Dinner Table Mates

[susieh]

Does anyone know if Disney sit you with 'similar' people?

We've opted for late seating and a table of 8 but would prefer no kids. On P&O, experience shows us that they sit you with people of a similar age and if you are a couple they sit you with other couples (no kids) and we're hoping that Disney is the same.

 

[WDWLVR]

I think they do try. We've only sailed twice where we weren't linked with other people and both times they sat us with other couples without kids (just like us).

However now that I've found the fun of linking with other DIS'ers I don't think we'd ever go without linking again. Check out the cruise meets thread for your cruise. Get to know your fellow cruisers and see if they are linking dinner reservations.

On our most recent cruise we linked with 4 other couples and had a great time. We also had a family we had cruised with us before linked and they sat at the next table.

On our 10 day cruise we have 6 tables linked together and had a great time!

 

[BELLE16127]

I don't know if they do this or not, have done 3 Dinsey cruises first ws DH and myself 4 day we sat with other couples, second was myself, DH, DD, and DS we were at a table for 4. This last cruise in 2004 was the one that makes me think they really don't allways check, It was myself DH and DS who at the time was 17 we sat at a table with a family of three and their DD was in first or second grade. They were nice people but you could tell my son felt out of place.

 

[havencruiser]

When I was on a 7-day eastern cruise wtih DD (then 12) and an adult friend, we were seated at a wonderful table of other adults with children my daughter's age but there was also a single male who was on the cruise alone who was seated at the table. Not sure how extensively they check or if there was just no other place to seat him.

 

[daisy112878]

Last week we had a table for 8. There was my dh and I plus another couple. The 4 person family never showed the whole week. Our servers said it was a contracted castmembers family. I felt so bad for our servers b/c they lost out on tips I'm sure.

 

[MdmMim]

We've sailed twice (two adults) and both times were seated at a table with all adults. The ages varied greatly. One couple could not speak English--we could not speak Spanish, but we did lots of smiling and nodding and other non-verbal communication. They seemed so nice, it was a shame we couldn't really communicate. At dinner one night, the gentleman and my DH both showed up wearing matching Mickey ties!

 

[Jsme]

Does anyone know if Disney sit you with 'similar' people?

We've opted for late seating and a table of 8 but would prefer no kids. On P&O, experience shows us that they sit you with people of a similar age and if you are a couple they sit you with other couples (no kids) and we're hoping that Disney is the same.

If you are sailing without kids they will try to put you in the rotation they consider adult. We cruised 9/1 w/o kids and we were put into this rotation. Two older children were to sit with us but there parent was upset that they had to share a table so they were moved. The other table mates only came for debarkment breakfast. We were all alone sitting at a table for 8. Very boring.

You can always check your rotation on embarkment day. Just look in your Navigator for the time and place for changes. If you are not happy at the time you check they will try to make you happy with a change. Good Luck!!

 

[whome?]

For those of you who have done a 7 day with adults only, please be sure to participate in this poll:



http://disboards.com/poll.php?do=showresults&pollid=7927

Thanks!

 

[Chattyaholic]

For our 25th anniversary cruise, our first Disney Magic cruise, we were quite surprised to get to our table the first night and see a box of crayons at one of the place settings!

We had read in the brochure that Disney "seats couples with other couples and families with other families" so we were not expecting to be seated with a family with children.

Since it was our first cruise we did not ask for a table change, but we would now. The 6 year old was a little annoying most nights, and we had nothing in common with the parents and all they did the entire time was brag about their money, places they've been, etc. The one night they didn't show up (in port) we had a very pleasant dinner, just the two of us.

For two of our other cruises we were seated at a table for four, with another couple each time, and that was fine. Our last cruise we took my elderly parents on the Wonder and I requested ahead of time to be seated at a table for four. With my Dad's health problems it would have been difficult, if not embarrasing, to be seated with other people.

Our cruise in January we are going with two other couples and we will request a table for just us, and hopefully they won't put anyone else with us.
I know we are in the minority, but when we cruise we go to enjoy time with each other, not to make friends with tablemates we're forced to sit with.

 

[UGAFan0829]

We were also all alone at dinner on our last cruise. It was just the DH and I at a table for 8. The first night the servers said that there are a lot of people who usually skip the first night just because they might be trying to get over sea sickness. So we thought we would see them the 2nd night, but we never saw them, even at breakfast the next morning. I was a little sad that we didn't get to meet anyone, but hopefully we will this time around!

 

[sfeisen]

You are going on a DISNEY cruise. Of course there will be children and families. I think that is something you must take into consideration when you book with this cruise line.

 

[clori]

On my honeymoon cruise we were seated with a single mother and teenage son plus a mother, grandfather and two preschoolers. While we were surprised we had a great time. The two little ones left early probably to go to kids club while the rest of us talked and laughed. Since disney had only been sailing under a month at that point it probably has improved since. My second Magic cruise we had our own two little ones and sat with a couple with a preschooler plus my single friend.

 

[Jrsy Boy]

In June, myself, DW & DS8 were seated at a table for 4 in both Triton's and Animator's, but in Parrot Cay, three tables were put together and I ended up sitting next to another DISer whose screen name I recognized from our Cruise Meet thread. I'd seen her and her DD9 around a lot, especially picking up our kids from the lab. It was funny when we both realized that we were DISers.
I think each of the families when the tables were put together had kids, though.

 

[mc'smommy]

On our first Disney Cruise ( Wonder 3 night ) we ( DH, DD age 7 nd I ) were seated with an older couple, retired and had two grown boys ( who no longer lived at home )

This past cruise on the Wonder we were seated with a couple from Brasil with thier 3 yr old son who did not speak English... Well Ok about 20 words of english...

Both times we had nothing in common with our table mates, but I can assure you it was fun getting to know them..

 

[MickeyMania]

I am a very social person - but I've got a son who has special needs (6 year old) and a daughter who is 3. The last thing I would want is someone coming on the disboards to complain how they got sat with my bratty kids!

I think forced seating arrangements have a 50/50 chance of working out - and for the price of the cruise - I can't risk that!

Of course - to be clear - the main reason I have asked for our family of four to be seated alone is bc of ds's special needs. I truly don't want to ruin another family's dinner if they can't relate to his needs. There's plenty of time to socialize outside of dinner - for us anyway.

 

[Cruisin]

The one time that my husband and I cruised alone without children we were placed at an 8 person table.

It was the two of us, a single mother with a 9 year old son and a young couple with a toddler about 2.

A strange group to put together but it worked out okay. We all got along just fine.

 

[BethC1952]

On our first cruise, we were seated at a table for eight with three other couples. One of those couples never said one word for the four nights!

On our second cruise, we had my FIL with us, and we were seated with a couple with an anorexic 17 year old daughter who ate nothing for four nights (but sulked at the table each night), and a couple from Canada who were a few years older than DH and me, and we had a lot of fun.

On our third cruise, we were already a party of nine (SIL and her family, DS and his family), so we had a table for ourselves.

On our fourth cruise, we were seated at a table for 6 with a couple from England and a mother and her four-year-old son. The mother/son combo only came to dinner once (the third night). We had a great time with the other couple. We love English mysteries, and they love American detective shows, so we had many lively conversations (and they got us hooked on Law & Order, which we had never watched).

DH and I are very sociable people (he says I will talk to anything that doesn't get away fast enough ), so I can't wait to see how things work out this year!

Beth

 

[glindamood]

On our last Eastern Cruise with just DH and me we didn't get the expected rotation (LAPLAPL) so I went and asked who we were seated with. I did find out we were with children and requested a move - which we were granted with no problem. I strongly suggest checking before the first night, DCL will do whatever they can to make your cruise MAGICal.

 

[susieh]

On our last Eastern Cruise with just DH and me we didn't get the expected rotation (LAPLAPL) so I went and asked who we were seated with. I did find out we were with children and requested a move - which we were granted with no problem. I strongly suggest checking before the first night, DCL will do whatever they can to make your cruise MAGICal.

Thanks for your reply - I think that's a super idea.

I have nothing against children (I have 2 but they are now 21 and 23) but now have less in common with people with young children than couples our own age whose kids (if they had them) have probably grown up too. We enjoy talking to our table mates, which is why we've asked to be put on a table for 8, it's nice to meet people from other places and get their views on Life, The Universe and Everything!! But we are more likely to find topics to discuss with people who's life styles are similar to ours than with a young family

 

[MommaluvsDis]

I think it's luck of the draw unless there's a specific request. Last cruise we (me, my cousin, and my 17 yo DS) were seated (late dinning) with a couple with a screaming 2 yo, a 6 yo, and their great aunt.

I specifically (sp?) requested late dinning in hopes that we would be seated with more mature table mates, not that I'm stuffy or anything.

But when the 2 yo threw himself in the floor screaming for a bowl of cherries for his dinner the first night, I thought we were in for a long dinning experience. They, very thoughtfully, decided not to dine with us for the rest of the time as their 2 yo could not handle "fancy dinning", their words, not mine.