I hate assigned tablemates on cruises?

Question

On my last cruise I was assigned to a table for 6 people for dinner. It was evident within a few minutes that there was no personal chemistry between any of us. The people were just on a different wave length. I did not like them and they did not like me. I wanted to leave but the whole dinning process took about 90 minutes. We tried some small talk but nothing happened. There was long periods of difficult ill at ease silence. Everyone looked terribly uncomfortable.

At the next evening we attempted to change tables but were told that was impossible. So we had to spend every evening with these people. It spoiled our cruise. Can you relate?

Answer 1

Must be you....

Answer 2

Princess is your best option because you could choose either style or NCL's freestyle.  I've been on 20 cruises and two problems can come up with assigned seating in the same room at the same table.  Our last trip in Europe the waiter was SO dumb.  We ordered one thing and received something else and when you send it back it slows the whole table down.  Someone at the table would have this problem almost every night.  Then you could have a "hot dog" for a waiter--becomes very irritating even on a weeks cruise.  Finally and only occasionally is a person or couple that is too obnoxious to live.  Either you have to give up a part of your vacation or do what we did in the case of a racist right wing Texas big mouth.  The rest of the table made it clear they didn't enjoy his company nor his rude demeanor and refused to even acknowledge their presence after a few days.  They left and we had a great time.

Answer 3

Either eat in your cabin, which should have been allowed, or you could have said you were under the weather and preferred to eat in your cabin or the next time you sat down alienate everyone around you by commenting on farts or something, then they would either change your seating or you could complain to the Captain. I mean that is why he is the Captain, his word is what everyone has to go by, even the cruise director.

Answer 4

I hate strangers so I can totally relate, to the point of having a temper tantrum on a crusie to get a table for just the 2 of us. Granted, not the recommened way to go about it but it worked. The last crusie we took my sister and I were with 7 other women with nothing in common but it was ok. Its definatley a c**p shoot and the part of cruising I dislike the most, althogh having been on 6 cruises in 18 months it hasnt stopped me...lol

Answer 5

We have always gotten along with our table mates.  Even still keep in contact with some of them.

Must be you.

Answer 6

I can relate and would suggest you try the buffet on your next cruise. Why ?

1. you sit where you want.

2. more of a selection of food.

3. you can try new foods.

4. you can eat as much as you want.

Just to name afew reasons.

Answer 7

You could have insisted to the maitre'd that he change your table and it would have been done.

However, there are also other options such as changing your dining time from early to late or vice versa.  You can also dine in other restaurants on the ship.

I have taken many cruises and only one time did I insist upon a table change.  It was taken care of immediately.  Yes, it is entirely possible to take an immediate dislike to tablemates and it would ruin dinners.

Answer 8

Next time go on Norwegian, they let you dine when you want, and with or without dinner partners!

Answer 9

I can relate, yes. Fortunately I mostly had great tablemates (table for ten) on my cruise (one of them even trusted me to take out his daughter a few months later), but one couple seriously got on my nerves. There was no way of avoiding them however, other than settling for a pizza at dinnertime.

Answer 10

Oh yea.  the last cruise we went on we had assigned eating at 6pm.  the other four people would show up between 6:30 and 7 always sorry etc.  they get mad when the wait staff started to serve us on time and not wait.  this was a 12 day cruise.  But the end I was so sick of this I told the waiter to just hurry and serve the meal and we left be for they even got there.  the waiter told me to solve the problem get anytime dining and that way you could make a change very easily.

Answer 11

1.  Cruise only on NCL

2.  Have your travel agent make arrangements for you to sit alone.

3.  As soon as you get on the ship go to desk and politely demand personal seating.

Answer 12

You would be better suited to NCL and the Freestyle Dining arrangement.It is a problem at times and the Matre D is the person to see who usually help to find suitable table company.

Answer 13

We have been fortunate.  We usually get a table of our own.  There are four of us, and we get all of the privacy we want.

We had to share a table once, and it was not very good.  Fortunately at our table for ten, only three other people showed up, and one of them wanted to talk non-stop, and his wife did not want to say a word.  Even worse, every time we saw him anywhere on the ship, he wanted us to stop so he could tell us everything that he was doing all day.  

On the Conquest class ships you can get tables for 2, 4 or more people

Answer 14

I know exactly what you mean and that is why we always request a table for 2 when we book our cruises.  And as soon as we get on ship we go to the dining room to find our table and if its not a table for two we request a change.  In almost every case we have gotten a change, although in one case we had to change from first to second seating for dinner.  In some cases you have to be really persistent about a table change.  Even going back the second or third day to request it again.  Then the last option is to just skip the main dining room dinner and go to the buffet.  

On our last cruise we had a table for 6 and two of the people had little or nothing to say the first day.  Then the second day they did not come back and a different couple came who were much more friendly and that made our table much better.  The other couple at our table was kinda in between.  They talked just a little, ate their meal and then left before desert almost every day.  

Table assignments can be a problem and that is why some people like NCL's freestyle cruising where you can usually get a table for two most times.  But I hate the service on NCL cruise dining rooms.