Hosted tables

[Hlitner]

On the Ovation now and there are still no hosted tables due to COVID mitigation.  This TA cruise has around 500 passengers with passenger masking not mandated.  The crew still must mask.

 

Hank

[scamper]

On 2/21/2022 at 11:28 PM, frantic36 said:

 

I personally don't see the need to split people up because there may be various reasons ie hearing problems, a discrete hand with food if someone has a disability due to a previous stroke, etc. I think those who join the table are all willing to chat. Another reason I think they should keep the tables to no more than 8 or 9 if you include the host.

I think probably for the same reason that couples are (generally) split up when invited to dinner parties.  The assumption is that if the couple wanted to spend all their time just talking to each other they will stay home or dine out alone.

[frantic36]

1 hour ago, scamper said:

I think probably for the same reason that couples are (generally) split up when invited to dinner parties.  The assumption is that if the couple wanted to spend all their time just talking to each other they will stay home or dine out alone.

 

I know that is the convention but as my examples about why it can be awkward shows that sometimes we need to be aware of different scenarios and allow people to sit together. I enjoy chatting to people at various times throughout the day on the ship and am quite capable of chatting to others at a table even if my husband is sitting next to me.

 

I just had a thought. People push for changes in the dress codes because it is considered old fashioned but this relic of sitting couples apart is also old school and yet is considered to be quite appropriate. 

[SLSD]

54 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

 

I know that is the convention but as my examples about why it can be awkward shows that sometimes we need to be aware of different scenarios and allow people to sit together. I enjoy chatting to people at various times throughout the day on the ship and am quite capable of chatting to others at a table even if my husband is sitting next to me.

 

I just had a thought. People push for changes in the dress codes because it is considered old fashioned but this relic of sitting couples apart is also old school and yet is considered to be quite appropriate. 

I am of mixed feelings about this.  I can do either, but there are times I do like to sit next to my husband.  Sometimes, I HAVE moved the place cards on a hosted table if we are the first to arrive and put my husband next to me.  

[frantic36]

1 minute ago, SLSD said:

I am of mixed feelings about this.  I can do either, but there are times I do like to sit next to my husband.  Sometimes, I HAVE moved the place cards on a hosted table if we are the first to arrive and put my husband next to me.  

 

I agree, I can do either and I have never changed place cards, but after a couple of not good experiences I am not keen on the convention. One reason I rarely do hosted tables now.

[mskatiemae]

On 2/25/2022 at 6:18 PM, rkacruiser said:

 

Maybe it takes more intestinal fortitude than some have in "polite company", but some very sharp retorts can sometime shut up some of these folks who seem to think they put their pants on differently than others.  

I shot several retorts at a fellow solo traveller in my trivia team who was just domineering and a constant drain on my enjoyment. Finally I just asked her 'could you please speak quietly and gently' twice and she responded to me "well then I just won't talk to you at all". After thinking about this for a few seconds I thought 'well that sounds like a plan to me' and I just quit the trivia altogether! Note: Fully avoiding someone who has loudly declared their likes and dislikes to you unsolicited is amazingly quite easy on a cruise ship.

[mskatiemae]

On 2/20/2022 at 10:36 AM, gwesq said:

EVERYTHING ALWAYS goes horribly wrong for Mrs BUCKET!  🙂  

Now that I have met you and Mrs GWESQ on the Ovation, and had a chance to connect the dots back to your posting of Mrs Bucket et al I will confess that I was thinking about this episode a lot during the cruise we were on. It isn't one I had seen before you posted it. So thank you for that and for my giggles whenever I imagined running into Mrs Bucket on deck somewhere! Hope you enjoyed the trip!

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, SLSD said:

 Sometimes, I HAVE moved the place cards on a hosted table if we are the first to arrive and put my husband next to me.  

 

On 3/28/2022 at 4:45 PM, frantic36 said:

this relic of sitting couples apart is also old school

 

These posts are somewhat shocking to me.  Sitting couples apart is "old school"?  Moving place cards?  I'd never, ever have a thought to do so!  Why did the Maitre d' put those cards in the places that he/she did?  

[rucrazy]

45 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

why did the Maitre d' put those cards in the places that he/she did?  

I always assumed boy girl boy girl…. lol

[frantic36]

46 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

These posts are somewhat shocking to me.  Sitting couples apart is "old school"?  Moving place cards?  I'd never, ever have a thought to do so!  Why did the Maitre d' put those cards in the places that he/she did?  

 

You have taken only part of my comment and so therefore it is out of context to the whole comment. I don't appreciate that. 

 

 

[SLSD]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

These posts are somewhat shocking to me.  Sitting couples apart is "old school"?  Moving place cards?  I'd never, ever have a thought to do so!  Why did the Maitre d' put those cards in the places that he/she did?  

We were still able to talk to everyone at the table.  We did not talk to each other exclusively--in fact, not very much.  But, it did enable us to have great conversations which included both of us.  I've only done this once.  I doubt that it is a federal offense.  And, I am not the one who called the practice "old school".  

[rkacruiser]

2 hours ago, frantic36 said:

 

You have taken only part of my comment and so therefore it is out of context to the whole comment. I don't appreciate that. 

 

 

 

2 hours ago, SLSD said:

And, I am not the one who called the practice "old school".  

 

I knew when I hit "send" that I would be "stepping on some toes".  No intention to offend anyone when I did so.  There is a difference as to what I think is appropriate and what you do.  

[SLSD]

16 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

 

I knew when I hit "send" that I would be "stepping on some toes".  No intention to offend anyone when I did so.  There is a difference as to what I think is appropriate and what you do.  

I don't consider my toes stepped on at all.  

[cruiseej]

My wife and I always share our food when we dine, and doing so seated apart at a hosted table would be impossible or uncouth. ("Excuse me, captain, would you mind passing my half-eaten steak down to my wife?" 😂) So we arrive early when we are at a hosted table, and inform the table host or dining room host of our desire to sit next to each other. It has never been a problem. And we are social in talking with the people seated to our sides an across from us, so no one at the table is adversely affected.

[gwesq]

On 3/28/2022 at 10:27 PM, mskatiemae said:

Now that I have met you and Mrs GWESQ on the Ovation, and had a chance to connect the dots back to your posting of Mrs Bucket et al I will confess that I was thinking about this episode a lot during the cruise we were on. It isn't one I had seen before you posted it. So thank you for that and for my giggles whenever I imagined running into Mrs Bucket on deck somewhere! Hope you enjoyed the trip!

I did not run into Mrs Bucket on the cruise. But I'm pretty sure Onslow was there!  And certainly Daisy! 😄

[JPH814]

So nothing new on this topic since March.  Hoping that a little "bump" might find a recent cruiser willing to share

 

[Mahogany]

If you are referring to your original post about hosted tables, I can speak about my recent Odyssey 33-day voyage. As a solo I look forward to invitations for dinner which pre-Covid often included entertainment staff or officers as hosts. This past cruise I was invited to join entertainers and lecturers who were not staff. It was delightful, though I missed the young singers and dancers (some of whom had Covid while I was onboard).