Seating for dinner

[NewOrleanstoBaieRouge]

Is it required that you ask for someone to sit with for dinners? I will be on Triumph for the 4/22 sailing with my wife, we are first time cruisers. Do they automatically arrange you to sit with some people of your own age and interest level? Thanks in advance,

 

Can't wait to leave! Getting closer :D

 

 

Triumph 4/22/06

[jleq]

There are tables seating anywhere from 2 to 10+ people. Carnival attempts to seat you with somebody similar to you [singles with singles, et cetera]. If you're unhappy with you dining partners, discreetly tell the MaitreD. He/she will do their best to help you.

[JerseyGirl97]

Is it required that you ask for someone to sit with for dinners? I will be on Triumph for the 4/22 sailing with my wife, we are first time cruisers. Do they automatically arrange you to sit with some people of your own age and interest level? Thanks in advance,

 

Can't wait to leave! Getting closer :D

 

 

Triumph 4/22/06

 

I hear that you get your seating assignment when you get your S&S card. You can then go check it out. It wont tell you who you are with, but you can see the table then! If you are at a 2 seater you can ask to move so you can meet new people. I don't think there is anyway for Carnival to know your interest level though. Hopefully you will get lucky and get great table mates! If not you can ask to change.

I told my dad he has to slip the guy a $50 and get us a window seat. He kind of chuckled and said "yeah". Not sure what that means - although I am not holding my breath! See, we all have special dining room wants! :D

I understand your excitement. I am so far out from my cruise and it's all I think about!!!!

[Curt Jerome Wild]

First of all...

Welcome to Cruise Critic, and congratulations on your upcoming first cruise!:)

Secondly, decide if you want/prefer to sit with a large group, or alone.

For me personally, part of the fun and experience of a cruise is meeting new people at dinner. It's something unique to a cruise that you don't get on any other vacation.

So, make sure at this point (because you still have time, they don't assign the seating until the week before your cruise) that you let your TA (Travel Agent) or PVP (Carnival Personal Vacation Planner) your "requests".

(Bear in mind, it is always a request, not set until you get on the cruise).

Meaning, Early seating, Late seating, Large table/group, Small table...

They will try to put you at a table first of all, according to your request, and then according to age ranges, couple, single, kids, etc. status.

So, be sure to make these requests now.

Then, to be sure (really important here), on the first afternoon on the ship, check the Carnival Capers that will be in your cabin. It will tell you what time the dining room is open to talk to the maitre'd to check on your seating/time status. Go there.

Check with him/her.

You will be able to see exactly what table and time you are assigned to, and also what age range and types of people you are seated with.

This is really important to do.

A couple of examples from my experiences...

One time, went on a cruise with my girlfriend (now fiance) and they put us at a table with 4 other couples in our age range who were either just newlyweds or couples like us - we all had a blast.

Second cruise with girlfriend (now fiance), they put us at a table with a family with 4 kids!:eek: Thank goodness, I had checked with the maitre'd beforehand, and I got us changed to a table with couples around our age range. Could have been bad, if I didn't check first.

Another cruise after that, I took my brother. They set us up at a table with all two people singles (male-male, example - me and my brother, female-female, example - two best female friends, and my brother is now MARRIED to one of those ladies we were seated next to:eek: ).

So, they try, but make sure to let your prefences be known beforehand.

Curt Jerome Wild

PS My brother thanks me to this day, that I dragged him down to the dining room on the first afternoon to check our dining assignment, and what type of people we'd be seated with. After he heard that we'd have some single ladies his age, then he didn't want to change the seating. Now he's married with a baby, and so happy (because before that he wanted to change the dinner time).

So, checking beforehand can change possibly bad situations, and create good situations.

There you go.

[zebra36]

Is it required that you ask for someone to sit with for dinners? I will be on Triumph for the 4/22 sailing with my wife, we are first time cruisers. Do they automatically arrange you to sit with some people of your own age and interest level? Thanks in advance,

 

Can't wait to leave! Getting closer :D

 

 

Triumph 4/22/06

Looks like your ? has been taken care of. On the Roll Call-Cranival board there is a thread for the 4-22 Triumph sailing if you care to ring in with 30 or so of your fellow passengers, whatever you decide have a great cruise and hope to see you on board.

[albean99]

Thanks for all of those tips, Curt Jerome Wild. I wish I'd known some of them before. We weren't happy with our time and table (we were put by ourselves) but put a request in the first day. The Maitre D did all of the requests the 2nd day at 2 p.m. We were moved to a large table with another family which worked out well for us. I had no idea that you could put requests in so will remember that for our next cruise which will be without kids.