Chances of stranger at dinner?

My family and I will be doing a 6pm dinner, and there are 5 of us. What are the chances that we will be put with a lone traveler? Has this happened to anyone before? If it were just me, sitting with a family of five, I think that would be pretty weird. Or would we possibly be seated with another family/group? We would prefer the five of us alone, but that probably won't happen if the boat will be filled to capacity.

We were a family of five in November. They set us at a table for four and put another chair at the end of the table. Saw this for several groups of five.

If they seat you with others, I doubt it would be with just one other person. Maybe with a group of 3, or another group of 5.

Probably you will be on your own.

So like restaurants do... I hate when we get booths at a restaurant and put a chair at the end that everyone keeps tripping over (Cough steakhouses cough cough). How was having the extra chair? We are larger folk, so it gets kinda annoying sometimes when someone has to get by and we have to keep squeezing in.

I have heard cruise lines try to group people of similar bookings. That is to say Couples with couples, small family with small family, and singles with singles.

Its been a few years, but I thought the main dinning rooms had tables for 12. YMMV

I have heard cruise lines try to group people of similar bookings. That is to say Couples with couples, small family with small family, and singles with singles.

 

Its been a few years, but I thought the main dinning rooms had tables for 12. YMMV

Who knows? On CCL, we had a group of six, and NCL, there was 10 of us (quite the family dinner...)

It's rather like a "Blind Date" .... some that may be seated with you are better than others. :D

LuLu

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It's rather like a "Blind Date" .... some that may be seated with you are better than others. :D

 

LuLu

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Oh boy... Then the family/group/person sitting with us will be eating at the buffet the next few nights :o

On our first cruise they put the five of us at a four person booth (and put a chair on the end), it was very cramped and uncomfortable. For our second and third cruise they put the five of us at a large table, and both times we had another family of five join us (the first time the other family was also from Ohio, they were a great family - the second time, the family wasn't so great - nor from the same state as us ... they were really snobby, so we ended up not really speaking to each other at all, and we did try several times).

On the Carnival Spirit in 2009, it was our family of three and we linked our booking to my parents and adult son. We had a table for just us six.

On our 2010, Thanksgiving cruise on Royal Caribbean, it was our family of three and my parents, we linked our booking. We checked our table when we boarded and it was a table for six. Perfect we thought, when we arrived for dinner, they had added a chair and a couple joined us.

It would have been nice to be just us as a family for Thanksgiving. The other couple were very nice and we enjoyed their company but I think it was awkward to add them.

It seems a little impolite to me to call a solo traveler a "stranger".

I think Carnival tries to match like people.

For instance, my husband, daughter (19) and I were seated at a dining table with a mom and daughter (18), and a mom, dad, and daughter (21).

Another Carnival cruise, it was the three of us (daughter was 17 at the time) and we were seated with a couple and their 14 year old granddaughter. We had dinner with them, then went to the show every night with them also.

We have had a single cruiser at our dinner table he was a funny older gentleman. So they could sit someone with you.

You can send the ships Maitre'D an email and make a request for whatever table/seating arrangements you like.

We've never sat with singles. It's been families or variable sizes to fit that specific table. Other times the 3 of of has been at a 4 top.

One time I did sail solo, and I was always matched up with the reject du jour, even though I requested to be sat at a large table.

So like restaurants do... I hate when we get booths at a restaurant and put a chair at the end that everyone keeps tripping over (Cough steakhouses cough cough). How was having the extra chair? We are larger folk, so it gets kinda annoying sometimes when someone has to get by and we have to keep squeezing in.

This happens to us on every Carnival cruise! In fact it's my biggest complaint about Carnival. I hate the booths on a cruise ship (even for 4!) 5 of us travel together all of the time. They sit us at a booth for 4 with a chair on the end every single time! Not only is is uncomfortable but can you imagine that table with settings for 5 instead of 4. There are so many plates, glasses, silver ware etc that there is no room for the food! We started refusing to sit at a booth on the last cruise. Went to the dining room to check out our seating arrangement the first day when we got on board, then went to see about getting it changed. We had to change to My time dining which we didn't care for but at least we sat at a table for 6. BTW-they tried to sit us at a booth when we said 5 so we just started saying 6!

Reject du jour lol

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It seems a little impolite to me to call a solo traveler a "stranger".

By defintion "stranger" simply means someone unknown to you. It's not offensive.

It seems a little impolite to me to call a solo traveler a "stranger".

What's impolite about it? :confused:

You don't know them. They don't know you. You are both strangers to each other.

Also the fact that the person is "solo" has nothing to do with them being called a "stranger".

It seems a little impolite to me to call a solo traveler a "stranger".

Why? If there were 2 could you not refer to them as strangers?

Stranger: (noun) "A person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar"

What is wrong with that?

Edit: sorry Grandma and wettoes, I didn't refresh my screen before I posted. ;)

We are a family of 5, and we have never had someone seated at our table.

We are a family of 5, and we have never had someone seated at our table.

No chairs?

And why are some getting hung up about the definition of "Stranger"? That clearly is a strawman to the OP's question.

Stranger: (noun) "A person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar"

I don't know you, and I am stranger than most :p

I don't know you, and I am stranger than most :p

:D I like that.

On our last cruise, which was our honeymoon, we showed up to the MDR and were led to our table. It was a booth....with another couple sitting there....one on each side. Hilarious! You should have seen the looks on their faces, and ours! We apologized to them and politely said "we are on our honeymoon and we would really prefer a table for two but we definitely do not want to sit in a booth with 2 people we don't know across from each other and side by side with them. They promptly moved us to a different table. We still laugh about that to this day!