How do they choose dinner companions?

[queenerin]

I've been told it's by age and the group you're sailing with. (Married couples, vs. single cruisers)

 

The only time I've been with a group small enough that we were seated with other cruisers...I was with my mom and my grandmother. The ladies they sat us with were a daughter, mother, and grandmother. So it seemed pretty perfectly matched.

[evandbob]

I do have to say that I don't like the random seating at breakfast in the MDR. I can't tell you how many times the person I'm seated next to has decided that they don't need to brush their teeth before they eat breakfast. Totally gross!

 

Yep, sometimes we got stuck with someone who asked to say grace before we ate, and 5 minutes later was still saying grace......I just started eating anyway at that point. The preacher probably thought I was rude, but hey I didn't consent to hear a speech.......

[Bunkie103]

About 10 years ago I did a CTN with my DD were were about 55 and 35 at the time and since she was married we had different last names. They sat us with two young men who were given the cruise as a college graduation gift by their parents. They were the most immature college grads I have ever met. Their whole objective on this 2 day cruise was to see how drunk they could get and drink "red bull" at the same time to stay awake! We were speechless! After dinner the first night my DD said she felt like she was on "a blind date gone bad".

 

We have been lucky on other cruises and been seated at large tables with interesting couples and had a lot of fun.

 

Now that CCL offers YTD DH and I always choose that option with a table for two. It's just the way we like it.

[KatieCharlotte]

When we cruise as a family of five, we're always alone. But when DH and I cruised alone, we were placed at a table with a young honeymoon couple, at least ten years younger than us. They didn't believe in drinking alcohol for religious reasons. DH doesn't drink and I just like to get one cocktail per cruise, so they didn't have to be uncomfortable dining with people who were drinking. We're still figure out how Carnival managed that. My parents have also had some excellent dinner companions over the years who have interesting things in common with them and no terrible matches, so if it's random I'd say it's usually pretty lucky.

 

I just hope that when I cruise with friends they don't assume we're all single and match us with men. My husband would probably find it funny, but we're all the type to be easily embarrassed and we're looking for a break from men and children. Please not a family with kids either. Please tell me we'll probably get a four-top.

[LadyDAC]

We've had two cruises with late seating and two with YTD. On the first late dining cruise we were celebrating our 25th anniversary and they paired us with two couples who were on their honeymoon but both couples were older and I think it was a second marriage for both couples. The fourth couple didn't show up until the last night and I think they were on their honeymoon as well. We ll got along really well. On the second late dining cruise we were paired with two other couples about our age and who lived about 50 miles or so from us. The fourth couple at the table were a little older and didn't live close to any of us at all. We got along well enough although there were definitely some differences in political leanings and causes. :o

[MomofTheBoy]

Since it's just my little guy and I, I hope to be seated with other families.

[golfadj]

I do have to say that I don't like the random seating at breakfast in the MDR. I can't tell you how many times the person I'm seated next to has decided that they don't need to brush their teeth before they eat breakfast. Totally gross!

 

Gross I agree but guess I dont look that closely at people accross a table.

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

As a solo male traveler, I have been seated at a large table with all women.....;)

 

Haha lol, I didn't get that lucky when I cruised solo. I was with a few other solo cruisers but none in my age range sadly. They were very interesting people but not interested in that romance thing. I had more luck with meeting single girls in the hot tub and in the lido food lines. :) Maybe next time.

[pearose]

Is there any way to request before hand, a table for 5? We have 2 cabins/bookings that are linked. It will be myself, my daughter and her boyfriend, my son and his girlfriend. We really would prefer to be seated at a table by ourselves if possible. Can we request that now, or do we have to just wait til we board, find our seating and request it then if we want something different?

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

It's hit or miss with my dinner experiences. I usually cruise with my mom and we usually are seated with families or other parent/kid groupings. Sometimes we have a solo seated with us, go figure. We have had some great times and some horrible. My favorite was probably when we were at the 10 top a few years ago on a cruise out of SJU and were seated with a family with adult children from Ponce and a few friends traveling together from Memphis. Lot of fun. Everyone showed up every night and we had a grand old time. The wait staff sucked but that happens sometimes. I have been at ten top tables where nobody else showed up on any of the nights. Huh? Some people try the mdr, find out they don't like it and don't come back but to not try it at all? Especially seeing how bad the lido dinner buffet has gotten but whatever. I find that on the longer sailings peolle tend to make a bigger deal of dinner and usually the dining experience is much more fun than the 4 day ones where it seems a lot of people don't care about the mdr. Either way, if you don't like where you're seated or who you're seated with, I have never had a problem with having the maitre d move us somewhere else for the rest of the cruise.

[YB Nrml]

Gross I agree but guess I dont look that closely at people accross a table.

 

Ummm, not the sight but the smell when they talk or laugh, UGH! And I'm talking someone who's sitting right next to me.

Edited September 22, 2014 by YB Nrml

[misstiffany]

On a last minute cruise on the Paradise in May, myself and my boyfriend (ages 29 & 34) were seated with 2 other unmarried couples. Both were under age 30, and we were all from the south - Florida and Georgia. It worked out well. I'm assuming Carnival planned it that way.

 

I did feel bad for the wait staff though...once all the men (or maybe Pigs would be a better word) realized you could literally order as much food as you want, they started ordering 3 apps and 3 entrees each and putting them at the center of the table for everyone to pick at. :rolleyes:. I don't think any of the guys, my boyfriend included, would have acted that way if they had been seated with a group of elderly folks or a family.

[golfadj]

Is there any way to request before hand, a table for 5? We have 2 cabins/bookings that are linked. It will be myself, my daughter and her boyfriend, my son and his girlfriend. We really would prefer to be seated at a table by ourselves if possible. Can we request that now, or do we have to just wait til we board, find our seating and request it then if we want something different?

 

Wait till you board and if not happy see the MD during his hours

[golfadj]

Ummm, not the sight but the smell when they talk or laugh, UGH! And I'm talking someone who's sitting right next to me.

 

Wow that is gross.:(

[Pellaz]

Is there any way to request before hand, a table for 5? We have 2 cabins/bookings that are linked. It will be myself, my daughter and her boyfriend, my son and his girlfriend. We really would prefer to be seated at a table by ourselves if possible. Can we request that now, or do we have to just wait til we board, find our seating and request it then if we want something different?

 

Yes, you can email the maitre'd for your ship before your cruise (2-3 weeks before is best) and request that your bookings be merged. I've done this before and, although I did not get an acknowledgement back from him, the request was handled perfectly. We even got a window table, and I'd only jokingly asked for one. :)

 

The email address is XXmaitrd@carnival.com where XX is your ship's two-letter code.

Don't know the code? Neither do I, offhand. :)

It's often -- but not always -- the first two letters of your ship's name. The list HAS been posted in this forum before, though, so a search should turn it up.

[pearose]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate this. I will do this for sure! We will be on the Magic.

 

 

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[092306]

I think there were 2 cruises early on where've were well matched with table mates and had a good experience. After a few cruises thereafter of really awkward pairings, we went for anytime dining and never looked back. We've even met some nice people that way since the tables are so close.

 

I completely agree about the breakfast. Last thing I want to do first thing in the morning is have breakfast with strangers and I agree too about the unfortunate lapses in hygiene out there. Yuck.

[FSRoberts]

Yes, you can email the maitre'd for your ship before your cruise (2-3 weeks before is best) and request that your bookings be merged. I've done this before and, although I did not get an acknowledgement back from him, the request was handled perfectly. We even got a window table, and I'd only jokingly asked for one. :)

 

The email address is XXmaitrd@carnival.com where XX is your ship's two-letter code.

Don't know the code? Neither do I, offhand. :)

It's often -- but not always -- the first two letters of your ship's name. The list HAS been posted in this forum before, though, so a search should turn it up.

 

I just did this yesterday for my cruise departing Saturday, and got an almost immediate reply. I had requested a table for 2 for our honeymoon. For a change I won't feel my Maitre D's tip is going nowhere.

 

The code can be tricky. Spirit and Splendor, for example, would have the same one, so they are away from that convention (Splendor being SL, for instance).

[jaxterry]

We are Platinum Carnival and this is by far our favorite line. When we used to take scheduled dining, and we were in our 50s then, we were once seated for a 7 night cruise with a table with a couple and their five kids! The 5 year old twins spent the first dinner playing under the table and the rest were teen agers. We both thought this would be terrible, but we ended up liking the family so much that we went snorkeling together on shore, met up with them several times on the ship, etc. and ate dinner together every night. You never know!

 

Now we are newly retired and like to go Sept and Jan, when there are frankly less kids. (Unless we bring our own grandkids). We do Your Time Dining because some times you return from port, skipped lunch, and are starving by 5pm and other times we prefer the gym early and then dinner after 8. So it depends. We sail this Sat. on the Freedom 8 nights and will try the Taste Bar where you can get a little something early and then still eat dinner late.

[YB Nrml]

We are Platinum Carnival and this is by far our favorite line. When we used to take scheduled dining, and we were in our 50s then, we were once seated for a 7 night cruise with a table with a couple and their five kids! The 5 year old twins spent the first dinner playing under the table and the rest were teen agers. We both thought this would be terrible, but we ended up liking the family so much that we went snorkeling together on shore, met up with them several times on the ship, etc. and ate dinner together every night. You never know!

 

Now we are newly retired and like to go Sept and Jan, when there are frankly less kids. (Unless we bring our own grandkids). We do Your Time Dining because some times you return from port, skipped lunch, and are starving by 5pm and other times we prefer the gym early and then dinner after 8. So it depends. We sail this Sat. on the Freedom 8 nights and will try the Taste Bar where you can get a little something early and then still eat dinner late.

 

We'll be with you on Saturday! We did the taste bar a couple of cruises ago, don't expect it to hold you over for very long, basically the size of hors dourves and you get just two. On our last cruise it never seemed to be open. :confused:

[jaxterry]

Looking forward to the cruise. Are you signed up for cruise critic events? We are for the first meet and greet and two cocktail parties in the Deck 5 aft bar. See you!

[YB Nrml]

Looking forward to the cruise. Are you signed up for cruise critic events? We are for the first meet and greet and two cocktail parties in the Deck 5 aft bar. See you!

 

No, we backed out of the roll call due to everything being planned on the site we can't mention. We aren't signed up on that site and I asked repeatedly to be kept in the loop. By the time anything was posted on roll call it was all filled up. No worries though, we'll have an awesome time, we always do!

[bplazo]

So funny. On our first carnival cruise my husband and another guy at our table knew some of the same people.