Eating with strangers

[mek]

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.

 

No problem with the prayer before dinner, but the hand holding and the rest would have been a deal breaker.

[itzkaren]

I seem to remember 'half-circle-type' booths on both Carnival Pride and Spirit in the MDR. We have never been seated in these, since we have always cruised with 6, 8 or 24 in our group of family/friends. (when just the 2 of us...enjoyed mtg other couples at a table for 8)

 

This time on the Splendor, there will be 3 of us. Hoping for a 'curved' booth that are situated at the sides of the MDR. Also need it for 'medical reasons'...unable to sit in a chair for any length of time. Email reply from PVP was that they can't submit request now...I will need to ask Maitre'D on first day...I'll be hopeful!

[bike1964]

If I don't like my table mates, I just pass a lot of gas. They usually don't come back after that:D

[uppitycats]

I don't mean to disagree with you, because you experienced this, not me.

 

But I find this really, really, really hard to believe. :confused::confused:

 

This is not one of those stories common on the internet..you know.."I heard about this, it was told to me by my second cousin twice removed who heard it from her great aunt who was told it by her neighbor".

 

It happened to me. I use a wheelchair full time for mobility. I was travelling with my husband and another couple, all of us assigned to a booth.

[chickie_mite]

This is not one of those stories common on the internet..you know.."I heard about this, it was told to me by my second cousin twice removed who heard it from her great aunt who was told it by her neighbor".

 

It happened to me. I use a wheelchair full time for mobility. I was travelling with my husband and another couple, all of us assigned to a booth.

 

I've just never heard of someone being refused a different table when they have an obvious disability. I honestly can't wrap my mind around this one. The spaces are so narrow to begin with, I can't even imagine navigating the MDR in a wheelchair. Did they know you used a wheelchair at the time of your booking?

[Cruisin'Trooper]

First cruise back in 2005 our table mates have turned out to be our closets friends.

 

October 2009 cruise we witnessed our table mates on the 2nd day at sea strike a child (who was not his) because the kid was acting up on the putt putt course. Needless to say we went to the supper club and Lido buffet the remainder of the cruise!

[Wennfred]

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

 

Never had a problem meeting new people as we get along with everyone and can talk about anything.

 

The last few cruises I had the pleasure of crusing with Cruise Critic members from here, One thing I do say, Im here to eat so watch your fingers.

 

Having Tablemates of people you meet on here Cruise Critic is the best thing you can do.

 

 

 

 

Fred

[groo]

My wife and I have always cruised with a larger group, but last April we cruised alone. We were concerned about dining with "strangers".

 

We ended up looking forward to going to dinner each night of the cruise. It was also fun running into each other at the ports and comparing notes.

 

We really hated to say goodbye at the end of the cruise and have kept in touch with some of our tablemates.

 

 

 

Darry

[sparkscruiser]

Somehow they have managed to match us with folks we connected with!

[C Cruise Dude]

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!

 

I'm a solo cruiser. It's nice to have base to go to in the evening. When you don't know anybody on the ship, they become an anchor so to speak. :)

[crusinpsychRN]

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!

 

Are you making this up? If not, you win a ship on a stick.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Whoa....BOOTHS in a cruise ship's dining room? Is this right, and is it typical for Carnival? I've never spotted a booth on a cruise ship except for Johnny Rockets!

 

This has actually prompted me to call CCL RIGHT NOW and INSIST we do NOT be seated at a BOOTH! Sorry, but a booth on a cruise ship sounds really tacky.

 

***EDIT - called PVP and she said "no, there are no booths in our main dining area" so now I begin to wonder how did you get assigned a booth??? They are however found in the Lido, which is ok with us. Just not the MDR, oh please!

 

 

LOL, I think I know where I was sitting. PVP needs to check his/her facts. The first time I was assigned a booth was on Carnival Paradise (2008) and the second time was Carnival Elation (2009). The dining rooms have since been redone and now have some areas where the seating is booth on one side of the table and chairs on the other side of the table.

[mjmiller]

Whoa....BOOTHS in a cruise ship's dining room? Is this right, and is it typical for Carnival? I've never spotted a booth on a cruise ship except for Johnny Rockets!

 

This has actually prompted me to call CCL RIGHT NOW and INSIST we do NOT be seated at a BOOTH! Sorry, but a booth on a cruise ship sounds really tacky.

 

***EDIT - called PVP and she said "no, there are no booths in our main dining area" so now I begin to wonder how did you get assigned a booth??? They are however found in the Lido, which is ok with us. Just not the MDR, oh please!

 

Yes, booths in a cruiseship's main dining room. And personally, I don't think they're tacky at all. On our last cruise, on the Dream, we sat in a booth and it was totally fine. In fact, I was less distracted by background noise, due to the glass surrounds (see attached pic of our tablemates).

[donaldsc]

No problem with the prayer before dinner, but the hand holding and the rest would have been a deal breaker.

 

No problem with them praying before dinner as long as I do not have to stop eating, talking, or doing whatever I am doing while they pray. When they try to get me to join in, that is too much.

 

DON

[uppitycats]

I've just never heard of someone being refused a different table when they have an obvious disability. I honestly can't wrap my mind around this one. The spaces are so narrow to begin with, I can't even imagine navigating the MDR in a wheelchair. Did they know you used a wheelchair at the time of your booking?

 

Yes. I booked and was in a handicap-accessible cabin (which, by the way, are very nice on Carnival ships. Too bad that most of the public bathrooms are not handicap-accessible, and apparently some of the crew not well trained in accessible issues.)

[dmdiver]

There were 5 of us our 1st 3 cruises. Jubilee, there were 2 sisters traveling with their daughters. Moms only came to dinner once, daughters came 2 or 3 nights. I promise we showered before dinner. Elation, I think we had the table to ourselves. Valor, no tablemates ever showed up there, although I think there was someone assigned. Conquest, we had a table for 4 with another couple about 10 years older. They were interesting people & we enjoyed talking with them.

[arkhokie]

I had one horrifying experience where I was seated all week next to a pretty blonde who wore very short skirts. I could hardly eat.

[augie]

I had one horrifying experience where I was seated all week next to a pretty blonde who wore very short skirts. I could hardly eat.

 

Please share your pictures so that we can, umm...,empathize with you!

[arkhokie]

Please share your pictures so that we can, umm...,empathize with you!

 

I have them somewhere!

[Bunkie103]

About 6 yrs ago I took my DD who was 32 and married at the time on a CTN. We were seated with two brothers in their early 20s. I guess Carnival was trying to play matchmaker, but I felt like I was on a blind-date gone bad. They were so immature it was sad. Now we laugh about it.:rolleyes:

 

We have also been at large tables with other couples and had a wonderful time, and been at tables where no one else showed up for dinner.:confused:

[threetocruise]

I'm actually looking forward to sitting at a larger table and meeting new people (hopefully we'll be matched well). I'm trying to break out of my comfort zone, not that I'm uncomfortable meeting new people, but I guess I'm not comfortable with ackwardness, which, from what I've read, can happen if you don't connect. Let's hope for a great connection! :)

[Want2cruiseMore]

My DD and I had requested early seating and when we got our S&S cards, it said late dining. So we went to the Maitre D the first afternoon and requested early dining and received it. When we met our tablemates at a table of 8, we found out that everyone there had requested early dining, didn't get it and went to the Maitre D the first day. We called ourselves "the Misfits table" and got along great the rest of the cruise!

[LemurCat]

No problem with them praying before dinner as long as I do not have to stop eating, talking, or doing whatever I am doing while they pray. When they try to get me to join in, that is too much.

 

DON

 

I'll usually sit respectfully silent as others pray. I might not share their faith but I do respect those that have it and my mother would smack me upside the head if I didn't show some respect. I've had a couple ask me to join in, which I usually respectfully decline ... this can be awkward. It's lead to a couple of discussions on faith, which devolved down into discussions on biblical and religious history. You'll never beat a Catholic school kid on these two points, unless you have a divinity degree.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

My fiance and I say Grace prior to eating our meals. We both hold hands, bow our heads and say a "short" prayer. We have not cruised as of yet but would never ask anyone to join in or hold hands with us to pray. We are brief and to the point and most folks wont even realize that we are saying our Grace.

[airlink diva]

On my sailing on the Triumph in April, our tablemates never came to dinner (well at least the first three of five sailing nights). I know that we had tablemates because our dining staff mentioned them and asked did we know them.

Overall on my ten cruises, I've enjoyed meeting people at dinner. It is one of the main highlights of my cruises to meet others and share our experiences.

The two best dinnermates have to be Ron (Miracle 2006) and Nick (Maasdam 2008). Both were World War II vets and it was a honor to dine with them. Ron was a paratrooper during D-day and Nick had flew during the Battle of Britian,bomber missions over Germany,participated in the Pacific theater before becoming a "Guest of the Emperor". To hear first hand accounts was the highlight of dinner.

Now I did have one tablemate in my earlier sailing that was very rude and racist. I was sailing with another cruiseline and had one tablemate that was very cold and rude the first two nights. On the third night, this man questioned aloud how was I, a black blue collar woman able to afford to sail on the ship. I was shocked and refuse to eat dinner at that table after that.

But overall, I find that when dining with strangers that majority are nice and will to talk and make the dining time nice. There are some that you will click with and remain friends with long after the cruise. There are others were you will just talk to at dinner or during the sailing and never again. But I still look forward to dining!