Have You Ever Changed Your Table Assignment Because of Your Tablemates?

I tend to get along with most people. I typically travel with friends, so if the table mates are duds we can still talk to each other. I have been lucky and never had a bunch so bad that we would have had to be moved. Granted some cruises have more fun table mates then others. On some trips I only see them at dinner time, oter trips we have hung out with them after dinner to go to the clubs and on land.

I have been lucky enough to make some friends on cruises that I still keep in touch with.

We have always sailed on cruises with open seating. But, if we were ever on a ship that assigned us to a table with unpleasant dining companions, I wouldn't hesitate to ask for a change. After all, dining is a big part of the cruise experience you pay for!

We always request a large table and have had good luck getting wonderful dining companions. We’ve been seated with a few annoying people over the years but never bad enough to ask for a new table. (Plus it’s easy to bond with all the others who are also annoyed by the same person!)

I do not have that problem anymore , I do not go to the dining room that much anymore

I can understand why the Maitre'd didn't move us Gloria. You never know if the other passengers would show at our table during the cruise and the 2 empty seats at the table we were invited to were assigned to 2 passengers. But, like the folks assigned to our table, they just never showed. It was actually one of the folks at the other table that spoke to the waiter about moving us and it was approved by the Maitre'd. They just re-assigned the other couple to our old table. Needless to say, that table (the one we moved from) was empty for the rest of the cruise!

I agree with you, Johngold. When we can, we always choose Mt Time Dining but sometimes we cannot for example on a group trip or on my next cruise a HAL Grand Journey. Winging it is good. You do meet interesting people this way who can become fast friends on the cruise. Gloria

How nice it was of those other passengers to invite you to join them, Cruising Tim. We have done that a couple of times once for a lady sitting by herself at a cocktail party. On other time it was like in your situation where the other guest at a nearby table never showed up after the first night. It is wonderful when we look out for one another. The maître d should have noticed and suggested a change of tables if this happens in the MDR. Gloria

We have always requested the "anytime" dinning option. Our style is one of relaxed scheduling when we are on a cruise. On the longer cruises and during the at sea days, we may have a late lunch and schedule our pictures during the main dining portion of the evening, this makes our picture time more fun. When we have people we need to meet up for dinner we make reservations. We have met a great deal of people often by just "winging it" . We have never done the assigned dining, so I cannot comment on that one.

We actually had a situation where we changed tables due to lack of table mates. When we sailed the Jewel of the Seas in May of 2013, we were seated in the MDR at a table for 8. The other passengers at our table never showed for lunch or dinner for the first few days of the cruise. A table of 12 near the window next to us, had 2 empty seats for that time and the group there had asked us to join them for the last 2 days so we wouldn't be sitting alone. What a great bunch!! Wished we had been seated with them to begin with.

Good answer BAK1061. I like your style. Gloria