Table for 2, 4, 6, or 8 on long cruise-Help!

My husband and I travel alone. That is we don't have another couple we travel with. We find a cruise we want and book it. We are a senior couple. When we started out cruising, we tried sharing tables with others and really had bad luck. The first cruise a single woman (attorney) was assigned with us. Thats all. The next time an alcoholic couple who were always drunk at dinner were our table mates. After that we always insisted on a table for 2. Many times I see lovely table mates at a nearby table and wonder why we started out so badly. We are now planning a longer (25 days) cruise, and I really think that is too long to sit by ourselves.

I've tried the search feature here and couldn't find anything on this subject. Please would some of you relate your dining preferences and what you would do for table size on a longer cruise. Thank you for your opinions.

My significant other and I are going on our 3rd HAL cruise - the Statendam, 1-21-06 from Auckland to Sydney. On every cruise we've been at group tables -- usually 3 couples -- and we've met some delightful people. With a few of the passengers, we've maintained a relationship. We've never cruised with another couple so it is nice to be able to socialize at dinner. I am 68 and he is over 80!

Many years ago, when my younger daughter was still in college, she and I took a RCL cruise and again, we were seated with a delightful family.

I'm guessing that your bad luck has come to an end and you will find great, personable people as dining companions. Unfortunately, neither life nor cruising gives us any guarantees. I've seen people on board whose behavior made me happy they weren't at out table, but hopefully their table mates got along with them

Thanks yiddishkopf, for replying. Do you request a specific size table, or do you just put your preferred dining time and leave it up to luck?

we always request a table for 6--- makes for good conversation and not as busy as a table for 8-----------only had one bad experience and a conversation with the maitre d took care of that

My husband and I travel alone. That is we don't have another couple we travel with.

I've tried the search feature here and couldn't find anything on this subject. Please would some of you relate your dining preferences and what you would do for table size on a longer cruise. Thank you for your opinions.

DH and I travel alone also and always request a large table. In eleven cruises, for the most part we have had delightful table mates. I say give it a try; if for some reason you don't like your mates, see the maitre 'd.

Your travel agent should ask you at what size table you would like to be seated.

We have had only one dud in eleven cruises, if it doesn't work just ask the maitre'D to put you at another table.

Have a good time.

Bodger

Earlier this month on the Westerdam we (DH, DS and I) asked for a table of 8 and were seated with THE most delightful people imaginable.... one (by pure chance) someone from our roll call here on CC! The other couple were older (I would say mid-to-late 70s) Dutch Canadians and were wonderful!

Go for it! If your previous luck holds, I'm sure the maitre'd will be able to move you!

We always ask for a cirular or oval table for eight, but recently have had difficulty getting one. The Maitre d' has said groups traveling together have already spoken for the number available. We have been assigned rectangular tables for six which I don't really like ( kind of like having the middle seat on a full airplane flight if you sit in the middle). We have been able to get reassigned to a circular or oval table for six and that has worked out well for us. Note - A couple of years ago on Princess we had a real international table - one other US couple, a British couple and a New Zealand couple - turned out to be a great 12 days and a real hoot!

Thanks all! I sent our Travel Agent an email and said to change to a table for 8. He did. Now I can hardly wait to see who we get. Like Christmas. Hope the table is round too. Much easier to talk to everyone.

We have often travelled with my brother and his wife and do a table for 4. When we do not travel with them, we request a round table for 6 as chances are there will be at least someone to talk to and it is much easier carrying on a conversation at a table for 6 as contrasted to a table for 8. We have found a big difference between 6 and 8. With 6 there is generally one conversation going on at the table but with 8 there always seem to be multiple conversations.

As mentioned, the rectangular tables for 6 really do not work well. On the last couple of cruises, I have printed out the table map and circled the table I wanted and faxed it to ship's services.

Gary

On our 1st Noordam cruise DH had been awarded the trip from work - we didn't have a clue (or say other than seating preference). Wound up at a rectangle for 8. All of the men were in the same line of work so conversation was a little easier that 1st night. Then we knew better & have always requested round 8s. Our theory is that if there are 2 couples together the 2 of us will be stuck w/just the 2 of us. Don't get me wrong, we're very happy together, but if it's just the 2 of us, a table for 2 is better. To meet/mingle at dinner, we like the odds that at a table of 8, at least a few folks should be interesting.

On the 1st Veendam cruise we really lucked out & had another couple our age (early-thirties at the time) & 2 retired couples travelling together. What a hoot they were! Gosh I wish we had gotten their contact info - just the kind of grandparents you'd want to adopt & stay in touch with. On the most recent Veendam trip we lost 2 couples to the early seating & chilly room temp then gained the art auction couple for a few nights (apparently they rotate). Kind of odd ducks but interesting to talk to. I still stay in contact (e-mail) w/1 of the other tablemates we managed to hang on to. Her travelling companion actually met a crewmember on-board & ditched us for him, soooo, you never know.

Anyhow, for the upcoming Noordam inaugural, we've requested another round 8. We are confirmed for late seating, so we're just hoping for the best.

On our 1st Noordam cruise DH had been awarded the trip from work - we didn't have a clue (or say other than seating time). Wound up at a rectangle for 8. All of the men were in the same line of work so conversation was a little easier that 1st night. Then we knew better & have always requested round 8s. Our theory is that if 2 couples are travelling together, we won't get stuck by ourselves - might as well be at a table for 2. Don't get me wrong, we're perfectly happy together, but at dinner we want to meet/mingle & a table for 8 increases the odds that at least a few folks will be interesting.

On the 1st Veendam cruise we really lucked out & had another couple our age (early-thirties at the time) & 2 retired couples travelling together. What a hoot they were! Gosh I wish we had gotten their contact info - just the kind of grandparents you'd want to adopt & stay in touch with. On the most recent Veendam trip we lost 2 couples to the early seating & chilly room temp then gained the art auction couple for a few nights (apparently they rotate). Kind of odd ducks but interesting to talk to. I still stay in contact (e-mail) w/1 of the other tablemates we managed to hang on to. Her travelling companion actually met a crewmember on-board & ditched us for him, soooo, you never know.

Anyhow, for the upcoming Noordam inaugural, we've requested another round 8. We are confirmed for late seating, so we're just hoping for the best.

Sorry for the dbl posts - we're still having problems w/the DSL. I check to see my reply is up after a while & it's not so I re-send & then all of a sudden, both are there???

sunshine

Just back from 24 days on the Veendam. The first time we had a table for two. Have had both good and bad tablemates before. Will ALWAYS request seatin for 2 in the future...

First time my DW traveled with me on a cruise, our honeymoon 8 years ago we were seated with a family of 4, two of them being pretty young kids so we asked to be moved. The next night we were with a table with 6 others, all older ladies that were a blast! But we were told it was temporary so the next night and for the rest of the cruise we were seated with another couple near our age and had a great time chatting with them each night.

So I will just echo what others have suggested in that all you have to do if you are not happy is request to be moved.

Have a great time!

I'm always afraid if I ask to be moved I'll hurt the other people's feelings. It is difficult to know what to do. How do you do it? What if you see the other folks later?

In over 200 days of cruising with HAL and at least that many on other lines, I must say that with one exception, we have always hd a great time with our table mates. Most of them have been so very interesting, regardless of their ages. Of course some we enjoyed even more than others, but all have been folks I would eat with again if fate put us together again. We usually sit at a table for 6 or 8, once we were put at a table for 4.

Our one bad experience was a single person who sat at our table for eight. The rest of us had a wonderful time and rallied together to deal with this person. She was an unfortulate soul with serious problems which became so serious that she was sent-home part way through the cruise. We all felt very sorry for her, but also were not equipt to deal with her issues on the cruise. This was not a HAL cruise, but it could happen on any line.

Lizf - in our case I think the family was glad to have the table to themselves. We ended up making friends with all the older ladies and joked with them ever time we ran into each other for the rest of the trip. I think when you don't click with others they usually feel the same way and understand. Plus you have the chance to enjoy more of your time on the ship by having better table mates, seems to me worth the chance.

Good luck and have a blast!

We travel with family and by our selves. Even with family we all request a table for 8 or 10. It is nice meeting and getting to know new people. Some have been great, others so so.... but we have enjoyed them all. :D I think we can all find the good in someone and enjoy their company...

I travel alone and always request the largest table size possible, so that I can get acquainted with others on the cruise.

Remember, you DON'T have to remain with a table just because you are assigned there. If the chemistry isn't right, just discreetly ask to be moved to another table. If you're worried about offending your tablemates, just tell them that the table location isn't right for you ... maybe too close to an air vent or whatever ... something other than the tablemates that is making you uncomfortable. Or, you can always switch to another seating and just tell them that the dining time was too early/too late.

Frankly, though, I wouldn't even worry about "offending" my tablemates. There are a lot of reasons why people could ask to move to another table ... and not all of them involve bad tablemates. Let's say you were seated at a table with a big family ... three kids and their parents ... and you were an older person. Obviously, you would probably not feel comfortable at that table ... and I am sure the family would understand your request for a move.

So, I would never worry about being "stuck" with bad tablemates. It's not really an issue.

Blue skies ...

--rita

We almost always ask for a round table for six, and have been pretty successful in getting one. We find that a round table facilitates conversation, and if agreeable with the others at the table, we switch seats often, so we sit by someone new periodically.

We don't care for larger tables, and we find that rectagular tables for six hinder conversation.

We did sail on Oceania this past summer into the Baltic, and they have open seating. As we were travelling with sis and bro-in-law, we usually ate together, at a table for four. Although open seating, we found a waiter we liked, and ate at his table most nights.

We are travelling with same sis and bro-in-law next March, on Regal Princess 'round the Horn, but by mutual agreement plan to have separate tables in the Dining Room.

We will probably eat with them in the Lido.

Only once or twice in all our cruises have we had tablemates we didn't care for - and requested a table change.

Isn't it wonderful we have so many choices?