Topic: Dining companions Good or bad experiences

Richard, I take it you have opted for the second seating dining? The second seating is usually at 8.30 or 8.45 but if you are cruising from a med port they do tend to go for a later seating hence your 9pm? as this is what Europeans like. However be prepared for a late night, you will not have finished your meal until at least 11pm.

On the set Dining Times you will get the same table allocated in the Main Dining Room everynight - but Lizzie is right - your Travel Agent should have asked you at time of booking, what size table you wanted.

After you have checked in, look at your seapass card, it will have your table number printed on it. Take a tip from me, this is something I always do - once on board; go straight to the Dining Room and check out your table. If you are not happy the Maitre D will be on duty to help with any queries.

Alternatively you could opt for RC Freedom Dining. But to do this you have to Prepay your Gratuities. This means you can go to the Dining Room at any time - just turn up when you want and request a table. There are pros and cons to this, sometimes you have a short wait whilst a table is made available; you wont get the same table everynight; you wont be able to build up a rapport with your wait staff and you may miss out on the 'Singing' Events at the end of some meals. And you may miss out on the Start times of the main Shows/Theatre events if you dont time it right as these are geared to fit in and around the 1st and 2nd sitting times.

Has anybody had this young lady as your dinner companion, she has done 55 cruises.:D
Flickr: The Travel Slut's Photostream

On our first cruise last year, we shared a table with a couple in their 60s and a much older couple. The older man was as deaf as a post and missed most of the conversations every night. However, he was an outrageous flirt and was also very witty. I cottoned on to this and sat next to him so we had our own bit of fun each evening- all in the best possible taste of course!.
At the end of the cruise, he presented myself and the other lady with a sketch of a rose. He was a wall paper designer during his working life and we were so touched by his gift.
We made firm friends with the other couple and have met socially since.

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Has anybody had this young lady as your dinner companion, she has done 55 cruises.:D
Flickr: The Travel Slut's Photostream

Goodness, that wasn't what I was expecting!
Takes all sorts, as they say.....

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Has anybody had this young lady as your dinner companion, she has done 55 cruises.:D
Flickr: The Travel Slut's Photostream

Errm ...You did say young didn't you?

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Errm ...You did say young didn't you?

Wilba
ooooOOOps, a slight slip.:D

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Has anybody had this young lady as your dinner companion, she has done 55 cruises.:D
Flickr: The Travel Slut's Photostream

Would you even recognise her !!!

Probably our best dining experience was in 1985 on our second cruise. We were on the original Sun Princess (Love Boat). We joined the ship in San Juan and when we got to our cabin, the Steward turned out to come from Hull. His forat words were "thank G-d your British. I've had the whole season with Americans!!!". He then went off to make sure that we were seated at one of the officer's tables for dinner. (Princess was then part of P&O with all British officers.) He came back and told me to go down to the Restaurant and the Maitre D would sort us out.
I took down the Dinner reservation card that had been left in our cabin and while waiting for some woman in front of us to try and rearrange all the table settings to suite herself, that our allocated table on the plan was right in the middle of the room and marked Captain. No need to change as we were already as high up the chain of command as we could go.
My wife was not too pleased as she thought it would be too "stuffy" and boring. Was she to change her mind!!!!
In the next cabin was the president of a Shriners group of 60 and he started a cocktail party at 5.30pm every evening to which we got invited. By the time we arrived for dinner that week we were well inibriated !!!
There were 3 American couples and ourselves. The Captain was British and came a short distance from where we live.
Somehow during the evening conversation which for the men was about the ship, docking and other technical points, the 4 women managed to get his life story out of him; divorce, new woman and future wedding to his fiancee who was a concert pianist. I never heard anything of this during dinner. Over the course of the week my wife regarded him as a personal friend and her drinking comp[anion.
We met him 3 years later on the Cambera when his wife was performing and he was a guest.
For the rest of this cruise we spent most evenings in the Officers bar, and between the Shriner's party and late nights drinking with the officers, we needed a detox at the end of the week. We had one of the smallest bar bills ever as well as some great company.

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Catching me completely off guard, Peter from Yorkshire, asked me was the wine expensive. Before I could finish my answer, which was 'All the wine is expensive' he announced that 'he thought it was bloody expensive and he and his wife (who was sat next to me) would be having no more'.

I'm from Yorkshire, but I promise it wasn't me lol However, you know the most common question a Yorkshireman asks:

"'ow much?"

Incidentally we've always had great dinner companions, I've never understood how it seems to work out so well.

QUOTE:

I'm from Yorkshire, but I promise it wasn't me lol However, you know the most common question a Yorkshireman asks:

"'ow much?"

Incidentally we've always had great dinner companions, I've never understood how it seems to work out so well.

probably because you are lovely people who are easy to get on with? :D