Do you prefer large group or small at dinner?

[Katybug236]

It's just my husband and I for our first cruise and we don't mind dining with others but I am wondering if we should ask for a large group so we have more opportunities to converse with different people and not feel like we are ignoring another couple if we just want to converse to ourselves.

I am curious what your opinions are for yourselves.

 

[DISNEY FANTASY]

I prefer family only. It's a family vacation, and I do not go on a cruise for small talk.

We have done it a couple of times with others, once it worked the were nice people but once there were awkward bits.

We are prompt people, want to be served promptly and then go out again quickly, we were with on one cruise people who maybe late.

We like the wine package, out of curtesy offered it to the table sharers, now we didn't expect anything back but we were never offered anything, so it was always our round for seven nights.

I also experienced being told about DCL every night, and most of it was wrong, I went along with it as I didn't want to say I think your wrong there. Unless it would gave affected them negatively.

 

[MinnesotaMouseketeers]

Wife and I actually enjoy sharing a table. When we were on a four night Disney Dream cruise; we were at a table for eight but one couple never showed up the entire cruise. So we ended up a table of six and we had a lot of fun together. In fact we are getting together with one of the couples this fall. They live in Sacramento, we are meeting up at Yosemite for four nights and heading towards their place the last three/four nights and going to hit the wineries We are hoping we can show them Minnesota in the future.

If you are not going to show up, somehow let the servers know!!! Because as other posters have said they will hold things up waiting for everyone to show. It was a little shorter wait the second night and we didn't wait at all after that. Also, if you have a Palo and/or Remy reservation let them know the night before so they don't wait for you when they are use to seeing you each night.

 

[DISNEYFAN3260]

It's just my husband and I for our first cruise and we don't mind dining with others but I am wondering if we should ask for a large group so we have more opportunities to converse with different people and not feel like we are ignoring another couple if we just want to converse to ourselves.

I am curious what your opinions are for yourselves.

We've had that happen when seated with 2 other couples. We hit it off very well with one couple, but the other couple spoke limited English so it was challenging to converse and I know we all felt awkward and like we were excluding them. For that reason I do prefer larger groups when traveling as a couple. Tables of 8 have worked nicely for us - the match ups have worked out better in my experience.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

It's just my husband and I for our first cruise and we don't mind dining with others but I am wondering if we should ask for a large group so we have more opportunities to converse with different people and not feel like we are ignoring another couple if we just want to converse to ourselves.

I am curious what your opinions are for yourselves.

Most cruises it's just DH & I. We prefer 8 top tables, so that we can meet others. But had no issues just having a "private" conversation when we wanted.

Most of the time we would switch up where everyone sat each night, so that you can really get to know each other.

 

[southerngirl528]

Count me in the big table crowd! I always request a large table unless my own brood numbers more than 5 or so. I enjoy very much meeting new folks and we have always had good experiences.

 

[kiford]

Most of the time we would switch up where everyone sat each night, so that you can really get to know each other.

This is usually what happens to us, especially if we get along well with our tablemates. On our last cruise I don't think any of us sat in the same place twice over 11 days (we were eight at the table). If there's more people at the table, if one couple or small group goes to Palo's for dinner, at least there's still someone else to talk to.

 

[MunFam]

We had a "private" table which was nice because we got to order at our pace and talk privately when we wanted to, but we also got to know the people on both side of our table, they were literally a foot away and the family one table over. We ended up being a rowdy table of 18, divided by 1 foot spaces

 

[bumbershoot]

I like sitting with others. I'm not sure they would put a couple with just one other couple? I think their "default" is a table seating 8. My family of 3 spends a LOT of time together, and it's very nice to sit with others.

We like the wine package, out of curtesy offered it to the table sharers, now we didn't expect anything back but we were never offered anything, so it was always our round for seven nights.

How I wish you hadn't offered that wine. No one sitting at a table with strangers would EVER expect that someone share their wine with them, especially for 7 nights.

 

[Karlzmom]

Seeing how "private" really doesn't seem to be as the tables are really quite close I'd rather be seated together and converse then to try and pretend to be alone. Add in that it really is nice to get to visit and compare experiences for an hour or so....We just trusted DCL to match us up and it all worked fine for us last time. The other family had a boy the same age as our DS. Were there some pauses in the conversation, yes. Did we all become life-long friends forever, no. Was it a perfectly nice time? Absolutely!

 

[twopeasonepod]

We like to have a table to ourselves to be together as a family. I don't mind conversing with others, but it is just easier to keep our attention on each other during this time. So either just the four of us or if my parents are there, table for six. I think it's great to meet other people, but I would probably want to do that more if we didn't have the boys.

 

[wilma-bride]

Table of 8 is my ideal. We have had a table shared with just one other family, which was just awkward as they had kids, we didn't, we had nothing in common and the wife was just plain rude.

We have had a table with 9 of us (2 families but we were travelling together), which was nice and also a table of 12 with our family, one other and two of the kids from another family we were travelling wiht. While that was OK, we couldn't really talk from one end of the table to another so just chatted within our families.

Our last cruise was a table of 8 (4 couples) and was perfect. We switched places each night, sometimes the ladies and men sat all together and we all got along brilliantly.

Our next cruise we are travelling with another couple and I suspect we will just have a table for the 5 of us, but I would be happy to have another couple/family sat with us.

 

[Peggytc]

I'm a little nervous about this myself. On my first cruise last year, we were 8 friends travelling together so we had a table just to ourselves. It was great to catch up and talk about the things we did during our days each night. This time, it's me, husband and MIL... would they ever give us a table just for 3? I can be social but also shy lol so I have mixed feelings about which would be best.

 

[wilma-bride]

I'm a little nervous about this myself. On my first cruise last year, we were 8 friends travelling together so we had a table just to ourselves. It was great to catch up and talk about the things we did during our days each night. This time, it's me, husband and MIL... would they ever give us a table just for 3? I can be social but also shy lol so I have mixed feelings about which would be best.

You can certainly request a table for just the 3 of you, although it will be just that (a request). Your chances would be better if you are on second seating for dinner.

 

[Sir William]

DW and I have shared a table with two other couples on 3 cruises and have always had a good experience. The other couples said the same and we all agreed Disney does a good job at matching tablemates.

Our first cruise we were seated with four Canadians and had a great time. Second time was with four Brits and the same (except the two men had some issues with each other). Last cruise one of the couples never showed but the other couple and we got along great.

Unspoken rule for wine was that you bought and drank your own. Once a couple shared a bottle of sparkling wine they received as an anniversary gift in their cabin to share with the table.

When we were seated with the Canadians, we had an anniversary, 3 birthdays, and 1 retirement, so lots of celebration cakes, all of which were shared.

 

[Uncleromulus]

It's just Mrs U and I and we always have a private table.

On the Fantasy, those tables are quite private except at Animators.

 

[phinz]

We prefer it being just our party, which is usually just the two of us.

 

[lisamarie12]

If I were cruising with just my husband, I would prefer a larger table. We have sat alone before, with another couple and with several couples. The several couples was the most interesting, because of the varied experiences. The time with another couple was nice, we hit it off well. However, if we had not, it would have been torture. If cruising with my DD, I prefer just our family. She is 4 so her table manners are not always polished, she can be impatient and we pretty much have to have an eye on her most of the time or she may eat the butter, pick up the sharp knives and try to cut the table cloth, pick up something she dropped on the floor and try to eat it (see above re: table manners). It would be hard to have a conversation with someone else and keep an eye on her and give her the attention that a small child craves. And if its a table with someone else's kids then its that experience multiplied. Perhaps when she is a little older.

 

[lorimay]

We also like our own table for 2, when we sail solo.
On all our other cruises it has been our family at a table and twice we sailed with neighbors when our kids were younger.
We have never sat at a table with strangers, just not our thing.
Our request has always been granted, but we do the second dining so that could be why.
But yes, in some restaurants the table is like an inch or 2 from the other table.

 

[Chirple]

My husband and I are a middle-aged couple with no children. We like sitting with other people, and we have made some good friends from the experiences. For the most part DCL has matched us well with our tablemates. On our most recent Baltics cruise we had a pair of sisters in their 20s and a couple from Japan. We all got along well; it was just the most diverse grouping we've experienced.

When we wanted some quiet time last year on our 12 night Mediterranean cruise, we ate in Cabanas for dinner. If I had to sit alone with my husband every night, my head would explode from all of his sports talk!