new to cruising-dinning question about table mates

[Tink3815]

We have never been on cruise before so sorry if this seems like a silly question. My husband is not thrilled with eating meals with strangers. Is it ever possible to request a table with only you and your husband. We would want the later seating. How many people are normally at a table for dinner. If we book Palo would we be by ourselves. What other dinner options would we have if we did not want to eat with others in the dinning room?

 

[Aunt Jo]

You surely can request a table for just the two of you and since you have late dining you have a better chance of getting it. You will definitely have a table for two at Palo. On our first cruise, we requested a table for 2 but didn't get it. We had the most delightful table mates you could imagine. They were 50 years our junior but were so nice and kind. Our dinners were really a pleasure. Next cruise we didn't request anything and again had delightful companions - a mature couple and a mother with two teen aged daughters. Again, there was a very wide age span but our meals were a delight. Your other options are the buffet on deck 9, various fast food places on deck 9, or room service. Buy I think you miss a lot if you don't do the restaurant rotation.

 

[atinkerbellmom]

You for sure can ask, does not mean they will grant it. They usually try though. Now DCL is a little different than other cruiselines as the tables are a wee bit smaller and therefore less people at a table. They do group you with similar groups. They seat you with other adult couples (not a family with toddlers and preschoolers lets say). I think you would actually be surprised. Your DH may end up liking the companionship. At Palos they will for sure honor the request as they know some people treat this exsperience similar to a date. Just be sure to request it as they will at other times place you with another couple.

 

[ibouncetoo]

And, I feel obligated to post the traditional reply:

Check out the 'cruise meets' forum and 'meet' some of the DIS folks who will be on your cruise. If there are folks you hit it off with on-line, you may decide to link your dining and eat with people you've already 'met'.

I've always linked my dining with DISers and made some lifelong friends!

 

[Grandma4ever]

Dining with strangers has been the highlight of my cruises and on the ones where we sat with just family I missed it. You don't need to talk about personal stuff. Just keep the conversation to Disney and the cruise plans and you might be surprised. It is only a few meals what do you really have to lose. But if it is important and your DH just can't manage to be comfortable then make a formal request and follow up once on board. Whatever happens make the most of it and enjoy.

 

[dizzi]

I totally get the thought of not wanting to dine with strangers. Dh was not all about wanting to do it either. But our first cruise, we also linked up with other DISSERs A major highlight of our trip ..was really awesome to hear about the others day and talk abotu the food etc.

Our 2nd cruise, we were at a 4 top...our children ate with us once and came to dinner one other time and left before it was over. I have to say after about 3 dinners, we were very tired of each others company, and didnt have much to say. I mean we were togher all day, how many times can you say....... i really like that, or wasnt that cool.

I would have given just about any hting to hear about someones elses day for a little bit.

Hope all goes they way you want.........and enjoy

 

[nokidz]

i was the same way, hated the thought of dinning with strangers. my wife loved the idea. well it was not that bad. we dinned with a family from New Mexico and a family from N Carolina. It was rather enjoyable.......

 

[mmackeymouse]

Yeah, I am pretty torn when it comes to that. We are very introverted, non-social people. Don't get me wrong, when we are around our close friends and family, we are just as outgoing as the next family.

But, then, I think being around just each other for 7-9 days straight would drive us berserk, plus, I feel we might miss out on the whole cruise experience by being by ourselves.

So, when we schedule, we will probably just let it ride.

 

[Finally08]

I am a total introvert, so sitting with strangers at one table did worry me. On our 3 day, we were a family of four so we had our own table. We were close to another table (the tables almost touch) and we sometimes exchanged a few words with those people because they also had kids around the same age.

Now this time my concerns are different. We are going as a group of 3, so I think it's more likely we'll end up grouped. My mom suffers from what I call diarrhea of the mouth. She really has no sensor as far as what she'll talk about...and she LOVES to TALK. She also talks on the louder side, and is one of those people who will quickly over run anything you might be saying with her own gab (drives me nuts...just makes me think she has no interest in listening to anything you have to say, she just wants to talk talk talk). So I think she might drive unknowing strangers crazy. She might also say something inappropriate. Who knows. Ought to be exciting. God love her.

 

[eva]

I am a total introvert, so sitting with strangers at one table did worry me. On our 3 day, we were a family of four so we had our own table. We were close to another table (the tables almost touch) and we sometimes exchanged a few words with those people because they also had kids around the same age.

Now this time my concerns are different. We are going as a group of 3, so I think it's more likely we'll end up grouped. My mom suffers from what I call diarrhea of the mouth. She really has no sensor as far as what she'll talk about...and she LOVES to TALK. She also talks on the louder side, and is one of those people who will quickly over run anything you might be saying with her own gab (drives me nuts...just makes me think she has no interest in listening to anything you have to say, she just wants to talk talk talk). So I think she might drive unknowing strangers crazy. She might also say something inappropriate. Who knows. Ought to be exciting. God love her.

Are we siblings!?! I remember being at a my DD's band concert with my DM a number of years ago. It was pretty quiet prior to the concert and DM just had to tell me, in a super loud voice, about her trip bra shopping that day and how difficult it is to find her size........etc. I swear that conversation went on for 20 minutes. When you start talking about something that does not interest her she says, "Well if you like that kind of thing." And then changes the subject right away to something that she wants to talk about. We took her on a vacation with us to WDW the year my DF died and I swore never again. The guys at Jellyrolls made so much fun of her and her mouth that DH and I about hid under the table. And she was totally oblivious to it all. She kept asking who they were making fun off and laughing like it was someone else. Couldn’t be her!

Sorry, back to the topic. We had a pretty bad experience with our first tablemates through DCL. So I can understand why everyone is concerned. For our second cruise we took enough people to have our own table. On this last cruise I did as suggested and met two lovely couples on the DCL Meet board. It was great. We were all celebrating anniversaries and were about the same age. We had a great time. This next cruise we won't be so lucky. The DIS is having their podcast cruise on the 4-Night cruise that we reserved using DVC points. We didn't go through Dreams Unlimited so we won't be participating in the meets that are scheduled. So we are on our own again. But it is only a 4-Night and we will eat at Palo at least one night. And might try to waitlist a second night. We'll see what happens. We lived through it once.

 

[wilma-bride]

You for sure can ask, does not mean they will grant it. They usually try though. Now DCL is a little different than other cruiselines as the tables are a wee bit smaller and therefore less people at a table. They do group you with similar groups. They seat you with other adult couples (not a family with toddlers and preschoolers lets say). I think you would actually be surprised.

Sorry, I just need to interject here to say that DH and I cruised with DCL last August and we were NOT sat with other couples. We were sat with a family with a young daughter and (almost) teenage son.

Unfortunately, unlike others here, we didn't have a particularly good experience with our table mates and almost considered not going to the dining room at all, after our requests to change tables were denied. However, I wouldn't let that put me off on a future cruise as I'm well aware that we were probably just unlucky with our experience.

OP, I can totally understand why your DH might be reluctant to share a table - by all means make the request and, I'm sure DCL will try to accommodate. However, if you are sat with others, go with an open mind and try to be friendly. You never know, you might end up enjoying it! I don't know if anyone else has already posted this but you are not obliged to go to the dining room for dinner each night - you have the option of eating at the buffet (which I believe has a set menu from one or other of the dining rooms each night). However, it would be a shame to miss out on the atmosphere of the restaurants (particularly Animators Palate) just to avoid being seated with other people.

 

[eva]

Sorry, I just need to interject here to say that DH and I cruised with DCL last August and we were NOT sat with other couples. We were sat with a family with a young daughter and (almost) teenage son.

Unfortunately, unlike others here, we didn't have a particularly good experience with our table mates and almost considered not going to the dining room at all, after our requests to change tables were denied. However, I wouldn't let that put me off on a future cruise as I'm well aware that we were probably just unlucky with our experience.

OP, I can totally understand why your DH might be reluctant to share a table - by all means make the request and, I'm sure DCL will try to accommodate. However, if you are sat with others, go with an open mind and try to be friendly. You never know, you might end up enjoying it! I don't know if anyone else has already posted this but you are not obliged to go to the dining room for dinner each night - you have the option of eating at the buffet (which I believe has a set menu from one or other of the dining rooms each night). However, it would be a shame to miss out on the atmosphere of the restaurants (particularly Animators Palate) just to avoid being seated with other people.

We had the same problem on our first cruise. It was just DH and me celebrating our 20th anniversary, which we did have noted on the reservation. They put us with a young woman, her mother, and three very young children. Not only were the children very rude and ran around the table during half the meal, but the mother and grandmother seemed to speak no English until the waiters came for the order. Then they seemed to know English fairly well. We tried to make small talk but they were having none of that and gave us dirty looks through out the meal. I don't think they liked sitting with us any more than we did with them. I'm sure that customs from Brazil are totally different that those in America. So I really didn't blame our tablemates. But why on earth did DCL put us at the same table? We asked our waiter about changing tables after the first meal. But he said it would be impossible. I have to admit, our waiters weren't too great on that cruise either. I now know to go to the head waiter and if that doesn't do the trick then hit Guest Services. But it wasn't too horrible since we were only on a 3-Night cruise and only had to put up with our tablemates one more night. The last night we dined at Palo. Luckily the rest of the cruise was outstanding or we may never have returned.

 

[nokidz]

we were on our honeymoon and we were seated with two families with older children, 12 to 16 range. We were asked by our TA what seating we wanted and if we wanted to be seated with all adults or families. My wife told them to seat us with whomever.....

 

[nzdisneymom]

We have never been on cruise before so sorry if this seems like a silly question. My husband is not thrilled with eating meals with strangers. Is it ever possible to request a table with only you and your husband. We would want the later seating. How many people are normally at a table for dinner. If we book Palo would we be by ourselves. What other dinner options would we have if we did not want to eat with others in the dinning room?

We've been seated with others and by ourselves, so it's really luck-of-the-draw. You can check your seating assignment after boarding to see if you're seated with others and find out who you are seated with (other couples, families, ages, etc.). Just go to wherever the dining changes are taking place (typically Rockin' D Bar / WaveBands). The dining manager(s) will be able to help you.

 

[nenner1]

The smallest tables they have seat four.
I have not ever seen only two people seated alone..not even on late dining. But certainly do request it anyway...you just never know!

On our first cruise our family of four was seated alone at a 7-top (either that or our table mates just didn't want to eat with us, lol!), and last time we were alone at a 4 top (both times requested to dine alone). This time as a party of 5 we thought for sure we would end up grouped but requested a table to ourselves and called our TA and she confirmed we are seated alone at a 6-top. So the moral of this story is to always make the request if that is what you desire!

 

[danielle782001]

When, where and who do you request this?

We are a family of four with two small children (one with a host of special needs)...We would like to eat alone for a variety of reasons that I won't bore you with...The small tables seat 4 so I guess we have a chance of getting a table without mates....

So how do I go about making that request?

 

[Olga]

If you are booked through Disney, give them a call and they will take your request.
If through a TA have them submit the request and email you a verification that the request has been submitted. Shouldn't be a problem having your request honored.
HTH