Eating with strangers

What are your best and/or worst experience dining at a table full of strangers?

What are your best and/or worst experience dining at a table full of strangers?

We really enjoyed having tablemates who were strangers to begin with, but in the end became good friends who we still stay in contact with. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing them at dinner each night, loved running into them on the ship, and missed them when one of them didn't make it to dinner. We're ready to try it out again next June!

We have had some horrible experiences which is why we are doing anytime dining this time.

We have had folks with screaming kids and they don't take them out. We have had, with all the choices on the menu, someone who didn't find anything they liked and asked for stuff to be made that wasn't on the menu. Had folks that are very belittling to the wait staff. Embarrassing and I don't want to be associated with people like that.

I think Carnival does a bang up job of matching people up for dinner and Iv been very happy with their picks. The only times it wasnt such a great match, were the two times I switched my dining for whatever reason.

People that ignored us; people with whom we had very little in common, so "small talk" was awkward -- once we got past "how was your day?", the conversation died; people who took offense at my wheelchair; people who perhaps tried to carry on a conversation with us, but talked softly into their soup, and after about the fourth time of "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you?" they--and the rest of the table -- gave up trying to converse with them; people who showed up the first night, then never again -- but didn't bother to tell anyone, so dinner was always delayed, thinking that maybe they'd show up...

After this, we opt for anytime dining, or whatever flexible dining program is offered by the cruise line we're on.

We now always ask for a table for two.

Yes, we have met some very nice folks, but have also been stuck at tables where one of the men was a "blowhard know-it-all" Not pleasant!

I love strangers :D

I've never had a bad experience and have made some great friends who I still converse with via email.

On our last two cruises my family of 4 was assigned to a booth and even though we love each other, we prefer a bigger table. Its more fun to discuss your day with others.

What are your best and/or worst experience dining at a table full of strangers?

Best Experience: :)

Holiday - 2007. Table for 10. 5 totally different couples, yet we hit it off from night one. We'd enjoy dinner and then stay together for the remainder of the evening. Kareoke, dancing, gambling, shopping, shows, you name it. We even took portraits of the whole group!

Worst experience: :mad:

Fascination - 2005. We were paired up with some very ignorant, uneducated and racist people. Every time that someone of a different race walked by, they would make the worst, most offensive comments. Then they would laugh at their own comments. It was too much to take, so finally another one of our tablemates got up and left the table, shortly followed by everyone else. We saw the racist couple sitting by themselves the rest of the cruise. I guess nobody wanted to put up with them.

In general, we have mostly had good experiences and before anytime dining always asked for a shared table.

The only bad one was on the Elation. We sat diown at a table for 6 with 2 other couple who knew each other. They totally ignored us including not even acknowledging our Hello. And they did the same to the wait staff. We moved from that table the next night. Poor waiter kept trying to get us to come back.

But we love anytime because we never liked being scheduled and can pick and choose what we are in the mood for.

We have had three great experiences

First time we (no kids) were seated with a Grandmother and her 10 year old Granddaughter. The Grandmother was originally from Dominica and had visited many other islands we were going to, so she was able to give us lots of great info and advice. Besides that, she was a very pleasant lady and her granddaughter was very well behaved and a very nice little girl.

Second time we (took the kids), met a family at life boat drill and we very happy to see them seated with us at our table. They had 4 kids, two teenage daughters who were really fun and the younger 2 kids were the same ages as our kids. They had fun together all week. We got along great with the parents also. Also they were in the cabins next door so we got to visit with them a lot.

Third time we got seated with 2 other couples (we had no kids). We got along great with all of them. We had so much fun talking about our day and what we planned to do the next day, comparing experiences etc. We still keep in touch with those 2 other couples.

We have not had one bad experience in the dining rooms. I have not ever seen the out of control kids bad manners etc that other people have experienced. The cruise ships have done a great job for us of matching us with people that we will get along with. But then we are also very easy going people and tend not to look for problems. (and please don't flame me for that comment, I know not everyone "looks" for problems, some people do have real problems, some people look for problems)

And if you don't like your tablemates i highly recommend you toss them overboard when way out at sea:D JK

We have had some horrible experiences which is why we are doing anytime dining this time.

 

We have had folks with screaming kids and they don't take them out. We have had, with all the choices on the menu, someone who didn't find anything they liked and asked for stuff to be made that wasn't on the menu. Had folks that are very belittling to the wait staff. Embarrassing and I don't want to be associated with people like that.

All the others I understand, this one I do not. What's it to you? As long as they're not being jerks about it, seems the polite thing to do is just go with the flow.

I've had really good experiences overall. On my first cruise we were in a booth with another couple- they didn't show up until the 2nd to last night, but they were very nice and we got along fine.

On my second, we were seated at a table for 2 and after the first night we asked to be moved since we wanted to get to know some other people. We then were seated with an older couple and their young son, and an older couple and their adult children. They were very talkative and we really had a good time!

The only awkward times I've had were when we went to the MDR for breakfast and lunch. The one group didn't want to talk (which is fine) but the other couple argued with each other and we couldnt' get out of there fast enough!

We do anytime dining now. We had a tipsy insurance salesman on one cruise who told us way too much on the merits of whole life over term insurance. We had the bragging, arguing, near a divorce husband and skinny wife (who we also called the butter and calorie police because between fighting with her husband she would comment on the calories we were eating and neither of us are overweight). Oh and my favorite, the very religious folks who tried to convert us. Before dinner they wanted for us all to hold hands and pray with them. They asked our religion and as Catholics they told us we were not saved. We have taken many cruises over 20 years so we had many very nice people as table mates too. Anytime dining is really wonderful, we will always choose it.

We had a Chinese couple that didn't speak any English, together with three other persons: a blind, a deaf a mute and a sightseeing dog...interesting times!

We truly enjoy sitting with others, particularly at a large table. Both of us can talk to just about anyone. We think it's fun asking what people did that day, what they have planned, if they've cruised before, their experiences, etc. We luckily have never had a horrible experience.

This last cruise we sat at a table for four, which made me nervous - cuz it isn't like you can move around the table dif nights if there is one unsociable couple. But omg, our tablemates were our age and absolutely great! We had a fab time with them!! :D

Our first cruise on the SS Norway, July 1988. My husband and I were young, married 3yrs and pregnant with our first child. The first night at dinner we were paired with an older couple (maybe 50s, early 60s), they were friendly, but not too talkative. I sensed they'd rather not be with us. The next evening they never showed up for dinner. I happened to see them later in the dining room, at a large round table, laughing and enjoying themselves very much. She came to me and said, "I hope you don't mind, but we prefer to be with a bigger group!" I totally understood. We saw another couple, about our age, sitting by themselves, too, and asked them to join us. We hit it off instantly...and now, 22yrs later, still exchange Christmas cards every year. The 'strangers' became our good friends, by default...Funny how things work out.

Always been a pretty good experienc and even if not - great stories to tell!:D Have made lots of new friends I am still in touch with - I guess it depends on how 'social' you are? (if you read my review - see link below - you can see some of my 'comments' on developing social skills - and conversing with all sorts of people - not a bad thing to know how to do in my opinion :D).

We had a Chinese couple that didn't speak any English, together with three other persons: a blind, a deaf a mute and a sightseeing dog...interesting times!

:eek:

I think Carnival does a bang up job of matching people up for dinner and Iv been very happy with their picks. The only times it wasnt such a great match, were the two times I switched my dining for whatever reason.

I think they should have a short questionair in the sail documents you fill out before you sail, and use it to match people up. Would be interesting.

I love strangers :D

 

I've never had a bad experience and have made some great friends who I still converse with via email.

 

On our last two cruises my family of 4 was assigned to a booth and even though we love each other, we prefer a bigger table. Its more fun to discuss your day with others.

Strangers are just people you haven't met yet, could be your future best friends!

Only ever had one evening of 'bad'. Had some poor schmuck who acted like he owned the ship, wore inappropriate clothing, and my wife and I counted, he made nine changes or special requests during dinner. We were polite, as was everyone else at the table, but when we saw him the rest of the cruise we made a beeline in other directions, but he made the entire table feel awkward.

Everyone else I have ever shared a table with, for the meal or for the entire cruise, has been wonderful, or at least passable.

We have had okay experiences with our tablemates. Really great the 1st time on a table with 10. The next on Disney at a table for 8 okay only because 4 were my own family. The other family didn't want to talk to us??? 3rd was a cruise with my parents and their friends so had our out table. That was great. 4th was another group cruise (with another site) and we ended up being seated with people that booked the cruise through the group to get the price but wanted nothing to do with the group. They were family and friends and took up 6 of the chairs. That left my husband and I to sit there. They had a good time and at least were honest the first night. They told us that we would probably not enjoy sitting there as they were going to talk in Italian so that they could have a private conversation. I wanted to change but my husband didn't think that was good because the rest of the group was in the tables surrounding us. Next time. we move. The last time my older sister and I went and ended up in a booth with 2 catholic priests who travel each year with each other. The best nights we had was when they didn't come and the other was when we went to the specialty restaurant. Hoping that this upcoming cruise will be better although I think this time I might look into moving if it is a problem.

tigercat

What are your best and/or worst experience dining at a table full of strangers?

We had the most amazing couple seated with us when we went on our honeymoon, back in 1977, they were in their 80s, and the wife could not speak much in english, but the husband did. They were so much more fun than anyone our age could have been, and we learned so much from them if nothing else about how to have fun with a different generation yet they were still fun to be around. They would tease us when we either didnt come to breakfast or dinner (though back them you had to eat or wait till the midnight buffet as there was no place else to eat) We will be sailing in july for our sons wedding and will be sharing tables with quite a few people, some we know and some we dont know...but we all have something in common, we all love the couple who are getting married in st thomas :)

What are your best and/or worst experience dining at a table full of strangers?

Sitting at a table for four with a Chinese couple that spoke no English at all!

The worst, however, was the man who belittled me for working at a Japanese auto maker here in the US, my wife for working in a school cafeteria and us for booking an inside cabin on the Riviera deck (while he was staying in the owner's suite, complete with a baby grand piano!) What a jerk!

:cool:Bill