MDR table placement

So last year hubby and I sailed with Royal Caribbean and on our first night went to the MDR for dinner...the table they had for us was not that great...I am in a chair and there were a lot of 'excuse me's' and people having to get up to move their chairs in for me to get in and out, however, they didn't know I was in a chair I guess when we booked...needless to say, we ate buffet for the rest of the cruise because of this..no big deal though.

This year we are sailing with Carnival and of course had to fill out the paperwork in order to get the hc cabin...do you think they will actually look at that with table placement in the MDR so all I have to do is wheel in and out without having people move for me?

Anyone experience this?

Thanks,

Kelley

So last year hubby and I sailed with Royal Caribbean and on our first night went to the MDR for dinner...the table they had for us was not that great...I am in a chair and there were a lot of 'excuse me's' and people having to get up to move their chairs in for me to get in and out, however, they didn't know I was in a chair I guess when we booked...needless to say, we ate buffet for the rest of the cruise because of this..no big deal though.

 

This year we are sailing with Carnival and of course had to fill out the paperwork in order to get the hc cabin...do you think they will actually look at that with table placement in the MDR so all I have to do is wheel in and out without having people move for me?

 

Anyone experience this?

 

 

Thanks,

Kelley

Your post does not state if you had requested to have your seating changed once you found out it was not a workable situation ? Even though the cruise lines have you fill out the special needs forms regarding your needs, it's still up to you to make certain you get what you need.

On the first day of boarding head directly to the MDR and ask to speak to the Matre'd. Delay going to the Lido for lunch or going to your cabin first go directly to the main dining room. It's easier to get your seating changed before you've ever had your first meal in the dining.

DW uses a sccoter for mobility issues. We have made it a practice to visit the MDR upon boarding and checking the placement of our table. That has turned out to be one of my jobs, but I get to see the sip and tour the MDR a little before sailaway.

Like othe others said -- you can go to the main dining room on the first day, ask where you'll be seated, and if it's not satisfactory, get it changed.

In your story -- you should simply have gone to the maitreD the next day, and had it changed. They're quite accommodating. You didn't need to eat in the buffet the rest of your cruise!

Like othe others said -- you can go to the main dining room on the first day, ask where you'll be seated, and if it's not satisfactory, get it changed.

 

In your story -- you should simply have gone to the maitreD the next day, and had it changed. They're quite accommodating. You didn't need to eat in the buffet the rest of your cruise!

This may have been the OP first cruise and did not know any of this. MOM, please do as all the posters above suggested. Go to the area where the Mair'd is and change your table to one by the door so that you can get in and out easily. It is fun to eat in the dining room. If you book a Specialty restuant go and pick out you seat and book it then. They will accomodate you too if you do this. I use a scooter too.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions..I will go the dining room then when I board? Is there always someone in there to speak to?

Captdata, you're right, it was our first cruise and didn't know that we could have it changed....we didn't mind eating the buffet at all, however, this cruise we are taking our girls with us and they wanted to try the dining room so I was hoping I could get a seat that will enable me to get in and out easily.

Kelley

Just a heads up, if you need extra knee room, check that too! I made the mistake of just checking the location, and not the height of the table, which turned out to be too low for DH.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions..I will go the dining room then when I board? Is there always someone in there to speak to?

 

Captdata, you're right, it was our first cruise and didn't know that we could have it changed....we didn't mind eating the buffet at all, however, this cruise we are taking our girls with us and they wanted to try the dining room so I was hoping I could get a seat that will enable me to get in and out easily.

 

Kelley

We have cruised on a couple lines and the maitre'D is not always in the MDR on boarding. But he's always somewhere near by with the seating charts because many people have seating preferences or changes when friends grab a last minute deal and join a group. If the MDR isn't open just go to Guest Services in the center of the ship and ask where he is. Seems on Celebrity he's often in the dance bar next to the MDR with the chart spread on a couple tables. If you look on the elevators for the correct floor just look for the bank. They are normally very close to each other. And yes, we still check out where we are placed as soon as we board. We didn't on our second cruise when there was set seating and had your problem every night. We would have changed but we were part of a group of 8. We made sure to get there extra early for the rest of that cruise. Now we check. :)

Another aspect of table selection is the actual location. Many prefer sitting by a window, but with a chair or scooter this becomes a major problem of getting past at least 3 other rows of tables and having to have seated passengers move to let you in and out.

We who use a scooter always specify a small table relatively close to the entry to the MDR and, as others have said, we always check with the Maitre 'd soon after boarding to make sure that is what we have. If we don't they can easily make adjustments. The reason we specify a small table (no more than 4 people) is that we can get a scooter in without having to disturb others at the table. We found on one cruise that a larger table meant that the others at that table had to squeeze to make room for the scooter and I assume the same would apply to a chair:)

I've been on 5 Royal Caribbean cruises with my mom. Every time we have been seated right next to the MDR door. I don't know if they automatically do that because we have to book an H/C cabin for her. We have never had to get the table changed because it was in an inaccessible location. Personally, I don't like to be near the door - too much traffic going by. However, it is easier for my mom to get to the table.

I think the table height is okay, my knees are higher in my chair but I just put my feet on the floor so I can roll right under the table...it doesn't bother me to be by a window or anything, just somewhere I can get in and out quickly if I need to without bugging people to move for me. I just assumed that, like kyricat, that because I booked a h/c cabin, they would keep me near the door..but I will definately go to the MDR when I board to check it out..

Thanks,

Kelley

Just a heads up, if you need extra knee room, check that too! I made the mistake of just checking the location, and not the height of the table, which turned out to be too low for DH.

We found the table to be too low for my DH but the windjammer ones were fine. Our waiter had a table from windjammer bought up for us and once the tablecloth was on it looked no different from the others. We ate in the MDR every night.:)

We found the table to be too low for my DH but the windjammer ones were fine. Our waiter had a table from windjammer bought up for us and once the tablecloth was on it looked no different from the others. We ate in the MDR every night.:)

They did the same for us (not exactly sure where the table actually came from), however, we had been looking forward to dining at a larger table and meeting new people. We eat "just the two of us" most of the time at home! And, they set up our new table right by the kitchen entrance, which was at the back of the MDR, so we had to do the "excuse me - pardon me" act every time. I've learned since then, by reading here, how to handle this better next time. :)

Since you're going on Carnival, you could also go to John Heald's Blog and leave a comment (mark it with "Please reply") a little more than a month before your cruise with enough booking info. that he can find out who you are (i.e. cabin number or booking number - but remember this is a public forum so anybody can read your comment once it is posted by the moderator). Tell him the kind of table/seating you need (i.e. table height, location out of the way of traffic, etc.) and why (you're in a wheelchair) and he will likely send a note to the ship to set this up for you. (Remember to thank him!)