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Dinner mate stories


Ken Greco
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My DW and I requested a table for 2 (we're in our mid 60's) and when we were seated we were situated very close to another table for 2 (couple was in their 50's). There was just enough room to squeeze between the tables to get to the back seat. First day we all kept to ourselves. Second day we smiled at the people next to us but got no response. I thought they didn't want to acknowledge us as we were older than them. This went on for the whole week, with us smiling but no response given back. We always respect other's cruising preferences and did not try to engage in talk but we always like to be cordial. Because we were so close we were able to hear much of their conversation. They were both married ... but not to each other. I was trying not to evesdrop but on this cruise, their conversation was more interesting than ours was - my DW would agree. I never saw them on the ship other than at dinner. We had a balcony and would often sit out there and read in the afternoons. I was wondering if the whole ship was full of extramarital affairs going on around us as the conversation on the balcony next to us sounded like the one at the table next to us. I noticed that the people in the cabin next to us always had the do not disturb sign on ... all day long. On the last night of the cruise I was going into our cabin just as another couple was entering the room beside us. Again they didn't acknowledge my smile or nod - just quickly opened the door and almost ran into the room. It was the same couple that sat near us all week. I must say that our almost table mates provided us with some of the best cruising entertainment we had all week. lol

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DW and I were sat with a Mother and her daughter on our honeymoon cruise at a table for 4... both had been divorced recently and clearly weren't enjoying our newlywed bliss. Long awkward first night... didn't see them the rest of the trip.

DW does an annual 4-day "party cruise" with her book club. This one time there were 10 of them (all women in their 60's +) on the cruise and they were seated at a large table for 12 (captain's table) in the middle of the MDR. As they were seated, a young couple was led over to fill the other two seats at the table. It turned out that they were newlyweds on their honeymoon - married for 1 day. Obviously they were uncomfortable with the chattering of a bunch of older women. So, as DW and friends left the dining room, they stopped and suggested that the Maitre 'd find a table more suitable for the newlyweds. The next night the newlyweds were seated at a nice 2-top by a window. They came over, thanked the book club and brought them a bottle of champagne.

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My DW and I requested a table for 2 (we're in our mid 60's) and when we were seated we were situated very close to another table for 2 (couple was in their 50's). There was just enough room to squeeze between the tables to get to the back seat. First day we all kept to ourselves. Second day we smiled at the people next to us but got no response. I thought they didn't want to acknowledge us as we were older than them. This went on for the whole week, with us smiling but no response given back. We always respect other's cruising preferences and did not try to engage in talk but we always like to be cordial. Because we were so close we were able to hear much of their conversation. They were both married ... but not to each other. I was trying not to evesdrop but on this cruise, their conversation was more interesting than ours was - my DW would agree. I never saw them on the ship other than at dinner. We had a balcony and would often sit out there and read in the afternoons. I was wondering if the whole ship was full of extramarital affairs going on around us as the conversation on the balcony next to us sounded like the one at the table next to us. I noticed that the people in the cabin next to us always had the do not disturb sign on ... all day long. On the last night of the cruise I was going into our cabin just as another couple was entering the room beside us. Again they didn't acknowledge my smile or nod - just quickly opened the door and almost ran into the room. It was the same couple that sat near us all week. I must say that our almost table mates provided us with some of the best cruising entertainment we had all week. lol

 

 

We usually have one of those two tops that have about an inch to the next table, often char with those around us before going back to “us time”.

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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!!

 

As long as you're not into bragging, my wife and I are in our 41st year. ;p

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We have been very lucky. Always have traditional late dining That way no children

On our first Princess cruise we did 76 days and had a table for 12 10 came every night and were the most interesting and friendly folk. In fact visits between us are still going on and and that was in 2008.

 

Only once have we asked to change tables and that was a 6 top and 2 were leaving the ship halfway through and the other couple did nothing but talk about how much money they had spend and were spending and what everything cost so we quietly asked the Matre d to find us a new table and were seated on another 6 top with a USA doctor and his new wife and a Fijian gentleman on his honeymoon with his Australia nurse wife A great chatty cruise

 

The only time we have been disappointed was on a Christmas cruise our table of 10 never had anyone else come and on the 3rd day we asked to be moved to a table with people and had a great time for the rest of the cruise

 

I wish people who are allocated a table and do not ever intend to use it would advise the Matre d so he can allocate those seats elsewhere - otherwise he has to keep them available:evilsmile:

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We usually have one of those two tops that have about an inch to the next table, often char with those around us before going back to “us time”.

 

i would be asked to be moved, i wouldnt ever sit so close to someone else. fortunately on regal we were given 'spacious' tables and i was happy with the arrangement

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As long as you're not into bragging, my wife and I are in our 41st year. ;p

 

That's awesome!!! Congrats!! Are you the one going on the Crown in December (9-17)? I know someone was just down from us on the Dolphin Deck. We would welcome you for drinks...our entire group is a bunch of "married way too long" couples!! LOL!

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getting back to the bus/blind/dog comment. my friend told me people with dogs dont use sticks. hmm

 

Maybe he did not have a stick but the guy who told me the original story said he had one and was nevertheless a very interesting guy. He took me aside at one point and confided in me that his travelling partner was not actually his partner, more of a cruising buddy. The woman herself also confided in me and said he was her fiance. I never sought clarification as this would have upset the situation. I dined alone with her one night as "he" was ill, my friend had gone to the buffet and the family of four did not appear. That's two people on a table for eight! This was a strange cruise altogether in the dining department. Another night he turned up to dine and revealed that the previous night he had gone to the karaoke and sung Teddy Bear (Elvis) and was really miffed because at the end it just faded whereas he was getting ready to do a BIG Tedddy Bearrrrrr ending with gesticulations as he showed us. He was well upset about that. Fortunately I am good at not laughing as I work in a medical job.

 

The most noteworthy dining incident was when all eight diners attended the large circular table for eight. The boy, probably about 8/9 years old stood up and told his mother he felt sick. Within about 2/3 seconds he leaned forward and vomited directly onto the middle of the table. Pandemonium ensued with the head waiter coming over, the ships doctor turned up and the table got stripped down to the wood while we all sat back a way. All the meals were removed and new ones came back after the table had been relaid.

 

Brilliant.

 

Regards John

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Not all Dinner Mate Stories happen at the table you are sitting at.

 

Last cruise we were assigned a 4 top table in TD. The Table was located in a elevated area of the dinning room so I had a good view of the rest of the dinning room when I looked over the rail that ran beside us.

 

The first night I watched a senior lady roll up to a table for 8 in her wheel chair. Then she sat there and sat some more as waiters walked past looking at the mostly empty table.

 

Beside her table was another table for 8 that was full of people. One Gentleman, and I do mean Gentleman, was watching like I was. He stood up walked up to a waiter, had a conversation with him, and then both of them walked back to the table with lady sitting there. The Gentleman introduced himself and sat down. The Waiter took their order and both of them engaged in conversation during dinner. No else came to that table the first night.

 

The rest of the cruise some, not a full table, showed up so the lady was not alone again.

 

That Gentleman did deserve a Gold Star for his actions on the first night.

 

Bob

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Not all Dinner Mate Stories happen at the table you are sitting at.

 

Last cruise we were assigned a 4 top table in TD. The Table was located in a elevated area of the dinning room so I had a good view of the rest of the dinning room when I looked over the rail that ran beside us.

 

The first night I watched a senior lady roll up to a table for 8 in her wheel chair. Then she sat there and sat some more as waiters walked past looking at the mostly empty table.

 

Beside her table was another table for 8 that was full of people. One Gentleman, and I do mean Gentleman, was watching like I was. He stood up walked up to a waiter, had a conversation with him, and then both of them walked back to the table with lady sitting there. The Gentleman introduced himself and sat down. The Waiter took their order and both of them engaged in conversation during dinner. No else came to that table the first night.

 

The rest of the cruise some, not a full table, showed up so the lady was not alone again.

 

That Gentleman did deserve a Gold Star for his actions on the first night.

 

Bob

Wow. A gentleman he is.

 

 

This will resonate with me beyond cruising. Thank you for sharing.

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We were seated at a 6 top, traditional dining on a transatlantic cruise. Our table mates, both couples from Florida, were about my age (maybe a little older). The first night was a little uncomfortable because of some political discussion but we got over it and decided to see how the next dinner would go. Once we moved on from politics, the discussion turned to more travel and life experience mode. Getting to know these two couples on a personal level really made the cruise very enjoyable. I, personally, like to hear people's stories because they come from such a diverse view.

 

One night, nearing Veterans' Day we discovered I was the only one at the table who had served. Looking back at the previous political discussion we had a few nights before, it was interesting to see their reaction as they may have assumed I would not have served, much less volunteered for Vietnam. At any rate, the discussion turned to WWII. All our parents (fathers) had served then and one of the men, being originally from Germany, told us his father was conscripted into the German army. His father was captured in Italy where my father was also fighting. At one point my dad had been assigned to guard POWs for transport to camps. We had a lot of fun speculating the chances of them having some contact then and how things have changed for the better since.

 

Those two couples turned out to be very nice, and our dinners with them were something we looked forward to enjoying.

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This reaffirms my faith in humanity!

 

Not all Dinner Mate Stories happen at the table you are sitting at.

 

Last cruise we were assigned a 4 top table in TD. The Table was located in a elevated area of the dinning room so I had a good view of the rest of the dinning room when I looked over the rail that ran beside us.

 

The first night I watched a senior lady roll up to a table for 8 in her wheel chair. Then she sat there and sat some more as waiters walked past looking at the mostly empty table.

 

Beside her table was another table for 8 that was full of people. One Gentleman, and I do mean Gentleman, was watching like I was. He stood up walked up to a waiter, had a conversation with him, and then both of them walked back to the table with lady sitting there. The Gentleman introduced himself and sat down. The Waiter took their order and both of them engaged in conversation during dinner. No else came to that table the first night.

 

The rest of the cruise some, not a full table, showed up so the lady was not alone again.

 

That Gentleman did deserve a Gold Star for his actions on the first night.

 

Bob

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Love these stories!

 

I will be the first to tell a story, on myself!

Okay, first night, at one of those 2-tops that are actually a single 4-top with two tablecloths.

Unfortunately, especially on a cruise, it was not the best night.

And, things were not going well, including a bit of an issue between DH and I.

Right next to us were a couple of nice black ladies enjoying their supper. (We are white/caucasian) Not to bring up race, or nationality, but you will see why I mention this in a second) Of course, I knew that they were front row, first hand, witnesses, to how things were going at the beginning of the meal. They could be here telling stories on me!!!! Well, we got things together, and had our supper, and I made a point to smile brightly at these women and tell them "Hope you ladies have a nice evening!!!" as we left.

 

Okay, on to the last night of the cruise. Anytime dining was an absolute mess. We had waited for a two top. And were given one of those 'supposed' two tops, again, just happened to be right next to a nice black couple. All we wanted was a nice supper just the two of us. The purpose of this cruise was a couples getaway. I notice that two tables over was an actual single two-top, and even a couple more nice tables, just sitting there like on hold for 'special' passengers. It was clear that nobody was going to show up for those tables. (nobody did) So, I just looked at my husband and said, "Sorry, but I am NOT sitting here.." and we moved. I can imagine that this nice couple imagined that was because of their race!!!!! OMG!!!!

 

Just sayin', you never know if it might be you that somebody is talking about later!!!

 

 

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This reminds me of something that happened on a cruise many years ago. We were seated at a dinner table with a man and his wife. The man had black hair, wore a shirt with the top buttons undone and a gold chain. His wife had white hair with a bowl cut, wore no make up and dressed rather plainly. Another couple came to the table and proceeded to chitchat with the man for a while when the woman said to him, "And this is your mother?" The smile dropped off his face as he replied, "This is my wife!!"

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On one of our cruises sat at table with 2 couples from Canada. The waiter came over to take our orders and one of the ladies got all huffy and said I ordered a table for 4 and that is what I want to be moved! The other couple looked mortified at the rudeness of the lady. The next night we were all alone at the table, but go moved and joined another group. Told our new table mates what happened and were welcomed. Saw the nice couple one morning at breakfast and came over and apologized. Guess we were too boring for them to be at there table, or maybe they were bad guys and didn't want us to hear there secrets.LOL. My husband and I just laughed this off and said their loss!

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To tell you all honestly in all the cruises I have been on always traditional because I like to have a waiter who acknowledges all my eccentricities . Not one of these table companions have turned out to be the perfect mix for me...there is also always one couple sitting there that irritates me so much.There again I tolerate it because it is only one hour and thirty minutes in my day.;p;p;p

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But I do scratch my head when I read about people who don’t speak the same language getting sat together

How would a cruise line know whether somebody speaks English/another language or not?

For example, we have just sailed on Princess, and my husband, I and our friends speak English, but our parents do not. So, you can't assume just by looking at the names whether somebody speaks English or some other language. Our son has our very unpronounceable foreign last name, but he is very much a monolingual American.

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...Not one of these table companions have turned out to be the perfect mix for me...there is also always one couple sitting there that irritates me so much.There again I tolerate it because it is only one hour and thirty minutes in my day.;p;p;p

 

And possibly they felt the same about you and the time they spent with you. Always two sides. ;p:D;p

Edited by davekathy
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Well now... Thank you for asking!

 

Worst, worst, Worst experience was the couple from Canada who looked me in the eye the first night at our traditional dining table that told me: "we prefer to sit with French -speaking people." I looked at them as I thought to myself: "GO Find YOURSELVES... another table!"

 

They read my mind and did so the next evening. I dined with another pleasant couple who was at the table."

 

Amazing. Not quite the international travelers were they?

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Once I was seated to this really, really, really old man. He was in a wheel chair. My first impression was that he would not be able to talk or even listen. It seemed like he could barely stay awake. It turns out he was in the navy in WWII and piloted one of those landing crafts on Omaha Beach on D Day. Then somehow (I forgot how) he ended up in the Pacific and was in the Battle of Okinawa. As a history teacher I was in heaven!! One of the most interesting table mates we ever had. That is why we get ATD.

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