Unwelcome At Our Assigned Table

[scapel]

 

Whatever Celebrity was doing with table assignments, it is not working.

Did it spoil my cruise? Not for a second. I do not take dinner all that seriously, but rather as a chance to eat some good banquet type food between my day and evening activities.

Coco Creek,

Hey, I'll sit with you. Get at my table of 8.

HA! I know what you mean about the table assignments. If we let that upset us we would have never had a good cruise. I always expect them to mess it up so I'm not dissappointed.

On the Mille march 2007, they got our arrangements for a group of 14 correct with side by side tables for 10 at each. I started to stand in line and tell them I had no complaints, but felt I should stand in the Maitre'd line as part of my cruise experience. I'm 71 and still trying to soar with eagles during the day and hoot with the owls at night. It seems to be getting harder to do that since 65 has gone by.

[Sky Sweet]

Probably her husband:D.

 

Hi conrycol - I love your sense of humor :)

 

That is one of the funniest posts I have ever seen on cruise critic.

[Longboysfan]

 

I once heard a very loud, angry woman at another table yell at the waiter that she was not going to sit with "that man" another night. It was a little frightening!

 

That was her Husband.

[Coco Creek]

Coco Creek,

Hey, I'll sit with you. Get at my table of 8.

HA! I know what you mean about the table assignments. If we let that upset us we would have never had a good cruise. I always expect them to mess it up so I'm not dissappointed.

 

 

Hey to you Scapel. I do hope our paths cross on a future cruise. I would love to break bread with you.

[teajak]

Happened to us on a TA a year ago--we had what we "thought" was a "good friends" late seating table, but we had to re-assign ourselves to early seating for a table for 2 because our whole "group" didn't get seated like we were told we would. :( The "powers that be" were seated together and we were way far away at an actually bad table location. We enjoyed the table for two for 2 nights when another couple that thought they had "certain reservations", were asking if they could join us! We had the BEST time the rest of the cruise!!!!:D

 

The lesson I have learned is----I love visiting with my DH and unless I really "know" my friends--will always opt for a table for 2 or only the friends I am sailing with!!!! :rolleyes:

We are a couple that have been on 45 cruises and I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am for you. We have met so many interesting and different people,some who have become dear friends.Try it, you might like it.

[Bibi]

On our very first cruise we (myself, DDx2 and DH) were seated at a table for 10 with a family also from Canada. They were Mom, Dad, Grandma and 3 kids around age 9 -13. When they were seated, we introduced ourselves and the conversation went downhill from there. We would ask them questions, like where are you from, what do you do, you know, the usual stuff and would basically get one word answers. OK, no big deal. Maybe they're shy, maybe they had a bad day......We went back the second night (formal night) thinking they might be in better spirits but this time, they not only didnt speak to us, but they didnt even speak to each other! The next two nights we didn't eat in the dining room, but then, when we went back for the second formal night, they weren't there. It was all very odd. On our next cruise, we asked for a table for 4 and got it. We had a great time with fantastic servers. Our third cruise is coming up and we are just going to sit where seated and hope that if it is with others, we all have a great time.

[scapel]

On our very first cruise we (myself, DDx2 and DH) were seated at a table for 10 with a family also from Canada. They were Mom, Dad, Grandma and 3 kids around age 9 -13. When they were seated, we introduced ourselves and the conversation went downhill from there. We would ask them questions, like where are you from, what do you do, you know, the usual stuff and would basically get one word answers. OK, no big deal. Maybe they're shy, maybe they had a bad day......We went back the second night (formal night) thinking they might be in better spirits but this time, they not only didnt speak to us, but they didnt even speak to each other! The next two nights we didn't eat in the dining room, but then, when we went back for the second formal night, they weren't there. It was all very odd. On our next cruise, we asked for a table for 4 and got it. We had a great time with fantastic servers. Our third cruise is coming up and we are just going to sit where seated and hope that if it is with others, we all have a great time.

Bibi,

You have to realize that some people get intimated by nice people. Do you know if they from Eastern Canada--Maybe spoke only French.

Maybe they didn't know what to say or how to express themselves. There are all kinds of "Genes" in this world. Genetics is where it is all happening.

[meow!]

Perhaps cruise lines should take a poll (such as a question on the comments sheet) on whether cruisers like to sit by themselves or with others. After collecting such information, they can better arrange the proportion mix of large tables, four-tops and two-tops. Then as passengers book, tell the TA to ask them whether they prefer to sit with others. Those who say yes will likely be more sociable and those who say no will likely be more private. So they can do accordingly to satisfy both types of people. And of course, when there are groups, such as a nuclear family (say four-top) or an extended family (large table), put a note on their bookings and try to accomodate. In our case, we mostly ate buffet dinner in the buffet restaurant, and that was just fine!

[Karynanne]

In most cases, the passengers are accomodated very well. Celebrity usually does a great job in their seating arrangements.

 

It cannot be an easy feat, trying to arrange seating for 2000+ passengers. Passengers that do want to be seated with family/friends, can link their reservations together prior to sailing.

 

Personally, I would not want to be that Maitre 'D that is in charge of the seating charts. That personn would have to have the personality to handle all the complaints and temperments. Not an easy task.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I'm surprised by the comments about group table arrangements being bungled by Celebrity. We've sailed twice with a group and both times the table arrangements were just as we asked. We were very pleased.

[Susan-M]

In most cases, the passengers are accomodated very well. Celebrity usually does a great job in their seating arrangements.

 

 

I agree and we've been pretty fortunate with table-mates on our Celebrity cruises with assigned seating. But after experiencing open dining on Azamara, I much prefer it .... the flexibility of eating when and where you want, having a choice of eating by ourselves or with others and being able to plan dinners with new found friends on board are all an advantage over set dining times and assigned seating, at least for us.

[bye-seaya]

Wow, I found it incredibly sad that someone who did not want two people sitting at their table felt compelled to voice that sentiment out loud. I have to agree w/ an earlier post ... "you can't fix stupid!" Shame on those people and it was their loss.

 

Last March when DH and I sailed on the Constellation, we did not know any other folks on that cruise. But before we sailed - we met some really nice people on the Cruise Critic forum. As we got closer to the cruise date we were emailing back and forth and we decided to link our dinner table assignments so that we could all sit together at one table. We had THE BEST TIME EVER and are still in touch with those friends via email today. We felt so incredibly lucky to have met these new friends and I often think of the great times we had together... especially at dinner when we would laff ourselves silly.

 

Maybe by connecting online ahead of time through the forums would work for other folks as it did for us.

Michelle, Joel, Janet and Bob - if you happen to see this post - Cheers!

All - Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

[wolfshadow]

This past June on our Alaska cruise on the Millie we were given a table for two at a window. Although we loved our table for six on our prior cruise on the Infinity, we felt like we had really scored. At first I thought that we would be missing out on talking to new people and sharing stories but we ended up being included with the six people at the table for eight next to us, so we had the best of both worlds. We sat and watched whales out of our window and chatted with them when the time permitted. It was great!

 

[Ma Bell]

Celebrity always does their best to make things right. The party of 18 were all friends that we have met through cruising. We are so fortunate to have met such wonderful friends and we continue to enjoy them regularly.:)

[ladyeight]

It was unfortunate, but atleast it happened first night and you acted like a "lady" and moved on! We always ask for larger table even when we travel with friends. We have met some nice (as well as not so nice) people and it always makes the cruise enjoyable. When we go on Princess, we still request assigned seating, instead of Personal Choice. With most ships now offering the Specialty Restaurants, chances are if you are dining with 6-8 people there will be several nights that the table will be1/2 empty. We have invited the other people at our table to join us if we are going to a Specialty Restaurant.

Enjoy your future cruises. We have 10 days to go before we leave on the Solstice

[spearmint]

I"ll bet the rude person was in proper attire.:rolleyes:

 

Probably.

But it sounds like she might have also had a large knot in her thong! :D

[CathyCruises]

I am always surprised to see people dining at tables for two. I know it is a matter of personal choice--but DH and I dine alone together EVERY night and it is so nice to meet new people and make new friends!

 

I guess couples who have children at home, and are on vacation alone, would appreciate the together time; but our kids are grown and as much as I love DH, I also really enjoy a change.

 

If you are one of those people whgo requests a table for two, would you mind sharing your reasoning? I've always wondered about that.

 

Thanks,

Cathy

[AirGorilla]

I am always surprised to see people dining at tables for two. I know it is a matter of personal choice--but DH and I dine alone together EVERY night and it is so nice to meet new people and make new friends!

 

I guess couples who have children at home, and are on vacation alone, would appreciate the together time; but our kids are grown and as much as I love DH, I also really enjoy a change.

 

If you are one of those people whgo requests a table for two, would you mind sharing your reasoning? I've always wondered about that.

 

Thanks,

Cathy

 

We always request a table for two, except when travelling with our two adult daughters. I travel a lot in my job, and am not at home as much as I would like to be. When we're on vacation, we treasure our time together, and our late seating dinner for two is special to us.

 

Happy New Year to you!!

 

AG

[FinelyCruising]

I am always surprised to see people dining at tables for two. I know it is a matter of personal choice--but DH and I dine alone together EVERY night and it is so nice to meet new people and make new friends!

 

I guess couples who have children at home, and are on vacation alone, would appreciate the together time; but our kids are grown and as much as I love DH, I also really enjoy a change.

 

If you are one of those people whgo requests a table for two, would you mind sharing your reasoning? I've always wondered about that.

 

Thanks,

Cathy

 

We have been seated at tables for 6, and we have been among larger groups and changed/rotated tables to dine with others in the group and we have enjoyed tables for two as well.

 

We have been very fortunate to have enjoyed all of our tablemates including people who we met for the first time as a result of the dining assignment.

 

Sometimes, for us, depending on the timing of the cruise or the duration, we just want to be alone and not be stimulated with or engaged in conversation with others. Sometimes we just prefer to shut down and be alone.

[spearmint]

On the first night in the MDR, the Maitre D'ee was showing us to our table assigned. As we approached a lady from the table jumped up and frantically said to the Maitre D'ee that he had put two strangers at their table! And this was not what she asked for!

What do you think? Has this ever happened to you?

 

This has never happened to us; but then, we always request a table for two.

 

I think that you handled the situation with grace and dignity....the direct opposite qualities of the :eek: "lady" (what a misnomer you used there!!!:)). When most of us are confronted with such arrogant, boorish, ignorant and petty behaviour it takes us back a bit, and we don't really know how to respond. (I think that is because we were brought up correctly, and crude and rude are not parts of our normal behaviour pattern.) It's only afterwards that most of us come up with the snappy response. But then, that would often bring us down the the lowest level....right where that horror is! I am sure that she wouldn't know enough to be embarrassed, but I hope that her group members were, and let her know it...but, on reflection, I doubt it.

 

We met one like her on our last cruise on Constellation in November, but on one of the ship's excursions. This large woman started from the moment she arrived at the small bus. She loudly complained before even attempting to get into the vehicle that someone was sitting in her place as she had requested handicapped seating at the very front. Meanwhile she was demanding that the driver pull her up and that the people behind her give her assisstance to get her into the bus, while continuing to verbally chastise Celebrity and by implication, the driver. The people in her seat (who had also requested assisted seating) moved, and she bitched about the wheel-well being in her seating area and how uncomfortable it was. And then she complained as to how the wheels of the wheel chair had scraped and chaffed her thighs. (My God, the woman wore shorts, was the size of my Buick and looked like she ate a Volkswagen every night!) She directed her husband to sit across the aisle from her with a nice old lady who was already there, (and right in front of us :rolleyes:) but then eventually made him switch seats with her so that she could drop the extra aisle-end seat down and thus take up two spaces... one immense cheek, therefore, right in the middle of the aisle. She constantly interrupted the driver/guide with questions while he was giving his talk, throwing him off his stride; in between she kept whining about how uncomfortable she was. She continually kept loudly questioning the old lady about where she was from and a myriad other things. We found out that she, herself, had had two husbands before this one, and I REALLY wanted to ask him when HE was planning on clearing out! What a total boor. You read about these self-centered people in novels, and scoff at the author. I was flabbergasted to see that they actually exist! At one of the stops, she went and sat at a table with another couple from our bus, and they immediately got up and moved to another table.

And I had seen this mountain on our ship; she had added herself to our elevator on the sixth deck on the way down to the gangway on deck one for the excursions. Two things now present themselves to me as being very fortuitous: (1) I never saw or, even better, heard her again, and ....(2) the elevator cables are a lot stronger than they look!;)

[Karynanne]

This has never happened to us; but then, we always request a table for two.

 

I think that you handled the situation with grace and dignity....the direct opposite qualities of the :eek: "lady" (what a misnomer you used there!!!:)). When most of us are confronted with such arrogant, boorish, ignorant and petty behaviour it takes us back a bit, and we don't really know how to respond. (I think that is because we were brought up correctly, and crude and rude are not parts of our normal behaviour pattern.) It's only afterwards that most of us come up with the snappy response. But then, that would often bring us down the the lowest level....right where that horror is! I am sure that she wouldn't know enough to be embarrassed, but I hope that her group members were, and let her know it...but, on reflection, I doubt it.

 

We met one like her on our last cruise on Constellation in November, but on one of the ship's excursions. This large woman started from the moment she arrived at the small bus. She loudly complained before even attempting to get into the vehicle that someone was sitting in her place as she had requested handicapped seating at the very front. Meanwhile she was demanding that the driver pull her up and that the people behind her give her assisstance to get her into the bus, while continuing to verbally chastise Celebrity and by implication, the driver. The people in her seat (who had also requested assisted seating) moved, and she bitched about the wheel-well being in her seating area and how uncomfortable it was. And then she complained as to how the wheels of the wheel chair had scraped and chaffed her thighs. (My God, the woman wore shorts, was the size of my Buick and looked like she ate a Volkswagen every night!) She directed her husband to sit across the aisle from her with a nice old lady who was already there, (and right in front of us :rolleyes:) but then eventually made him switch seats with her so that she could drop the extra aisle-end seat down and thus take up two spaces... one immense cheek, therefore, right in the middle of the aisle. She constantly interrupted the driver/guide with questions while he was giving his talk, throwing him off his stride; in between she kept whining about how uncomfortable she was. She continually kept loudly questioning the old lady about where she was from and a myriad other things. We found out that she, herself, had had two husbands before this one, and I REALLY wanted to ask him when HE was planning on clearing out! What a total boor. You read about these self-centered people in novels, and scoff at the author. I was flabbergasted to see that they actually exist! At one of the stops, she went and sat at a table with another couple from our bus, and they immediately got up and moved to another table.

And I had seen this mountain on our ship; she had added herself to our elevator on the sixth deck on the way down to the gangway on deck one for the excursions. Two things now present themselves to me as being very fortuitous: (1) I never saw or, even better, heard her again, and ....(2) the elevator cables are a lot stronger than they look!;)

 

Thank you for the greatest New Year's Eve laugh I've ever had! You brought that woman to life...and apparently she was "larger than life".

[MsBoomerang]

I am always surprised to see people dining at tables for two. I know it is a matter of personal choice--but DH and I dine alone together EVERY night and it is so nice to meet new people and make new friends!

 

I guess couples who have children at home, and are on vacation alone, would appreciate the together time; but our kids are grown and as much as I love DH, I also really enjoy a change.

 

If you are one of those people whgo requests a table for two, would you mind sharing your reasoning? I've always wondered about that.

 

Thanks,

Cathy

 

We like a table for two. We have young kids and enjoy a chance to have "just us" time when we can get it. Also, DH has to entertain (or is entertained) for work often, he enjoys a chance to dine alone (with me) when he can.

 

We do sit at larger group tables though when we have lunch in the formal dining room and always enjoy the companionship. Never had a bad experience on those occasions.

[meow!]

If you are one of those people whgo requests a table for two, would you mind sharing your reasoning? I've always wondered about that.

While we meow with fellow passengers occasionally, it is not our nature to congregate in large groups. We prefer not to have to put on a smile and find polite and interesting topics for conversation for hours at a time, sitting straight and tight.

 

We like to eat at our own pace, and not have to wait for others in a course by course dinner, which is often two hours. Instead, we usually finish in an hour or so by ourselves (as on Oceania for example, when courses can come as soon as we finish), or not much more than half an hour if we take buffet dinner (as on deck 11 of the Century, for example).

 

We understand that different people have different preferences and we respect that. It is nice to have choices, so as many people as possible can feel easy and satisfied .. meow!

 

P.S. Not everybody goes on cruise ships to party and make new friends. It is also a mode of transportation. While land trips have the benefit of more intensive sightseeing at each destination, and one can stay for days at each, sea voyages have the advantage of going to more ports in a shorter period of time without having to haul luggage and getting in and out of airports (which is not as pleasurable as in the old days before 9-11). One can also make a trip a "combo" with substantial pre-/post- cruise on land with a voyage in-between!

[FinelyCruising]

Thank you for the greatest New Year's Eve laugh I've ever had! You brought that woman to life...and apparently she was "larger than life".

 

Yes! Can you imagine an excursion with that???:eek:

[scapel]

I'm surprised by the comments about group table arrangements being bungled by Celebrity. We've sailed twice with a group and both times the table arrangements were just as we asked. We were very pleased.

I looked and think I have sailed with Celebrity 9 times. They have messed up our initial arrangements 8 times. :) They have always gotten it straight after going to the Maitre'd, but my point is we know what we want and we put it in 6 months to a year ahead of time and still have to get it fixed.

Of course if that is all, I'm not complaining. I have another Celebrity cruise booked already, and love the M Class ships. I do hate to go and bother the Maitre'd. Maybe this time it will be correct.