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.