Being seated with others in Dining Room?

[ToyStory3]

Hi - we are a family of 4. We will be sailing on the Magic in October. In your experience - will we likely be seated by ourselves or with others? This is our first Disney cruise.

Thanks!

 

[Deb T.]

Unless you're sailing in concierge, most likely with others. If you have a preference one way or the other, you can call DCL and put in a request.

Happy Sailing!

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

Put in a request if it's important to you and then it's highly Likly you will sit at your own table.
It is a request but many tables are four tops. If booked directly contact DCL if booked by TA get them to request it.

 

[RedSox68]

Hi - we are a family of 4. We will be sailing on the Magic in October. In your experience - will we likely be seated by ourselves or with others? This is our first Disney cruise.

Thanks!

We have sat with others and after four cruises decided we'd like to just have family time. There are three of us and we always request a 4-topper (table for four). It is only a request and they cannot guaranty it, but in our last 5 cruises they have indeed given us a separate table. Just let Disney know your request. If you get onboard and are seated with others, ask the head server to correct it for your next dining and they have (for us) fixed it.

 

[Richard Howren]

Just wanted to add... We just completed our cruise to Alaska on August 1, where we were assigned a 4-topper. We were a family of 4, however our demographics were not typical. It was grandma, grandpa and two girl granddaughters age 3 & 9. I don't know if that had any bearing but it was nice to spend quality family time together since we do not get much time with our grandkids due to the distance apart.

 

[FamilyHolidayPlanner]

We are also a family of 4 and travelled on the magic in June this year. We didn't request a table by ourselves, but were allocated one.

 

[TrySomethingNew]

We were a family of 4, never requested our own table, but were seated by ourselves each time (Dream, Magic).

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We are a party of 2 we always request a table by ourselves and have always got our request.

 

[Dug720]

First Disney cruise was with my parents and sister on a trip to celebrate the parents' 45th anniversary. We were concierge and had our own table (apparently this is standard for concierge) - HOWEVER, the tables are pretty close together, and in whichever Royal is on the Dream, the dad at the table next to ours decided to start up conversation as if we were at the same table.

Second Disney cruise I was solo - but my sister was working on the Dream and had received permission to eat with me. I was initially assigned a shared table, but we got reassigned to one of our own so that we could talk more freely and she wouldn't have to be answering a ton of questions (she had to wear her Whites).

Third Disney cruise I was solo - and sister was on vacation. I requested my own table, but got put at what I can only describe as a "singles dump" as it was me and two guys each traveling solo. The guys hit is off superbly, but it was clear I was the odd one out as I shared NONE of their interests (golf, real estate, conservative politics) and managed to get myself reassigned from the third night on (second night I was in Palo).

I've put in a request for a solo table for my upcoming cruise - got the standard "it is a request only" deal from the CM on the phone, but he was pretty brusque about how he said it, so I may call back closer to the cruise and ensure that the request is on there (maybe I should say it is due to me being gluten-free...I mean, it's not really an issue as to why I don't want to share a table, but he did ask if my request was due to the allergy... It's really that I don't want to be part of a solo dump table again or worse be the one solo at a table with a pair or group of three - or at a larger table with all groups. Doesn't take a lot of reading on here to see that the other people don't like having a solo "dumped" at their table any more than we like it...). I'm definitely going to go to the dining changes area as soon as I board to make sure I'm at a table alone.

 

[mike0035]

I have sailed on 7 Dis cruises with a total of 4 ppl (2A, 2C) and have had a table for 4 everytime

 

[Shanti]

First Disney cruise was with my parents and sister on a trip to celebrate the parents' 45th anniversary. We were concierge and had our own table (apparently this is standard for concierge) - HOWEVER, the tables are pretty close together, and in whichever Royal is on the Dream, the dad at the table next to ours decided to start up conversation as if we were at the same table.

Second Disney cruise I was solo - but my sister was working on the Dream and had received permission to eat with me. I was initially assigned a shared table, but we got reassigned to one of our own so that we could talk more freely and she wouldn't have to be answering a ton of questions (she had to wear her Whites).

Third Disney cruise I was solo - and sister was on vacation. I requested my own table, but got put at what I can only describe as a "singles dump" as it was me and two guys each traveling solo. The guys hit is off superbly, but it was clear I was the odd one out as I shared NONE of their interests (golf, real estate, conservative politics) and managed to get myself reassigned from the third night on (second night I was in Palo).

I've put in a request for a solo table for my upcoming cruise - got the standard "it is a request only" deal from the CM on the phone, but he was pretty brusque about how he said it, so I may call back closer to the cruise and ensure that the request is on there (maybe I should say it is due to me being gluten-free...I mean, it's not really an issue as to why I don't want to share a table, but he did ask if my request was due to the allergy... It's really that I don't want to be part of a solo dump table again or worse be the one solo at a table with a pair or group of three - or at a larger table with all groups. Doesn't take a lot of reading on here to see that the other people don't like having a solo "dumped" at their table any more than we like it...). I'm definitely going to go to the dining changes area as soon as I board to make sure I'm at a table alone.

For our Magic cruise, I requested a table for myself and my son in advance. My son is autistic, and is very awkward about meeting new people. I don't want him to have to stress about that on his vacation, and he's gluten-free, & would have to watch everyone else enjoying food that he wasn't allowed to eat. I had explained all of that when requesting the private table months in advance, and later calling in to confirm that the request was on the reservation.

When we boarded (early), I checked to see what our dining configuration would be, and found out that we had been assigned to a table of 8. I went to the dining changes area to request our own table, and the brusque guy in charge gave me a bit of a hard time about it: full sailing (New Year's), all these private table requests cause problems, there would be another boy my son's age at our table, etc. He did grant my request, though.

I'm hoping that too many people who don't strongly want/need it don't start requesting private tables. You've described a compelling need as a single being dumped with strangers, and some families, like mine, have a child with special needs. But I've also seen people on here toying with the idea of requesting a private table, like "Which would be nicer, do you think, private or shared?", but had no strong reason to request one.

Cruisers: If it's not really important to you, please don't request a private table, as there are others to whom it is very important, and only so many requests can be granted.

 

[Pooh2]

We had our first cruise this summer and requested and got a table for just the two of us. We saw at least three other tables around us with couples who also were given a private table.
While we enjoy visiting with new people around the ship and on excursions, we prefer to have our dinner time just with our family. We would definitely make the request on future cruises as well.

 

[Dizney73]

We are a family of 4 and have never requested our own table and always found it great to be seated with and meet others. We have made great FB friends along the way! However, last summer we were seated with another family of 4. On the first night we sat down at the table first and when the other family saw us they raised a great deal of commotion. They eventually sat down with us and it was the worst dinner experience I have ever had! No one spoke and it was quite uncomfortable! The other family had a ton of food requests and we were simply ignored by our servers that night as all of their attention went to the complaining family. We told our head waited on the way out of the dining room that we would not be returning to the dining room for the rest of the cruise because of the uncomfortable seating arrangement. They told us that they would make changes and asked us to please come back the next day. The tables were pulled apart and quite a distance was placed between them as well. It did make the dining experience better but we certainly felt awkward seeing this family for the rest of the cruise.

We love meeting new people at the dinner table on our cruises but I will ALWAYS request our own table on all future cruises thanks to the way this family made us feel! They were horribly rude!

 

[janiebubble]

We have sailed three times, twice with extended family so obviously we shared. Once just the two of us. I requested a private table. We didn't get it, we asked on boarding they said they couldn't do it. Our other table mates never showed up. Night after night we were left wondering who they were, if they'd turn up etc. I had explained this was due to a social anxiety issue but this was not accommodated. The extra anxiety this caused us was immense, and it's put my partner off cruising Disney again, I've had to use all my powers of persuasion to get her to agree to another 'just the two of us' cruises just because of the dining issue.

 

[Love2Cruz]

It's just the two of us who cruise with Disney and we were seated with another mom and child, someone from Quebec who could barely speak english and another mom who showed up the first night, left half way through dinner and never came back..we also had table settings for two kids who were teens, they never came at all.
It was kind of weird as I don't mind conversing with table mates, but with the language barrier, it was a big awkward.

Hopefully at our next cruise we will have English speaking table mates.

 

[snoopy5386]

We are a party of 6 (2 cabins that are linked), what are the chances that we'll be seated with someone else? Last time we cruised there were 7 of us and we had a table to ourselves. This is an extended family trip and we have zero interest in sharing with others. Is there a way to tell ahead of time how many our table seats or somewhere we can go upon boarding to find this out?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We are a party of 6 (2 cabins that are linked), what are the chances that we'll be seated with someone else? Last time we cruised there were 7 of us and we had a table to ourselves. This is an extended family trip and we have zero interest in sharing with others. Is there a way to tell ahead of time how many our table seats or somewhere we can go upon boarding to find this out?

Your chances of being seated with others are fairly slim, I would say. You'll most likely be seated at at 6 top. But could be at an 8 top (either by yourselves, or with a couple - but that's kinda rare).

When you board, you can go to where the dining changes are being handled (it'll be listed in the Navigator you get in the terminal where/when this is) and ask about the table size.

Have you had the request placed on your reservation to be seated with only your party? That would be the first step.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

We're a family of 4 as well and have never requested our own table but have never had table mates. I didn't even know it was a possibility to have table mates until after our second cruise and then is when I finally found Disboards. There are tons of 4 tops in the MDR so I think most families of 4 have there own table.

 

[Agent 86]

It's really that I don't want to be part of a solo dump table again or worse be the one solo at a table with a pair or group of three - or at a larger table with all groups. Doesn't take a lot of reading on here to see that the other people don't like having a solo "dumped" at their table any more than we like it...).

I was on the Wonder in June 2016. My husband and I were seated at an "eight" table with two friends and three solo travellers (although one of those didn't turn up to any of the dinners and another dined elsewhere on two nights). Personally, I have no issue dining with solo travellers. I always enjoy hearing about the different activities that everyone does during the day, especially the different port adventures. Obviously everyone is different, but I just wanted to note that not everyone resents having solo travellers at their table.

 

[Stratus22]

On the Smaller ships, we've been seated alone (family of 4) and on the bigger ships, we've always been seated with other families. To be honest, we've made great friends with the families we've sat with. And during the cruises, my kids and their kids would always hook up somewhere.