Oh no! DW NEEDS a table for two!

[sharonella]

We have been on Carnival 2x. We always ask for a table for 4, agree with the other posters, like to spend time with the family alone when it comes to eating...... Love to have a drink with you.... but not dine with you:D Anyway, one of the 2 times we were assigned a table for 4, the first time had to see the Maitre D and it was changed. I just booked another cruise on Carnival for next Sept ( Valor), and the PVP said requesting a table through them doesn't matter. She said the Maitre D does not look at any of the reservation information, and it's the luck of the draw........ seemed odd to me but she was adament. Anyone know for sure ?

 

Thanks!

 

Seems odd to me too. Why bother even taking requests then? We've ALWAYS gotten what we requested. We had a group of over 30 people on our first cruise & our group organizer made a specific table arrangement (to give to our TA who gave to Carnival) so that certain people sat with certain people - totally honored. On our other cruises, our whole group of 8 sat at 1 table (our original group organizer is now our TA).

 

Maybe when it comes to tables of just 4 or 2, they can possibly "run out" on fully booked cruises, if too many people request them. Or of a MD plans "badly", by not honoring requests first, THEN putting everyone else together who haven't made special requests. We've always had late seating, & I've always seen empty tables for 2 or 4 (or maybe they are for people who have just chosen to never dine in the dining room.) I've always seen a few larger empty tables, too. Me - if I was adamant about getting a private table, & was told none were available, I would ask to sit at at larger table, if it were empty.

 

Sha

[amapola]

I think it's funny that couples want to be "alone" on a cruise with 3000 other people. To me if you want to be alone on a vacation there are much more conducive locations and transportation out there.

 

Actually, there is great anonimity in large crowds. I am not shy, have no social phobias, but I also have little interest in chatting up strangers. I come back from cruises (or any other vacation) without having exchanged more than mere pleasantries with fellow travelers. I don't talk to strangers in waiting rooms or anywhere else either. I don't sit with strangers when I go out to dinner on land, why should I on vacation?

 

DH and I both have very demanding jobs and spend a lot of time interacting with other people IRL. It's heaven for us to have a week to enjoy each other's company. :)

 

I think it's sad if you dont need anyone else in your life to spend time with.

 

Note to self: find therapist ASAP.

:D

[Marmarjudy]

My DH and I enjoy spending time alone (25 years), but we also enjoy meeting new people. I think dinner (a couple of hours at most) is a great opportunity to meet people. I think it's funny that couples want to be "alone" on a cruise with 3000 other people. To me if you want to be alone on a vacation there are much more conducive locations and transportation out there.

 

We met some great people on our last cruise and expect to again. We don't "need" the company of others to have a good time, but it is nice to meet new people. I think it's sad if you dont need anyone else in your life to spend time with. If you isolate yourself completely with just your spouse, you may end up very alone. There are two sides to everything!

 

 

Hmmm...me thinks this poster is missing the point here (or doesn't really want to just talk to/be stuck with the spouse for the entire cruise at dinner, as I mentioned before as the reason many have this preference of dining with strangers.) I wasn't talking about wanting "isolation" on a cruise....just the opposite. As I said previously, we meet people on every cruise, but NOT at a forced situation at dinner. It's only a week or so and we want to enjoy ourselves completely, the entire cruise, and we do. We enjoy each other's company, we are best friends, and want dining to be a great experience. Making small talk and dining with strangers (some very unlike us) is not relaxing or vacation for us.

 

Maybe others are looking for, or need, more from a cruise than we do. We're happy together........

 

Judy

[GoinCruisin]

You know... we all cruise for different reasons. Not everyone cruises to meet people, some people just want to be away from the fuss of the real world with their significant other... it doesn't mean they are anti social, it doesn't mean they don't get along with others, it doesn't mean their lives are sad... it means they want a table for 2 with the person they love. Big flippin deal... It says NOTHING about them or their lives, it simply says that the person they are traveling with is the person they want to spend their dining experience with, and not share that experience with a table full of people. I personally enjoy dining with others, but they are generally all friends and family... I can't say that I will never want a table for two for that special vacation...

[Marmarjudy]

You know... we all cruise for different reasons. Not everyone cruises to meet people, some people just want to be away from the fuss of the real world with their significant other... it doesn't mean they are anti social, it doesn't mean they don't get along with others, it doesn't mean their lives are sad... it means they want a table for 2 with the person they love. Big flippin deal... It says NOTHING about them or their lives, it simply says that the person they are traveling with is the person they want to spend their dining experience with, and not share that experience with a table full of people. I personally enjoy dining with others, but they are generally all friends and family... I can't say that I will never want a table for two for that special vacation...

 

My thoughts exactly.....as I said before: when crusing with a group, of family and friends, we always dine with the group and always have a wonderful time. When sailing just the two of us, we want a table for two, and, again, always have a wonderful time.

 

For us, being forced to dine with strangers and make small talk is not a vacation.......we each do that daily for work, and thus, for us, it's not a true vacation when in that position.

 

I guarantee if we sat with you at dinner, you would never know that we felt like we were at work. We would be in that mode, because we are nice people and also successful at our jobs. You would have a great time with us (again, we are very nice people) but we wouldn't have near as much true relaxation as if we were by ourselves, because we would be feeling like we were at work. Been there, done that, on other cruises.

 

Meet us at a bar or in the casino...not forced, we are ourselves.

 

Just another viewpoint,

Judy

[petro772]

Oh geez, did you read the previous posts? And did you really read mine? I was commenting on the post above mine stating that it was "sad to need the company of others (strangers)." It was meant to be the other side of the coin. You took that pretty personally, did I hit a sore spot? I just think that wanting to talk 24/7 with only your spouse on a vacation on a cruise ship is virtually impossible due to the numbers of people and the interactions you have to have just to be there.

Unfortunately you said the exact opposite. Are you saying that you made a mistake? ;)

[hubofhockey]

You know... we all cruise for different reasons. Not everyone cruises to meet people, some people just want to be away from the fuss of the real world with their significant other... it doesn't mean they are anti social, it doesn't mean they don't get along with others, it doesn't mean their lives are sad... it means they want a table for 2 with the person they love. Big flippin deal... It says NOTHING about them or their lives, it simply says that the person they are traveling with is the person they want to spend their dining experience with, and not share that experience with a table full of people. I personally enjoy dining with others, but they are generally all friends and family... I can't say that I will never want a table for two for that special vacation...

 

I don't cruise to meet people. It's a family vacation for me or a chance to be with my wife if the kids are in the kids club. It's the same way at restaurants in town. I have no desire to share my table with total strangers. I can live with Benihana once every other year. But that's more than enough.

[Marmarjudy]

I don't cruise to meet people. It's a family vacation for me or a chance to be with my wife if the kids are in the kids club. It's the same way at restaurants in town. I have no desire to share my table with total strangers. I can live with Benihana once every other year. But that's more than enough.

 

Exactly---why don't others get this? I personally believe that these couples that insist on dining with strangers don't really like each others' company, or would have very little to say to each other for a week...just my opinion. Not us: we are guaranteed a great time just the two of us, so that is what we always do, unless sailing (or dining at home) with friends/family.

 

By the way... I would love my husband to agree to Benihana every other year...I love the food...but...it will never happen.

 

Judy