Table Mates

[MelissaE1]

From everything I've seen, it does seem like DCL makes an effort to pair people up with a good match. As a family of four we've mostly been at our own table, but the one time they did match us up they put us with an older couple. Which was not a problem for us, but it was for them. They were clearly unhappy to have been seated with a family with children. My kids are typically very well behaved in a restaurant situation (they make up for it elsewhere ) and they were polite and fairly quiet, but this couple refused to even interact with us. Period. We did ask, and were accommodated, for a move. I'm pretty sure they were as relieved as we were!

After this DH made me request a 4 top, but on our upcoming Fantasy cruise I "forgot." Who knows, maybe we'll make some new friends this time.

 

[jpeka65844]

It cracks me up that this might be somebody's JOB.

"What do you do for a living?"

"I arrange seating arrangements for Disney Cruise Line."

How do I apply for that? What's the interview process like?

 

[shmoogrrrl]

When my husband and I did a three-day cruise as a part of our honeymoon in 2000, we were seated with an older couple and a couple with two kids about 10 and 13. They were all very sweet, and we imagined that they put us with them to show us our future. Hahaha!

They were great tablemates, The kids were very well behaved and they all loved to ask questions about our wedding and stuff like that.

When we traveled with my parents and niece (before we had kids) it was 2001 soon after the Election of 2000 drama, and we were seated with another family that had a daughter my nieces age. The Father was very outspoken politically, but once we determined that we had the same opinions, it was smooth sailing from there.

 

[disneyholic family]

on both of our cruises, we requested our own table. i don't like eating with strangers.

 

[fairytalelover]

On our honeymoon they put us at a table with other honeymooners on the Wonder.

 

[auntie]

on both of our cruises, we requested our own table. i don't like eating with strangers.

I hesitated to say so, but we also made such a request. Personally, I'm pretty social and wouldn't care who we sat with. My husband on the other hand doesn't want to make chit-chat with strangers. Since it's just the two of us..who knows? We'll soon find out.

 

[mom2brooke76]

On our first cruise it was me, my dd who was almost 4, and my mom. We were seated with a couple and their dd who was about my dd's age. They were a quiet couple, yet nice. Our dd's really seemed to enjoy each other's company.

My second cruise was with my dd's godfather and we were apparently sat with a newlywed couple, but we never did see since they never made an appearance in the dining room.

My third was me, dd who was 5, and her godfather. We were seated with a couple and their dd and the two of them became fast friends and hung out in the kid's club, etc. The mom was very friendly, the dad very quiet.

The best time we had, though, was on our last cruise. Me, dd, and her godfather linked our ressies with two other families on the cruise meet thread and had a fantastic time! I still stay in touch with one of the families. I enjoyed it so much that we've linked ressies with another DISer for our upcoming cruise!

 

[SILLYANDI]

After this DH made me request a 4 top, but on our upcoming Fantasy cruise I "forgot." Who knows, maybe we'll make some new friends this time.

Oh no you shouldn't have divulged that info. Karma says you're going to end up with the photo bombing Egan clan at your table now

 

[MelissaE1]

Oh no you shouldn't have divulged that info. Karma says you're going to end up with the photo bombing Egan clan at your table now

Excuse me, have we met? I heard about those people, something about exploding tea? I dunno, but it sounds like I'd come home with some FB worthy pics if I sat with that particular group.

 

[Partridge4ever]

I hadn't thought about linking with a fellow DISer. How many people are at most tables? We are a party of 5. Last time we had another party of 5.

 

[abitagirl916]

I hesitated to say so, but we also made such a request. Personally, I'm pretty social and wouldn't care who we sat with. My husband on the other hand doesn't want to make chit-chat with strangers. Since it's just the two of us..who knows? We'll soon find out.

It might not be too late if you still want to make a special request. You can either call DCL (or your travel agent if you booked through a travel agent) and they can add a request to your reservation. It doesn't have to be done at the time of booking. Of course, it's not guaranteed, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[auntie]

It might not be too late if you still want to make a special request. You can either call DCL (or your travel agent if you booked through a travel agent) and they can add a request to your reservation. It doesn't have to be done at the time of booking. Of course, it's not guaranteed, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Oh, I did make the request with Disney concierge. I meant that I hesitated to post it in the forum as everyone seemed so pleased with their table mates. I thought we were the only ones who preferred to dine at our own table.

 

[abitagirl916]

Last year on our Disney Dream cruise, my DD (Special Needs 22yo) and I dined alone. I had requested it on my reservation and was accommodated without a problem. We are going on the Disney Fantasy in Oct.2013 along with my Aunt, but this time I might not request a particular table size. I haven't decided yet.

 

[mama2ellie]

When we've cruised concierge, we've always had our own table (when it was 3 of us and 5 of us). On our non-concierge cruise, we were seated with a family that had teens of ages similar to my stepsons, and we both had a daughter with food allergies.

 

[papa]

We were on the first sailing after 9/11/2001.There was quite a large group of us sailing. we met one couple that we became close friends with and we cruise together every year since. We link our dinner reservations and we do not have to break in new tablemates every time

 

[Namsupak]

Oh, I did make the request with Disney concierge. I meant that I hesitated to post it in the forum as everyone seemed so pleased with their table mates. I thought we were the only ones who preferred to dine at our own table.

When you cruise concierge they will pretty much set you up at your own table unless you link dining or ask otherwise. Dh asked the dining room manager about this one cruise because we kept getting a table by ourselves but DH likes to meet new people. Only once has it been a bust as far as bad table mates.

 

[auntie]

When you cruise concierge they will pretty much set you up at your own table unless you link dining or ask otherwise. Dh asked the dining room manager about this one cruise because we kept getting a table by ourselves but DH likes to meet new people. Only once has it been a bust as far as bad table mates.

Good to know, thanks.

 

[mays]

My DH isn't a talkative kind of guy... He is worried about tablemates.

My response "hunny just pretend it's like dinner at home... You know that place where you eat food, nod and sometimes make sounds with your mouth that are related to sporting scores..."

 

[kcooley]

First cruise we were on our honeymoon and grouped with another honeymoon couple. Second we were grouped at an 8 top and we enjoyed our table mates. Third cruise we were at an 8 top and 4 of us were DVC. There was a Japanese mom and her DS~10 and an American mom and DD12 who weren't DVC. By the end, the American mom joined DVC as well.

Funny thing is, the Japanese mom and son didn't speak English and our server didn't speak Japanese. There was a Japanese group on the other side of the dining room and their server was Japanese. He would come over to help with orders. Why they didn't move, I don't know. Here's the CRAZY part. On the next cruise the American mom and her DD went on, they were seated with the Japanese mom and son again!

Our Fourth cruise we were paired up with the American mom and her daughter (our request this time though). Fifth cruise, we had an 8 top and one couple bailed on the table after the first night. They seemed nice and we saw them throughout the 11 night Med cruise, but hey, that made the 8 top a 6 top. Our Sixth cruise was the Fantasy MV. We originally had the Animators rotation, but we ate at Remy the first night, so we requested to change our rotation so we wouldn't miss any AP nights. The table they put us at was a 6 top. All three ladies are in the same profession! How did they know that? There is no way! That was cool! Needless to say, it was a great group.

 

[BriarRosie]

I'm going to be getting Dining Roulette next month, as a solo cruiser, so this should be interesting! Based on prior responses (and a friend of mine who also went solo), I'll more than likely be seated with other adults. Perhaps some of them who are DVC owners like me.

I'm not going to be in the rotational dining the first night because I'll be going to Remy. I'll be meeting my tablemates the second night, unless they are going to Remy or Palo.