Phone use in dining areas

[Jnsplace1]

Hmmmm.  I have generally asked for 2 for the past some odd years of cruising because I'm an introvert.  

This cruise will be the first time that I will not buy the internet package (unless work is going weirdly before I depart).  Before, I think emails or being readily available for work was a "new" "cool" thing, now I just want to de attach.  Now that said, I'll probably bring it with me anyway because today's phones have awesome cameras in them.

 

Add to me to the talking on phone during dinner at a restaurant is rude to others.  If I get a call, and cannot keep it short, I move away to a quiet area.

[Cruiser_1977]

The title is "Phone use in dining areas"

 

@mamkmm2 I don't believe anyone has said they believe connectivity is unimportant. Simply that if you need to have a work discussion or a discussion with ailing parents, that the dining table with other guests may not be the appropriate place for that conversation. 

Edited November 4, 2019 by JennyB1977

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, JennyB1977 said:

The title is "Phone use in dining areas"

 

@mamkmm2 I don't believe anyone has said they believe connectivity is unimportant. Simply that if you need to have a work discussion or a discussion with ailing parents, that the dining table with other guests may not be the appropriate place for that conversation. 

 

That's all I was trying to say ... there is a proper time and place.  

[Potstech]

7 hours ago, memoak said:

Talking on a phone in a restaurant or bar is about as rude as could be. I do not want to know about your personal life.  I have actually stopped going to restaurants that allow it. 

Thank you.

[Colo Cruiser]

Walkie Talkies in the DR and theater are another option that I have seen.

[Potstech]

6 hours ago, CruisingAlong4Now said:

There used to be a generally accepted definition of rude behavior.  It has now been downgraded to I define society mores.

Definitions on many things have changed over time. What was unacceptable 20 years ago is now acceptable.  Medallion use indicates use of an electronic device to do numerous things even during meals.  You can either change with the times or stay disgruntled about it.

Edited November 5, 2019 by Potstech

[riffatsea]

We get a table for 2 in the dining room.

IF we had others join us and they decided to use their phones during dinner we wouldn't have dinner with them again unless the call was for some sort of emergency.

Good manners don't really change with modern inventions.

If being on your phone at dinner is now the norm then count me as being quite AB normal!!

I think it is quite rude when you are sitting with others to be engrossed in your phone.

 

[Iamcruzin]

10 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

One of my pet peeves are people that go to a restaurant and are constantly on their phones, either texting, talking on their phones, shopping online, playing games, etc. while at a sit down restaurant.  With the introduction of Medallion Net, which is great, by the way, is etiquette set aside as to where people actually don't think twice about texting and even talking or surfing the web on the phone via WiFi while a nice restaurant? 

I can see using one's  phone to take photos or even checking on the scheduling for evening events but, to pull out your phone, plunk it on the table and then answer it or text all throughout dinner just irks me.  Maybe I am just  too much judgmental but, I am seeing this happen more and more frequently in upscale restaurants and now on cruiseships, as well.  I can see if you are on a cruise with your kids and the sitter needs to message you about something, medical emergencies of one of your travel mates,  etc ... short of that, I'm seeing a disturbing trend on cruises that didn't exist before such great WiFi capabilities were installed on cruises.

Is it ever appropriate to seated for dinner and be using your phone the whole time, especially when seated with others?  Should people excuse themselves and go conduct such business outside of the restaurant?  Maybe it is ok in the IC or buffet ... but in a sit down restaurant?  

I guess I might officially be an old timer ... or maybe good manners are a thing of the past?  I don't know ... what do you all think??  

If you are sharing a table with strangers (anytime dining) or table mates in traditional dining than I think it's rude. That time should set aside to have open conversation with those you are sharing the meal with.There is plenty to talk about since they are new acquaintances.  If you are with family or friends I think it's ok to multi task. If you have spent the entire day with the same people there isn't much to talk about and having an outside source can spark a conversation.  If I'm traveling with DW and it's just the two of us we like to share a table just to have a different conversation that doesn't include our children, jobs, bills ect ect. When we dine out at home DW will check out FB and  I will be on CC and our conversation will be related to what we have read there.

[caribill]

13 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

If a person speaking on a phone at a dinner table is not using a voice any louder than s/he would be using if talking to the person or people they are dining with, then I don't care one whit.  Why would anyone be bothered by a voice that is the same decibel level as a normal speaking voice? 

 

Sometimes the dining rooms are so noisy that carrying on a phone conversation would require really raising your voice.

[caribill]

15 hours ago, doverboy said:

It bothers you, so keep it to yourself.  there is no need for cruiseships to ban phone use in a dining room or anyplace else unless taking pictures invades someone's privacy. 

 

Sure, no reason to ban phone conversations during a show in the Princess theater.

[Cruise Raider]

17 hours ago, Potstech said:

The "I don't like it so ban it culture returns"  Sorry but people do things in different ways. There is an alternative to things happening around you that you do not agree with.

I don’t see where I said “I don’t like it so ban it” ....  I think it is rude but clearly pointed out acceptable exceptions.  

 

[SargassoPirate]

People glued to their devices at other tables don't bother me, in fact it's a source of amusement to see how they are able to eat with one hand and the other on the phone.  Just not at our table, though.

 

We were traveling with a friend recently and every morning at breakfast she had her phone out at the table.  When she was talking it would be on the table, but when we talked she would pick up her phone and start using it.  One morning it was plucking my last nerve, so I stopped talking in mid-sentence. It took her about 30 seconds to realize all conversation had stopped.  She said "Go ahead, I'm listening" to which I replied, "No you're not" and we remained silent until she put her phone away.  She got the hint.

 

When dining with other folks, if the pull out their phones and start concentrating on the phone, we cease all conversation until they are finished.  Gradually, even the most blatant offenders have learned. 

[MissP22]

I don't believe I've ever seen a person being forced to move in the DR for any reason. Years ago, I have seen a couple being asked to keep their baby from making a fuss that upset others near-by and nothing came of it.

People who are that easily upset by the actions of others always have the option of moving themselves. 

[JimmyVWine]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Sometimes the dining rooms are so noisy that carrying on a phone conversation would require really raising your voice.

 

But then, so too would face to face conversations.

[Potstech]

3 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I don’t see where I said “I don’t like it so ban it” ....  I think it is rude but clearly pointed out acceptable exceptions.  

 

Acceptable to who?

[snowskier]

CC posters make up so many rules and have so many opinions as to what good manners are, no one could ever keep up with all of them. 

 

If someone is on the phone, the conversation at the table probably doesn't interest them and now they have a way to ignore it. If it is  so important that everyone at your table engage in the conversation, perhaps it is time change the topic, find something to discuss that engages everyone. Maybe the poor manners are talking about something no one cares about.

 

[Cruise Raider]

47 minutes ago, Potstech said:

Acceptable to who?

 

Why, to me, of course  ... and to anyone that follows some basic rules of etiquette.  

[JimmyVWine]

10 minutes ago, snowskier said:

CC posters make up so many rules and have so many opinions as to what good manners are, no one could ever keep up with all of them. 

 

It's actually quite simple. Some here want MDR dining to look like this every night, and anything less is uncouth.

 

[Doug R.]

17 hours ago, tip said:

Me darling wife of forty-six years and I dine at a table for two.  We actually talk with one another.  We observed a couple at another table who were on their separate phones before, during, and after the meal.  I thought that it was quite sad.

Don't look at other tables then. My wife and I use our phones when out to dinner and still converse. I do not accept your sadness for us. 

 

P.S. We do not do this on a cruise when we are seated with others except maybe to snap pics of the food to make the folks back home jealous.

[voljeep]

I use my phone on OM cruises while in the mdr to order us after dinner drinks to be delivered to us in the theatre later, using the 'there and then' feature ...

 

well, I would , but my phone is in the safe ... and I never downloaded the app ... still rockin' a 4S ...

[Amanda333]

I agree its annoying to have people at a restaurant near you talking on the phone, but perhaps it would help you to think of them on the phone with their child and his babysitter at the hospital? 

I.e., I think we can agree we not going to be able to have a phone-free meal. So, maybe it would help to not bother you if you consider s/he might be on the phone for a dire reason - doctor follow up on cruiser's cancer treatment, cruiser's special needs child at home MUST say goodnight at x time every day, grandparent had to take child (not on cruise) to hospital, etc....  Just a thought.

[JimmyVWine]

27 minutes ago, voljeep said:

I use my phone on OM cruises while in the mdr to order us after dinner drinks to be delivered to us in the theatre later, using the 'there and then' feature ...

Bingo!  Folks need to understand that with all of the features of Ocean, (find a travel companion, order drinks, look at the evening’s’ entertainment schedule, check in with the pet sitter, etc.), Princess isn’t discouraging phone usage during dinner. They are actively promoting and encouraging it. So don’t feel sad when you see people staring at their phones. They are likely trying to maximize the utility of Ocean.  One can debate whether any of this social change is good. But it is not appropriate to leap to the conclusion that the two people dining together have a disassociated relationship. 

[Bemidji Ty]

The Eagles had it right, "We are all just prisoners here - of our own device."

[Cruiser_1977]

In my reading of this topic, I see most approve of using the device as a camera, to check a schedule or order a cocktail. The device seems to only be an issue when used as a TELEPHONE at a table with other guests (not in your traveling party). If you need to say good night to your child(ren), discuss cancer treatment, etc. you can step away from the table. Why do your tablemates need to be an audience to this call?

Edited November 5, 2019 by JennyB1977

[pcur]

I cannot remember how many times I have suffered through someone else's loud phone conversation, and wanted to walk by as I left and say, "Say hi to xyz for me!!", because I always feel like I'm in the conversation with them.  I once had a man doing this IN MY FACE while waiting for the dining room to open one evening.  

 

If I ever get in this kind of situation again, I'm going to put on my "REALLY?????" face for the person.

 

If it's quiet texting or reading:  none of my business.  If I cannot talk to my husband:  MY business.