Sitting with strangers in the MDR

[eurorivers2]

Hi sapphire,

We had a bad experience on board celebrity when we cruised to Alaska 2012.

We suffered from jetlag which took a couple of days for us to get over it.

When we finally went to the MDR we was met with a party of 8 who had been cruising together for a number of years.

The first thing they said was well where have you 2 been, and now its your turn to buy the wine :eek:.

We explained that we had took and payed for the drink package and so we was not interested.

They did not like this so they avoided talking to us and just talked amongst them selves.

We did not know much about cruising and dining, i will lay the blame on our TA who did not inform us or discuss dining times etc.

 

We tried to change tables but it was to late to do so.

 

The night before we left to disembark we did aquire a table for 2.

So be careful what you do.

Best wishes eurorivers2.

[Wayfairers]

Hi sapphire,

We had a bad experience on board celebrity when we cruised to Alaska 2012.

We suffered from jetlag which took a couple of days for us to get over it.

When we finally went to the MDR we was met with a party of 8 who had been cruising together for a number of years.

The first thing they said was well where have you 2 been, and now its your turn to buy the wine :eek:.

We explained that we had took and payed for the drink package and so we was not interested.

They did not like this so they avoided talking to us and just talked amongst them selves.

We did not know much about cruising and dining, i will lay the blame on our TA who did not inform us or discuss dining times etc.

 

We tried to change tables but it was to late to do so.

 

The night before we left to disembark we did aquire a table for 2.

So be careful what you do.

Best wishes eurorivers2.

 

 

How sad.....I will never understand the rudeness of people. Sorry to hear you were treated that way. We have been at tables where people didn't want to talk to us because we are younger than the typical long cruiser but then we just talked to each other and made our conversation so interesting some of the others were compelled to join. Lucky for us we were doing anytime dining and didn't get seated with this particular set of people again. That is another plus to anytime dining....when we saw one of the couples walking up to get seated a few nights later, we just asked to be sat at a table other than theirs.

[ducklite]

I never understood putting two people with a large party traveling together. Personally that is incompetent on the part of the dining room manager. Large parties should always be seated with just themselves, while couples or trios should be seated with one or two other couple/trio type combos.

 

If I was part of a large party and two strangers were randomly seated with us, I would imagine we would not be happy about it. We would feel that we had to include them in conversation which would completely change the metric.

[faroozi]

On our last cruise my husband and I were looking forward to meeting people at dinner. We were placed at a table for 4. The other couple was nice, but having only one other couple was awkward. Especially because each night they came later and later. The first night we waited, but after that we didn't because our wait staff didn't. The second night they arrived halfway through appetizers, then as we were ordering our entree, then halfway eating our entree, then ordering dessert. The last night they didn't come til we started dessert. I would have much rather they have found a different seat than making us feel awkward and feel like they didn't like us. Plus it was awkward with our wait staff because I felt like they got to know us, but not the other couple. But it was like we had a table for two by the end of the cruise, almost! And we are good at entertaining ourselves. We are just glad we are traveling with a group this next time so we won't have a small table.

[AussieOmni]

Not showing up at the assigned time puts the rest of your table in an awkward situation. I recommend requesting a table to yourselves or opting for Anytime Dining.

 

Just FYI, Anytime Dining is often used as a generic term on these boards. ;)

 

So here's what I think the solution is. Asking the Maitre'd when on board for our own table. And then I'm guessing if that is not possible just asking to switch to Anytime Dining. Would there be no issue with that?

 

Thanks everyone for your help! I am exceptionally naive with all of this.

[dateacher]

Not that you need any more posts on this topic but ATD (at least on HAL) isn't going anywhere. On the two cruises we have been involved with on HAL (one August, one coming up), the assigned table option was no longer available when we booked.

 

It wasn't a problem because we prefer ATD. We don't like to feel we have to eat at the same time every night. We ended up at the same table for two every night with the same couple next to us. It was nice because we could talk when we wanted and just be alone when we didn't. In addition, if we had found people during the cruise we wanted to eat with, we could always ask for a larger table.

[AussieOmni]

So we just decided to switch to Anytime Dining, think that'll be best for us.

[indigosails]

We like a big table. Last cruise we had a couple of Brits, two pairs of Aussies, a Scottish couple, and us Yanks, and with the accents we couldn't understand anyone! It was hilarious!

[AussieOmni]

Well I'm Australian and my wife is American so that works out!

[michmike2]

we are 2 couples who travel together. He and I have been buddies since we were teens 50+ yrs ago. We always ask our TA to try to get us a table for 8 or 10, but failing that, NOT to get us a table for 6. It is just too uncomfortable for the couple who get seated w/ us and while we do our best to make them feel welcome, it's just not ideal for them. So she gets us either a 4 top or 8 or more. an only imagine it is even worse if 2 are seated w/ a group of 8 that all know ea other.

 

As for strangers.. well they don't come any stranger than us w/ our rubber chickens and screaming, flying monkeys *L*

[Winnie Witch]

If you are going to eat in the MDR you should eat there every night! You will be given the same table with the same wait staff. It would be upsetting for them if you only ate there once or twice. If you have dietary needs the hostess will bring the next night's menu to you and can explain with is in the food there. She will take your order for the next night. Then the next night they will bring you whatever you ordered. And the waiter will know and can also help you. I think this would be harder for tem and you if you ate at a different table with different wait staff each night with anytime dining.

This is not like a restaurant. You go ON time - not whenever you feel like it!Why do you think you wouldn't want to eat there every night. If you don't eat there then you would eat in the buffet. This is self serve and the food is not the same. (They never have lobster on 1st formal night.)

The maître'd will be in one restaurant usually at 1 or 2 PM for dining room requests. If you want to do anytime, speak to him then and he may be able to move you.

 

Apologies to everyone as this is a post from last year,,,but I couldn't let it pass without commenting,,,What a ridiculous concept,,It reminds me of a passenger who said that she wouldn't eat anywhere else other than the MDR out of respect for her table companions, Who's holiday is it ? Thank goodness that we frequent the various dining options and ask for a table for 2 when in the MDR,,,I would really hate to share a table with someone

like you

[Floridiana]

There is fixed dining where you should show up at the same time as the other diners at your table. Same table, same waiter, same companions every night. If you can't make it, you should inform your table mates and the maître d'.

 

Then there is anytime dining where you show up any time you like within the time frame when the dining room is open. You will be asked whether you are willing to share the table with other people. You can dine at a table for 2 or you will dine with different people each night unless you form a group ahead of time and meet at the entrance.

 

Choose the option you like. Some ships only have fixed dining, some ships only have anytime dining (for example NCL, Oceania), some do a mixture (HAL). I did not like the fixed dining we had on Princess ships. One disadvantage was that some people never showed up and we were sitting alone at a large table. We finally formed one table with the people next to us who had also been sitting at a half empty table.

[kimlovesfl]

On our first cruise last year, we always ate at a table for two; this year, to avoid waiting forever for a table (we had Select Dining and Anytime Dining both times, not ones to pigeonhole ourselves into a set dining time), we ate with others all nights but one, and had some really interesting conversations and met some nice people. I work at a theme park, I am around thousands of people every day, I am an introvert and usually feel uncomfortable talking to strangers, but I actually enjoyed this. Most people wanted to talk food when they found out my husband is a chef, and we got a lot of questions about our place of employment. I recommend giving it a try at least once. And, we never ate with the same people more than twice.

[vacation luvver]

There is fixed dining where you should show up at the same time as the other diners at your table. Same table, same waiter, same companions every night. If you can't make it, you should inform your table mates and the maître d'.

I guess it was a good thing that my traveling companion and I had anytime dining on the two cruises in which we took a ship's excursion and got back to the ship extremely late, several hours after the ship was supposed to set sail. And the dining room was already closed when we got back. I don't know how we would have been able to notify our table mates and the maitre d' if we had had fixed dining that we wouldn't be showing up. How would you suggest that people notify their table mates and the maitre d' in such a situation if they had fixed dining?

[Cruisin' Chick]

I guess it was a good thing that my traveling companion and I had anytime dining on the two cruises in which we took a ship's excursion and got back to the ship extremely late, several hours after the ship was supposed to set sail. And the dining room was already closed when we got back. I don't know how we would have been able to notify our table mates and the maitre d' if we had had fixed dining that we wouldn't be showing up. How would you suggest that people notify their table mates and the maitre d' in such a situation if they had fixed dining?

 

If you know there's a possibility that you might be missing your seating the next night, you can just say so. Many times our tablemates have said they're eating in port or eating in a specialty restaurant the next night. One time we didn't make it to our table once on a 15-night cruise when our daughter was feeling iffy, so we ate in the buffet. That was very last minute so I'm guessing that everyone at our table figured we weren't coming as we're pretty punctual.

 

The one time we had anytime, we were seated with others who had already placed their order, and that made serving very awkward. I prefer traditional as it has never been awkward. And if someone hasn't ordered a course, no problem, they'll just carry the conversation or have another roll.

[ray8905]

seems like most like dining with strangers. If it is so great why don't local restaurants set up communal dining? I like keeping it with family, after all we have been around others all day on excursions and it is nice to sit alone and talk about our days experiences

[GUT2407]

seems like most like dining with strangers. If it is so great why don't local restaurants set up communal dining? I like keeping it with family, after all we have been around others all day on excursions and it is nice to sit alone and talk about our days experiences

 

 

Some do.

 

We prefer a table for 2 simply because we don't get enough time together anyway, but maybe we're lucky because after about 35 years we still like each other's company. We are hoping to do a 75 nighter next year and are discussing if we want a table for 2 for that one [i think the answer is actually yes].

[April7901]

As a solo traveler... I would rather order room service every night than be forced to sit at a table with strangers at any meal. Fortunately I've never had the experience, as I've only cruised NCL. I vacation to escape people - forced small talk and group experiences stress me out. A lot. Getting through excursions takes enough out of me.

 

That said, I do occasionally get pulled into conversations around me. Last year on embarkation day, I had a great time seated next to a couple visiting their daughter, whose husband was a Blue Man on the ship. However I don't think I talked to another soul for the rest of my meals.

 

Pure. Bliss. ;)

[GUT2407]

As a solo traveler... I would rather order room service every night than be forced to sit at a table with strangers at any meal. Fortunately I've never had the experience, as I've only cruised NCL. I vacation to escape people - forced small talk and group experiences stress me out. A lot. Getting through excursions takes enough out of me.

 

That said, I do occasionally get pulled into conversations around me. Last year on embarkation day, I had a great time seated next to a couple visiting their daughter, whose husband was a Blue Man on the ship. However I don't think I talked to another soul for the rest of my meals.

 

Pure. Bliss. ;)

 

 

I know I am showing my ignorance but what is a "Blue Man", not a term I've heard before.

[norfolk53golf]

From the Blue Man Group, entertainers on the ship. My wife and I much prefer to sit with others. We get to meet heaps of new people and have struck up frindships with many. We are in Australia and keep in touch occasionally with those we have met on our US cruises

[GUT2407]

From the Blue Man Group, entertainers on the ship. My wife and I much prefer to sit with others. We get to meet heaps of new people and have struck up frindships with many. We are in Australia and keep in touch occasionally with those we have met on our US cruises

 

Thanks don't do many shows the flashing lights do her head in.

 

We too have met many we have stayed in touch with, from all over the world, sometimes we even break our habits and join others for diner.

[Hlitner]

Guess DW and I have a minority point of view. Having spent nearly 4 years as passengers on an awful lot of cruises ranging from 7 days to 62 days we always prefer to share large tables. What usually starts out as strangers often ends up as a table of new friends (some of whom have remained friends for over thirty years). DW and I generally do the Anytime Dining schemes so once in a while (rarely) we might actually ask for a 2 top.

 

Last year while on a 14 day Celebrity cruise we were sitting at a bar in the atrium having our pre dinner cocktails. In about a 10 minute period 4 or 5 couples came up to say hi and ask what time we were dining that evening (we agreed to meet one of the couples for dinner and shared a table of 8 with 4 "stranger"). After a few minutes a nice young couple sitting next to us at the bar ask DW how we knew so many people...and wanted to know if we were traveling as part of a group. DW told them that all those folks were just people we had met the previous few days during dinner. The couple seemed surprised and said they always eat a 2 top since they really do not know what to say to strangers. At the time we thought it sounded a bit sad.

 

If you look around a MDR there are always a few tables where folks are chatting, smiling, and laughing..and often one of the last tables to leave the MDR. Our goal is to always be at that table.

 

Hank

[Winnie Witch]

There is fixed dining where you should show up at the same time as the other diners at your table. Same table, same waiter, same companions every night. If you can't make it, you should inform your table mates and the maître d'.

 

Then there is anytime dining where you show up any time you like within the time frame when the dining room is open. You will be asked whether you are willing to share the table with other people. You can dine at a table for 2 or you will dine with different people each night unless you form a group ahead of time and meet at the entrance.

 

Choose the option you like. Some ships only have fixed dining, some ships only have anytime dining (for example NCL, Oceania), some do a mixture (HAL). I did not like the fixed dining we had on Princess ships. One disadvantage was that some people never showed up and we were sitting alone at a large table. We finally formed one table with the people next to us who had also been sitting at a half empty table.

 

Having cruised fifteen times I'm perfectly aware of how it works.

If we have dined on a big table we have always informed our waiters if we had chosen to dine at another venue for any of the evenings during our cruise.

We have had some mixed experiences when dining on an 8 , including a Scotsman who wanted to re-organise the seating arrangement's each evening Someone who produced a laptop at the table and a diabetic woman who chose to inject insulin at the table, and not discreetly either.

The last time we sailed with RCI we were sat with a huge American woman who declared each night that she wasn't hungry and then proceeded to order several starters as well as the main courses,,,dinner was a loooong event , We chose to dine elsewhere after 3 nights of this.

[babs135]

We have been so lucky - 10 cruises all with traditional dining and always had fantastic dining companions (apart from the last cruise where on a table of 9 all of us intensely disliked one couple who had already moved from one table and after 7 nights with us requested to move again!!)

 

We still keep in touch with some of our travelling companions and hope to be able to find a cruise that we can all do together.

[SuiteTraveler]

Having cruised fifteen times I'm perfectly aware of how it works.

If we have dined on a big table we have always informed our waiters if we had chosen to dine at another venue for any of the evenings during our cruise.

We have had some mixed experiences when dining on an 8 , including a Scotsman who wanted to re-organise the seating arrangement's each evening Someone who produced a laptop at the table and a diabetic woman who chose to inject insulin at the table, and not discreetly either.

The last time we sailed with RCI we were sat with a huge American woman who declared each night that she wasn't hungry and then proceeded to order several starters as well as the main courses,,,dinner was a loooong event , We chose to dine elsewhere after 3 nights of this.

 

WOW! These are some of the WORST experiences I've heard of! I can't imagine some of this behavior...and yet...I can! ;) We've been lucky as far as traditional dining goes and mostly gotten nice dining companions.

 

I am perplexed about the woman who injected insulin. Usually that is done 1 hour to 15 minutes BEFORE you eat or with fast acting 15 minutes before and up to 1 hour after you eat, so not sure why she would do that at the table at all.