Who's coming to dinner?

[lumpyatst]

I know you get assigned to either an early or late dinner but who determines who you will be sitting with? Can you change seats and dine with people you become acquainted with in 'meet n mingle'? What about if you have other family or friend's you cruise with, how do you work that out?

[MrsCorL]

I know you get assigned to either an early or late dinner but who determines who you will be sitting with? Can you change seats and dine with people you become acquainted with in 'meet n mingle'? What about if you have other family or friend's you cruise with, how do you work that out?

 

 

i have sailed with family the last 2 yrs and sat together at dinner. we just had the reservation numbers linked together. sorry, i don't know about m & m ppl sitting together..maybe someone else would know that one.....

[RoofingPrincess]

You are assigned to a dining time and a table.

If you have family or friends that you're cruising with, you can have the reservations linked for dining ahead of time, and the sooner the better. To do this, you'll need to have everybody's reservation number, and (of course) you will all have to agree on a dining time. We have done this with online friends from all over the country on the Vision and the Jewel - on the Vision, we were even able to get two side-by-side tables for eight with the aid of the concierge (at least one of our group is Diamond Plus).

If you meet people on board and want to sit with them for dinner, all of you would have to talk to the maitre d' about having your seats changed. This could be a lot trickier - for example, let's say that there are three couples who have decided they want to sit together a day or two into the cruise. The maitre d' would have to find a table with six places available. Depending on how full the dining time is -- and Main seating is often waitlisted -- this may or may not be possible.

There is always the option of agreeing to meet in the Windjammer for dinner....

[cb at sea]

If you meet new friends on the cruise, you'll have to meet them for drinks before and/or after dinner! Once your seats are assigned, it's possible to move YOU, but difficult to move several groups to a table of their own. Just plan on getting together in different places! And who knows, you may like your tablemates so much, that THEY will be your dining partners of choice!

[Truebluescruise]

Hi, I just signed up for the meet and mingle. I haven't been on the boards for this cruise things have been just crazy busy. My sister and I were on the boards for our last cruise which was Carnival's Glory last year, It was really fun, our first time talking to people who were going to be on the same cruise as us, getting to know them before we went, was really fun. To answer your question, usually you tell the person who booked your cruise for you what seating you want, late or early and what size of table you want to sit at. They assign who you sit with unless you have previously requested table mates. You can request a change with the Maitre de on the first day. I hope this helps.

[critterchick]

If you have family or friends that you're cruising with, you can have the reservations linked for dining ahead of time, and the sooner the better. To do this, you'll need to have everybody's reservation number, and (of course) you will all have to agree on a dining time. We have done this with online friends from all over the country on the Vision and the Jewel - on the Vision, we were even able to get two side-by-side tables for eight with the aid of the concierge (at least one of our group is Diamond Plus).

 

Vision doesn't have a Concierge, so I'm not sure who your friend used to help you. If it was done in advance, it would have been the maitre d' or the dining room coordinator.

 

To the OP, if you know before the cruise who you want to sit with, it's relatively simple to link your reservations together to ensure that you are at the same table. If you meet somebody that you want to sit with after the first day (the M&M is usually the second day or later), it will be difficult to accomodate you, but it never hurts to ask - all they can say is no.

[sagiv666]

I know you get assigned to either an early or late dinner but who determines who you will be sitting with? Can you change seats and dine with people you become acquainted with in 'meet n mingle'? What about if you have other family or friend's you cruise with, how do you work that out?

 

My wife and I are experienced cruisers, and I know on the many cruises I have been on before we met (I was married before) and on the cruises we have been on since we were married, we never sat with people we didn't like. Apparently we are put together with people our own ages -- in the past, my late first wife and I were put together with people our own ages who were newlyweds (we were already married); while on our honeymoon cruise, my third wife and I shared a table with a couple happily married but also our age. These cruises were with Holland Americas, but on our last cruise with Royal Caribbean (to Alaska on the Radiance last September), again we sat with couples our age and we developed close friendships. As our cruise to Alaska was ending, one couple was continuing on the next cruise to Hawaii, and asked if they could request the same waiters. I think this couldn't be done for them, and I wonder if changes can be made with others you met and with whom you feel closer.

On our most recent cruise on the Norwegian Spirit (NCL), we were exposed to freestyle cruising for the first time. Here, one could dine wherever and wherever they desired (some specialty restaurants required advance reservations). While we preferred the fixed seating arrangements we had on cruises prior to this, on NCL you could choose with whom you wanted to eat -- we did, as we made new friends on the Roll Call prior to the cruise and at the Mix & Mingle Party given on the first day after embarking.:)

[Mysticks1]

Another option would be to make reservations at one of the specialty restaurants for your group of new friends(if available). Or you could meet for lunch in the dining room on your sea days.

[cruiseguy1016]

We have met people on our roll call that we wanted to dine with. Call RCI with your reservation #s and have them linked for dining.

[katiel53]

We have met people on our roll call that we wanted to dine with. Call RCI with your reservation #s and have them linked for dining.

 

If you decide before sailing you would like to dine with people from your roll call, it is done just as posted above. Our Mariner trip in October had most of the people linked so that those with early dining and those with late got to enjoy the company of others they met on the roll call. One couple from early and one from late called their TA's to get the bookings linked. Worked out well.

 

It's not easy to do once onboard. The suggestion of having dinner in a specialty restaurant is a good one as well as the one about having lunch together in the dining room on a sea day.

 

Enjoy.

[sagiv666]

Another option would be to make reservations at one of the specialty restaurants for your group of new friends(if available). Or you could meet for lunch in the dining room on your sea days.

 

You can do the same in the Windjammer as well.:)