Has anyone disliked their tablemates?

[Alex]

On our first cruise we had a bad experience. There was a very large group traveling and they decided the adults would sit at one table and we would be the children's table. I saw one of the parents alone the next day and simply told him I really didn't think it was fair and he agreed so they changed it the next night but if I hadn't spoken up it would have been pretty miserable.

 

[FirstMagic]

We were lucky that for our Disney cruise, we had excellent tablemates, but we always approach the first evening dinner on a cruise with great trepidation, because we have experienced awful dining companions on another cruise. We like meeting new people however, so usually specify a table for 8 or 10, feeling there is safety in numbers.

One of our worst experiences was on a cruise line (not DCL) where you could have assigned, fixed time seating, or just show up and wait for the next available table. We took the latter dining choice, that way we weren't tied in to any particular evening schedule. Or as it turned out, the same tablemates!

The passenger list of this ship was made up of a good 90% (in my estimate from the people I met!) of chronic whiners and complainers.

One evening we got in line behind a couple waiting for the dining room, in the short wait they did nothing but complain, complain, complain. The matre d' took them into the dining room and seated them, then came out to seat us. We whispered to each other "I hope we don't get seated with them!"

But sure enough, he led us to a table for 4 and there they were. My husband sat down and said to me "Let's make the best of it.", but immediately the man of the couple stood up and collared (almost literally, at least he got right in his face) of the nearest waiter, loudly complaning. His wife turned to me at the table, and immediately started in on her litany of complaints. I whispered to my husband "This is MY vacation, and I'm not being paid to listen to them!" so I said "Excuse us" to the couple, got up and headed out of the dining room with my husband following.

I'm not sure if I sprinted or just walked very quickly!

I walked up to the man in charge of seating couples and pleaded "Please! Can you find another place for us to sit?" and he said "Certainly." and seated us at a table for 8 with 3 other couples.

These couples said they had seen us go into the dining room, and then exit hastily and wondered WHAT had happened. When we explained, they had a good laugh and said they would have wanted to do the same thing and were glad we had exited and joined them. They were all great fun (they were part of the 10% non-whiners on the ship) and we had a great meal that evening.

So that's how I handled it.

Usually if its just one meal (lunch or breakfast) I can put up with about anybody, but I think I had reached my tolerance level that night.

Oh... we saw the complaning couple several more times on the ship (not at our table in the dining room though!) and you guessed it, we could always hear a distinctive whine eminating from them.

 

[irvingp]

My partner and I went on our fitst cruise on the Magic in May 03. We were seated with two couples, one of which was nice to us while the second was very rude. By the end of the cruise they didn't even speak to us at dinner.

Oh well, I figure it is their loss. We are going again on the Dec 13 sailing and we have decided that if we encounter anyone like that again we will ask for a new table assignment.

If anyone else is going on this cruise and would like to arrange seating ahead of time, please email us.

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by MarkLem
HAving nothing in common with someone at you rtable is one thing, but being in the middle of a food fight? Doesn't Disney put their foot down over that kind of behavior? If they don't I would...

I hear you on that one!

If I ever got kicked by someone under the table like that (I'm not talking about an accident of course) I'd being kicking some butts right out the door! Completely and totally unacceptable.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Originally posted by Cindyluwho
Their DD was learning disabled and was all over the table, literally, climbing on the table, grabbing food off of our plates, pouring salt on the table and floor.

My DS is learning disabled, and has some other disabilities as well. Disabled people can and should have manners to the level they are capable of. That had nothing to do with a disability, that was just plain bad behaviour. I don't blame the kid, I blame the parents.

Anne

 

[Timon]

We just got off the Explorer of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) on Saturday and we had a hard time with our tablemates.

We were sat at a table of 6, hubby and I, a newlywed couple from PA and an older couple from London. Although it wasn't as bad as some of the horror stories I've read about here, we got the distinct feeling that the couple from PA wasn't happy about being with us, always talking to each other and not to us. And while the lady from London was very nice, she had the grumpiest old husband ever! Hubby and I were thinking of buying her a shirt we saw at WDW (A picture of Dopey with the saying "I'm with Grumpy!")

I guess it's one of the reasons we only had dinner in the dining room 1.5 times out of the 7 nights. There were other reasons but that was a main one.

We've only ever cruised DCL before and this was an experience for us! We wanted something to compare Disney to and well...we found it! Let's just say that we are only cruising with the Mouse from now on! Our tablemates from our Magic Cruise were fanatastic! (Hi Fishbone, if you are out there!) and one of the highlights of that cruise was going to dinner, we had so much fun!!!

Live and learn I guess!

 

[2tinksmom]

We're going on our first cruise in May and after reading these stories I am so glad that we are cruisin' with some very good friends of ours. At least there will be 4 very friendly adults and 4 very well behaved little girls at the table and if anyone else is seated with us...they'll have a good time whether they want to or not !

 

[Cindyluwho]

Originally posted by ducklite
"My DS is learning disabled, and has some other disabilities as well. Disabled people can and should have manners to the level they are capable of. That had nothing to do with a disability, that was just plain bad behaviour. I don't blame the kid, I blame the parents."

I agree completely. If they had just once tried to stop her or even adressed the issue I would feel differently. But they just acted like nothing was wrong.

 

[NicoleinFL]

Hi all..I am new to this forum. Hoping to do my first Disney cruise soon!

This most interesting thread caught my eye! Speaking of horrible tablemates....I recently returned from a Halloween cruise on Carnival. There were quite a few of my co-workers onboard as my employer arranged the trip and got us a group discount.

I was pleasantly surprised when we showed up for dinner the first night and found a coworker of mine (and her hubby) assigned to our table. The first night was pleasant enough and everyone enjoyed each others company. But the second evening (we docked in Nassau that day) her hubby seemed to have had one too many while off the ship and started flirting with my Mom. He made comments about her looks/dress right in front of his wife. Then when the wife got up to use the restroom, he grabbed my Mom's hand and kissed her on the shoulder and asked her if she would be his friend. My Mom politely rebuffed him while the rest of the table looked on in horror!

The next evening, we planned ahead and decided to seat my 83year old Grandma next to him. Truthfully, we all figured he would be very low key and embarrassed from the previous evening..Wrong.. Even though he was seated next to a senior citizen, he continued making remarks and started to flirt with me and my friend as well! I was so embarrassed for my co-worker and I could tell the other foursome felt the same.

I don't think I want to do the group thing again the next time I cruise!

 

[dclwdwlover]

Of course, we weren't seated with anyone other than ourselves!!


We've had great tablemates every single time. This time they chose not to seat us with anyone - there's four of us (2 ad/2 kids). That was fine. We had wonderful meals with our kids - catching up on their day.

 

[WDWLVR]

Originally posted by ohiominnie
I've only had a problem with one set of tablema....oh....wait, nevermind, that was my MIL and her dh. Nevermind.

No, never had a problem with any tablemate that was NOT related to me.

Same here - we've cruised with my in-laws 3 times and sometimes I wish we weren't sitting with them at dinner. Especially when my MIL has to make a fuss about her dinner.

As for dining with strangers - no the two times we did that we got some great couples to sit with.

 

[invaderzim]

Interesting observation on our past cruise last week -- we noticed that they have broken up a LOT of the bigger tables in to tables for four. We finally (after there cruises) got a table to ourselves. But the irony was that we liked our neighbors so much that by the fourth night we pulled our tables together! So you never know.

On our first cruise we sat with a lovely family from Allentown. Enjoyed them and their children/grandchildren the whole time. The second cruise we had a table for six, but only one elderly couple sat with us. Totally unfriendly. Didn't show up after the second night. So we had the whole table to ourselves!

 

[dtuleya]

Originally posted by irvingp
My partner and I went on our fitst cruise on the Magic in May 03. We were seated with two couples, one of which was nice to us while the second was very rude. By the end of the cruise they didn't even speak to us at dinner.

Oh well, I figure it is their loss. We are going again on the Dec 13 sailing and we have decided that if we encounter anyone like that again we will ask for a new table assignment.

If anyone else is going on this cruise and would like to arrange seating ahead of time, please email us.

You might want to post this on your Cruise Meet thread. Here's the link to the main board. I looked for your dates, but couldn't find them. Are you cruising '04 or '05?

http://www.disboards.com/forumdispl...r=&sortfield=lastpost&perpage=50&pagenumber=1

 

[vikingfans]

On our first cruise, we (DH and myself) were seated with a WONDERFUL family. We had a great time! and became great friends. The Mom and Dad, and their 3 kids one was 15, one was 12 and one was 8. Very well behaved.

Our second cruise we were seated with the friends that we were cruising with. So just a table for four. Loads of fun.

Our third cruise we were seated with some good people, they just didn't have the same personality as us. They were a couple that would rather spend their time complaining than anything...that was just their way. They were nice people, generally, but just complained a lot. We chose to have dinner in topsiders one night and never went to breakfast with them. (it was a 3 night cruise) We figured 2 nights of torture was enough.

On this next cruise, we will be cruising with friends again and requested that we sit with adults. I know we will have a wonderful time.

 

[lookingforward]

We try very hard to get a table by ourselves when we cruise. I know that you can make lifelong friends on cruises but after the experience we had on our first cruise ever in 94, I just don't chance it anymore. Vacations are sacred to me and I just can't chance having someone else's poor manners or rude behavior ruin it for me.

In 1994 my husband and I took a Costa cruise. We were seated at a table for 8 and it was painful. There were two women from Miami who thought that they were "cruise experts". They asked nosy questions, for instance when I ordered the vegetarian plate they hammered me with questions "do you eat meat" "are you on a diet" etc. They were very condesending to everyone and explained that they "dated" the officers on the ship. The other couples were about 25 years older, one from Minnesota who never spoke and looked disturbed to be sitting with all of us and another couple that included a wife who was visably afraid of her husband. Needless to say, we switched tables. We had late dining and there was a waiting list for the seccond seating. The dining manager gave us a table for two if we would switch to early seating. We did, thankfully.

Now, we have our own table and usually make friends with other tables around us.

 

[talicskai]

Originally posted by Miss Jasmine

.

So then they asked us how Castaway Cay was since they didn't bother to get off the ship since they were both too hung over the day before.

 

[pppiglet]

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Miss Jasmine

.

So then they asked us how Castaway Cay was since they didn't bother to get off the ship since they were both too hung over the day before.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I can't even imagine someone could do something that stupid that would make them miss Castaway Cay! ( and I haven't even been there yet!) I hope when we go we have good tablemates!
We like groups.

 

[tvguy]

We have always enjoyed our tablemates, and were a little disappointed that we got a table to ourselves on DCL. We had late seating, and since the servers aren't in a rush to get you out for another group, they took time to show my DD 12, and DS 16 magic tricks, not knowing magic is my son's hobby.
By the last night, after dinner, folks from most of the tables around ours were gathered around our table watching our servers Roberto and Marin, and my son, trying to out do each other with magic tricks. We got to know a lot of folks that way.

 

[Tluvs2talk]

We have been on 8 cruises and have liked all the people we have sat with. Some better than others. We have had people show uo to Dinner very late, and we have had people show up in jeans, hats and tennis shoes.We have even had people who ordered 3 entree's each. My Husband and I are very easy going. I can put up with a lot as long as the person is friendly. My hubby and I are normally the 1st ones at the table, and we normally introduce ourselves first and start the conversation. We did have a very rude family sitting next to us on our last cruise. They had a huge stroller that was jammed in my husbands back the whole dinner and evertime they would get up they would ram into our chairs without as so much as "Excuse me". Their child was about 2 and allowed to roam freely wich meant around our table. Thank goodness we rotate dining rooms so their table wasn't next to us any other nights. We did watch in amusment at the faces of those around us who suffered in silence like we did. I could tell by the way they taked to each other that saying something would have been useless.


Teri

 

[CM_Mom]

If any of you end up in horrible situations, please talk to your head server as some of the other posters have. Your vacation is too special a time to have a horrible mealtimes.