MDR seat mates

[jskacoc1]

Was just curious if a party of 3 adults, a 9 yr old and a toddler needing a highchair would have other mates at the MDR table?

[*Mach*]

It's possible but it's more likely that y'all would be seated at a six top on your own...

:)

[firefly333]

Usually they would seat you with another family if not alone. When Im solo, they seat me with solo, like two sisters in a cabin, two friends cruising together. We have had one solo male both my last two solo cruises.

 

they do look at your demographics obviously when matching up MDR seatmates.

[Gregsterman]

In my experience, MDR tables vary pretty widely in size. There are some 2-tops all the way up to a couple of 10-tops in dining rooms. See if you can find a deck plan online of your cruise ship, many of them show table layouts for the MDR.

 

One thing you should definitely do is stop by the Maître d' as soon as you get on board. They can assist you with getting a table by yourselves if you prefer, or moving to a table by a window if it's available.

 

Have a great cruise!

[jskacoc1]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies! I was mostly curious since we are uneven numbered how that would work. Will see if I can find the table setups. Thanks again!

[woodsy64]

Do they really look at your demographics to pick your table mates? I thought it was just randomly done.

[TxChick]

DH and I have always gone as a couple and seated as a couple, when we brought DD last year we panicked we'd get a table that hated kids - we got a couple with a daughter a year old than Addie. It was wonderful! They really do pay attention to these things.

[golfadj]

They do seem to pay attention to demographics. Might or might not be seated with another family.

[queenschick9b]

I am a solo cruiser too and one of the reasons I picked Carnival is because I heard out of RCL and CCL, carnival does a better job table matching.

[Almost Packed]

dh & i in our 40s, with ds-7 were seated with a party of 4, couple in late 30's two girls about 6 & 10.

 

i believe they have a computer system that they use.

[PaddleAddict]

On our honeymoon on the Spirit we were seated with a couple our exact age who were also on their honeymoon. We hit it off and spent the entire trip together, even going to the islands together. It was awesome!

[mousey]

I'm almost 100% sure they use demographics when figuring out their seating plans because on all of our cruises we have always been seated with families that had sons our son's age. I don't think it's a coincidence because we've been cruising with him every spring break or in the summer since he was 9 and he's now 16. Every single time, except for once when we traveled with my SIL for the first time we were seated with boys his age. In the case of the cruise with my SIL, they had seated us in a booth for 4 people and we requested to be moved to a table for 8 or 10. We were immediately seated with a couple from FL (which is where I'm originally from). They were alone at a table for 8 and were extremely happy that we moved to their table because before we came they were seated there alone. We all had a great time and still e-mail each other.:D

[Banditswife]

If you are wanting a table to yourselves, you could switch to "your time dining". Just a thought.

[PictureChris]

On my recent Ecstasy cruise they seated us (myself and a cruise friend, both in our mid 40's) with a family of 4. The parents were mid 30's and the kids were 7. It was a strange pairing but we got along fine. Makes you wonder what the computer was thinking.

[nina_930]

Can you make requests before you cruise? Would they accomidate you if you don't want to sit with children? Nothing against kids, I just don't have any and would rather interact with adults.

[amberc]

On my recent Ecstasy cruise they seated us (myself and a cruise friend, both in our mid 40's) with a family of 4. The parents were mid 30's and the kids were 7. It was a strange pairing but we got along fine. Makes you wonder what the computer was thinking.

 

Myself, DH and our 2 kids 8&10 were once seated with an anniversary couple. I thought that was strange as well.

[love2relax]

I don't know. It seems I almost always get seated with doctors, dentists, and lawyers. Sometimes they have kids, and other times not. I don't feel like I have ever been seated with someone in my same demographic group.

 

Once we two friends (girls) travelling together 50-somethings were seated with some honeymooners in their late teens, and a family with kids.

 

Another time, my father (in his 80s) and I were seated with three young 20-somethings couples travelling together. I was in my 40s at the time.

 

On my most recent cruise, 6 of us girls travelling together ranging in age from 25 to 54 were seated at a table for 10 with a family of 5 with children. We couldn't even fit at the table, and it took quite a bit of persistence to get ourselves moved to another table. I learned my lesson that I always should at least check out the situation as soon as I board if I have any type of assgned dining.

 

I much prefer YTD so I can sit with who I want, but sometimes with larger groups I realize it isn't possible. If there are five of you, my only suggestion would be to check where you are seated as soon as you board, and request a change if you are not on your own, if that is what you truly want.

[StillPooh]

Our very first cruise was to celebrate our 8th anniversary. We were 31, and they sat us at a ten top with two families with 2 kids each. :rolleyes:

 

After that, we swore we would only do YTD unless we were travelling in a group. Only to agree to early traditional on this last cruise (with our own party of 8) and loathing it. :mad:

 

If I were to take another cruise, I will NEVER agree to do set dining again.

[Lady_Jag]

It depends. We sailed on the Glory as a party of 5 (4 adults, 1 three-year-old) and got a 6-top table to ourselves.

 

The next year on the Dream, our same party of 5 (4 adults, 1 four-year-old) were seated with another family (2 adults and their teenagers) at a table for 10. That first night, the other family went out of their way to ignore us, except for the dirty looks they would shoot at us for opening a bottle of champagne and the whispering and snickering about us from the dad and teenage boys.

 

Before we left the MDR that night, I stopped at the hostess stand and asked if the Maitre D' would please move us to another table. The reason I gave was simply, "we have a small child in our party and are visibly making our tablemates VERY uncomfortable." We were assigned a table for 6 all to ourselves the very next night. :)

 

Also, because you have a toddler in a high chair, I want to suggest that you request a bigger table if they try to shove the 5 of you at a 4-top table. We were a party of 11 that included a 13-month-old on our Fascination cruise this past November.

 

While I appreciate that they tried to keep our family all at one table, they shoved us all at a 10-top in the MDR, apparently assuming that a toddler in a high chair would either be sitting by himself off to the side, or shouldn't really count as a "person," since he was just a baby. :rolleyes: Our chairs were so crammed together, that no one was able to sit very close to the table EXCEPT for the toddler, and we all had to either lean in over our plates or sit on the edge of our chairs all night.

[sparks1093]

dh & i in our 40s, with ds-7 were seated with a party of 4, couple in late 30's two girls about 6 & 10.

 

i believe they have a computer system that they use.

 

This would be my guess.

 

Can you make requests before you cruise? Would they accomidate you if you don't want to sit with children? Nothing against kids, I just don't have any and would rather interact with adults.

 

Probably can't arrange this before hand, but a chat with the maitre'd when you board would set things straight (and IMHO would be worthy of a tip to the maitre'd). The alternative is your time dining.

[flatpik6]

We've always travelled as a family of four and prefer to sit by ourselves at dinner because we have a lot of fun with family conversation at dinner time. It's something we have always done and would not be as enjoyable with other people at the table. We generally have our PVP make a note on our file and we back it up by visiting the Maitre D as soon as we get on the ship. We have always been accomodated.

[BlessedBeingMom]

We traveled as a family of five (2 adults, 3 kids) and were seated in a booth with a chair added to it.

[askimdog]

I really think it is your call?

 

We won't dine with strangers and feel meal time is our time to discuss family events and planning. I dislike dining with strangers at any meal, the wife does like sitting with them, but I win this family fued.

 

So far on 3 cruises we have not had to sit with strangers. The llast cruise in January we did have a snafu, where as my brothers family and my sisters family and us all booked early dining. That would be 9 of us total, Upon entering the dining room we discovered our group of 3 was anytime? We or Carnival dropped the ball somewhere. Unable to find room for us, we kept seperate which worked fine.