Dine alone or with table mates?

[Thnlk]

On our last cruise.The wife and I were seated with 3 other couples traveling without kids. We had a great time and still stay in touch.

 

[twindaddy]

Does anyone know if you can link dining but not staterooms? This may be a good tactic for my surprise thread....to make sure I get at their table but they dont know about it....

 

[Jerseymomof2]

OP I think it depends on what you would prefer. My hubby is more strict with the kids at the table when others are around.(no silliness aloud) We have requested a table alone (there are 5 of us) if we don't get it there are pleanty of other places on the ship for us to eat so we will skip the dining rooms if we don't get a table alone.

 

[twindaddy]

OP I think it depends on what you would prefer. My hubby is more strict with the kids at the table when others are around.(no silliness aloud) We have requested a table alone (there are 5 of us) if we don't get it there are pleanty of other places on the ship for us to eat so we will skip the dining rooms if we don't get a table alone.

Can we sit with you? We are pretty strict at the dinner table too, maybe I could request "strict family" with my TA.

 

[extechie rbd/wdt]

You have the same tablemates for the length of the cruise, so at least after the first night, you kind of know them. It's just not for us.

I wasn't clear in that I know you have the same dining table mates and servers every night, what I meant was not knowing who you are going to have to be dining with every night for the length of your cruise.

Scary thought after reading what some Guests have had to put up with from some of their assigned table mates and it is some comfort to hear how many friendships have been made since!

Ex Techie

 

[Makayna]

Does anyone know if you can link dining but not staterooms? This may be a good tactic for my surprise thread....to make sure I get at their table but they dont know about it....

Yes, I believe so.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

Can we sit with you? We are pretty strict at the dinner table too, maybe I could request "strict family" with my TA.

same here! although ... we are a little silly, too. I guess we're just a little mixed up?

 

[twindaddy]

same here! although ... we are a little silly, too. I guess we're just a little mixed up?

Its all about balance, I do NOT let my children use outside voice, get up out of their seat, or get ANYTHING from the server unless they said please and thank you, and for gods sake chew with your mouth closed.

But we can still tell jokes, stories, draw, color, and if we are alone, play daddy football with the straw wrapper (I make a goal post with my thumb and fore finger and they try to shoot it in like a field goal), ECT, have fun family time together. Another big thing is simply knowing your child. I doubt mine (or me for that matter!) could sit through a two hour meal. I plan on seeing how it goes the first night, but in general feeding them first, off to the kids club you go, see you on the way to the show. Not many children care to survive a 90 minute meal.

Curious to hear dining nightmares from previous cruisers?

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

Curious to hear dining nightmares from previous cruisers?

SADLY, our only dining nightmare was from people who we traveled with.

We had a LARGE party ... almost 30 people ... these were 'friends of a friend' and OMG ... simply atrocious behavior from their kids. Couldn't even begin to relay all the horrors. I knew the mother & father were not rule-followers when she showed up to dinner one night in her bathing suit. (can't seem to find the 'fainting' emoticon right now! ) I wanted to crawl under the table!!

I was truly embarassed all 7 nights with the out-of-control behavior of their kids and hope the rest of us weren't judged by this one family who was seated with us ... but I know we most likely were (it's human nature).

Toward the end of the cruise, a few of us ate upstairs at Topsiders to get away from them -- thought we'd be going to the buffet, but much to our surprise - Topsiders was a 'sit down' at dinnertimes.

Anywho ... this 'family' has been asked (by our mutual friend) that if they return again, to please feed their kids ahead of time and take them to the kids club so that the rest of us (and the entire restaurant!!) can eat in peace. I hope they are also told to avoid wearing bathing suits to dinner! UGH!

 

[twindaddy]

SADLY, our only dining nightmare was from people who we traveled with.

We had a LARGE party ... almost 30 people ... these were 'friends of a friend' and OMG ... simply atrocious behavior from their kids. Couldn't even begin to relay all the horrors. I knew the mother & father were not rule-followers when she showed up to dinner one night in her bathing suit. (can't seem to find the 'fainting' emoticon right now! )

I was truly embarassed all 7 nights and hope the rest of us weren't judged by this one family who was seated with us ... but I know we most likely were (it's human nature).

Toward the end of the cruise, a few of us ate upstairs at Topsiders to get away from them -- thought we'd be going to the buffet, but much to our surprise - Topsiders was a 'sit down' at dinnertimes.

Anywho ... this 'family' has been asked (by our mutual friend) that if they return again, to please feed their kids ahead of time and take them to the kids club. I hope they are also told to avoid wearing bathing suits to dinner! UGH!

Wow, I wonder what those on these boards who claim their dinner is ruined when they see someone in shorts / jeans would do if they saw someone in a bathing suit? I guess it depends on how good looking they are

I have a great friendship right now that is kinda slowly ending because of a nightmare child the parents refuse to control, it is really sad. We could trade demon child stories via PM, but the last straw was him laughing about killing their gold fish by banging on the tank, and the parents didnt care. Um, pyscho killer much?

 

[Fltwin]

Ummm... How could a bunch of strangers on the Internet even begin to answer this question? Which would YOU prefer?

Luckily, I got a bunch of nice advice. Thanks to all who replied. I really appreciate it.

 

[Alexander]

I wasn't clear in that I know you have the same dining table mates and servers every night, what I meant was not knowing who you are going to have to be dining with every night for the length of your cruise.

Scary thought after reading what some Guests have had to put up with from some of their assigned table mates and it is some comfort to hear how many friendships have been made since!

Ex Techie

Gottcha! I read it as new tablemates everynight

 

[Snowecru]

Try it out. If it works, you've got some new friends. If it doesn't work, as for a different table.

 

[TiaMaria]

It's just my DH and me, no children.

Will they sit us at a table with other adults only?

Thanks.

Maybe, maybe not. One cruise, we sat with another family as well as a honeymoon couple. We all had a blast.

We've been blessed with great tablemates each time we've cruised.

Knock on wood!

 

[ludari]

I've done both since I traveled alone on several cruises including a couple of Disney Cruises. I was once at a table with nine other passengers and none of them had ever traveled on a Disney Cruise so it was nice sharing my limited Disney Cruise experience with them. I've also enjoyed just sitting by myself at a table on another Disney Cruise but I guess that depends on how you feel about sitting alone. My next cruise in September I will probably asks to have my own table if possible.

 

[chaoskids]

We will be on our third cruise next summer (the Dream, yeah!) and we have always been seated at our own table because of the size our family group (ten next year). But even if our group was smaller, we would probaly get our own table. We look forward to this time, as it is a time to talk and laugh and enjoy each other at the end of our busy days. My kids are getting older now though and tend to go their own way.
When they were younger, I would have chosen what would have made them comfortable. Is your child shy or out going? Talkaive or quiet? Tend to have dinner time melt downs? Short lived ones? One of my boys tended to be very tired by dinner time when he was two - three years old. We didn't want table melt downs to bother others in the restaruant. If he couldn't get it together after a minute or so, we stepped out until he could. Now, of course, their angels.

 

[jjgarv]

Six years ago, we took our DD on her first Disney cruise...she was 3 at the time. We were matched with a family of 4 four dinner, and we had a great time! We still keep in touch and have cruised with them a couple more times.

DCL has always done a great job matching us with great table mates. And it must be said...at times, it's been easier to get along with strangers than with the extended family!

 

[bbaltes]

We've debated about joining our family of 3 (DD8) with others. It would be fun to give our daughter someone to talk to and play with, but we just found that (and this is us - not everyone) we had to be "on" when we had tablemates. Always looking to start up a conversation when it lulled, hold opinions to ourselves about our day, just be kind of, well, "pent up." I know there are many here who have had tremendous luck in finding table partners that they keep in touch with for years. We have just found that sitting by ourselves (and this year with Grandma) would be much more relaxing.

Again, just our thoughts - and probably don't reflect the experiences of many here on the boards.

Ben, Jenny, and Lily (DD8) and Grandma Dot

 

[twindaddy]

at times, it's been easier to get along with strangers than with the extended family!

Amen to that! If I had to sit with my father in law, well, I might jump overboard....or toss him overboard.

 

[Fire14]

It's just my DH and me, no children.

Will they sit us at a table with other adults only?

Thanks.

we have always been sat at tables with other adults. Once had 9yo child also but he rarely came to dinner and was very mature when he did