise.

 

Donder, this WAS on HAL Zuiderdam (partial Panama Canal) and I did ask our waiter-who told me (as though I was an ignorant dufous,) that this man had not finished his course. (this was when the wife apologized for his slowness and explained about dental work) Then the waiter brought him another of that same course. His third- Lol! which is why I spoke to the maitr'd as I left. I suppose I could have made a scene and asked the waiter to get the maitr'd, I hated to do that because the wife was already embrrassed by her husband. if I had scense I wouldl have politely and nicely as I could, said we were missing the show and so needed to go and left.

[luziana73]

We had MTD on the Conquest last fall. We are 57 and 60 just so you'll know and have two grown children. Everything was fine until the last night. We were seated with a family of four, the two boys being 7 and 4 perhaps. They were crawling under the table, the waiter went out of his way to provide something they would eat, but when the little one took off his flip flop and threw it across the table and it landed on my husband's charger plate, that was it. Thank goodness the husband took the two brats back to the cabin. Not how I wanted to spend my last night on a cruise. Recommendation: don't seat a 60ish couple with a young family.

[momofmeg]

I've posted this one a couple of times on other threads, but I'll go ahead and toss it in here too. This one seems to cause a debate in who was in the wrong. And these weren't actually table mates. It was the table next to us in the buffet.

 

We arrived at the buffet a little early for lunch so there were still a lot of tables open, but as we ate, they were quickly filling up. A large group of about 10 with a few small children came in and were very lucky to find a 10 top open so they could all sit together. There were still quite a few smaller tables open, but no more large ones. So this large group sets their shopping bags and sunglasses, books, and drinks down on the 10 top, jackets draped over chairs, and go off to get their food. There was absolutely no question that this table was taken.

 

Again, let me reiterate that there were still a number of smaller tables vacant.

 

This older couple walks up with their plates full of food, shoves aside some of these people belongings, moves their jackets, sits down, and starts eating. As the large group comes back one by one, they are shocked at the nerve of this couple. They're clearly upset. "You couldn't see this table was taken?" The couple just shrugs it off, ignores them, and keeps eating. So the large group gathers their stuff while trying to juggle plates and kids and moves. I didn't see where they ended up, but by this time, the buffet was full enough that I highly doubt they were able to find a table together, though there were still a few smaller tables open.

 

Personally, because there were so many smaller tables open, I thought this couple's narcissism was one of the rudest things I've seen.

 

No debate-the people were wrong to save seats with junk-have a couple of the group sit with the table and say "those seats are taken, our friends are at the buffet." the cruiselines make a big deal about no seat saving on deck so those old people probably thought they were in the right. Now me, hubby and I WOULD prefer a small table by the window. Thank goodness most cruiselines know it makes better sense to put small tables by the window and the larger booths that hold more people are farther way from the windows at the entrance of the dining area.

[Kentchikan]

I would have simply replied "Mam I was not intersted in getting what you were being served and my going ahead of you did not slow you down one bit. On the other hand you WERE slowing me down wiht your indecision"

 

Most of the newer ships now have stations instead of one long continous line. That is so much more effincent and it is meant if you are not interested in an item to go around-some do not understand that though. They have the "Picadilly's/ S &S " mentallity I guess. but even in those type places if a person is being served it is acceptable to go around them. I have had the servers motion me around even.

 

Good come back. I think she was one of those people who are only happy when they are miserable.

[shorbr]

I would have simply replied "Mam I was not intersted in getting what you were being served and my going ahead of you did not slow you down one bit. On the other hand you WERE slowing me down wiht your indecision"

 

Most of the newer ships now have stations instead of one long continous line. That is so much more effincent and it is meant if you are not interested in an item to go around-some do not understand that though. They have the "Picadilly's/ S &S " mentallity I guess. but even in those type places if a person is being served it is acceptable to go around them. I have had the servers motion me around even.

 

Hi Momofmeg,

 

Haven't talked to you in a while. I'm having a health issue now, and will have surgery on August 1st. Is there a way I can email you? Thanks!

 

Sheri

[iancal]

We had two once, a couple, both with very loud voices. They kept going on and on about religion, then politics. After that it was how everything was so much better where they lived.

 

For some very odd reason they felt that everyone at the table would be interested in US politics and in their thoughts on religious traditions and values. It was awful. They were so dull that they did not realize that they were offending a few people at the table. Too self absorbed.

 

We switched to anytime dining and have never gone back to traditional seating.

[wwcruisers]

We had MTD on the Conquest last fall. We are 57 and 60 just so you'll know and have two grown children. Everything was fine until the last night. We were seated with a family of four, the two boys being 7 and 4 perhaps. They were crawling under the table, the waiter went out of his way to provide something they would eat, but when the little one took off his flip flop and threw it across the table and it landed on my husband's charger plate, that was it. Thank goodness the husband took the two brats back to the cabin. Not how I wanted to spend my last night on a cruise. Recommendation: don't seat a 60ish couple with a young family.

 

I just wouldn't do it. We always book second seating, in hopes that people with small children will be at first seating or anytime dining. If we found ourselves assigned to a table with little ones, we would just quietly turn around and seek out the maitre'd for a table reassignment.

[Kentchikan]

I just wouldn't do it. We always book second seating, in hopes that people with small children will be at first seating or anytime dining. If we found ourselves assigned to a table with little ones, we would just quietly turn around and seek out the maitre'd for a table reassignment.

 

We were once at a table near a large family with many offspring. One of the lads vomited during dinner. If anything would put you off your feed that would be it.

[Kentchikan]

I just wouldn't do it. We always book second seating, in hopes that people with small children will be at first seating or anytime dining. If we found ourselves assigned to a table with little ones, we would just quietly turn around and seek out the maitre'd for a table reassignment.

 

Once we were near a family of four two parents and two boys. The boys had a food fight every night and bad aims so sometimes the food would hit someone at our table and the parents did nothing. And the other people at our table were drunk every night and obnoxious. We tried to move to another table but the ship was full and it was before optional dining venues or flex feeding. Perhaps we should have drunk more ourselves.:rolleyes:

[cruisenguy2]

I am thinking on our last cruise we were the troublesome table mates. This past winter we (my wife and I) took a cruise with our 3 year old and then 6m old. The first table we were assigned to was us and a very nice retired couple, probably mid 60's to early 70's.

We had hoped to be seated with another family, preferably with young children. our 3yo is pretty well behaved but he is 3.

I spoke with the matere'd and request a different table, hoping to spare this nice couple the torment of dining with 2 small children for a week. I told him I would like a family with small children as table mates as to not be the annoying family at the table.

I get our new assignment and am told the other couple at the table is a 60 year old women and her mother in her 90s I think. This was not an improvement for anyone involved in our opinion. After taking with the head waiter and matere'd one more time, we were swapped with an other group at a neighboring table where we were seated with a couple and their 3 young kids, whose youngest was about a year older the our older child.

Oh and one of their kids vomited one night at dinner- a bit to much sun that day, but that's life with kids!!.

[Kentchikan]

I was on a Rhine cruise and there was a group of people from a country far below Europe that shall not be named. They were insufferable. Everything in their country was superior and Europe was inferior. And as to Americans. Well they took every chance they could to run us down. One of them said to me, "You know in my country we eat hamburgers and hot dogs as well, just not for every meal as you do. We also eat roasts and other things." I explained that we had a varied menu including roasts, and hams, and pastas, and etc. He seemed genuinely shocked. There was a woman from Mauritius on board and she and I would roll our eyes. The worst thing is when pompous insufferable bores doesn't realize they're pompous insufferable bores. Near the end of the cruise one of them said, "I doubt I'll ever come back to the Rhine and I surely would never go to America." My Mauritius friend said, "I'm sure that America and the Rhine are grateful. It naturally went right over their heads.

[margretha]

Felicia,

You may have moved on by now but I thought I'd respond. We were at assigned seating for 6 - 3 couples. The gentlemen could not have been nicer. The two women (one whose family did something with gold and the other who had starred a few decades ago in specialty films) came each night dressed to the nines and within 15 minutes of the first night clearly loathed each other. My DH and I were seated between these two, men on one side of the table, women on the other facing the men. During the day one woman or the other would see us and take the time to dump all over the other (clearly the ship was NOT big enough for both of them). It was like we were involved in some sort of weird bad dating arrangement or junior high study hall so if during dinner calm conversation was made with one, the other was furious or would but in to try to deflect the conversation. This was a 6 week cruise. After the first week, we contacted a CC buddy and asked if please, could we join them for dinner. We then told the MDR staff we had met a friend on board and would not be sitting at the table for 6 any more, left tips and fled. Not as bad a notice as it sounds since many people were on wait list for assigned seating. The day after we failed to show for dinner, one of the women came to our cabin door and began knocking, then really loudly knocking, calling our names. For the rest of the cruise we actually looked down hallways and around the bars before entering. We saw one of the good MDR table servers on the Lido who told us since we'd left 2 other couples had come and gone from that table for 6. Worst thing? I ran into one of them - the ex-film person - coming in/out of the spa. She burst into tears, holding my hand, saying we were the only nice people she and her husband had met on the ship and now we were avoiding them. :eek: Tears flowed as (in my mind at least) 1000s of people walked by us sitting there, wondering (I supposed) what awful thing I had done to hurt this person. Awkward! margretha

[momofmeg]

Hi Momofmeg,

 

Haven't talked to you in a while. I'm having a health issue now, and will have surgery on August 1st. Is there a way I can email you? Thanks!

 

Sheri

 

this is why we need PMs here. plainjane1334@hotmail.com

[cybergidget]

about tables on cruise. And this is why we now do My Time Dining. We are seasoned cruisers and know that when you are assigned to a table during 1 of the main dining times, it is a roll of the dice. I think our worst experience was our sail on Enchantment. I'll never step on board that ship again. We had a table for 8: 2 lovely nurses who had both served in VN, the 2 of us, 2 GERMAN ?ladies?, and 1 single German journalist. Both of the Germans had married US soldiers. One was a widow, 1 was a version of Jaba the Hut. All began nicely but by the second night we could tell things were not going to go well. The 3 Germans redid the seating and split us off from the nurses. They then proceeded to take over the conversation in LOUD German. The next night we got there early and retook our seats next to the nurses. During a discussion of VN era vets and post VN issues, 1 of the loud Germans (70+years old) interrupted the conversation to tell us that her father fought in the war (and I'm not talking VN) but never got anything. I practically had to shove a napkin down my throat to stop myself from reminding her that they started WWII and lost. Needless to say, we changed tables at this point.

[shorbr]

this is why we need PMs here. plainjane1334@hotmail.com

 

Email sent!

[Kentchikan]

These weren't dining companions but they were obnoxious. They went to Crooners every night. A father and daughter. They were loud and rude and crude. I mean full tilt swearing using words that as they say would make a sailor blush. When they started talking people would quickly leave. One night the father said, "I can clear out a bar quicker than anyone on this ship."

We met one of the bartenders on a subsequent cruise and he was still talking about it.

If civility wasn't dead they certainly were trying to kill it.

[mopedmom1]

The only cruise we have been on was a group of 16 of us. Our evening meals were all wonderful spent catching up with our group.

 

On the last morning aboard my husband and I ate breakfast in the MDR. We were seated next to a gentleman slightly older than us who LOVED to talk. By the time our quick breakfast was over we knew ALL his children's names, ages and occupations, and where they resided, all his grandchildren's names and even heard about his daughter-in-laws fertility woes and subsequent miscarriage! TMI!!!

[momofmeg]

Email sent!

 

got it!