Topic: Dining companions Good or bad experiences

We always Dine on a table of 10 and have had some good dining companions over the last 2 years on different cruise lines, infact the tables we have dined on seem to be the last to leave after the all the others have gone...due to good conversations and with people who not only hear but listen and we always return the compliment.

I have found on the first night that the Americans love to talk about politics, italians love to talk about food and football and us British...the weather and then as the cruise continues the conversations move on...

But I have heard that some cruiserlites have had some funny, sad and bad experiences.......has any one got an experince to share?

Hi we did the independance of the seas cruise to italy . We ate at a table of six and can honestly say this made
our holiday complete . We looked forward to diner each night just to meet up with our fellow table mates. We where the last out of the dining room each night and would stand talking outside the dining room for ages. So if you ever have the option to dine with a victoria and derek or glenys (glads) and bob, you will be very fortunate indeed

We always request a large table and look forward to dining with a good mix of nationalites and ages its one of the best parts of crusing weve had some fantasic tables and some awful ones but always manage to see the funny side of it what else have u got to talk about when u get back to the cabin late at night lol

Surely the worst combination has to be a table for 4. A table for 2 is lovely and a table for 6-8 is pretty good, but I really don't like the 4 seater. On one cruise we developed a wonderful unspoken agreement that the other couple ate early and we arrived at about 8.00pm. The worst couple we sat with just talked non stop about grandchildren, jobs they have done, holidays they have had etc. I used to just ask the waiter what looked good that night as I never had a chance to look at the menu! On some nights the husband literally pulled the chair from under his wife to get her away from the table and give us some peace. I must sound like such an old grump - I'm quite nice, honestly.

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Surely the worst combination has to be a table for 4. A table for 2 is lovely and a table for 6-8 is pretty good, but I really don't like the 4 seater. On one cruise we developed a wonderful unspoken agreement that the other couple ate early and we arrived at about 8.00pm. The worst couple we sat with just talked non stop about grandchildren, jobs they have done, holidays they have had etc. I used to just ask the waiter what looked good that night as I never had a chance to look at the menu! On some nights the husband literally pulled the chair from under his wife to get her away from the table and give us some peace. I must sound like such an old grump - I'm quite nice, honestly.

I did not realize we had shared a table ;) :D

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But I have heard that some cruiserlites have had some funny, sad and bad experiences.......has any one got an experince to share?

We usually choose a table of 8 or 10 and have met some lovely people. On a Baltic trip a few years ago we were seated with two elderly ladies, an obviously well to do couple and an ordinary couple like us. We had preordered our wine and the rich guy, lets call him P, asked how we'd done it, and if the wine (Faustino) was OK. Alan said it was and was No.42 on the list. When the wine waitress arrived P ordered No 10, so we thought he'd changed his mind. The girl returned, very flustered, and asked if he was sure, as 10 was the Dom Perignon at £65 per bottle - we're going back a few years and Ocean Majesty's bar prices were always reasonable! P was taken aback and said his brain had registered 42 but his mouth said 10! This was an on-going joke all week and on the last night of the cruise a bottle of DP appeared on the table. P was 72 that day and he said "I couldn't think of a better way to end the joke". That guy had class! Judith

In our experience larger tables are always fun - 6 or more people is fine. However tables of 4 can be lovely or awful.

On our first ever cruise we shared a table for 4 with an Australian couple who came down to dinner half an hour late and very drunk every night. Our waiter held our meal back so that we could all be served together and conversation was almost impossible as we couldn't understand what they were saying with the drink making their accent stronger. The chap would often disappear for half an hour in the middle of the meal, making the service worse. As it was our first cruise it never occurred to us to ask for a different table and there was no buffet option so we were stuck with it.

It's a wonder it didn't put us off formal dining for life.

We have been very lucky on our cruises, always having great table companions, some of which we are close friends with to this day. One funny experience was cruising out of New Orleans. We used to try and cruise to co-inside with our wedding anniversary and this cruise was no different. Whilst wine with RCI is always expensive (in my opinion) it has never stopped us and we will always drink at least one bottle (some times two) with dinner in the evening. On this cruise we were on a table of 10, all Brits, from various places throughout the UK. On one evening (our anniversary) I had ordered a rather ordinary chardonnay, about the 10th cheapest bottle of wine from the rather long wine list. 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'. At this point his wife could have slipped straight under the table, she was completely embarassed. From that point on, we continued to enjoy our wine each evening and they sat through the meal with water. They were cruising to celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary. I just thought it was quite sad and I'm sure if I ever do that in front of my wife, I will be wishing I hadn't for quite some time! It made us laugh on many evenings after dinner, in the bar etc and even today my wife will often use that evening as a reference point.

Being a first time cruiser in july with RCI, Can you tell me how it works for dining! We have opted for a 9pm sitting, So will we be allocated a particular table and keep that table for the entire cruise, and will we sit with the same people throughout our cruise and can we say at the begining of the cruise what size table we prefer? Im thinking six to eight maybe! So many questions as we are first time cruisers

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Being a first time cruiser in july with RCI, Can you tell me how it works for dining! We have opted for a 9pm sitting, So will we be allocated a particular table and keep that table for the entire cruise, and will we sit with the same people throughout our cruise and can we say at the begining of the cruise what size table we prefer? Im thinking six to eight maybe! So many questions as we are first time cruisers

Hello Richard,

You need to speak to your Travel Agent and request a table now! They should have asked you when you booked, what size table you would like.

You could ask for 2 or 4 or 6 or 8 or 10! Then you would usually keep to that table for the whole cruise.

If for some reason you subsequently found you were not comfortable with your table companions, you could have a quiet word with the Maitre D & ask to be moved.

Enjoy your cruise!

Regards, Lizzie.