How to get a table for 4 on Freedom.

[sbell1]

Sailing on Freedom of the seas with another couple. We have early(5:30) seating in the main dining room. Can I request a table for 4 through my TA or RC directly? Does the main dining room have tables for 4 or is my best bet to go ahead and request My time dining?

Edited June 20, 2015 by sbell1

[Clarea]

Sailing on Freedom of the seas with another couple. We have early(5:30) seating in the main dining room. Can I request a table for 4 through my TA or RC directly? Does the main dining room have tables for 4 or is my best bet to go ahead and request My time dining?

Make your request to rcldining@rccl.com about 3 weeks before the cruise.

[shellunderwater]

Make your request to rcldining@rccl.com about 3 weeks before the cruise.

 

Darn it Bob, I could have answered that one. I got the information from an expert!

 

:D

[sbell1]

Thanks for the info. We did table for two My Time last cruise. The tables are very close together. I like the main dining room, but I was not sure it had smaller tables for four.

 

So my plan will be to take your advice on the email.

[LizzieandLuke]

I requested a table for four for my family by emailing the rcldining@rccl.com and was disappointed to be seated at a table for eight (the other family never showed the first night). The dining room manager said that they don't always get the requests and I should have checked with her earlier that day. We were seated in the same spot the next night but the table for eight was changed to a table for four. No harm done and every effort was made to make sure I was happy but, next time I will make it a point to check in the afternoon the first day. It would have been awkward if that family showed up.

[cb at sea]

Awkward? No! It would have been fun! Table mates make dinner special....it's not just a time to eat!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Awkward? No! It would have been fun! Table mates make dinner special....it's not just a time to eat!

 

Exactly!

 

The only thing that makes the traditional cruise-style dining with other parties "awkward" is the attitude of people who don't want traditional cruising and choose to make a scene about sharing a table with others. (To the point that tables seem so close together because most main dining rooms were designed with the traditional model in mind and only a certain amount of square footage - the more people want their own special snowflake tables, the less room there will be between them - and consequently the more difficult for the servers to adequately serve all as they have to try and squeeze through ever shrinking aisles.)

Edited June 20, 2015 by WrittenOnYourHeart

[LizzieandLuke]

I would not have made a scene and I would have happily dined with them. It would have awkward because I would have still requested to dine with just my my family the next night. I am on vacation and prefer to dine with just my family.

 

I also have a special needs son who usually but doesn't always make the best dining companion and I wouldn't want strangers to deal that - they are on vacation too. Not that it was relevant to the original story, just thought I would share that you don't always know why someone has certain requests.

[Truluv]

Lizzie -

 

Exactly! We had enjoyed dining with others on our many cruises..until the cruise taken to bury my husband's ashes at sea. Our family was grieving, and socializing at dinner was the last thing on our minds. On one of our earlier cruises, my elderly father booked his first cruise with us. He had been diagnosed with a terminal illness. A cruise was on his bucket list, and he wanted to maximize time together. That cruise wasn't for the purpose of socializing, but to make special memories.

 

My point is that sometimes there are extremely good reasons why people don't want to eat with others. It's good not to judge others too quickly, since none of us know what's going on at that "private" table for 2, 4 or more.

[luvnola66]

Thank you for this information. I have a 15 yo daughter who is sensitive to smells and I would hate to tell other vacationers that they cannot order fish because my daughter will throw up.