Topic: Small Talk & Table 'Mates'

QUOTE:

How sad the art of convivial conversation as gone the way of many things. Although these days, more often than not we travel as a family group, on the occasions that just the two of us cruise we always request to be on a table for 6 or 8, but never 4. With 6 or 8 there will always be interesting characters within the group and as said before, if you don't like 'em, move on. Why do people want to be so insular these days?........Wilba

We always have a table for two. My husband and I both have very busy careers and we have a hectic social life with a great circle of friends so when we go on holiday we want time alone to relax and talk. After 18 years we still enjoy each others company, we want to discuss the past and the future. Personally we do not need other people to entertain us as we have each other for that.

I find with cruising you chat to people at breakfast, at lunch, on trips, in the bars and even whilst having a stroll on deck which I really enjoy, however dinner for me is the perfect time to spend quality time with my husband.

Each to their own, but dinning as a couple is not insular Wilba, it's just romance with some of us is still alive and kicking.

QUOTE:

We always have a table for two. My husband and I both have very busy careers and we have a hectic social life with a great circle of friends so when we go on holiday we want time alone to relax and talk. After 18 years we still enjoy each others company, we want to discuss the past and the future. Personally we do not need other people to entertain us as we have each other for that.

I find with cruising you chat to people at breakfast, at lunch, on trips, in the bars and even whilst having a stroll on deck which I really enjoy, however dinner for me is the perfect time to spend quality time with my husband.

Each to their own, but dinning as a couple is not insular Wilba, it's just romance with some of us is still alive and kicking.

Very well put RWG2 (if I may be so familiar). We had a table for two for the first time on our last cruise and wondered why we hadn't done it before.

QUOTE:

We shared a table for four with the same couple for over three months - lunch and dinner. Whilst we generally got on well it started to be a bit of a strain towards the end!

I have the same problem with a table for two :D shared for thirty years now!

QUOTE:

What is it about small talk?

Some people seem to be natural chatters, and other people, like oneself, find it hard to string a few words together to meer strangers, and to be honest I don't really want to make the effort as I'm probably never going to see them again. I know that seems harsh (I AM a nice person) but I'm just being honest!

I'm not a Victor Meldrew, I have plenty of friends/family, but I just don't like the idea of sitting with strangers. I want to relax when I'm eating. I don't want to have to worry about making first impressions, keeping the conversation going, awkward silences etc etc..

That's why I tend to veer away from a large table and request a table for 2. Does that make me boring?

I mean, if you go to a restaurant on land, you don't sit with strangers do you?

So why don't cruiselines offer more small tables?

I feel I've gone off on a tangent but I think I've got my point across, haven't I?

Would love to share a table with a Victor Medrew, you would be able to dine out for months on the stories.

In my experience if you don't click just request a change of table.

I agree entirely, my wife and i cruised this year for the first time on Grand Princess and we had no difficuilty in getting a table for two. Why should you have to sit with some boring person, thats done 20 or so cruises and knows everything about everything, and from day one tries to organise your cruise for you. I'm sure wev'eall met people like this.

QUOTE:

I agree entirely, my wife and i cruised this year for the first time on Grand Princess and we had no difficuilty in getting a table for two. Why should you have to sit with some boring person, thats done 20 or so cruises and knows everything about everything, and from day one tries to organise your cruise for you. I'm sure wev'eall met people like this.

No royboy, we haven't all met people like this. We have had wonderful table companions. Maybe we are easily pleased/accept boring people or maybe it's because we put some effort into ensuring the table 'is a good one'.

QUOTE:

I agree entirely, my wife and i cruised this year for the first time on Grand Princess and we had no difficuilty in getting a table for two. Why should you have to sit with some boring person, thats done 20 or so cruises and knows everything about everything, and from day one tries to organise your cruise for you. I'm sure wev'eall met people like this.

I've certainly met a few people like that. Funnily enough, they're the ones who think they make excellent table mates. The problem is that we're too polite to tell them otherwise... ;).

We've never really had any "bad" table companions, or maybe we're just good at making the best of who we have :-)
For me, meeting new people is one of the attractions of cruising, and we tend to find that after we've spent the day together, by dinner time we're ready to chat to someone else.

QUOTE:

I agree entirely, my wife and i cruised this year for the first time on Grand Princess and we had no difficuilty in getting a table for two. Why should you have to sit with some boring person, thats done 20 or so cruises and knows everything about everything, and from day one tries to organise your cruise for you. I'm sure wev'eall met people like this.

We had this problem with one couple on a table for ten six Canadians and four Brits. :o We just listened to the general dribble from this couple as they told everyone about the other two cruises they had been on after about five nights of avoiding being drawn in to the subject keeping to general chit chat with all the Canadian couples at the table who where first time cruisers showing signs of total boredom with the continual dribble. The lady looking down her nose asked my wife a direct question. “Is this your first cruise”? My wife replied “no we have been on several” and rattled off a few. They then went very quiet and did not come to dinner for the rest of the cruise it was bliss the rest of us got on like a house on fire and we have stayed in contact with one couple for over eight years now. :D

Hi. We have tried "freedom dining" on a couple of occasions and after the first few days of where?, family? job? how many cruises? etc we settled down to a group we met for meals that suited us all. The added bonus to good table conversation is the number of people on the cruise you have already met. Where a speciality restaurant is available we take a table for 2 and enjoy the time to ourselves. On one cruise with our daughter and my sister we had a terrible table, my wife and I wanted to move the other 2 thought is was rude so we stayed put, in fairness things did improve over the 2 weeks.