Terrible tablemates?

[LABCHICK]

After reading these stories I am scarred to death about our table mates on our upcoming cruise in Nov on NOS. This will be our very first cruise. We have requested a table for 8-10. I guess if there is a problem we will just request a table change. I really hope we have good tablemates as so many have had.:)

[trish1c]

You never know who you're going to get or how it will turn out.

 

On the 1st night of my 1st cruise, we were the "bad tablemates". We showed up late & intoxicated. Oooops. :o Teach me to drink in the sun after getting up before dawn to fly to the port. We also didn't know we were supposed to be on time; fortunately, the staff didn't delay the other couple's dinner. We thought the singing waiters were a conga line & joined it. :eek: Our table mates were really cool about it & laughed with us. They couldn't have thought we were too terrible becuase we all hung out for the rest of the cruise. :cool: The wait staff also thought we were a hoot.

 

On the last full day of the cruise, a woman came up to us in a bar & said she & her DH were seated at the table for 6 next to us & we always looked like we were having fun. At our long table for 6 only 4 people came to dinner every night. We had all commented that the table next to us never looked happy. This woman asked if we could sit in the empty seats closer to their table so they'd have someone to talk to because the were seated with a seasick couple & a couple who didn't speak English. Of course we moved. When the wait staff asked why we moved out of our "assigned seats" we explained about our new friends & the staff pushed both tables together. Everyone, including the couple who wasn't feeling well & the Germans had a great time. :D

 

The next cruise featured "freestyle dining". Sometimes we dined alone. Other times we sat with friends from these boards & twice we picked "a table to share". One night our table mates were nice enough but not big conversationalists. We asked a lot of questions but didn't always get answers. One night we sat with 2 other couples. One was lovely. The H in the other couple was over the top; he was abusive to everyone, especially his wife. When they left before dessert, we all breathed a hugh sigh of relief. It was funny to hear 4 people audibly exhale simultaneousy for the same reason. Unfortunately, the guy remembered me & would always make point to say hello for the rest of the cruise.

 

I would almost always want a big table to meet new friends. Do a search through these threads there are tips & conversation starters to keep the meal entertaining.

 

Enjoy.

[hermang]

After reading these stories I am scarred to death about our table mates on our upcoming cruise in Nov on NOS. This will be our very first cruise. We have requested a table for 8-10. I guess if there is a problem we will just request a table change. I really hope we have good tablemates as so many have had.:)

Think of your table mates as a cross between Jerry Springer, Dr. Phil and Oprah.

 

We never had really bad table mates in 10 cruises. Some were blowhards

trying to impress us with how much money they had - a few were newlyweds who were new to cruising and asked us for advice from what to do about sunburn and could they order something off the menu. Most were a load of fun. Never did make any lasting friendships despite exchanging email addresses.

[Merion_Mom]

After reading these stories I am scarred to death about our table mates on our upcoming cruise in Nov on NOS. This will be our very first cruise. We have requested a table for 8-10. I guess if there is a problem we will just request a table change. I really hope we have good tablemates as so many have had.:)

Hi, Telford, way up north of the city, from Merion, just west of the city,

 

LABCHICK, relax. Remember, the name of this thread is "Terrible Tablemates." People come on this thread to post about AWFUL experiences. Most people are very happy at their tables, or at least content. You will HAVE A BLAST, and EVERYONE in Telford will want to go cruising with you next time!

 

Carol

[krazy4kruzin]

Labchick,

 

What's your sailing date in Nov on the NOS? We're going Nov 5th and we're GREAT tablemates...4 of us. If we're on the same cruise we can look each other up! We have a thread going in Roll Calls.:)

[LABCHICK]

krazy4kruzin We are sailing on Nov. 12th on NOS. Sure sorry to miss you. I see your from Richmond. I went to college there. Graduated from MCV. I won't say how many years ago. Loved Richmond. Judi :)

[justaknucklehead]

We've always had wonderful table mates. Except for one couple that didn't appear at all after the first night. I guess they thought we were the awful tablemates, lol.

[Travelgrrl]

Hey Spoonlady, this was the thread you wanted!

 

See page 3. Love, EQ

[GCBCKat57]

Thank you all....I'm having the best time reading this thread. I am amazed at how obnoxious folks :eek: can be and think most of you have handled your tablemates-from-hell with good humor and grace. ;)

[telecruiser]

We did the Christmas cruise on Monarch last year and my wife and I were seated at a table for 10. The others were an older couple, a younger couple with two teenage boys, and a single woman with her teenage daughter. Well, all 3 kids were noisy, picky about the food and very demanding on the poor waiter. The mother of the 2 boys was picky, and the single woman kept arguing with her daughter. I wanted to switch tables, but my wife said that since the older couple was my parents, and the younger family was my brother and his wife and their sons, and the single woman was my sister with my neice, and we were all there for our parents' 50th anniversary, that I should probably just make the best of it.:)

[Merion_Mom]

telecruiser, pass the windex and the paper towels. (I just spit my water all over the keyboard and monitor)

 

Thanks for the laugh.

 

Carol

[jane02]

My husband to be is a Gynaecologist & I am a Midwife. I dread it when you meet people for the first time & they ask us what we do for a living. By the end of the night I am getting everyones birth story (usually all 18 hours of it) and breast feeding problems and my partner is hearing about rashes, itching - you name it!!:eek: :eek: Sort of puts you off your meal! But after all the horror stories I have been reading about with table companions, maybe I will store up a few gory tales if we get confronted with anyone too unpleasant - it might clear the table if I let loose!:D

Jane

PS We had lovely table companions on the Princess last year

[Legalgal]

Jane02, you should try to just lie about what you do for a living! Make up some esoteric, incredibly boring job and you will never be asked again. And you just have to go with the story for a short period of time! Just kidding!

 

I am a lawyer and I never want to tell people that while on vacation because I will inevitably be asked legal questions or be told some lawyer story or joke. Believe me, I have heard them ALL!! I just like to turn my legal mind off while on vacation. (Or, whenever I am away from my office!)

 

Last time on NOS in Sept 2003, as we were walking down to the first dinner, I told my BF that I wanted to tell people that I had some incredibly boring job that I did not want to discuss. Luckily, we got along with our tablemates so well and had so much to talk about that what we did for a living was NEVER brought up. I got the feeling that ALL of us wanted to just forget about our jobs for the week!

[Carl Lafong]

Legalgal,

I totally agree about lying about your profession. I'm in the fine dining restaurant business and as soon as I mention that I am bombarded with food questions and asked to critique everything that is brought to the table. Luckily on our last cruise on the Jewel that didn't happen because we were seated next to a chef and his wife (HI Cheryl & ED!!). It was great ... limited food conversations and more about the cruise, excursions and the ship, etc.

But on the other eight ... it got rough at times.

I think next time I'll say I'm with the Streets and Sanitation Dept. Road kill division.