Genuinely curious about wanting a private table

[DisneyGirlMI]

Yes! I was actually going to say this as well! But then my Biergaarten restaurant memory came to me; not how I want to spend vacation time or money!!! To each his own, why do people get so wrapped up in what they think should be the norm? If you want to sit with others, please do! I'm not keeping you from doing that, so why do others care that we want to?

ETA: Not you, the colloquial "you'.

Funny you should mention the Biergarten. The table mates we had there once ended up being from a town 15 minutes from where we live. Small world.
We always request a table for ourselves, and with 5 of us it's never been a problem, for many of the reasons above. Mostly though because my DH does not like to have to make small talk with people he doesn't know. And we like to spend our time as a family on vacation.

 

[tlprice]

I think it's funny how many introverted people have commented on here. My brother always says he doesn't want to go on a cruise because he hates being around a lot of people and doesn't want to talk to anyone else. If all of us introverts went on the same cruise, it would be great for my brother because none of us would talk to each other and he wouldn't have to talk to anybody! We could all cruise in peace in our own little worlds.

 

[Cirlonde]

I think it's funny how many introverted people have commented on here. My brother always says he doesn't want to go on a cruise because he hates being around a lot of people and doesn't want to talk to anyone else. If all of us introverts went on the same cruise, it would be great for my brother because none of us would talk to each other and he wouldn't have to talk to anybody! We could all cruise in peace in our own little worlds.

This should totally be the next themed cruise idea!

 

[GBBTomorrow]

I do enjoy meeting new people, but my upcoming cruise is a second honeymoon to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. We are going just the two of us, and value as much "just us" time as we can get, as in our daily lives we're so busy. Also, both of us have jobs that require a lot of socializing. It's not a problem, but it's kind of nice to get a break from being "on" all the time. With just the two of us, we can relax and not have to feel like we have to impress anybody or entertain anybody. I don't go on a cruise (at least at this stage in my life) to make new friends, but to get away. That may change as I get older, of course, but that's how I feel about it now. And this is nothing against other people. I promise, I do like people!

 

[RedSox68]

I think it's funny how many introverted people have commented on here. My brother always says he doesn't want to go on a cruise because he hates being around a lot of people and doesn't want to talk to anyone else. If all of us introverts went on the same cruise, it would be great for my brother because none of us would talk to each other and he wouldn't have to talk to anybody! We could all cruise in peace in our own little worlds.

One of the reasons I like cruising as opposed to organized travel groups -- you can easily find places to be alone, hide out and just chill and do things on your own time. As we have gotten older (and had more travel experiences), we have found the joy of booking your own excursions or renting a car at a port far outweighs putting up with mixed excursion groups - some of which we have found very selfish people who have caused us to miss a site because they delayed us by going off and shopping and ignoring the return times! Which was my previous statement about dining with large groups -- the wait staff tends to want to wait until everyone is there and if you have selfish table mates who stroll in 20-30 minutes late, it throws off your whole dinner.

 

[sweetpeama]

If it was my DH and I sharing a table would be fine same if it was a mama and daughter trip with my 12 year old. My 9 year old on the other hand no way unless you wish to deal with a kid who can be messier than a toddler at times due to motor issues that stem from her disability, have her freaking out due to being around strangers.
Trust me we have select stores we visit at very low crowd times when we do have to take her ( usually I go alone or just with 12 year old) to pick up a few items. The one exception seems to be the farm and ranch supply store which I end up spending my time going no the bunnies don't need another j feeder, we don't need yet another water bottle we have plenty of spares, you can only get them one toy each, no we don't need a harness and leash today ( we already have more of those than we have rabbits just with the ones that haven't gotten misplaced), put down that cow, horse, pig, sheep ( plastic ones) say hi to person we know who is checking us out you know person. ( happens to be someone that we have known for 6 years).
Are you willing to wait what can seem like forever while she uses an AAC device to order her meal having to go to several pages to tell you that she want pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and chocolate milk ( must not forget the chocolate milk) or to make sure your kids are not staring when either her big sister or I end up having to feed her because she is having a bad day and doesn't seem to have the muscle control to get the food from plate to mouth so she doesn't want to eat because too many times other people have let their kids make comments about her being a baby or tell us that we are lying about what is wrong with her or we are not telling the whole truth.
Trust me sweetheart considering that there are a number of causes for her condition some of which have been ruled out and some of which we can't afford the cost of the testing which is not paid for by our insurance plan which can have other issues come up later that can potentially be life threatening if not caught on time including a heart condition that shows up in the early to mid teens I would love to know more.
But since we can't guarantee that unless we are traveling with people that we know at least for know we will would request our own table at least for dinner leaving the option open if we have met you and your family and we are comfortable and happen to be someplace and the same time for breakfast of lunch either joining you or having you join us. Much easier than dealing with does she have x neurological condition that happens to get a lot of attention right now, no she has Y a totally unrelated condition that people with x sometimes also have but she does not, are you sure she doesn't have x she acts a lot like some that I know have x, yes I am sure we have had the testing all done, well what is y, here it is in a nut shell beyond that because it is rare and though to have been not life threatening what little research that has been done has only been recently and while there are some more needs to be done now please pass the salt and pepper situation.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I hear you, Sweetpeama. I would be the one asking questions, but I see what you mean about that getting repetitive and tiring. I will edit myself next time I'm in that situation.

Tell me, is it better for a person (acquaintance) to just avoid asking until the other person brings it up, or is it better to acknowledge that there's a special situation? Of course, everyone is different, but I don't want to be nosy. Likewise, I don't want to pretend everything's the same for that family, when clearly their 'life's struggle' is very different than mine.

 

[mcgluvint]

I see so many on here that are very concerned about getting their own table. I understand this for those with certain food allergies, but for everyone else I am curious as to why?

We honestly have found that Disney does a great job at matching people and have made some life long friends with some of our table mates. So that leaves me wondering why so many are so insistent, even at lunch and character breakfasts.

Not putting anyone down in anyway for their preference, we all have likes and dislikes, just honestly curious.

With me being a teen, Im out and about on the ship doing things including meeting up with friends I met, eating, etc. My family and I tend to stay together from dinner to night. Our next cruise is the first time we will ever have requested to sit alone. While we do agree that Disney has done a good job with pairing people, we feel like this is our only chance to truly come together as family.

 

[DragonflyinAmber]

The majority of the dinner tables (on the Fantasy) are for 4 aren't they? So a family of 4 would most likely get seated at a private table.

 

[M<3'sMickey]

On my family's very first cruise back in 2000 on the Wonder, we were seated with a family that made zero effort to talk to us ("us" being my dad, my mom, me (14 year old girl at the time), and my sister (11 years old at the time). They were so rude to our servers, demanding things, and just being down and out awful human beings. From that cruise on, we've requested to eat alone and they have granted that request. On our cruise in 2014, it was super important to us to sit alone since my father had passed away and we didn't want to have to explain to people why we were just the three of us girls and plus, if we were having an emotional moment, we didn't want to have to put on a show with table mates.

This last cruise I went on a few weeks ago was for my husband and I's first wedding anniversary. We didn't want to sit with people since this was a celebration for us. Additionally, I'm not big on talking to people I don't know and often am perceived as a b**** when in reality I'm just shy. Plus the fact, I'm a teacher and spend my days talking and talking and talking. My husband talks to the wall and loves to talk to people but knows how I am so he doesn't mind us sitting alone.

Piggybacking on what a previous poster said about people passing comments about what she does at dinner (ordering off the kid's menu, which I've done when nothing else appealed to me), the two other tables in our servers' area decided to pass unnecessary rude comments about the fact that I took pictures of the menu and our meals every night at dinner. We weren't even sitting with them and they still had comments. Gee thanks. Sorry my taking pictures of my food offended you in some way.

And that's why we sit alone at dinner.

 

[sweetpeama]

Tell me, is it better for a person (acquaintance) to just avoid asking until the other person brings it up, or is it better to acknowledge that there's a special situation? Of course, everyone is different, but I don't want to be nosy. Likewise, I don't want to pretend everything's the same for that family, when clearly their 'life's struggle' is very different than mine.

I don't mind the questions as much as the your child acts like this other person I know with a different issue and I know that your lying attitude I get from a lot of people.

It's just like sometimes when someone sprains an ankle so bad that until the x-ray is done even the doctors don't know the difference. You wouldn't go my so and so hurt their ankle and it was just a sprain so that's all it is with you and your lying that your doctor said it was broken.

Yes comments:

How neat that your child can use a device or pictures or sign language to ask for what they want isn't it nice to have our own choices.

How long has your child been using their program

Ask the name ( there are several different ones out there. I have a friend who's severely neglected in a foreign orphanage daughter uses a different program from mine)

No comments

Why don't you just make your child talk she could if she really wanted to ( No she can't you wouldn't tell a person with a spinal cord injury you could just get up and walk if you really wanted to)

Telling me that I should put my child in x program that you know about in your area because what is there is available everywhere in the country ( my friend has a wonderful program available for her child due to being close to a more major population area than I am complete with really good specialists, low adult to child ratio where the public programs in my area you might have luck out and get someone who has full certification or you might get an aid who will inform you that A your child is misdiagnosed by everyone else B he or she knows better on what needs to be done C you child will talk if you just make him or her and D when your child throws a tantrum because you made scrambled egg when they wanted fried and the only reason you even know your child wanted eggs at all is you were either handed an egg or brought to where you keep them and the child pointed you just put them in time out.

Tell me that I should move to get more resources for my child ( would you tell your friend who had a youngster going through major rebellion, not helping around the house because the friends want to go do something and it can't wait until the trash is taken out, not wanting to spend time with their family, ect to move to a ranch in the middle of some rural state where the nearest neighbor is 3-4 miles away, the kids have to make plans well in advanced and there is understanding that things come up and those need to be canceled, and your kid will learn a good work ethic and you will be able to spend lots of time together-would you of course not besides would you want to uplift your life and move somewhere unfamiliar with no job or housing prospect ( natural disasters that have forced this are the exception) just because something might work leaving everyone familiar behind.

 

[SailingScout]

We requested a table just for our family the first two times we cruised. I'm not super social and was afraid we would get seated with people we would have a hard time talking to. What we found was that by the end of the second cruise (7n) we had nothing to talk about because we already knew what the others had done all day! I remember feeling envious of nearby tables who hit it off with their tablemates. On our 3rd cruise (Panama Canal) we decided to take a chance on tablemates. It was great! Our kids were the exact same ages, and even though we had very different lifestyles (read: $$$), we hit it off wonderfully. We even ended up spending time together elsewhere on the ship. We still keep in touch. I'm really glad I took the chance and hope for a similar situation on our upcoming PC trip.

 

[Napoleon Dynamite]

I always request private table. My son has autism, and is super shy and anxious around new people. Meals would be miserable for him with strangers at the table.

 

[because]

I see so many on here that are very concerned about getting their own table. I understand this for those with certain food allergies, but for everyone else I am curious as to why?

We honestly have found that Disney does a great job at matching people and have made some life long friends with some of our table mates. So that leaves me wondering why so many are so insistent, even at lunch and character breakfasts.

Not putting anyone down in anyway for their preference, we all have likes and dislikes, just honestly curious.

Easy. I am on vacation with my family. I prefer having meals with my family without strangers intruding. There are plenty of places on the ship to develop friendships if that is what one is after. I just do not want to do it at a meal, that is family time for us. I would hate to ruin someone else's vacation who was expecting tablemates that were interested in interacting. We would be the family that people complain about here, lol, ie, the ones that talked amongst themselves and ignored the strangers. Thus, asking for a private table is best for us.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Both my husband and I are basically more introverted than extroverted. But we like being at a large table (8 top works best). Most of the time we let the conversation around us go on, and occasionally chime in. I don't think others have been put off by our less gregarious participation.

Of course, doing the long cruises, as we do, we do get to know our tablemates pretty well, and feel more comfortable after a few days (difficult to do on short cruises).

 

[because]

Some interesting points of view here. I certainly understand the desire for some family time. Isn't it also a great opportunity to meet new people though? To learn about others?

Nope. That is not the focus of my vacation. I have no interest in meeting new people nor learning about others on a family vacation. I am also not responsible for entertaining strangers on their vacations. Our next cruise is on Carnival where we specifically signed up for YTD (your time dining) so that we can always request a private table.

As others have mentioned, there are plenty of opportunities to meet people during the cruise without being forced during a meal. Meal times are family times for us. YMMV

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Some interesting points of view here. I certainly understand the desire for some family time. Isn't it also a great opportunity to meet new people though? To learn about others?

Exactly. We love to learn about other places/people. Even when there are language barriers, we've enjoyed our tablemates.

IMO, that's also part of travel - to learn about other places. Even if the people aren't from where you are traveling.

 

[RedSox68]

Nope. That is not the focus of my vacation. I have no interest in meeting new people nor learning about others on a family vacation. I am also not responsible for entertaining strangers on their vacations. Our next cruise is on Carnival where we specifically signed up for YTD (your time dining) so that we can always request a private table.

As others have mentioned, there are plenty of opportunities to meet people during the cruise without being forced during a meal. Meal times are family times for us. YMMV

THIS. We really like our family time since all of us don't get to travel together often anymore. I do love the anytime dining on other lines -- and they don't make a face when you ask to sit alone I wish Disney offered an MDR for those who just want dinner and no show or gimmicks or noise (something other than Cabanas) as an alternate to a sit down meal. Maybe on the big ships

 

[Kervisk]

I have sat with other people on my first two cruises but after that I decided to have it be just the Wife and I. I work at Walt's Original Magic Kingdom and once the table mates found out it is always non stop Disneyland Questions. I don't mind answering them or talking about it now and again but not every night at Dinner on my Vacation.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I wish Disney offered an MDR for those who just want dinner and no show or gimmicks or noise (something other than Cabanas) as an alternate to a sit down meal.

I know you said "other than Cabanas" but that's what Cabanas is for dinner. Not a buffet, a sit down table service, dinner only venue.

I work at Walt's Original Magic Kingdom and once the table mates found out it is always non stop Disneyland Questions.

Maybe it would be a good idea to not be specific about where you work?