Jump to content

Dinner mate stories


Ken Greco
 Share

Recommended Posts

A few years back we were on a Caribbean cruise on the Ruby out of New York City where we live and the second night when we went to dinner we were placed with three other couples, the three men were all hot shot wall street brokers and they were bragging about the deals and tricks they do giving me hot stock tips, telling what to watch for in a few weeks, basically breaking the law and bragging about it, after the main course was done one of them asked me what I do for a living. I just could not resist the temptation, I replied that I was an Investigator for the Securities and Exchange Commission, well you should have seen their faces, they jumped up said hey look at the time we got to go, but you did not have dessert and coffee I said, by the way I didn't catch your names. The waiter came over looked at them almost running out of the dinning room turned to me and asked what happened, I told him that they said they had a show to catch. My wife looked at me and said, really the SEC, really. I would wave to them every time I saw them on and off the ship. I'm a Carpenter and my wife is a Teacher, no SEC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few years back we were on a Caribbean cruise on the Ruby out of New York City where we live and the second night when we went to dinner we were placed with three other couples, the three men were all hot shot wall street brokers and they were bragging about the deals and tricks they do giving me hot stock tips, telling what to watch for in a few weeks, basically breaking the law and bragging about it, after the main course was done one of them asked me what I do for a living. I just could not resist the temptation, I replied that I was an Investigator for the Securities and Exchange Commission, well you should have seen their faces, they jumped up said hey look at the time we got to go, but you did not have dessert and coffee I said, by the way I didn't catch your names. The waiter came over looked at them almost running out of the dinning room turned to me and asked what happened, I told him that they said they had a show to catch. My wife looked at me and said, really the SEC, really. I would wave to them every time I saw them on and off the ship. I'm a Carpenter and my wife is a Teacher, no SEC.

 

OMG!!! That is hilarious:').

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few years back we were on a Caribbean cruise on the Ruby out of New York City where we live and the second night when we went to dinner we were placed with three other couples, the three men were all hot shot wall street brokers and they were bragging about the deals and tricks they do giving me hot stock tips, telling what to watch for in a few weeks, basically breaking the law and bragging about it, after the main course was done one of them asked me what I do for a living. I just could not resist the temptation, I replied that I was an Investigator for the Securities and Exchange Commission, well you should have seen their faces, they jumped up said hey look at the time we got to go, but you did not have dessert and coffee I said, by the way I didn't catch your names. The waiter came over looked at them almost running out of the dinning room turned to me and asked what happened, I told him that they said they had a show to catch. My wife looked at me and said, really the SEC, really. I would wave to them every time I saw them on and off the ship. I'm a Carpenter and my wife is a Teacher, no SEC.

 

Blah hahahha, love it. I would of loved being at that table with you. What a crack up;p

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few years back we were on a Caribbean cruise on the Ruby out of New York City where we live and the second night when we went to dinner we were placed with three other couples, the three men were all hot shot wall street brokers and they were bragging about the deals and tricks they do giving me hot stock tips, telling what to watch for in a few weeks, basically breaking the law and bragging about it, after the main course was done one of them asked me what I do for a living. I just could not resist the temptation, I replied that I was an Investigator for the Securities and Exchange Commission, well you should have seen their faces, they jumped up said hey look at the time we got to go, but you did not have dessert and coffee I said, by the way I didn't catch your names. The waiter came over looked at them almost running out of the dinning room turned to me and asked what happened, I told him that they said they had a show to catch. My wife looked at me and said, really the SEC, really. I would wave to them every time I saw them on and off the ship. I'm a Carpenter and my wife is a Teacher, no SEC.

 

LOVE IT !!!! :evilsmile: :evilsmile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DH is a seventh generation Texan - with a Spanish surname. We were on a 14 night Hawaiian cruise and were seated at a large table for 10. The first night we were the first at the table. A group of 6 came in and sat down. I asked where they were from - Cuba! Only one of the group spoke English. I assume because of our last name we were seated with the Cubans. The third night we were alone at the big table. It eventually filled up for the rest of the cruise. Not a bad experience, we thought it was funny :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

DH is a seventh generation Texan - with a Spanish surname. We were on a 14 night Hawaiian cruise and were seated at a large table for 10. The first night we were the first at the table. A group of 6 came in and sat down. I asked where they were from - Cuba! Only one of the group spoke English. I assume because of our last name we were seated with the Cubans. The third night we were alone at the big table. It eventually filled up for the rest of the cruise. Not a bad experience, we thought it was funny :)

 

 

At least I can see some possible reason for that grouping.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My husband is one of the destination speakers, so many people recognize him and love to chat. We always choose the anytime dining and like to sit at a big table of whoever is being seated at the same time. We meet lots of people and have a great time, BUT on our last cruise on Celebrity we had a Maitre d that made it clear that we were NOT welcome in the dining room because that was for "real" guests. (we ARE guests - not employees). After a few days we went over his head and there were no more hassles, but it made us dread going to the dining room and it wasn't nearly as much fun.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One cruise we did a regular seating and on the first night we were seated at a table for 10. The other 8 people were all from the same family, from India! Nice people, but they spoke mostly in Hindi to each other, so we changed tables and sat at a table for 8. Two elderly couples that were old friends travelling together, another couple that only showed up once, and us (middle aged). But we actually had a terrific time with those 4.

Edited by kitty allen
Link to comment
Share on other sites

one of my husband's and my very early cruise many years ago...maybe 40 or so...we were young then, and we sat at a table with a couple who were veddy proper and very nice, but the man had very bad dentures, and they kept falling out of his mouth and into his food. He never said a word, just put them back, and 2 minutes later, they would be back in the soup or the salad or whatever. We felt really bad for them...They would be dead by now as they were elderly 40 years ago. this isn't a funny story or necessarily sad, but every time we get on a cruise ship....and now we have been on many....we think back at that early cruise and wonder who we will sit with on this cruise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My husband is one of the destination speakers, so many people recognize him and love to chat. We always choose the anytime dining and like to sit at a big table of whoever is being seated at the same time. We meet lots of people and have a great time, BUT on our last cruise on Celebrity we had a Maitre d that made it clear that we were NOT welcome in the dining room because that was for "real" guests. (we ARE guests - not employees). After a few days we went over his head and there were no more hassles, but it made us dread going to the dining room and it wasn't nearly as much fun.

We were on a world cruise 110 days seated at a table for 10 or 12 , two of the people never turned up so one lady asked us if we thought it was a good idea to invite the speakers or performers to dine with us ' it was wonderful and we all got on so well , we asked two of the dancers who had gotten engaged to join us one night,,,,, the stories they told us ,,,,

We love being at a large table . Mind you we are often seated at a Spanish table as we book from Spain ,,,, the Spanish are LOUD

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Really good stuff. We always look forward to seeing who we get "shared up with". Not always pleasant, especially when they want to rag on our politics because they don't want to discuss theirs, but we try to find a way to change the subject as quickly as possible. On the positive side, we have met couples that we still stay in contact with after many years and have, at times, been able to meet up again on a voyage.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My bad story with table mates from Canada was bizarre. There were a table of 6 of us. Two elderly females, two Canadian's, and me and DH. We all introduced ourselves and the niceties of ourselves. As we all studied the menu, the male Canadian piped up and said "Well, I think Hillary should be President!" Hmmmm, okay. I said to him "What are her qualifications?" He sat there, more flabbergasted that anyone would answer him. He became more and more flustered to come up with an answer. He looked at me and said "BITCH!" I said, "what you can't answer your own comment?" My husband said to him "no name calling!" His wife mortified told him to leave. As he left the table, he gave me the middle finger. I gave it back to him on both hands and told him to "F" off. So, that's my table story. Haven't had one like that since.:evilsmile:

Sounds like something I would do to an idiot, that is why we set at a two top.:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I once shared a table that included a coach driver that told us his company had suspended him for a month because he had a blind person board the bus with a guide dog. Apparently he helped the guy to his seat and borrowed his white stick, dark glasses and guide dog. He had them with him while he sat in the driving seat welcoming people aboard. Whilst everybody found this amusing someone complained to the company.

 

Regards John

 

thats funny and i passed it along to my blind friend. she likes to torture me. sometimes while waiting in checkout lines will start up about how i cheat in front of her and she thinks i dont know it and stuff.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find there’s always someone who wants to know what you do for a quid, if you tell them, there’s all sorts of questions flow, if you don’t the rest of the cruise they’re trying to find out.

 

Then there the one who wants everyone to know he is smarter, richer, more successful than everyone else, and well, I’m not as patient with that type as I never was, if you get my drift.

 

So easier to spend catch up time with the Beautiful one, something we tend to miss out on a lot at home.

 

wow if thats really how it is i'm very happy i never had traditional dining. i dont want to tell anyone anything about myself. they can all be as important as the want but i dont need to hear it. sounds like a miserable dining experience

 

ill stick with my partner and have 100% happiness every meal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love the responses here! It makes me think of several things....

 

We choose anytime dining all the time, whether because we are travelling in a group, or because we, like others have mentioned, love having the time to be just the two of us. Our last time of sharing a table for 8 in Anytime dining was on a California cruise, where everyone else was from California. One lovely older lady sitting next to my DH kept asking over and over where we were from, and sent a paper around the table because she wanted everone's address. (We gave a bogus one.) The man sitting next to me insisted on playing with my knife during the appetizer service, so I was grateful to have ordered fish. His wife then asked for a roll from the basket and proceeded to handle every one of them before deciding she didn't want any. This was a good meal for abstaining from most of the food. And when asked what my DH did for a living, you could hear the crickets as he replied "I'm a Baptist pastor." We have yet to summon enough courage and research to go with fictitious occupations, but would love to try.

 

That being said, our favorite dining experience was on the Sapphire years ago when we requested a table for 2 every night and because we ate early, were always seated in the same spot with basically the same people close by. We had a delightful time with the older couple who were in the top 3 cruisers of that cruise (they didn't mention it - we just saw them at the cocktail party accepting their champagne!). They basically adopted us and would call me up to stand with them in the line if my DH wasn't with me, saying "they're with us....".

 

And, as a Canadian, we've had our share of stories when sharing tables....like the gentleman who asked us "what kind of currency do you use in Canada?", to which my husband replied with a totally serious face "beaver pelts."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

. I just could not resist the temptation, I replied that I was an Investigator for the Securities and Exchange Commission, well you should have seen their faces, they jumped up said hey look at the time we got to go, but you did not have dessert and coffee I said, by the way I didn't catch your names. .

 

i like this one! next time try IRS auditor. sure way to deflect attention away from you.

 

i'd definitely make something up on the ship like i'm sure many people do. like i change high up light bulbs in churches and shopping malls.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As my husband is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and I worked for 'the church', we found it better for everyone to tell tablemates that he was in health care and I was an editor (true) otherwise people would either clam up for fear that he was analysing them (he wasn't) or pour out their troubles at every mealtime. The best thing was on one cruise we were at a 6 top and only one other couple arrived. It turned out that he worked in health care and she worked for 'the church'. What a coincidence and once it all came out we had a wonderful time just being ourselves.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A few years back we were on a Caribbean cruise on the Ruby out of New York City where we live and the second night when we went to dinner we were placed with three other couples, the three men were all hot shot wall street brokers and they were bragging about the deals and tricks they do giving me hot stock tips, telling what to watch for in a few weeks, basically breaking the law and bragging about it, after the main course was done one of them asked me what I do for a living. I just could not resist the temptation, I replied that I was an Investigator for the Securities and Exchange Commission, well you should have seen their faces, they jumped up said hey look at the time we got to go, but you did not have dessert and coffee I said, by the way I didn't catch your names. The waiter came over looked at them almost running out of the dinning room turned to me and asked what happened, I told him that they said they had a show to catch. My wife looked at me and said, really the SEC, really. I would wave to them every time I saw them on and off the ship. I'm a Carpenter and my wife is a Teacher, no SEC.

 

Wonderful story! It reminds me of the time my wife and I went to one of those high pressure, never get out alive, time share presentations. Initially they asked me to fill out an information form about myself. In the box marked 'occupation' I impulsively listed 'Consumer Fraud Investigator'.

I could go on for hours on how that turned out!

Bottom line: We didn't buy and they weren't happy. They were very concerned and very guarded, particularly when they noticed the recorder in my shirt pocket. :evilsmile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I really enjoyed reading all the stories...we have done 4 cruises and have always been part of a group that took up the entire table (or two)...thus, I have no crazy table mate stories...I am shaking my head at how rude some people have been...I'll be sure to only cruise in groups moving forward or request a table for two. I have no desire to hear how great someone is when I'm trying to enjoy a pleasant dinner with my beautiful bride of 36 years!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Several years ago we were on an Alaskan cruise, seated at a table for 10. After the first night, several people never returned. We hit it off with a couple from Florida, and stayed in touch with several visits.

 

Two years ago my wife said she was not going to go through another winter, so we put the house on the market, expecting a long sales period. We sold the house in 2 days, cash deal, with a 5 week period before closing. Not having a place to live, our cruise mates said we could live with them until we found a place.

 

We lived with them for 6 weeks (big house). Most amazing part is we are still friends, living 20 minutes apart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After over 50 cruises, mostly on Princess, I have to say the overwhelming majority of our tablemates have been fun, interesting and well-behaved. When we've discovered different points of view, we have agreed to avoid those subjects and focus on enjoying our cruise More than one of our tablemates have become good friends.

 

Cheers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And, as a Canadian, we've had our share of stories when sharing tables....like the gentleman who asked us "what kind of currency do you use in Canada?", to which my husband replied with a totally serious face "beaver pelts."

 

When my husband gets annoyed with some remarks passed about Canadians he starts in on this hilarious routine about the metric clock....ohhh, he is soooo bad. LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...