Do you like sharing tables with other families?

[WdwforLife]

I don't mind it! One time at San Angel Inn we were next to this family with like five kids and they were the funniest parents. You could tell it was their first time in WDW and I gladly helped them out. They were thrilled when I clued them in on EMH. They couldn't believe their luck.

For the life of me I can't remember their names but they were really cool people. And I AM an anti-social person. So this was a big deal to me. But I can totally understand how sometimes you just don't want to be bothered.

 

[smiths02]

We actually chose to cruise on Norweigan b/c their dining policies allow you to go and have tables for 2 There is one night that was a "formal" and we shared a table with people and they were one older couple and one middle aged couple (we were a young couple)...all they did was complain about how much better such and such cruise was, the food was like Applebee's, you don't get to meet people with dining like this blah blah blah blah...
Anyhow, I like Applebee's (the food was better than that though) and I don't cruise to meet people, I cruise to spend time with my family and see exotic locations...

Anyhow, I thought about Biergarten and saw that there were other people, and just said forget it...my family would not like it (plus I have a 2 year old and I JUST got comfortable taking him out to eat with friends).

 

[perla75]

We ate at the Biergarten for our first time last year. We are a quiet young couple-no kids. We were in line to be seated behind a middle aged loud drunk couple & I was praying we wouldn't be sharing our table with them.

We ended up sharing our table with a middle-aged newlywed couple & a group of (I think) businessmen. The businessmen were curteous & smiled when we sat down, but didn't really pay much mind to us, but we were fine with that & polite to them in return. The newlywed couple were sitting right across from us. I think we all felt a bit pressured to chat in the beginning & engaged in awkward small talk. Once we got up to eat though, we stopped the awkward conversation & really just talked amongst ourselves. I think we were all content with that. I felt very grateful not to be sharing a table with misbehaved kids, misbehaved adults, or a party who pressured us to "hang out" with them.

I love chatting with people while in line at rides and such, but eating time I guess I just prefer to be hanging out with my SO, reflecting on our day & being with each other.

That said, we loved the Biergarten & would definitely plan to go there again. I just hope whoever we sit next to will be as curteous & polite as our last parties, respect us for not wanting to be "best friends" with our neighbors & not view us as rude. We certainly smiled at our table sharers, said hello & made a little small talk if they initiated, passed over anything they needed, but we preferred to enjoy our experiences amongst ourselves.

 

[perla75]

I like to eat at Biergarten and never feel forced to make small-talk with strangers. Beyond a few introductions, we pretty much keep to ourselves. It's nothing personal, just the way we are.

I'm eating with a party of six next month. Since it's spring break, I'd imagine we'll have an extra couple with us. I'm still going though; it's that good.

LOVE your screen name, by the way!!

 

[Wendi2000]

I love sharing tables with others. In WDW we have done this at Teppan Edo, Sci-Fi (kind of... sharing a car) and we've been close enough to have conversations with others at Jiko and Hoop Dee Doo Review. I really enjoy it, and I love it so much on cruises that I've been so disappointed when we end up with a table for just our family. I would not like it so much if I ended up with some duds, but that hasn't really happened. Oh, and I'm a total introvert, so it isn't that I would normally want to strike up conversations with strangers, I just enjoy it when it happens.

 

[brockash]

No, not at all. It's nothing against the other ppl, but I just like my little bubble I don't know, I'd feel very weird, so if I knew ahead of time, I'd never eat there I know, I know, I probably missing out on some great interaction with others, but I would just prefer to eat with only the folks I know and came with, I'm much more of an introvert.

 

[bavaria]

In Germany you share tables in pretty much any biergarten. I've never had a problem since I'm a major chatterbox.

In Germany (as in many parts of the world) it is perfectly common to share tables in a restaurant or cafe or coffee bar. However it is polite to briefly greet the others and the table and generally one doesn't then engage in further conversation. Don't forget that in much of the rest of the world we do not have the luxury of space as in America and we have learned to keep our distance in close quarters.

At a public festival or gathering there is generally more conversation if desired, but most people will still hold an appropriate social distance with strangers.

We do the same at Epcot - greet the tablemates but engage in our own conversation.

 

[Lynn5700]

Hmm I just say hi to the people at my table at Biergarten and if they talk to me they do if not that's fine. It doesn't bother me.

 

[aubriee]

I definitely understand. I hate sharing at Biergarten, as you are forced to sit with someone else.

But at CS locations when it gets super busy like at Flame Tree BBQ, I don't mind letting another couple sit with us when there is not seating left. If there's only two of us at a 4 table top, why not let someone else sit?

I don't like sitting with others if I am dining solo, as I am a bit of an introvert. However, both my husband and my mom never meet a stranger, so if I'm with them I don't mind.

I agree that at crowded CS locations it's only right to share a table if there's room. Again I usually would prefer to eat alone, but if it's crowded and I see someone looking for a table I will usually make eye contact, smile, and point toward the empty seats at my table. If they want to join me fine, if not, that's OK also.

 

[cdtommie]

In Germany (as in many parts of the world) it is perfectly common to share tables in a restaurant or cafe or coffee bar. However it is polite to briefly greet the others and the table and generally one doesn't then engage in further conversation. Don't forget that in much of the rest of the world we do not have the luxury of space as in America and we have learned to keep our distance in close quarters.

At a public festival or gathering there is generally more conversation if desired, but most people will still hold an appropriate social distance with strangers.

We do the same at Epcot - greet the tablemates but engage in our own conversation.

Absolutely, we have been to the Biergarten countless times and you just need to gauge how friendly your fellow table mates are which is fairly easy to do...if people want to keep to themselves we certainly respect that...part of the fun of Disney is meeting new people. Disney is supposed to be the happiest place on earth folks!

 

[bavaria]

Disney is supposed to be the happiest place on earth folks!

I was actually referring to the real world as I certainly would not engage my neighbours at a table in conversation, other than to acknowledge them. But if my neighbours at Biergarten or in the real world start chattering away and asking personal questions I am not going to change my cultural beliefs.

I'm not certain if you are expecting me to become a 'chatterbox' but it will not happen. In our culture that is considered rude and intrusive. I'll be polite back, but it would make ME unhappy to answer personal questions etc. Respecting cultural differences is part of being polite, and it goes both ways.

 

[queenmum2]

ITA.

I am a freak magnet. If there is a lunatic within four miles, they will find me. And no, I'm not exaggerating...my friends and family always joke about it. It doesn't matter if I'm in line at the post office, or sitting in a theater, or browsing in a store. They always find me. And when I say "loon" I don't mean someone who's just not like me, or someone who looks different, or someone who talks different. I mean full-on whacko's.

I must give off some sort of vibe.

.

That's funny! My sister is a loser magnet. She is a social worker, so that may be the vibe she gives off. But where ever we go, she always ends up with someone spilling their guts to her with a tale of woe.

Tracie

 

[DVC-Don]

We've met some nice people from all over the world at Biergarten.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

I love sharing tables at restaurants like Biergarten. We met the nicest family our last trip. They had come from Brazil and had the cutest little girl I've ever seen! She was about 4 and was a riot! She played with us the whole night, showing us her princess backpack, her minnie hat, hiding under the table and popping up! And she was so incredibly well behaved, you could tell she was getting tired and she never made a fuss. She was just as entertaining as the show LOL

I'm the kind of person that will talk to total strangers when at Disney! I feel like we have at least 1 thing in common, we're at WDW! I sometimes take a solo afternoon at the parks and have wonderful conversations in line. I convinced a mother and daughter from the UK to try Rock n Roller Coaster and they LOVED it!

A good amount of my recent WDW memories involve the fun of getting along with total strangers. Its the happiest place on earth, why not share that with everyone?

 

[Belle4mygrl]

It depends on my mood and the people we are seated with. Real gamble for me , huh?

 

[Dopey420]

Responses cover the full range.

Again, I'm not anti-social, I just find it hard to chat when I am shoveling all that good food into my piehole.

 

[cdtommie]

I was actually referring to the real world as I certainly would not engage my neighbours at a table in conversation, other than to acknowledge them. But if my neighbours at Biergarten or in the real world start chattering away and asking personal questions I am not going to change my cultural beliefs.

I'm not certain if you are expecting me to become a 'chatterbox' but it will not happen. In our culture that is considered rude and intrusive. I'll be polite back, but it would make ME unhappy to answer personal questions etc. Respecting cultural differences is part of being polite, and it goes both ways.

Bavaria, my whole line of thought was related to Disney World, not Germany. I certainly would not attempt to be a "chatterbox" in Germany - if people attempted to communicate with us fine but we never did initate conversation especially since we do not speak German. My initial post was that we were seated with a "hostile" family and I thought buying them a beer would ease the tension (which it did).

I am well aware of cultural differences as I spent some time in Japan and deal with people around the world at work on a daily basis.

 

[mommykds]

We have eaten at Beirgarten every trip & each time we had very nice people to sit with...except one time.

We are a family of 5 & we were seated with another family. (mom, dad, & boy). Well when they got to the table they said they did not want to sit with strangers & gave us not so Disney like looks. The CM told them thats how the seating is at the restaurant. Very disgruntled they sat down at our table. We smiled & said hi & they just sat there. They hated the show & the food. They got into an argument. The woman told her husband he was drinking too much & he told her she took too much dessert from the buffet.

But everyone else we have sat with were very friendly, talkative, & just there to have fun. So yes it's a gamble but out of 7 or 8 times there we only got lemons once.

 

[jimmalru80]

I'd prefer not to.

 

[nicole0992]

I am curious if there are others besides Biergarten and Teppan Edo. Do you sit with others at dinner shows too?

We have met lovely people and total wackos with shared seating. It can make or break your meal.

Regarding cruising, Princess Cruise lines has the option to sit alone or with others. They have many tables for 2, 4, etc.

Nicole