Traditional dining - seating arrangements

[purplegrapefruit]

We'd like to hear what other's experiences are with seating arrangements in traditional dining. We choose traditional dining because we cruise as a couple and love meeting other people on our cruise.In fact, we have met some lifelong friends this way. However on our last two cruises, the seating arrangements were dismal. In 2016 we were seated with a family of 5, with two teenage children and one of their girlfriends (awkward). Half the time they never showed up. Our most recent cruise this January, a 9 night on the Navigator, we were seated by ourselves, surrounded by huge 10+ tables of families. When we asked to move because we didn't want to be alone, they placed us at table with a family with small children, including a screaming baby. Not our idea of a good time. We asked to be moved again, and were moved up to deck 4, to a quieter section, and ended up making friends with another couple of seasoned cruisers, also seated at a small table next to ours. It ended up being ok. (And our waiter was fabulous, BTW).

 

Questions:

-Is RC making any attempt to seat people with people of similar ages, or similar situations (i.e. couples and not families with teenagers) like they did in the past?

-Who should we contact at RC ahead of time to specifically request we wish to be seated with other people? If we wanted to be alone, we would have chosen MTD. Thoughts?

[Clarea]

Make your dining preference request to rcldining@rccl.com about 3 weeks before the cruise.

[danv3]

Make your dining preference request to rcldining@rccl.com about 3 weeks before the cruise.

 

This is what I’ve always done, but for what it’s worth, when I made a seating request for my most recent cruise (Freedom, April 2017) I received a response indicating that all dining requests had to be made in person once onboard. I ended up getting what I wanted once I boarded, but I was surprised at the email response, having successfully used the email on 3 or 4 previous cruises.

[Clarea]

This is what I’ve always done, but for what it’s worth, when I made a seating request for my most recent cruise (Freedom, April 2017) I received a response indicating that all dining requests had to be made in person once onboard. I ended up getting what I wanted once I boarded, but I was surprised at the email response, having successfully used the email on 3 or 4 previous cruises.

Were you already assigned to traditional dining?

[TBone2K]

It seems like RC tries to match up people, but it's never been confirmed. When booking you do specify your occupation. We always tell our TA we'd like to share. However I guess it's a crap shoot. Our honeymoon cruise they sat us with two other honeymoon couples. One time we were at a table with other people in the education field. Another time we were lucky just to be at a table where everybody spoke English.

[purplegrapefruit]

Thanks for the replies. We'll try emailing before our next cruise, and if all else fails, ask on embarkation day. It's an important part of cruising for us, so we'll try to be proactive next time!

[ustasmom]

In November I cruised with my 16, 14 and 10 year old and we had our own table. Looking around I noticed that some people looked really bored at the larger tables and they looked at us longingly just to have some interaction and/or entertainment. So while it may have looked entertaining to keep reminding my teen to not eat like a goat, I often wondered what it would be like to be at one of the "grown-up" tables.

[vpat48]

Make your dining preference request to rcldining@rccl.com about 3 weeks before the cruise.

 

Does making these requests earlier get them lost in the shuffle? We are cruising for memorial day and i made some requests in March. Should i be contacting them again in May to confirm?

[Clarea]

Does making these requests earlier get them lost in the shuffle? We are cruising for memorial day and i made some requests in March. Should i be contacting them again in May to confirm?

That's been my experience a few times. Too early and it seems to fall through the cracks.

[leisuretraveler223]

-Is RC making any attempt to seat people with people of similar ages, or similar situations (i.e. couples and not families with teenagers) like they did in the past?

 

Not really, no. You are now in a rapidly shrinking minority of people who still actually prefer this. Most cruisers now (including myself) have zero interest in being seated with random strangers for dinner. I want to spend time with the people I have chosen to travel with. If I happen to strike up a conversation somewhere, I guess it's possible (albeit it unlikely) I'd go out of my way to see or talk to them again. But choosing to sit down with strangers for dinner? Yeah, that's a relic of days gone by.

 

RCI will still offer it to you, but your recent experiences are pretty typical. Many people use flexible or premium dining options, so you're not likely to see them at the same table at the same time every night. It's just not the way people do it anymore.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

We'd like to hear what other's experiences are with seating arrangements in traditional dining. We choose traditional dining because we cruise as a couple and love meeting other people on our cruise.In fact, we have met some lifelong friends this way. However on our last two cruises, the seating arrangements were dismal. In 2016 we were seated with a family of 5, with two teenage children and one of their girlfriends (awkward). Half the time they never showed up. Our most recent cruise this January, a 9 night on the Navigator, we were seated by ourselves, surrounded by huge 10+ tables of families. When we asked to move because we didn't want to be alone, they placed us at table with a family with small children, including a screaming baby. Not our idea of a good time. We asked to be moved again, and were moved up to deck 4, to a quieter section, and ended up making friends with another couple of seasoned cruisers, also seated at a small table next to ours. It ended up being ok. (And our waiter was fabulous, BTW).

 

Questions:

-Is RC making any attempt to seat people with people of similar ages, or similar situations (i.e. couples and not families with teenagers) like they did in the past?

-Who should we contact at RC ahead of time to specifically request we wish to be seated with other people? If we wanted to be alone, we would have chosen MTD. Thoughts?

After years of pleasant experience with traditional dining we have found it has changed a lot as to how RCI handles it AND who you are seated with.... it has just changed not the crowd it used to be....

 

Our experience is so similar to yours so now we go for a 2 top and after our next cruise will turn to MTD as traditional dining is just not as much fun as it used to be! :loudcry::eek:

[time4u2go]

Not really, no. You are now in a rapidly shrinking minority of people who still actually prefer this. Most cruisers now (including myself) have zero interest in being seated with random strangers for dinner. I want to spend time with the people I have chosen to travel with. If I happen to strike up a conversation somewhere, I guess it's possible (albeit it unlikely) I'd go out of my way to see or talk to them again. But choosing to sit down with strangers for dinner? Yeah, that's a relic of days gone by.

 

RCI will still offer it to you, but your recent experiences are pretty typical. Many people use flexible or premium dining options, so you're not likely to see them at the same table at the same time every night. It's just not the way people do it anymore.

Do you know this for a fact, or is it just your opinion? It might be true; I just don't know for sure.

[barb65]

We will be sailing on RCI for the first time. What are the traditional dining times compared to My Time Dining?

[Clarea]

We will be sailing on RCI for the first time. What are the traditional dining times compared to My Time Dining?

The traditional dining times vary by ship and itinerary.

[Merion_Mom]

We will be sailing on RCI for the first time. What are the traditional dining times compared to My Time Dining?

Most of the time, they are either 5:30 & 8 or 6 & 8:30.

 

MTD is roughly 5:30 to 9:00/9:30.

[danv3]

Were you already assigned to traditional dining?

 

Actually we were in MTD on each of my cruises. We were requesting a table for two. Approved in advance four times but rejected the last time.

[Clarea]

Actually we were in MTD on each of my cruises. We were requesting a table for two. Approved in advance four times but rejected the last time.

My understanding was that the rcldining email was to make arrangements for traditional dining, and it was not necessary to make advance arrangements for MTD because tables for two were the norm in MTD.

[sgmn]

We've had some wonderful tables mates in the past, closing the dinning room down most nights, but definitely feel the last few cruises that things are changing. Twice recently we have been sat at a six top by ourselves, and twice at larger tables with just one other couple. We'll see how it goes on the next cruise but might give MTD a go next time round.

[duncantuna]

On our 5 cruises, I'd say we befriended two groups, was OK with one, and the others were nothing special.

 

Our cruise last week, the 4-some at our table rarely showed, and we found an awesome family of 4 we'd have loved to swap with, but couldn't pull the trigger.

 

I would be interested in the %age of people who want to be seated with others. Personally, I very much enjoy being with another group of people. No doubt, they need to be a good match, but .. I imagine the desire to share a meal with others is very much in line with whether you are extroverted or introverted.

 

It's a crapshoot for cruise lines to match people up. I do wonder if any cruise line has solved the riddle through some sort of "dining table friends" survey matcher.

[jagsfan]

I would have to disagree with the idea that being seated with strangers is a relic of days gone by. We have thoroughly enjoyed our traditional dining companions, and the people we randomly sit with at breakfast and lunch.

In our 80’s, we still enjoy conversation with people who also enjoy travel and who come from various other places on the globe.

I really do not believe most cruisers don’t care to do that, judging by the chatter in the dining room and Windjammer.

 

 

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