Ever have awful Table mates?

[Velvetwater]

 

We do anytime so we can dine alone or with others depending on our mood. We have never had bad table mates...we have had a few that like you to know how much money they have but it is met with indifference.

 

Funny story though:

 

Our good friends and their very funny and wonderful outspoken European American mother met an elderly couple during anytime dining who kept boasting about where they lived in Florida. I believe it is a retirement resort place some of you may know it or there may be many...they may be called villages or something. Their constant prattle about it got a bit old so the mother (being a retired medical professional from the area they lived) said 'Oh I hear there is a lot of STDs there as there are many singles'. Apparently the couple looked uncomfortable and said little during the rest of the meal.

 

We dined with the same couple 3 nights after said event (they had been pointed out to us) and they didn't mention where they lived- probably because we were British and that is all they wanted to talk to us about anyway. Especially the way we pronounced 'butter' and the like. 

 

 

[davekathy]

Never have had a problem on any of our cruises. My wife and I get along great. 

[Malleykatt]

We had some fantastic tablemates on Crown Princess 2 years ago. My husband myself and our two teenage boys. We had tables for 8 & 10 and the largest table was the best. Everyone was chatty no clicky little groups and they included the boys. My children are very confident around people and can hold very intelligent conversations which they were happy to do. One of the husbands was a teacher at a high school in the U.S. my son wants to teach history here in England so as we were waiting for a table a couple of nights later we met up again and had a great evening....moving on to a bar to chat after. We did have one awkward companion on day 2 ......lobster...too fishy!  You know the type I think every dish went  back for some reason she didn't eat a lot but boy could she drink! When she stated berating the waiting staff and clicking her fingers at them. Her poor husband sat shrinking into his seat muttering apologies. Don't remember seeing them after that.

[gooch47]

Three couples come to mind.

 

The first bad couple were the last to arrive at our table for eight.  The woman said, "You'd think they would seat us suite passengers with better people."

 

The second bad couple both ordered everything on the menu every night.  They would take a bite or two of each dish.  Always tons of wasted food.

 

The third couple wasn't too terrible every night, but got into a bad argument one night over her charges at the spa.  He grabbed her by the arm and shook her.

[FredT]

My wife and I are much like Hank...  Always opt for the "open" seating, always ask for a large table.  The few "problem" table mates we have encountered over the years are far outweighed by the hundreds of interesting, fun people we would not otherwise have met.  

 

Now it does help that it's really hard to get either of us upset...  Politics, religion, race,.... to us it's fun and interesting to hear others opinions, no matter how "far out" they may be.   To  us this is a big part of why we love cruising!

[Cru1s1ng2009]

We used to love sitting at large tables and meet new people. Until we were sat with 3 or 4 other couples. All disappeared after one night because there was a couple seated with us who were diamond+ as they wore their pins every night. He, on his sweatpants outfit even on formal night. Not a big deal but they were from Boston and spent the entire time bragging about just about anything that came to mind. I knew more about their son than I did about my own kids. Plus he blew his nose into the cloth napkins many times a night. We call them the Massholes to this day.

 

The last cruise we were on we were at a smaller table and the elderly couple who sat with us the first ngiht never came back. I wonder what we did?LOL Maybe we are the jerks.

[Rala]

3 hours ago, John Bull said:

"Ever had awful table-mates"

 

No, never.

Perhaps because I'm the life & soul of the table.

My table-mates are always interested in the insurance company that I represent (so much better than the others and so competitively-priced). But I remind them that they should bear with those who are less successful than me, because the Bible teaches us compassion. Not that our politicians know much about compassion because they're too consumed with the demon drink.

On all the cruises that I've done (I've done over 500) I love to regale my table-mates with stories about my life and my wonderful family - especially my youngest son who is following in his brother's footsteps by attending the country's best medical university. All of which is a great comfort to me because of my bladder and bowel problems. My oldest son, who is now a very highly regarded surgeon and the head of his department after only three years, kindly took photos of my latest operation and my table-mates love to pass them around the table. 

 

The first dinner of a cruise is always the best.

But my table-mates don't seem to like the food in the MDR, they spend the rest of the cruise dining in the buffet.

Such a shame, because I have so many jokes that I can tell them. 

 

JB  

 

One of the best posts I've read  in a long time.  You covered it all!  To quote Teddy Roosevelt and in your honor , I say  BULLY !!! 🙂

[John Reid]

Yes, every cruise. But my wife insists that we eat dinner together!

[ducklite]

2 hours ago, Velvetwater said:

 

We do anytime so we can dine alone or with others depending on our mood. We have never had bad table mates...we have had a few that like you to know how much money they have but it is met with indifference.

 

Funny story though:

 

Our good friends and their very funny and wonderful outspoken European American mother met an elderly couple during anytime dining who kept boasting about where they lived in Florida. I believe it is a retirement resort place some of you may know it or there may be many...they may be called villages or something. Their constant prattle about it got a bit old so the mother (being a retired medical professional from the area they lived) said 'Oh I hear there is a lot of STDs there as there are many singles'. Apparently the couple looked uncomfortable and said little during the rest of the meal.

 

We dined with the same couple 3 nights after said event (they had been pointed out to us) and they didn't mention where they lived- probably because we were British and that is all they wanted to talk to us about anyway. Especially the way we pronounced 'butter' and the like. 

 

 

I live about 45 minute from The Villages.  It's really not all that.  Some of the people who I've there are lovely, but there are way too many who have an overly high opinion of it.  It's outrageously overpriced.  There are far nicer communities within an hour of there for half the cost and better locations.

[ducklite]

Our first cruise we were seated with a family who was nice enough, but we had very little in common and it was difficult to make small talk.

 

Otherwise only two couples really come to mind.  One spent every second of the meal (both times we were seated with them--ugh) talking about the palatial homes they owned, their staff of housekeepers and nannies, and how their billion dollar business couldn't run without them, the list goes on.  The wife claimed that she had to answer upwards of 5,000 emails a day.  The reality is that we didn't think they were who they claimed to be.  Details on their business were sketchy at best.  She was wearing knock-off Chanel jewelry and clothes that looked like they came from the WalMart sale rack, and his clothing was ill fitting and frayed.  Oh, and their stories became more and more embellished over the week...

 

The other couple, well, the wife was nice enough.  The husband was a jerk.  His arrogant behavior obviously embarrassed his wife.  It was rather sad.

 

We'd rather remember the great friends for life that we've made while cruising!

[Husky61]

During our early cruising days we sat at tables with 6 or 8 other people.  Since then we only sit at a table for two.  We are not interested in meeting people on a cruise nor are we interested in any of their stories.  Works quite well for us.😄

[Kartgv]

In the last several years, we've done 'anytime' dining, so it's easier to avoid someone you'd rather not dine with.   In the past, we had a couple of bad experiences.    One was many years ago - must have been 1991, as the other woman of our 4-top had just come from a 50th reunion of nurses who had served in Honolulu right after the Pearl Harbor attack.    She was a lovely woman, but each night couldn't stop relating, in much gory detail, much of what she had seen and gone through.   Several times during the week, she dissolved into tears.   We stuck it out - back then, weren't really aware that you could ask to change tables.    

The second issue was much more recent.    We agreed to share a table and sat with another couple who immediately began discussing politics.    Although we were basically on the 'same side of the fence' (so to speak!), they were very extreme in their views; we tried changing the subject, but they kept coming back to politics.   Over dessert one of them made a comment so bad that we felt the necessity to leave without finishing.    We managed to avoid them the rest of the cruise.   

[kochleffel]

My first cruise with fixed seating is in slightly less than two weeks. It's an itinerary where I can reasonably expect that most people will be compatible, but I was on one this spring on another line where one person after another lit into me about politics. I never bring politics into any conversation with a new acquaintance, but as soon as they heard what state I live in, they were off and yelling. At least this didn't happen during dinner.

 

I have often shared tables at breakfast, sometimes by my request and sometimes out of necessity (on a ship where the MDR had too many tables for six, and not enough for two, for the passenger breakdown in that sailing). Only once have I not enjoyed it, and in that case it was just tedious, not awful.

Edited June 17, 2019 by kochleffel

[lenquixote66]

14 hours ago, motheroftwocats814 said:

Husband and I love to meet other people when cruising, so we generally like to sit with others. Twice we have had AWFUL table mates. One experience we had with a couple who were about 3 martinis in by the time the main course came and did nothing but bicker at each other. We moved tables the rest of the week.

The second couple on another cruise were such racists that my husband almost punched him in the mouth right in the dining room. We got up and left during our main course and my husband said "I guess you must have forgotten to pack your white sheet" as we left. The fact that he felt so comfortable talking that way with complete strangers really boggled our minds.  Of course we changed tables for the remainder of the the cruise then too.

So now we are a little gun shy about requesting a large table again. I guess a table for two is in order this time.

 

We only do dinner for two after 2 bad experiences.One a guy so unbelievably racist who probably had his white sheet in his luggage.

On another cruise a couple who professed their hatred for a religion which happened to be ours.

[Kmangel]

My husband and I have only been on a few cruises and have opted to sit at a table for eight.  We have had only good memories of our table mates.  One recent cruise we all seemed to get along fine on the first night.  Later, though, we all got a call the following day asking if we would relinquish our table for a family traveling together of eight.  We all agreed so we were assigned other places to sit.  My husband and I got a table for two by the window so that was nice and since there was a table right next to us of four, it was like we were at a table for six.  We enjoyed our new table mates just fine.  However, later we saw a lady from our original table.  She was not happy with her and her husband's new table assignment.  Apparently there was a young man at her new table who took a special liking to her and she was very annoyed by his attention.  His attention followed her wherever she went on board the ship.  She told us she wished we were all still together at our original table.  Lesson learned?  Don't switch tables unless it is your idea.  It could be a worse table you are sent to!  

[calliopecruiser]

It's always a crapshoot, but I've had more good tablemates than bad over the years. 

[George C]

Never had terrible table mates in 65 cruises, wife really prefers table for two, but we have been seated at large tables many times , a few we kept in contact with for years and would all go to see shows together. 

  But once we were at a elegant French restaurant on celebrity couple seated very close had a argument and woman eventually picked up are full plate of food and threw it at her male tablemate . Best entertainment of the week.

[Swampbabe]

3 hours ago, ducklite said:

I live about 45 minute from The Villages.  It's really not all that.  Some of the people who I've there are lovely, but there are way too many who have an overly high opinion of it.  It's outrageously overpriced.  There are far nicer communities within an hour of there for half the cost and better locations.

Tract housing on top of frozen out orange groves. I remember that drive years ago from Miami to Gainesville, beautiful rolling hills and the smell of orange blossoms.

[calliopecruiser]

50 minutes ago, George C said:

and woman eventually picked up are full plate of food and threw it at her male tablemate .

Oh, I would have paid to see that!

[Haoie]

Like horror date stories, this is always an amusing read.

[ducklite]

30 minutes ago, Swampbabe said:

Tract housing on top of frozen out orange groves. I remember that drive years ago from Miami to Gainesville, beautiful rolling hills and the smell of orange blossoms.

It's really sad.  We wouldn't have built the home we live in where we did if we realized they were going to keep building the area up into a mega-suburb.  We're actually looking at selling and moving to Winter Park.  We figure if we need to deal with traffic and congestion, we'd rather be someplace more walkable.

[jocap]

No one really bad-

Apart from the loud insurance salesman who kept passing pictures of his bladder and bowel operations around...😁

[Swampbabe]

17 minutes ago, ducklite said:

It's really sad.  We wouldn't have built the home we live in where we did if we realized they were going to keep building the area up into a mega-suburb.  We're actually looking at selling and moving to Winter Park.  We figure if we need to deal with traffic and congestion, we'd rather be someplace more walkable.

Love Winter Park

[MicCanberra]

10 hours ago, John Bull said:

"Ever had awful table-mates"

 

No, never.

Perhaps because I'm the life & soul of the table.

My table-mates are always interested in the insurance company that I represent (so much better than the others and so competitively-priced). But I remind them that they should bear with those who are less successful than me, because the Bible teaches us compassion. Not that our politicians know much about compassion because they're too consumed with the demon drink.

On all the cruises that I've done (I've done over 500) I love to regale my table-mates with stories about my life and my wonderful family - especially my youngest son who is following in his brother's footsteps by attending the country's best medical university. All of which is a great comfort to me because of my bladder and bowel problems. My oldest son, who is now a very highly regarded surgeon and the head of his department after only three years, kindly took photos of my latest operation and my table-mates love to pass them around the table. 

 

The first dinner of a cruise is always the best.

But my table-mates don't seem to like the food in the MDR, they spend the rest of the cruise dining in the buffet.

Such a shame, because I have so many jokes that I can tell them. 

 

JB  

 

Love it, we have so much in common I am sure we would get on at the same table.

[taglovestocruise]

20 hours ago, SantaFeFan said:

We were traveling with a couple we were good friends with and who we have cruised with several times before when we got seated at a table with two other couples who were friends. Before we could order anything, the other four requested that we not order any alcohol with our dinner as their religion forbade them from consuming alcohol of any kind and did not want it on their table. We were shocked at their rude attempt to dictate what we could or could not order with our dinner. Of course, after careful consideration on our part, we increased our consumption by ordering two bottles of wine instead of the usual one. And we proceeded to thoroughly enjoy our wine with our dinners. We enjoyed dinner even more the next night when they apparently asked to be moved to another table, probably to get away from the blasphemous heathens they were stuck with the night before.

 

If they could not deal with people ordering drinks at their table, they should have had the common sense to request a table for four and saved everyone the discomfort of their wholly inappropriate requests. 

👍😊