Table mates

[I Run Long]

I guess we're the oddballs here.. my DH and I are young (well he's early 30's and I'm late 20's) but we've never really "hung out" with people our own age, we have always gotten along better with older people (I guess we're just old school folks) and we got set at a table with a couple who couldn't speak english and two girls who were party animals... it was awkward to say the least because one of them was loud mouthed and so rude to the waiters and the other couple just stared off into space most of the time...

I hate the fact that they go by our age, because it just doesn't fit our personalities! But I feel like it would be weird to request "Gee, can we sit with old people next time?!"

I know exactly how you feel, although DH and myself are now the "old" people. When I travelled to Greece with my boyfriend, I was 29 and we got along great and hung out with a retired couple. We both never laughed so hard or had such a good time as we did with that couple. You can sit with us any time.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

This sounds very similar to a situation we had on the WB 2008 Panama Cruise. A few of the details I remember are a little different, but not overly so.

Interesting, I guess there will always be problems when more the 50 % of the ship is return cruisers. We had the Castaway Club reception on Deck 9 and 10 and Captain Tom joked that he was afraid the ship would sink having 90% of the ships passengers all in one place at once.

 

[jpeka65844]

We were on PCC 3.0 and while all Dis-ers were seated together, DH and I were seated with other Dis-ers we didn't know.

What a great match! We were three couples all sailing without kids and one solo guy! 4 of the 7 of us were teachers and all had a mutual love for Disney.

Worked out great for us and I have an anti-social DH!

The matching is probably all done by computer but I like to think of someone actually doing this at Disney. Sitting in a cubicle, going over passenger lists....making mock-ups of seating arrangements a'la Monica from Friends. That would be a job that's cool to say you have: "Oh, I do seating arrangements for dinners on Disney ships!"

On our next cruise (cross our fingers!) we'll be too big of a party to seat with other people. I have to say, I think I'll miss it!

 

[Alfiebookshop]

This was our only reservation for a first cruise in June. We were really uptight about sharing a table being a very private and reserved couple. Disney, however did a great job and we shared the table with 2 lovely couples. We were all very different but somehow we just really got on. It was a pleasure meeting these new people.

 

[Disney Lifer]

We certainly didn't find our table mates to be the perfect match. We only lasted about 3 minutes at our table. My family had 2 younger children (3 and 2) and the second we walked up to our table the mother at the table made a snarky remark about how she already raised her kids and had no interest in sitting next to us. It wasn't something she said quietly to her obnoxious teenagers or husband or even the restaurants manager, it was said out loud for us to hear. We promptly found management and received our own table, which we were quite happy with, since our kids got plenty of special attention from our new server.

 

[Tehanna]

We certainly didn't find our table mates to be the perfect match. We only lasted about 3 minutes at our table. My family had 2 younger children (3 and 2) and the second we walked up to our table the mother at the table made a snarky remark about how she already raised her kids and had no interest in sitting next to us. It wasn't something she said quietly to her obnoxious teenagers or husband or even the restaurants manager, it was said out loud for us to hear. We promptly found management and received our own table, which we were quite happy with, since our kids got plenty of special attention from our new server.

Wow, what a rude woman. You made the right choice by requesting a new table.

 

[Disneygal19]

I wish I had known you could ask to move tables as myself my sister both in our 20s and my mother were seated with a group of same age who sat whispering and laughing to each other while their 23 yr old colored on the tablecloth!!

 

[lesroi]

You all are very encouraging to let my family be "open" to having tablemates assigned to us again.

On our last cruise before we started cruising Disney we were put with, shall we say, a very incompatable couple for our tablemates, and on our subsequent Disney cruises we have requested 4-tops (except when travelling with friends).

I should have known Disney magic would come into play here and so now i will set upon convincing my DH to try this out again!

You sound like me! I am starting to feel bad that I requested us to be seated alone. Our last table match was really not on the mark and I was worried about a 14-night cruise with a similar match. Maybe I should drop our request. These posts have me hopeful!

Tracy

 

[gotomu212]

You sound like me! I am starting to feel bad that I requested us to be seated alone. Our last table match was really not on the mark and I was worried about a 14-night cruise with a similar match. Maybe I should drop our request. These posts have me hopeful!

Tracy

We were SOOOO glad we had table mates for our 14 day cruise. I love my husband and son, but 3 meals a day for 14 days was really going to add up to just too much togetherness. We needed fresh conversation blood. Hehe. At home we love having dinner together and talking about our day, but here we were together for most of the day so I pictured long conversations of "remember today on the beach? That was fun" "yep it was" says ths other. "remember that dolphin?". Response "the one we talked about at lunch? Yep"

Having another family to compare activities with and talk over diner with was often the highlight of our day- especially sea days!

 

[DumboFan]

Finally had great tablemates!! Mom & 2 daughters from Cali along with her mom & brother from Hawaii. We rode down in the elevator the first night & once we sat down it was like we had known them forever!

 

[dday2022]

Our last cruise (Jul 28 - Aug 4) eastern was the first cruise out of seven where we had our own table, a four topper. Boy did we miss having table mates. By the end of the cruise we really needed other adults to have a conversation with.

Also let me say table numbers above 90 are bad in the Royal Court restaurant, you are in your own little room where you are cut off from the rest of the restaurant.

 

[runner_princess]

I know exactly how you feel, although DH and myself are now the "old" people. When I travelled to Greece with my boyfriend, I was 29 and we got along great and hung out with a retired couple. We both never laughed so hard or had such a good time as we did with that couple. You can sit with us any time.

I would love an older couple to sit with! DH and I have an 11-year age difference. On the Dream last year, we were put at a table with two other couples, both in their early twenties, all of whom were college students ready to party. I was 25, and had been working full time for 4 years; DH was 36. They were super friendly, and spent a lot of time partying with each other, but we just didn't have anything in common with them. I wish I could ask to matched by DH's age, not mine!

 

[Clotho]

As cheesy as it sounds, I think making connections with people from different walks of life and different cultures is what really breaks down barriers and changes perceptions and we love how dcl gave us the oppurtunity to introduce our son to that concept. Okay that was cheesy

No it's not! It's beautiful!

 

[Beauty & the Best]

We've had hit & miss with our table mates, but usually prefer a 2-person table.

Not sure how they pair you - sometimes we've been with similar people, sometimes not.

 

[beckybowler]

My husband and I are really not that social in unfamiliar settings. I was very nervous about being seated with other people on our cruise. We ended up with another family from California with two kids around my two kids ages. We ended up spending a lot of time on the cruise with them while our kids hung out. It was fantastic and we will treasure the time we spent together bonding with another couple. We just don't do that it seems!

 

[Christy May]

we took an Alaska cruise on Disney last year with our 2 adult children and my mother in law. Our table mates were another family that had 2 adult children with them and one of the parents mom. It was GREAT.
we all had someone to talk to. I dont know how Disney does it, but we have
never been disappointed with our table mates. Dec 8 will be our 5th Disney cruise and I am so excited.

 

[dmi188]

Our first cruise we (50 something couple,traveling without kids) were seated at a table with a family of 5. Parents, a teen, and 2 younger children. We do not drink, they did. They were usually rushing off, we were not in a hurry. Only thing we found in common was that his place of employment did some business with our son's place of employment. Not bad tablemates, by any stretch. Nice people, just not a match. Since then, we always ask for, and have received, our own table. May try again with table mates sometime.

 

[4mousefans]

On our first three cruises, we traveled with another family of four...we were good friends with the parents and the kids were friends as well. It was a good time!
The fourth cruise, we were seated at a 6-top for the five of us (myself, husband, two daughters and my mother). It was nice to have that time as a family and we really treasure those memories!
Our fifth cruise found us traveling as five again and seated with a family of five from Canada. The parents were the same age as myself and husband, and they had two college-aged (like our eldest) and a high schooler (like our youngest). Perfect...absolutely PERFECT! From the moment that we sat down at the table, it felt as though we had known this family forever...we laughed and talked-sharing everything from great stories to music. We found ourselves and the kids spending most of our time hanging out and feel so lucky to have made such great friends. We enjoyed them so much that January 2013 we will be cruising with them again...we booked the cruises before we got off the ship!
Disney does an amazing...or should I say MAGICAL!...job of matching!

 

[lynj808]

We just came home from a 5 night cruise on the Magic. Our tablemates were fantastic. We both have only children, both 10 year old girls, who hit it off wonderfully. They were together most of the cruise...out at the kids clubs, meeting characters, swimming. They were anxious to get done with dinner most nights to go and hang out together. As parents we hit it off too! The other mom and I enjoyed adult time after dinner...catching a movie or one of the ships activities. The four adults found that we would often meet up at the Quiet Cove pool in the day.
I think meeting new people is always fascinating. We have cruised before, and have enjoyed our tablemates, but never found ourselves hanging out with them beyond dinner. We were lucky that this family was such a great match in personality for us...because we really come from very different walks of life. I do think it is part of the Disney "magic" and that it "is a small world after all!" (yeah...cheesy I know)

 

[DisneyGirlTinkerbell]

We are sailing next week by ourselves celebrating my DBF's 50th and my 52nd. His first cruise, my first without kids. We asked for a table for two. We have always had great table mates, but this time I just want to be alone. It's also my first verandah, so I'm super excited.