Dinning Private or Shared

[stewart_oz]

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?

 

[Donwoods123]

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.

[jlawrence01]

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 

[Sprocket]

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

[Esprit]

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

[555]

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. 

[HotRoot]

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.  

[Cruise Raider]

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.  

 

[paddingtonbear]

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. 

[555]

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.