What do you like and/or dislike about sharing a table with strangers?

[justanegirl]

Always enjoyed it until last cruise. Sat with a family from China all they did was talk on their phones and want to talk about our politics. Would not stop asking questions till I asked them so.... how do you like your politics.....

 

 

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[afwminseattle]

wait what ? Carnival is trying to only make your bed once a day ? Now that's reason enough to avoid them going forward. TIC for those with no sarcasm meter

[Hlitner]

Always enjoyed it until last cruise. Sat with a family from China all they did was talk on their phones and want to talk about our politics. Would not stop asking questions till I asked them so.... how do you like your politics.....

 

 

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That is why we always do the open sitting schemes (slightly different on different lines). If we get that kind of table...we will avoid that couple in the future. That being said, I do have a pet peeve about folks using a cell phone at the table. If it more then an incidental thing (such as to quickly glance at the phone) we will often excuse ourselves...after quietly explaining that we do not dine with cell phones and prefer people. On a cruise we simply go to the maitre'd's table and ask to be seated elsewhere (quietly explaining why). Some might call us rude....but we think the real rudeness is using cell phones at the dinner table. In fact, we do not even do this in our own home. As to politics, we usually try to avoid the topic at dinner tables. It is usually not difficult to change the subject...and most folks get the hint.

 

However, there are sometimes when general political discussions can be enlightening. Especially when dealing with folks from other countries...who are often just curious about our system. Last summer, in the heat of the US Election cycle, we cruised on the Oosterdam with a lot of Dutch and Brits. Quite a few wanted to ask us to explain our Electoral College System, and how it came to be....and we were more then happy to oblige.

 

Hank

[the mistral wind]

wait what ? Carnival is trying to only make your bed once a day ? Now that's reason enough to avoid them going forward. TIC for those with no sarcasm meter

That's fine but i hope the attendants check in with folks periodically to see if they need anything else. Like towels or other things

[Beachdude]

Can never understand the need to rush a meal, unless one is desperate to get to a show. The idea of getting in and out of the mdr in less than an hour, even when eating as a couple, makes no sense. Choosing from the menu, making a choice of wine, savouring the food and drink, needs to be savoured and enjoyed. Who wants to stuff down a 4 course meal and drink half a bottle of wine in 40 minutes?

We agree wholeheartedly. We enjoy our evening meal as social event, not a gas-n-go fill-up. But it's not the American way. Which is why many believe that the Cruise industry is going toward switching out the MDR to a high end buffet. Buffets require less staff and a better process for the eat and go lifestyle. Specialty restaurants are provided to passengers willing to pay extra for a meal at a leisure pace with elegant service.

 

Burt

[luvtheships]

That is why we always do the open sitting schemes (slightly different on different lines). If we get that kind of table...we will avoid that couple in the future. That being said, I do have a pet peeve about folks using a cell phone at the table. If it more then an incidental thing (such as to quickly glance at the phone) we will often excuse ourselves...after quietly explaining that we do not dine with cell phones and prefer people. On a cruise we simply go to the maitre'd's table and ask to be seated elsewhere (quietly explaining why). Some might call us rude....but we think the real rudeness is using cell phones at the dinner table. In fact, we do not even do this in our own home. As to politics, we usually try to avoid the topic at dinner tables. It is usually not difficult to change the subject...and most folks get the hint.

 

However, there are sometimes when general political discussions can be enlightening. Especially when dealing with folks from other countries...who are often just curious about our system. Last summer, in the heat of the US Election cycle, we cruised on the Oosterdam with a lot of Dutch and Brits. Quite a few wanted to ask us to explain our Electoral College System, and how it came to be....and we were more then happy to oblige.

 

Hank

 

 

 

Lol hank you are probably in the minority of Americans that understand the system

 

Oh wait...let's add to that...your family...my family...and some cc posters....

 

 

 

 

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[justanegirl]

So agree with cell phone only use mine on a ship is for photos. I'm more than fine about political questions but no matter how we changed the subject we ended up back to it. So we did asked to be moved to a table for two. This up and coming trip will be table for two! And I love to chat with people but not wanting that to happen again!

 

 

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[Beachdude]

So agree with cell phone only use mine on a ship is for photos. I'm more than fine about political questions but no matter how we changed the subject we ended up back to it. So we did asked to be moved to a table for two. This up and coming trip will be table for two! And I love to chat with people but not wanting that to happen again!

 

 

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I can see this happening with my retired dad. All he wants to do is talk politics, so the family plays dodge grandpa at all our gatherings.

 

Burt

[justanegirl]

Aww that's sad but understandable!

 

 

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[Cruisercl]

Am I the bad guy if I reach for the bread or sip my wine while four strangers at the table are joining hands and chanting?

 

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Oh my gosh, no you aren't the bad guy.

I was thinking the same thing. I would just start eating as that would be my ritual.

 

I often ignore others' behaviors during dinner; some of which are mentioned in this post. :)

Then I would need to make the decision if I want to return to the table the next day.

[justanegirl]

Wow that happen to me too the whole table was in prayer. Very nice family but boy did they have the rose colored glasses on. Home schooled their children and was sending their son off to college. Need I say more?

 

 

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[the mistral wind]

We agree wholeheartedly. We enjoy our evening meal as social event, not a gas-n-go fill-up. But it's not the American way. Which is why many believe that the Cruise industry is going toward switching out the MDR to a high end buffet. Buffets require less staff and a better process for the eat and go lifestyle. Specialty restaurants are provided to passengers willing to pay extra for a meal at a leisure pace with elegant service.

 

Burt

I hope this isn't happening. I do not want to pay for a speciality restaurant. I like the MDR i enjoy the service and being waited on i do not want to go through a line to pick up my dinner. I will actually reconsider my vacationing by cruise ship if this practice is ever implemented on any ship or cruise line . As you can see i have cruised most of my adult life more than once a year . This would be terrible if they charge for MDR or they take away table service for a so called upscale restaurant for which you pay extra. BOO:evilsmile:;p

[baileybrad]

My wife and I first cruised back in 1994. I remember our table mates quite clearly. We were able to cruise three more times before we started having children. We did slip in one three day cruise when we were pregnant with our 3rd child. We left our two older boys with grandparents.

 

We "resumed" cruising as a vacation choice in 2011. We have been fortunate to go on five cruises with our sons. We vacation with our kids unless something extraordinary prevents that. The boys were 8, 11, and 14 when they went on their first cruises. We leave on another one this Saturday, 7/22. They will be 14, 17, and 19 (turning 20 on the cruise).

 

When were first cruised we were assigned a table with other folks. We would see tables with 2 folks, 4 folks, etc. We enjoyed our table of 8 people. It was fun to hear about how many cruises people had been on and their experiences, opinions of the other cruise lines, we shared what we had done or were planning to do in the ports as the week went on, etc. People shared facts about themselves, etc. It was something to look forward to each night. Of those first five cruises, I remember the faces of all those people. There was a very famous doctor, his wife and 2 daughters (we found out later that he was famous, my wife was in the medical field and saw an article about him in Time Magazine later after our cruise) on our first cruise. He was so kind helping a young couple with the pronunciation of some of the more exotic items on the Celebrity menu in such a kind, self depreciating way. His wife was so full of herself.....she was running for a council position in Marin County but it was entertaining to us. It was like dinner and a movie. We had 2 great couples on another cruise that we loved sharing all the crazy mistakes that we had made in our pasts. On another cruise, a lovely German couple (he spoke great English, she very little) who we had really good times with at dinner. On that cruise there was Ken and Barbie (not their real names) who were gorgeous people who were dating and fed each other each night. They got really sunburned one day in Cozumel and did not make it to dinner. We found out that our German friends thought it was as hilarious as we did that K&B feed each other. The other two of our early cruises were three dayers. I do not remember as much about the 3 dayers but I do know that we laughed as hard as we ever have in our lives on the last one we went on when my wife was pregnant. We were four couples (three of them knew each other) who had left our youngish kids at home. We just had so many things in common with each other. We would laugh so hard about and at things that we had experienced regarding our kids, marriages, dating, college, etc. These cruises were really before things such as my time dining, etc. We sat with the folks that the cruise line put us with and the line did great by us.

 

When we cruised for the first time with the boys "my time" was getting going but we chose the traditional dining. We sat with the Gambini family (feel free to write your own joke but that was their name) from Long Island and learned a new term from Mrs.Gambini that our boys still say to this day...."not worth the calories". The boys got to see Mr.Gambini shut down his son, Christopher's, bar bill down for over use. Lots of great belly laughs with the Gambinis. We have since cruised four more times with the boys. We had the family from Ohio (very odd family and it made for some interesting conversations, they had named their son Cayman because that was where he was conceived, seriously, TMI) a family from Denver (that was a New Year's Cruise and each night was a great time at dinner), oddly enough we dined with a family from South Carolina (they only lived about 70 miles from us) and that was the least fun we ever had at dinner with another family (we found them to be nice but other than their teenage daughter, she was very funny, they were boring to us, they also had an older teenage son who only came to a couple of the meals. Our sons saw him around the ship and all three agreed that he was to put it kindly a jerk, lots of smoking and cursing out of his very religious parent's eye sight).

 

On our last cruise, we would up for the first time sitting at 6 person table just for the 5 of us. At first we were a tad disappointed because other than the stops.......we find the most fun for our family (our boys still talk about the families that we have dined with---the good and bad) is our meals at night on the ship. We all enjoyed spending the quality time with each other on that trip at dinner last December on the FOS. BUT the funny thing and it started on the trip before that one....the boys now ask if they can be excused after our meal is pretty much done so they can go off and meet friends that they have made on the cruise.

 

Kind of that circle of life thing.

 

We leave on the AOS out of San Juan this coming Saturday (7/22) and the boys have been talking about who we might end up with at dinner already.

 

Sorry for writing a book, but it really help me answer your question:

 

What we like is meeting different people and getting to hear their stories. I suppose sitting with a boring family (sorry that sounds mean) and ditto for another family who might find us boring too would be a downside for us or them.

 

This thread went a little religious....it is funny we pray as a family at home before meals. But we not do that to another family in public. Our boys do a quick silent pray before they eat most anything. Maybe that is a simple southern thing. It is so quick most would not even notice.

Edited July 19, 2017 by baileybrad

[Beachdude]

I hope this isn't happening. I do not want to pay for a speciality restaurant. I like the MDR i enjoy the service and being waited on i do not want to go through a line to pick up my dinner. I will actually reconsider my vacationing by cruise ship if this practice is ever implemented on any ship or cruise line . As you can see i have cruised most of my adult life more than once a year . This would be terrible if they charge for MDR or they take away table service for a so called upscale restaurant for which you pay extra. BOO:evilsmile:;p

 

Well get ready to be called names by the "it's my vacation" loyalist.

 

The cruise lines have been chipping away traditional cruise amenities for over 15 years. You are just finding your tipping point.

 

On the bright side, contentious forum discussions of MDR dress codes will likely go away because there won't be any.

 

Burt

[the mistral wind]

Well get ready to be called names by the "it's my vacation" loyalist.

 

The cruise lines have been chipping away traditional cruise amenities for over 15 years. You are just finding your tipping point.

 

On the bright side, contentious forum discussions of MDR dress codes will likely go away because there won't be any.

 

Burt

It is funny Burt, but it is not funny at the same time. I really hope that this won't happen. I really think the MDR is a large part of the cruise experience that i enjoy. Husband likes the buffet lines. i would really miss be waited on in the dining room. The dress code is not as important to me but i can understand why some people like to dress up. living in Florida everything is casual. I do sometimes like to dress up and see my husband in a suit is also nice once in awhile. But the MDR must stay . I really am pretty easy going and understand how business affects the amenities. However this is really ridiculous and yes it would be the tipping point for us.:loudcry:

[bUU]

The cruise lines have been chipping away traditional cruise amenities for over 15 years.

I think it is a mistake to overlook how the cruise lines have been growing luxury brands that specifically foster those traditional cruise amenities. The industry is broadening, so the product is differentiating into vertical market segments. If you like the traditional cruise amenities, simply choose the cruise lines that the industry is now offering that have those amenities. CCL, for example, has Seabourn.

[the mistral wind]

I think it is a mistake to overlook how the cruise lines have been growing luxury brands that specifically foster those traditional cruise amenities. The industry is broadening, so the product is differentiating into vertical market segments. If you like the traditional cruise amenities, simply choose the cruise lines that the industry is now offering that have those amenities. CCL, for example, has Seabourn.

I think we are talking about basic cruise amenities not anything special or traditional luxury. MDR is a basic amenity

[Beachdude]

I think it is a mistake to overlook how the cruise lines have been growing luxury brands that specifically foster those traditional cruise amenities. The industry is broadening, so the product is differentiating into vertical market segments. If you like the traditional cruise amenities, simply choose the cruise lines that the industry is now offering that have those amenities. CCL, for example, has Seabourn.

Ah, "it's my vacation". It's easy to brush off folks loyal to a brand as stubborn or single minded, but the brand should at least be honest in their vision.

 

Cruise lines developed a following from their previous experiences. I might agree with you if Cruise Line "A" marketed their future changes to attract a different demographic customer. But they don't, they instead make a lot of small changes that lead to a different product down the road. My guess they are hoping the customers who paid for one product gradually get used to the new product. You are an example that it works for some customers. But, you are being unfair to loyalist who feel betrayed by an unloyal company.

 

Burt

[justanegirl]

My wife and I first cruised back in 1994. I remember our table mates quite clearly. We were able to cruise three more times before we started having children. We did slip in one three day cruise when we were pregnant with our 3rd child. We left our two older boys with grandparents.

 

We "resumed" cruising as a vacation choice in 2011. We have been fortunate to go on five cruises with our sons. We vacation with our kids unless something extraordinary prevents that. The boys were 8, 11, and 14 when they went on their first cruises. We leave on another one this Saturday, 7/22. They will be 14, 17, and 19 (turning 20 on the cruise).

 

When were first cruised we were assigned a table with other folks. We would see tables with 2 folks, 4 folks, etc. We enjoyed our table of 8 people. It was fun to hear about how many cruises people had been on and their experiences, opinions of the other cruise lines, we shared what we had done or were planning to do in the ports as the week went on, etc. People shared facts about themselves, etc. It was something to look forward to each night. Of those first five cruises, I remember the faces of all those people. There was a very famous doctor, his wife and 2 daughters (we found out later that he was famous, my wife was in the medical field and saw an article about him in Time Magazine later after our cruise) on our first cruise. He was so kind helping a young couple with the pronunciation of some of the more exotic items on the Celebrity menu in such a kind, self depreciating way. His wife was so full of herself.....she was running for a council position in Marin County but it was entertaining to us. It was like dinner and a movie. We had 2 great couples on another cruise that we loved sharing all the crazy mistakes that we had made in our pasts. On another cruise, a lovely German couple (he spoke great English, she very little) who we had really good times with at dinner. On that cruise there was Ken and Barbie (not their real names) who were gorgeous people who were dating and fed each other each night. They got really sunburned one day in Cozumel and did not make it to dinner. We found out that our German friends thought it was as hilarious as we did that K&B feed each other. The other two of our early cruises were three dayers. I do not remember as much about the 3 dayers but I do know that we laughed as hard as we ever have in our lives on the last one we went on when my wife was pregnant. We were four couples (three of them knew each other) who had left our youngish kids at home. We just had so many things in common with each other. We would laugh so hard about and at things that we had experienced regarding our kids, marriages, dating, college, etc. These cruises were really before things such as my time dining, etc. We sat with the folks that the cruise line put us with and the line did great by us.

 

When we cruised for the first time with the boys "my time" was getting going but we chose the traditional dining. We sat with the Gambini family (feel free to write your own joke but that was their name) from Long Island and learned a new term from Mrs.Gambini that our boys still say to this day...."not worth the calories". The boys got to see Mr.Gambini shut down his son, Christopher's, bar bill down for over use. Lots of great belly laughs with the Gambinis. We have since cruised four more times with the boys. We had the family from Ohio (very odd family and it made for some interesting conversations, they had named their son Cayman because that was where he was conceived, seriously, TMI) a family from Denver (that was a New Year's Cruise and each night was a great time at dinner), oddly enough we dined with a family from South Carolina (they only lived about 70 miles from us) and that was the least fun we ever had at dinner with another family (we found them to be nice but other than their teenage daughter, she was very funny, they were boring to us, they also had an older teenage son who only came to a couple of the meals. Our sons saw him around the ship and all three agreed that he was to put it kindly a jerk, lots of smoking and cursing out of his very religious parent's eye sight).

 

On our last cruise, we would up for the first time sitting at 6 person table just for the 5 of us. At first we were a tad disappointed because other than the stops.......we find the most fun for our family (our boys still talk about the families that we have dined with---the good and bad) is our meals at night on the ship. We all enjoyed spending the quality time with each other on that trip at dinner last December on the FOS. BUT the funny thing and it started on the trip before that one....the boys now ask if they can be excused after our meal is pretty much done so they can go off and meet friends that they have made on the cruise.

 

Kind of that circle of life thing.

 

We leave on the AOS out of San Juan this coming Saturday (7/22) and the boys have been talking about who we might end up with at dinner already.

 

Sorry for writing a book, but it really help me answer your question:

 

What we like is meeting different people and getting to hear their stories. I suppose sitting with a boring family (sorry that sounds mean) and ditto for another family who might find us boring too would be a downside for us or them.

 

This thread went a little religious....it is funny we pray as a family at home before meals. But we not do that to another family in public. Our boys do a quick silent pray before they eat most anything. Maybe that is a simple southern thing. It is so quick most would not even notice.[/

 

 

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[justanegirl]

Your a hoot and sound so awesome! And why is it I never get seated next to someone like you? Two cruise ago was seated next to the most wonderful couples. But the last one was awful so we went to table for 2 and I was sad because I had such great people the cruise before. Luck of the draw I guess! Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

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[Beachdude]

It is funny Burt, but it is not funny at the same time. I really hope that this won't happen. I really think the MDR is a large part of the cruise experience that i enjoy.

 

I can only guess at how this will happen, but the change will likely be a gradual process that you will find acceptable. For example, look at how MDR lunches have changed in the last ten years with salad bars and dessert bars. Can drink bars, bread bars, or coffee bars be far behind? It will feel OK because you will still have your friendly table waiter, just not as much.

 

Burt

[bUU]

I think we are talking about basic cruise amenities not anything special or traditional luxury. MDR is a basic amenity

What people are saying is no longer offered by the mainstream cruise lines is not "basic" cruise amenities. Those are unequivocally special amenities that used to be standard on all cruises, because all cruises were luxury cruises, and now are only found on luxury brands like Seabourn.

 

Ah, "it's my vacation". It's easy to brush off folks loyal to a brand as stubborn or single minded, but the brand should at least be honest in their vision.

It is honest in its vision. CCL's vision is that folks who want those special amenities are to cruise on Seabourn.

 

Why won't you cruise on a brand that actually provides what you want?

 

But, you are being unfair to loyalist who feel betrayed by an unloyal company.

You're taking business way too personally, punctuated by the fact that you're blaming me, a random nobody on the Internet, for what you feel a cruise line has done to you.

[gerelmx]

It is not only with whom you share your table but also those who are at the tables next, on my last cruise in Oasis at the table next to was a Kuwaiti with his harem of women and several children too restless, loud and crying. I tell this to the Captain of waiters that I felt uncomfortable with the situation. The next day only the lord and his harem of women without the children attended the dining room and I felt that the eyes of Kuwaiti showed anger. There I felt even more uncomfortable and with fear.

 

Luckily nothing happened.

[Beachdude]

You're taking business way too personally, punctuated by the fact that you're blaming me, a random nobody on the Internet, for what you feel a cruise line has done to you.

Personal? It's just facts. You choose how to respond.

 

Burt

[bUU]

You choose how to respond.

Actually, I chose to provide information and industry context. You chose how to respond.

 

Regardless, the question remains: Why won't you cruise on a brand that actually provides what you want?