stewart_oz Posted October 18 #1 Share Posted October 18 We are 2 first time cruisers , traveling by ourselves , doing a 7 day cruise on the Diamond Princes , sailing 9th November We have reserved dinning in the Main Dinning Room .( Vivaldi ) First night we requested private dinning with subsequent nights group dinning Just curious as to peoples thoughts and experiences . Is it best to do all nights as group , so can settle in right from the start ,or leave first night just for us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donwoods123 Posted October 18 #2 Share Posted October 18 It is a matter of personal preference. We always request a private table for two. Most of the time, we are seated in a "row" of tables for two so the people on your right and left are very close. Sometimes, they seat us at a table that could accommodate four, so it is more of a private experience. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlawrence01 Posted October 18 #3 Share Posted October 18 My wife and I eat dinner alone when we are at home. We prefer to eat with other people. Over the years, we have met a lot of interesting people and have made many friends 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprocket Posted October 18 #4 Share Posted October 18 We book a private table, my husband has difficulty following conversations even with double hearing aids. We have the same table every night and on one of our Hawaii cruises there were 3 other couples that we chatted with every night. We had a lot of fun that trip. Personally my biggest concern with a shared table is waiting for everyone to be seated and orders all taken at the same time. YMMV 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Esprit Posted October 18 #5 Share Posted October 18 We prefer to dine with others. Mostly tables of eight and we rotate around so we get to know all our table companions. Whenever we book a specialty venue we simply let them and the wait staff know in advance. Only once did we have unpleasant company in over 20 years of cruising Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
555 Posted Friday at 11:49 AM #6 Share Posted Friday at 11:49 AM Just remember that when you eat at a large table, the speed at which the food is served is dependent upon how fast the slowest person eats. If there's a lot of chatter, the dinner will take >2 hours. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotRoot Posted Friday at 12:34 PM #7 Share Posted Friday at 12:34 PM We do not mind breakfast or lunch at a shared table but will only share at a table for 4 or 6. Anything larger just takes too long for the meal. We always request a table for two for dinner. We have been at shared tables and had to leave before our entree was served in order to make it to a show we wanted to see. No problems with tablemates. Just slow service. At a private table we inform the waiter of the time we want to be finished and they step up service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Cruise Raider Posted Friday at 01:33 PM #8 Share Posted Friday at 01:33 PM We always prefer a private table unless we meet others that we’ve clicked with and only then, we ask to be seated at a table 4 (or maybe even up to 6). Any larger is a no go for us. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddingtonbear Posted Friday at 06:38 PM #9 Share Posted Friday at 06:38 PM I like shared tables but it is annoying when people have 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts because the whole table has to wait for them to finish both meals to get the next course. Makes for a very long meal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
555 Posted Friday at 07:27 PM #10 Share Posted Friday at 07:27 PM 45 minutes ago, paddingtonbear said: I like shared tables but it is annoying when people have 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 desserts because the whole table has to wait for them to finish both meals to get the next course. Makes for a very long meal. It's not so much or the extra courses that people get as it is their constant chatter that takes them so much time. You can talk to people all day long so doing so at dinner isn't all necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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