Dining.....I am just curious

[holula]

I understand for people that are dealing with social anxiety, neurodivergent, disabilities, and hearing issues that a shared table might not work for them, but I think there are many of us who are just slightly uncomfortable with engaging with strangers and might find some real friends if we could push past that.

I have bad social anxiety. I’ve done several solo cruises. Interestingly when I’ve had solo dining tables I don’t feel as anxious because if you’re on a solo Disney cruise you are pretty much guaranteed to like Disney and I can talk about Disney for hours!

Anything else though, absolutely not and I would have mega anxiety.

 

[Meem93]

Second seating has a better chance of receiving a private table request is have found. I highly recommend second seating (if you can) for that very reason.

The time we didn’t get private table was the one time we were in second dining lol. But I do bet second seating would have a better chance.

For this upcoming cruise we are in second but waitlisted for first. My almost 2 year old would do better in first

 

[Goofy1932]

I am completely fine with it. My son not so much but he is neurodivergent. I do think as a society we are becoming more isolated. Things like engaging in small talk with strangers is the first step in how you make friends and learn about different viewpoints.

I worry that as a society, we are definitely starting to lose sense of community and we are becoming incredibly focused on just our own nuclear families. I understand for people that are dealing with social anxiety, neurodivergent, disabilities, and hearing issues that a shared table might not work for them, but I think there are many of us who are just slightly uncomfortable with engaging with strangers and might find some real friends if we could push past that.

But that is something that most people don't understand. I don't want to make friends on a Disney Cruise. I don't want to make friends anywhere. That's just who I am. I'm a very nice person when you're talking to me but I don't want to exchange phone numbers and get together sometime and hang out. I don't want to have a long conversation with someone I don't know while I'm trying to eat dinner. We were lucky enough to get a private table on our cruise last month during second dining. It was fantastic. There was no one sitting right beside us trying to engage us in conversation. My wife and I were able to talk to one another comfortably and not have to deal with anyone else entering the conversation. Did I meet some very nice people on the cruise? Yes. It doesn't mean I want to become fast friends with them and book future cruises or vacation with one another in the future. I want to go to dinner with my wife and enjoy my dinner. I constantly hear people say "Well why don't you just try it because you will probably like it and make some lifelong friends.". Nope.

 

[Girl of the South]

Agree 100%! I LOVE your line "I don't want to make friends anywhere." It's sharply honest and pretty much how I feel now, too. Found an awesome quote about friendship.

"Friendships change as we age. When we're younger, friendships are often accidental - school or college friends, co-workers or neighbors - but we become more intentional in who we choose to have in our life as we age and as we gain a better idea of what we want out of life. We start to understand that a healthy and happy life depends on who we allow into it. We curate our lives more strategically as we get older."

There is a REASON that restaurants with very very few exceptions, offer separate tables.

 

[CamColt]

I will also add to this we have had cruises where people were seated, closely near us, multiple nights. We "got to know" them, had no problem, engaging with them once in a while, and that's nice. But being seated AT a table with others puts a different kind of pressure on (at least on me) to HAVE to engage with them for the whole meal. I don't want that.

We even had 1 cruise were we had myself and DH, DS and DIL, and our single (adult) DS. The family next to us was a couple and their (adult) single DD. When the photographer came around and was taking all the "couple" photos he tried getting DS and our neighbor's DD to take one together. That got us chatting with them for the rest of the cruise. Very nice people, we enjoyed taking to them, but wouldn't have wanted to be forced to sit with them from the get go.

 

[jk8]

We do! This will be our 9th cruise and have always enjoyed meeting someone new. We eat alone at home every night, so why do it more.

 

[DayOhDisMom]

Didn’t know shared dining table was a thing. We have not experienced sharing a table not sure how I feel about that, don’t think my family would like it. Dinner time is when we are all together.

 

[DCLMP]

A big part of my job is making small talk with people. I don't want to do it on a cruise. I'd also rather not be asked how many cruises I've been on.

 

[DCLMP]

There is a REASON that restaurants with very very few exceptions, offer separate tables.

We are doing the Hibachi restaurant on our next cruise and that's one of those experiences you know you are going to be seated with other people. I find that to be a fun experience unlike just sitting at table having to make small talk.

 

[Travel60]

When our kids were younger we often sat with another family and DVC did a good job of matching the families, kids ages, etc. Kids felt like they already knew someone when they walked in the clubs.

Now it's often just us and we don't request anything special. We've met some very nice people that we keep up with and a few oddballs. Only once was it unpleasant and that person (a single male who wore gym shorts and a wife-beater shirt to dinner the first two nights) either moved tables or just ate QS or room service. I think he just figured out he did not fit in.

 

[Lynes88]

I will say this, having been on the Treasure for the first time in early Sept, that there really is no such thing as a "private" table any more if you are on the Treasure (maybe Wish class). In every MDR, the tables are so tightly packed, it was impossible to have what I would call a private dinner. I think 1923 was tightest, but overall the dining experience felt tight in all three. Animators felt tight to me too but not quite the same. We had nice families around us so it is just more of an observation not really a complaint.

 

[Goofy1932]

I will say this, having been on the Treasure for the first time in early Sept, that there really is no such thing as a "private" table any more if you are on the Treasure (maybe Wish class). In every MDR, the tables are so tightly packed, it was impossible to have what I would call a private dinner. I think 1923 was tightest, but overall the dining experience felt tight in all three. Animators felt tight to me too but not quite the same. We had nice families around us so it is just more of an observation not really a complaint.

Wish and Treasure are the same layout, even for the dining. Yes, they are close but we could not overhear other's conversation unless we were trying.

 

[princesscinderella]

We have mostly had private tables since we are a family of 5 and would sometimes bring a 6th person. We have been seated with another family one time and I felt bad for them as our food always took so much longer because I have a food allergy and they would wait to serve all the courses together. I don’t mind sitting with others, I’m just the difficult person at the table with my allergy unfortunately.

 

[tvguy]

We were on a Princess Cruise last week and requested and got a table to ourselves. However we were on a Princess Land tour the week before and ended up having two dinners with our group of 16 on the ship. We requested a group table on our previous cruise and only had one other couple at our table, and they only showed up twice, so ended up with a table for ourselves. So historically, our preference has been a table with strangers, who become your friends by the end of the cruise.

 

[Annabell]

We have done table sharing but we prefer to be seated by ourselves. Just want to spend family time during dinner instead of socializing with strangers.

 

[Paige Adams]

I am just curious.....does anyone actually enjoy being seated with other families? I always request a private table, and I have gotten it 2/3 times. Fingers crossed for our next cruise in November!! But I assume most people who put a request in, request for a private table.

What do you request? Does anyone prefer to sit with strangers?

We had a terrible experience sitting with another family. They sat us with a family with a girl the same age as our daughter. I understand the mechanics of that, but the girl was very mean to our daughter. We left early, and we did not go back to the dining rotation for the entire cruise. I didn't know we could request another table at the time. Now, we always ask for a private table, and we usually get one. So, far we have not been denied.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

So historically, our preference has been a table with strangers, who become your friends by the end of the cruise.

Based on how our excursions have gone and some of the interactions we've had on the ships there are absolutely some people I would not in anyway want to be seated next to. Both of our cruises have included people harrassing us or others due to politics (in this case a different nationality harrassing Americans) or like our first a verbal fight breaking out between a group of British people and a family that was of European nationality (not sure which) over their toddlers in the hot tub and splashing around the pool (Seabourn doesn't catered to kids so they are not prevalent on the ships). Some of the people on the excursions were mean to the guides and entitled people, one woman on our last cruise (it was a 12 day one, 2 sea days) I swore never smiled or engaged with anyone other than her husband on any of the excursions we were on with her (I believe that was 3 or 4), I had no idea if she was enjoying them or not but it would have been very uncomfortable to have been seated next to her for actual dinner.

We've met many lovely people more in numbers than the unpleasant people but that's the beauty of choice. On Seabourn where private is the default you can always ask or join another table and that often happens one time or another on the cruise when you've made some buddies but it feels more natural and is more natural than playing dice on people. And because it's a choice people can reserve any chit chat or buddy buds they make with other people on their own violation. It doesn't make sense in all cruise lines to do private as a default but I can totally see and understand why people may want it.

 

[tvguy]

Based on how our excursions have gone and some of the interactions we've had on the ships there are absolutely some people I would not in anyway want to be seated next to. Both of our cruises have included people harrassing us or others due to politics (in this case a different nationality harrassing Americans) or like our first a verbal fight breaking out between a group of British people and a family that was of European nationality (not sure which) over their toddlers in the hot tub and splashing around the pool (Seabourn doesn't catered to kids so they are not prevalent on the ships). Some of the people on the excursions were mean to the guides and entitled people, one woman on our last cruise (it was a 12 day one, 2 sea days) I swore never smiled or engaged with anyone other than her husband on any of the excursions we were on with her (I believe that was 3 or 4), I had no idea if she was enjoying them or not but it would have been very uncomfortable to have been seated next to her for actual dinner.

We've met many lovely people more in numbers than the unpleasant people but that's the beauty of choice. On Seabourn where private is the default you can always ask or join another table and that often happens one time or another on the cruise when you've made some buddies but it feels more natural and is more natural than playing dice on people. And because it's a choice people can reserve any chit chat or buddy buds they make with other people on their own violation. It doesn't make sense in all cruise lines to do private as a default but I can totally see and understand why people may want it.

Fortunately, switching if there is an issue is simple.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Fortunately, switching if there is an issue is simple.

Maybe maybe not (seems to depend on the actual cruise itself from other comments) or in the case that has been mentioned it's having to pursue the late dining to increase the likelihood of getting a private table. But for those in this thread who have expressed not wanting to do shared, switching if something doesn't work out is more for people who are fine with shared tables to begin with, not really the best advice (even if it may be the only alternative at the time if private table is unavailable) to those who don't wish to have a shared table to begin with.

 

[tvguy]

Maybe maybe not (seems to depend on the actual cruise itself from other comments) or in the case that has been mentioned it's having to pursue the late dining to increase the likelihood of getting a private table. But for those in this thread who have expressed not wanting to do shared, switching if something doesn't work out is more for people who are fine with shared tables to begin with, not really the best advice (even if it may be the only alternative at the time if private table is unavailable) to those who don't wish to have a shared table to begin with.

My cruise last week was the first private table we every requested, but to be honest, with a 12 to 18 inch gap between tables, it was almost not a private table. We did interact with the people on either side, and two tables over on one side. On that ship there we were three MDR options, plus three specialty restaurants, plus three casual dining options, the buffet 3 casual dining options and a quick bite restaurant. So easy to change.