Mixed Table = Life long Friends?

[Drock20J]

The first cruises my wife and I took, we were placed at a Mixed table for dinner. We didn't know anyone else at the table.

 

We became fast friends with those people and we still keep in touch with those people. We have had kids and they are growing up together though we live hundreds of miles apart.

 

Anyone else created a friendship from sitting at a mixed table at dinner?

 

[island lady]

We have had rather bad experiences at a mixed table.  There is no guarantee you will or will not like the people you are seated with.  Could end up with a great relationship.  Or....you could end up with couples that are fighting and close to divorce, ...could up with pax that have had way too much too drink...could up with "Mr. know it all" ...could be spoiled, loud, and unruly children that the parents ignore, ...could be a group that insists on asking you about your personal religion.....etc.  We have had it all in the past. 😮 

 

We prefer to get to know others in the lounges...that way if you don't like the way the conversation is going..simple to come up with an excuse and get up to leave.  During many of those associations and conversations with those we have sat with...have indeed made many friends and are still in contact years later.  

 

For years now we have been asking for, and are granted...a "two top" for dinner.  (Two person table).  That is our time together, enjoying a quiet dinner for two at the end of the day. 

 

May not work for everyone...but it ended up working out better for us.  

[shipgeeks]

We've had great experiences with set dining at a table for four to eight people, including a German couple who initially said "no English".  In time we all enjoyed each other's company so much that we ended up corresponding with them for a number of years.

Another time, we were seated with a couple who, if we had read their bios beforehand, we would have said "absolutely nothing in common, and no way would I even want to make the effort to spend time with them".  Well, I'm glad we didn't have the bios, because they were a delightful couple; we enjoyed every night's conversation with them.

Having good dinner conversation is still a cruise highlight for us.  

 

 

 

[davekathy]

27 minutes ago, island lady said:

We have had rather bad experiences at a mixed table.  There is no guarantee you will or will not like the people you are seated with.  Could end up with a great relationship.  Or....you could end up with couples that are fighting and close to divorce, ...could up with pax that have had way too much too drink...could up with "Mr. know it all" ...could be spoiled, loud, and unruly children that the parents ignore, ...could be a group that insists on asking you about your personal religion.....etc.  We have had it all in the past. 😮 

 

We prefer to get to know others in the lounges...that way if you don't like the way the conversation is going..simple to come up with an excuse and get up to leave.  During many of those associations and conversations with those we have sat with...have indeed made many friends and are still in contact years later.  

 

For years now we have been asking for, and are granted...a "two top" for dinner.  (Two person table).  That is our time together, enjoying a quiet dinner for two at the end of the day. 

 

May not work for everyone...but it ended up working out better for us.  

Kathy is that you.  😁 Agree and we do the exact same thing. 

[firefly333]

I've had good and bad experiences 

 

The last mixed table, everyone left but us and a mom and daughter. The mom and daughter pretty much each ordered every appetizer and main course and dessert on the menu. Some they took one bite of and pushed away, sampling as they went. As you can imagine it slowed down my service considerably 

 

One time a guy had the card for every sailing he'd taken with him he proudly displayed. Heck I don't remember the names of all the ships any more or keep my cards. I was the wrong person, I didnt care.

[firefly333]

31 minutes ago, island lady said:

.could be spoiled, loud, and unruly children that the parents ignore, ...

 

I'd forgotten about the children. I went with someone I met on cc but didnt know well who waited until the last night to tell me she was mad about our dinner table, and had expected me to do something. We never cruised together again.

 

The 2 year old was either running around the table or using silverware as drums. When I said something to the parents they proudly told me he had a drum set at home. Evidently making a lot of noise seemed ok to them. I agreed with my cruise companion but assumed since she didnt say anything she was ok. Telling me the last night she was mad, ..too late.

 

Now I've been asking for anytime, and doing what I want.

[TwinMamainMN]

Our first cruise on Carnival Dream, we were with another couple from Toronto. They cruised a lot and we became FB friends. The wife became a travel agent at one point, and now that's who we use to book most of our travel.

 

On our Celebrity Equinox trip, we were seated at a large table that held 12 maybe. The first night there were 6 of us. Another couple from Germany, and a couple from London. The couple from London met other Brits and they ended up eating together, but we became good friends with the couple from Germany, and they have even been to our town to visit us when travelling elsewhere in the states. We haven't been to see them yet, but we will!

[stevea36]

We have met several people at mixed tables whom we still keep in touch with (after 10 years or so) but the majority of cruising friends have been met thru CC.  We have a core group of 5 couples who make it a point to get together at least twice a year, be it on a cruise or on land, to keep in touch..  In fact, during this pandemic we have weekly zoom meetings to keep up each other's spirits.

 

CC has been a great vehicle to meet people on your sailing and keep in touch. 

 

Steve

[island lady]

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Kathy is that you.  😁 Agree and we do the exact same thing. 

 

You were not the only thing that Kathy got right.  😉  😄  

Edited April 7, 2020 by island lady

[zekekelso]

2 hours ago, island lady said:

For years now we have been asking for, and are granted...a "two top" for dinner.  (Two person table).  That is our time together, enjoying a quiet dinner for two at the end of the day. 

 

So, practicing social distancing before it was cool 🙂

[Georgia_Peaches]

We've enjoyed our new mixed table friends but have not made any friendships that extended beyond the cruise itself.

[KansasK]

I am still in touch with a couple we met on our second cruise. Our 18 year old daughter and a girlfriend were with us and we were seated with a couple who had teenage girls the same age, but were not with them. We hit it off very well and had a great time at dinner. We met for some shows and ran into each other on the ship as well. I am friends with them on Facebook and we still joke about meeting for a drink on the pool deck. ☺️

[bonsai3s]

We will never forget our mixed table on our very first Royal Caribbean cruise.

Song of America, Mexican Riviera, 1998.

Table for 8...shared with the most wonderful British couple, Lyle and Elaine.

We learned so much about cruising from them and exchanged Christmas cards for years.

The other four seats were taken by the Assistant Captain (can't remember his real rank but he introduced himself as "Assistant to the Captain"), and different entertainers who rotated each night.

Fond memories and now we know why we had complimentary wine and drinks every night. ☺️

Oh, and the personal stories told by the entertainers and the Assistant Captain...priceless.

[BND]

We have at least 10 people that we have met at our dinner table in the MDR that we've stayed in touch with and a couple we've even cruised again with.  Our first cruise was 15 years ago and we're still friends with a couple from that one which was also their first cruise.  8 of the ten are 4 couples.  The other two are widows who are friends and were traveling together.  We always asked to be sat at an 8 top so we can meet new people.  It's also fun to catch up each day on what each of us did, whether it's an excursion or sitting by the pool and reading.  

[island lady]

1 hour ago, zekekelso said:

 

So, practicing social distancing before it was cool 🙂

 

Sure...but probably not totally working...it's that sleeping arrangement that puts a kink in that plan.  😄 

[SJ1_]

4 hours ago, Drock20J said:

The first cruises my wife and I took, we were placed at a Mixed table for dinner. We didn't know anyone else at the table.

 

We became fast friends with those people and we still keep in touch with those people. We have had kids and they are growing up together though we live hundreds of miles apart.

 

Anyone else created a friendship from sitting at a mixed table at dinner?

 

Yes made a number of friends over the years.  One couple we  met at dinner 4 years ago we  now see every year on the same cruise

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, island lady said:

 

You were not the only thing that Kathy got right.  😉  😄  

Yeah, after about 3 years of dating and being married for 42 years she's learned to put up with me or is it just ignoring me. 😎🍷

[blueridgemama]

We like to order, eat and leave in about an hour. I don't think that would be possible if seated at a larger mixed table as you have to wait for everyone to arrive and order and get served. If you like to spend more time socializing at dinner then a mixed table could work well.

[purplegrapefruit]

On our first cruise back in 2007 we were sat with another couple from Honduras. We have actually become quite close over the years, and have even been to Honduras twice to visit. Now that their kids are older, they hope to come to Canada too.  We've also made great friends who happened to live in the next town over, we met them on our most recent cruise, not at dinner, but on an excursion!  So you never know. We always go into a cruise hoping to make new friends, lifelong or otherwise! 

 

 

[ptf2009]

We are in the "table for two please" group. When we go on a cruise, my DH and I love spending as much time as we can together. It's fun meeting and talking to people at different venues, but we've had some really bad experiences with table mates that we enjoy "just us" at dinner so much more. As with most things, to each his own.....whatever floats your boat (excuse the pun).🛳️

[grapau27]

6 hours ago, island lady said:

We have had rather bad experiences at a mixed table.  There is no guarantee you will or will not like the people you are seated with.  Could end up with a great relationship.  Or....you could end up with couples that are fighting and close to divorce, ...could up with pax that have had way too much too drink...could up with "Mr. know it all" ...could be spoiled, loud, and unruly children that the parents ignore, ...could be a group that insists on asking you about your personal religion.....etc.  We have had it all in the past. 😮 

 

We prefer to get to know others in the lounges...that way if you don't like the way the conversation is going..simple to come up with an excuse and get up to leave.  During many of those associations and conversations with those we have sat with...have indeed made many friends and are still in contact years later.  

 

For years now we have been asking for, and are granted...a "two top" for dinner.  (Two person table).  That is our time together, enjoying a quiet dinner for two at the end of the day. 

 

May not work for everyone...but it ended up working out better for us.  

+1.

Your experiences mirror ours too.

Now we always get a table for 2 and half the time we go to the speciality restaurants on board.

[1025cruise]

I've become life long friends with my tablemate on my last couple of cruises. My wife and I have been seated at shared tables, where no one else has shown up.

[ckmedsec]

In 2015 we cruised the Mediterranean.  We were seated at a table for 8, out of those 8 people we clicked with 2. A wonderful couple from England.  We looked forward to dinners on the cruise and since then we do not let more than 2 or 3 months go by without a quick text/email and photo sharing.  Lifelong friends.  

[perfect match]

DH and I are together pretty much all of the time, even when we’re not having to practice social distancing. We enjoy a mixed table at dinner, and the chance to meet and interact with other people. Many of our table mates have been people we probably never would have met otherwise, and probably will never see again. Some, we stay in touch with through social media, emails, cards, and the like. Some we have stayed friends with, and have taken other cruises or have gotten together with them on shore. We feel that every one of these people has enriched our cruise experience, and our lives. That is true both for those table mates who have become lifelong friends, as well as those we expect to never see again.

[ReneeFLL]

12 hours ago, Drock20J said:

The first cruises my wife and I took, we were placed at a Mixed table for dinner. We didn't know anyone else at the table.

 

We became fast friends with those people and we still keep in touch with those people. We have had kids and they are growing up together though we live hundreds of miles apart.

 

Anyone else created a friendship from sitting at a mixed table at dinner?

 

It's nice to see a thread about something that isn't all about speculating.