Britannia Table for Eight on QM2

[57eric]

Has anyone ever been seated at a rectangular table for eight?  I can only recall seeing oval and round ones.  I know there are many cases where pairs of tables for four are only inches apart, but do they ever push them together?  I like a large table for dinner, but there are inevitably times when not everyone makes it to dinner, and a rectangular table allows one to avoid gaps, unlike oval or round ones.

 

Thanks.

[ovccruiser]

I have seen rectangular tables for 6, I have sat on one. Never seen rectangular tables for 8.

[Lakesregion]

1 hour ago, 57eric said:

Has anyone ever been seated at a rectangular table for eight?  I can only recall seeing oval and round ones.  I know there are many cases where pairs of tables for four are only inches apart, but do they ever push them together?  I like a large table for dinner, but there are inevitably times when not everyone makes it to dinner, and a rectangular table allows one to avoid gaps, unlike oval or round ones.

 

Thanks.

No need for gaps at any table. If folks fail to show for dinner everyone just moves closer together. Very simple. Can't quite remember if the two tables all the way to the window and the left of the entrance on the first floor were rectangular or oval but we had ten at both during a recent B-B transatlantic. Great fun and if someone missed the dinner bell we just moved in tighter.

[Underwatr]

I've sat at a large rectangular table for breakfast or lunch but never had one assigned for dinner.

 

The table I'm thinking of is on the port side, next to a window and just aft of one of the short walls that extends into the room from the outer bulkhead.

 

See this figure, which can be located here. Port side is at the top. Just aft of the second round 6-top you see the first short wall, aft of which is a rectangular table for 8.   Hopefully someone has a similar figure with current table numbers.

 

I think this figure is outdated though, since tables 1 and 2 (all the way forward in the extreme starboard and port corners) are large round tables. But the rectangular 8-tops (there's another on the starboard wall opposite) are still there, I'm pretty sure. We had lunch at one in June.

 

On a full cruise they will set more places at a table than is shown here. Last Christmas we had 7 at a table that shows 6 places above, and the previous year we had 10 or 11 at an oval table nominally set for 8.

 

Personal experience is that an oval table is best for a larger group, especially if people are willing to change the seating order from night to night,

[57eric]

3 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

No need for gaps at any table. If folks fail to show for dinner everyone just moves closer together. Very simple. Can't quite remember if the two tables all the way to the window and the left of the entrance on the first floor were rectangular or oval but we had ten at both during a recent B-B transatlantic. Great fun and if someone missed the dinner bell we just moved in tighter.

I'm afraid I don't understand how six people can move in tighter at a round table set for eight.

[Lakesregion]

1 hour ago, 57eric said:

I'm afraid I don't understand how six people can move in tighter at a round table set for eight.

You make the missing two be at one end of the table and the other six are then close together.

[Jack E Dawson]

I snapped this picture of the table map at the maitre D's station in September of last year.

 

Jack

 

[57eric]

11 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

You make the missing two be at one end of the table and the other six are then close together.

Et voila: le gap, which would not exist at a rectangular table.

[majortom10]

9 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

I snapped this picture of the table map at the maitre D's station in September of last year.

 

Jack

 

Unfortunately that is only a plan of one level of the restaurant there are 2 further levels.

 

[navybankerteacher]

15 hours ago, Underwatr said:

...

 

Personal experience is that an oval table is best for a larger group, especially if people are willing to change the seating order from night to night,

Lack of willingness should not be an issue - show up as early as possible, and select different seats every evening.

[Underwatr]

5 hours ago, majortom10 said:

there are 2 further levels.

There's one other level, although it's on three tiers. Here's the upper level, courtesy of another CC member/thread. The red lines at the top delineate the tiers on the port side (forward is to the right).

 

[majortom10]

I wouldnt take any table plans as gospel having just returned from QM2 last week and had a table for 2 on highest level on the port side and even the staff couldnt find our table on our first night they were all out of sync and had no coordination of numbers. I wouldnt advise anybody to pick a particular table number off them and think they would be guaranteed that position on the cruise. They even opened the higher levels for breakfast for people asking for table for 2 which I have never known to happen on our previous cruises.

Edited November 20, 2019 by majortom10

[Bedruthen]

On 11/20/2019 at 2:33 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Lack of willingness should not be an issue - show up as early as possible, and select different seats every evening.

I learnt on our last cruise that there are some people who just wont budge, and who certainly won’t  entertain sitting in a different seat. We know this to be true as they were on our table in October. We had a rectangular table for 6 and they insisted that they had to sit next to each other and not opposite. They would start queuing for the dining room at least 20 minutes before the doors opened and despite gentle hints that we should all try sitting in a different place the next evening, there they were again in the same seats. Nowt so queer as folks.

[navybankerteacher]

5 hours ago, Bedruthen said:

I learnt on our last cruise that there are some people who just wont budge, and who certainly won’t  entertain sitting in a different seat. We know this to be true as they were on our table in October. We had a rectangular table for 6 and they insisted that they had to sit next to each other and not opposite. They would start queuing for the dining room at least 20 minutes before the doors opened and despite gentle hints that we should all try sitting in a different place the next evening, there they were again in the same seats. Nowt so queer as folks.

There are always some people who do not know how to get along with people — perhaps some not-so-gentle hints could have been tried - if all four of the others got together and made the point...a rectangular table for six -with two sitting next to each other means that another couple (at least) MUST sit across from each other.

 

We experience that sort of pig-headedness on a HAL cruise - and got the maitre d’ to come over and explain that, while tables were assigned, particular seats certainly were not. 

Edited November 22, 2019 by navybankerteacher

[pully8]

Can understand couples wanting to sit on the same table to dine, but not being difficult about their position on the table.

Not a cruise but can recall a very unpleasant holiday experience on a premium priced trip to NZ, where people were packed into a dining venue in a lovely building following a cruise on lake Wakatipu.

Some couples were not able to sit together to dine .

It seemed a poorly organised free for all to find a table.

Bit like musical chairs.

The food was excellent and plentiful but the experience impacted by the scrum to tables. Perhaps those who had prior knowledge benefitted by rushing in, others did not.

Behaviour is interesting at times. 

[VintageCCG]

On 11/22/2019 at 9:06 AM, Bedruthen said:

I learnt on our last cruise that there are some people who just wont budge, and who certainly won’t  entertain sitting in a different seat. We know this to be true as they were on our table in October. We had a rectangular table for 6 and they insisted that they had to sit next to each other and not opposite. They would start queuing for the dining room at least 20 minutes before the doors opened and despite gentle hints that we should all try sitting in a different place the next evening, there they were again in the same seats. Nowt so queer as folks.

So now we're criticizing a couple who prefers to sit together?
Seriously??

[frantic36]

7 hours ago, VintageCCG said:

So now we're criticizing a couple who prefers to sit together?
Seriously??

 

 

I think the point was that by refusing to split up the whole cruise this was stopping other couples at the table to have a turn to sit together. Not very fair is it?

[Bedruthen]

9 hours ago, VintageCCG said:

So now we're criticizing a couple who prefers to sit together?
Seriously??

 Yes seriously. Why do you think that it’s acceptable for one one couple to sit together every single evening whilst the other two couples have to take it in turns and thus only get to sit together for half the cruise? Have you considered that maybe the other two couples on the table would also like  to sit together every night?  The fact that the same couple had also taken the two seats furthest away from the adjacent serving station was probably also fair as well in your view.  At the end of the day It just requires a small amount of consideration for your fellow diners, something that thankfully most people show.

 

[VintageCCG]

With respect I believe we've now identified the most First World Problem imaginable.

Did you 'use your words' and mention this abomination to the offending couple? You dont mention any such action in your post. I acknowledge that being direct is not a stereotypical British trait (my own heritage btw) but sometimes addressing one's concerns to one's table mates can be more effective than complaining after the fact.

Perhaps they were unaware it was an issue. Perhaps one of the offenders has social anxiety, or a non-visible medical issue , or needs help reading the menu, or any one of a dozen issues that prompt them to sit next to each other. From your description it was clearly important enough to them that they arrived early specifically for that purpose.

It hadn't been made clear in your example that the 6-top was three seats per side, which I'm guessing was the case. Could one person not sit at the head if they too found sitting opposite their partner to be an intolerable inconvenience? Or ask for another table assignment? Or enjoy the social mixing?

At the end of the day, perhaps this couple was indeed acting on a sense of entitlement. But if you didn't even broach the subject to them, then it's kind of on you.

[exlondoner]

As the poster used the word insisted, that rather implies conversation on the matter took place, wouldn't you say?