Tablemates, Freestyle Dining, & Kiddos

[nasvhillecruise]

We are going on our 1st cruise in March '08 on the Spirit. Do you have a choice of sitting solely as a family or with other cruisers? It sounds as though it's more like a regular restaurant where your party sits at a table by themselves, but I think it would also be fun to sit with others & meet new people if that's an option. & if you CAN choose to sit with a larger group, do you think people would get upset & think they were "stuck" having to sit with a 5 yr old boy? Any thoughts are much appreciated.

Debbie

[float]

I think is is a wonderful adventure through life and to have your son meet many differant people at such a young age is a great experiance and if the old farts at your table can not take delight in a small childi feel sorry for them.

[sazzle99]

We have both sat by ourselves and with others. We sometimes like the company and the chance to meet new people.

 

I would have absolutely no issue (as part of a childless couple in our 30s) of having a 5 year old at our table provided well behaved - same as any other guest I guess!

 

I would think people who ask or agree to share tables are pretty easy going and if you know your child is fine sitting at table then I wouldn't see a problem. I don't have kids but I love spending time with the cute well behaved ones that belong to others!

 

I suppose if you were really concerned then you could ask the maitre'd to check with the "shared" table first. Saying that when we have had a shared table no one asks us if we mind sharing with people who drink too much, have no manners or talk about politics or religion - so in some ways why should they be asked about a child!??!

 

At the end of the day - it's just one meal, I wouldn't stress too much :D

[ute_fan]

We've also enjoyed asking for a shared table -- but frequently have ended up eating alone anyway as no one else seemed to want to share at dinner time. Our experience has been that you're much more likely to get "shared dining" at either breakfast or lunch in the main dining room than you are at dinner -- but that may have just been the way it worked for us.

 

Personally, I'd love having a well-behaved 5 year old join me at dinner. My DH, on the other hand, might not be quite so enthusiastic :rolleyes: . If you're interested in sharing a table with someone else, you might have your best luck come from your roll-call "friends". We've enjoyed several dinners in the company of people that we've met from the roll-call.

[nasvhillecruise]

Great! Thanks for the responses. Michael is usually well-behaved, & if not, we leave wherever we are. Luckily, we haven't had to leave a restaurant since he was a baby.

 

Good point, not being able to choose whether you sit with a wind bag or a loud drunk, etc. Although those sometimes make for the memorable experiences if you can stomach them the whole meal. We have a small, but SUPER FRIENDLY, roll-call so far, so hopefully we'll be able to join up with them at dinner as well. Thanks again.