E Class MDR tables for 2 vs S Class

[seasoon]

Are the 2 tops on E class as close together as S class?  If anything had a negative effect on our dining, aside from the lack of menu choice, it was the closeness of the tables for 2 on Silhouette.  We were placed 2 on the rail, but table beside us was for 6.  They had a wonderful party between them with no recognition we were inches away and our conversation was drowned out.  Full cruise and no other table available as select dining seems to have a policy that on the first night they assign a table and that's yours for the duration - for tip purposes I guess - unless you arrive at a different time.  In any event it was a spoil for us.  I also noticed other two tops were placed in a row so you actually almost had a table for 6 or 8.  I'm hoping the Apex, with 4 dining rooms, the tables for 2 will be placed with more space between?

Edited December 17, 2023 by seasoon

[hcat]

depends on the restaurant and location on E Class.. we dine early so had no ongoing issues with getting a nice quiet  pvt sea view tbl for 2 .. in Tuscan and Cyprus..great Sunsets...  Due to a last minute change, we also were able to have a beautiful corner table for 2 in one of the larger venues.

 

our only bad night was our very 1st  night on an  E Class ship.  ... They had long tables..like a  summer camp dining hall.  Each  twosome was seated across from the other person..almost in the lap of  unknown person next to you...  and all in a long row...Orders were taken and served  like an assembly line ..we made sure that would not happen to us again!

 

Be firm but flexible

[seasoon]

51 minutes ago, hcat said:

depends on the restaurant and location on E Class.. we dine early so had no ongoing issues with getting a nice quiet  pvt sea view tbl for 2 .. in Tuscan and Cyprus..great Sunsets...  Due to a last minute change, we also were able to have a beautiful corner table for 2 in one of the larger venues.

 

our only bad night was our very 1st  night on an  E Class ship.  ... They had long tables..like a  summer camp dining hall.  Each  twosome was seated across from the other person..almost in the lap of  unknown person next to you...  and all in a long row...Orders were taken and served  like an assembly line ..we made sure that would not happen to us again!

 

Be firm but flexible

OMG...what was the purpose of the long table?  Did they think that was accommodating  anyone wanting a table for two?  Which restaurant was that?  Thanks for the other info, we usually dine around 6pm so that will probably work out.

[Boatharbour]

Sorry, but we found the tables for 2 on Apex too close for our comfort. We usually eat around 7.00pm and had little luck securing tables with a little more space. 
This was in July when the food in all 4 MDR’s was underwhelming. We ended up cancelling the remainder of our dining bookings and switched to several specialty restaurants and the buffet. The buffet was excellent much to our surprise

 

 

[kwokpot]

I specifically took this photo last year on the Beyond to show how ridiculously close front to back the 2 tables are. There's no one sitting in them now, but how is there room when they are occupied and the charis aren't necessarily smack up against the table? 

[hcat]

17 minutes ago, seasoon said:

OMG...what was the purpose of the long table?  Did they think that was accommodating  anyone wanting a table for two?  Which restaurant was that?  Thanks for the other info, we usually dine around 6pm so that will probably work out.

 

 they maximize  seating and table space  and use less staff... very unpleasant conditions as your  neighbor is able to play kneesies,  esp if a larger person..

 

just reject  that spot!  plenty of nice alternatives..

[hcat]

5 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I specifically took this photo last year on the Beyond to show how ridiculously close front to back the 2 tables are. There's no one sitting in them now, but how is there room when they are occupied and the charis aren't necessarily smack up against the table? 

Is this Luminae?,   It looks like an area where we  were seated,  but never had anyone behind us or next to us.. The banished land but we had a good waiter!  Too bad the food did not messure up!

[hcat]

6 minutes ago, hcat said:

 they maximize  seating and table space  and use less staff... very unpleasant conditions as your  neighbor is able to play kneesies,  esp if a larger person..

 

just reject  that spot!  plenty of nice alternatives..

cant recall which one.. not Cyprus or Tuscan

Edited December 17, 2023 by hcat

[kwokpot]

10 minutes ago, hcat said:

Is this Luminae?,   It looks like an area where we  were seated,  but never had anyone behind us or next to us.. The banished land but we had a good waiter!  Too bad the food did not messure up!

No, I think it's Normandie.We were in Aquaclass on the Beyond and ate in the MDRs serval nights since my parents were traveling with us in a regular cabin. 

[doghog]

We have no problem with two tops on any class of ships as long as it's in a location we like. We prefer a two top compared to the elbow to elbow at a shared table. No waiting for others, enter and leave when we want, eat at our pace not the pace of the table. 

[Wavedance]

Yes, that unpleasant configuration occurred on our Solstice cruise last April. Despite many other tables available, we were jammed into a line of 5 two-tops set 6" apart. We were open to conversing with others but it was very awkward. Some parties pretended they were a private 2-top and never acknowledged anyone else, their right, of course. But just a very strange situation. Hello, Celebrity?

[doghog]

4 hours ago, Wavedance said:

Some parties pretended they were a private 2-top and never acknowledged anyone else

They were at a private two top!  Why do you care. Not engaging with others is possibly the reason why they elected to sit a two top. 

[HeddaGarbled]

Generally, I found the space between the two-top tables more generous on Beyond than on Constellation. There was one of the 4 MDRs on Beyond where we were very close to our neighbours (I think it might have been Cosmopolitan) but even then there was probably a slightly bigger gap than on Constellation where you might as well have been on the same table really.

 

The advantage of the 4 dining rooms on Beyond is that they don’t always fill up, so the tables next to you might be empty. Also they seem to have more two-tops that aren’t in pairs or rows so you can get lucky with placement. 

[kwokpot]

58 minutes ago, doghog said:

They were at a private two top!  Why do you care. Not engaging with others is possibly the reason why they elected to sit a two top. 

People seem to think that since one is on a cruise vacation that you automatically want to chat and meet other people, since that's one of the things that differentiate a cruise vacation vs a land-based vacation: being together with the same group of travelers for an extended time in a confined setting. There are times when I welcome chatting at dinnertime with my closeby tablemates, and other times I want a quiet dinner alone with my husband. I think cruisers need to 'read' the room so to speak and be intune whether the adjacent table/s are open to conversing. Pretending others aren't there when they are less than three feet away is a sign that they want to be left alone. PLEASE honor their wishes.  

Edit: This wasn't directed to you,doghog, but to support and further you comment. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by kwokpot

[Wavedance]

3 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I think cruisers need to 'read' the room so to speak and be intune whether the adjacent table/s are open to conversing. Pretending others aren't there when they are less than three feet away is a sign that they want to be left alone. 

The point of the discussion about 2-tops with 6 inches in between them is that it makes it difficult for people who want to have an intimate dining experience because you are actually seated with about eight other people! You can pretend you are alone, and of course, if someone doesn't want to chat, that's fine, but YOU ARE NOT ALONE. And that is what makes it awkward. No one is talking about trying to force people to converse who don't want to. In our case, that is why we booked a 2-top: to have an intimate dinner.

[Cruise a holic]

On 12/17/2023 at 5:36 PM, seasoon said:

OMG...what was the purpose of the long table?  Did they think that was accommodating  anyone wanting a table for two?  Which restaurant was that?  Thanks for the other info, we usually dine around 6pm so that will probably work out.

The long dining hall table sounds like Aqua class tables for two on the M and S class ships.  Not for me.

[CruiseRQA]

Always enjoyed the dinning setup on HAL with the two level MDR.   We could always get a table for 2 along the railing with plenty of space between.   Assured of the same table with late seating.   Same dining staff every night.   Was a great MDR experience.     Celebrity dining rooms including Blu and Luminae have tables way too close together.  

[hcat]

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

The long dining hall table sounds like Aqua class tables for two on the M and S class ships.  Not for me.

in AQ Class the waiters can actually serve diners properly.

 

The longer tables in the E mdrs can  result the handing over of food across the table...  very rude and awkward. 

[Forecheck]

The Table for twos are not suitable and we avoid the dining room for that reason = OVC or specialty dining for us ....

 

 

[Cruise a holic]

1 minute ago, Forecheck said:

The Table for twos are not suitable and we avoid the dining room for that reason = OVC or specialty dining for us ....

 

 

Better to book a regular balcony cabin and with the money saved dine at specialty restaurants.  

[seasoon]

1 minute ago, Forecheck said:

The Table for twos are not suitable and we avoid the dining room for that reason = OVC or specialty dining for us ....

 

 

It's a shame you're diverted elsewhere.  The ships were designed for 'x' number of cruisers and the dining "room" should have allowed proper space accordingly.  When the ships are full, as they are now, everyone is jammed into a space which doesn't allow any semblance of privacy.  If you're in a family/friend group, fine, but 2 diners wishing to dine 'alone' feel part of a 'stranger' group. Even going to Specialty restaurants isn't the answer.  They're full as well with usually no reservations available during prime hours; although the Tuscan does allow good space between tables.  IMO the Oceanview is not an alternative.  Not sure there is an answer, just have to accept the situation?

[kwokpot]

13 minutes ago, seasoon said:

It's a shame you're diverted elsewhere.  The ships were designed for 'x' number of cruisers and the dining "room" should have allowed proper space accordingly.  When the ships are full, as they are now, everyone is jammed into a space which doesn't allow any semblance of privacy.  If you're in a family/friend group, fine, but 2 diners wishing to dine 'alone' feel part of a 'stranger' group. Even going to Specialty restaurants isn't the answer.  They're full as well with usually no reservations available during prime hours; although the Tuscan does allow good space between tables.  IMO the Oceanview is not an alternative.  Not sure there is an answer, just have to accept the situation?

As the saying goes it is what it is. All the mainstream cruiselines have the same situation. I'll agree it seems kind of silly to avoid the MDR and eat at the buffet solely because tables for 2 are too close together?  

Having said that I can say from personal experience that I have on more than one occasion been annoyed at my husband for engaging in conversation with table mates when I didn't want to because the adjacent table started the conversation. I'm trying to give him the side eyes to end the conversation, lol. He says what can I do, they asked a question. I say just answer it but don't go on and focus back on just the 2 of us. I will agree it's not always easy. Which is why I said everyone needs to be more aware and not automatically assume everyone wants to engage in conversation with an adjacent table. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by kwokpot