Genuinely curious about wanting a private table

[Westcoastwild]

And that is the main reason we prefer the other cruise lines that make it easier to dine as you please. It is that important to us.

Maybe you don't think it is off putting if someone is vague about their personal life but you would be the exception. More often than not, you get labeled as being rude for being vague and preventing the strangers at your table the opportunity to "learn about new places and people" or to be friends. Many times the strangers also see it as a challenge then to dig out the information which gets tiresome.

We are extroverts. We love people and talking with people. That is why we feel there are plenty of situations to meet others throughout the day. But we want it on our terms, not forced by an artificial situation. Our meal time is family time, period.

Someone up thread said that their tablemates were rude people because they made no effort to interact with them. We would be that family. We are not rude, it is just not our responsibility to engage you just because you are sitting at the same table. It is better for you (global you) that we request a private table since we probably would not meet the expectations of people who do enjoy sharing a table. It has to be a mutually enjoyed experience. If one family does not enjoy dining with strangers, both families will suffer.

You seem convinced that everyone should love shared dining. We do not as apparently many don't as evidenced by this thread.

Well, it sounds like it's good that you request a private table. It's not your responsibility but it's just common courtesy to chat with people.

I have to be in the mood for communal dining- I'm an introvert, so I get where most people are coming from. But I've never had anyone act like I'm rude for not talking about where I work. You can always make stuff up, too. I don't give out personal information as a rule to strangers I meet on vacation, so I'm not understanding your premise that you reserve a private table to avoid having to give out personal information. You could just tell one person you're a secret agent, and another that you're a circus clown, and eventually they'll give up. In my experience people prefer to talk about themselves and their kids anyway.

 

[lorianna]

My son has Autism and does not do well in a busy loud environment to begin with. I don't think it would be fair for other families to have to deal with our dinner issues.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I'm usually on quite a tight schedule (I don't want to miss any character greeting and then want some other activities as well) and I hate having to wait for others or others having to wait for me.
If I can't get out on time cause the others are slow eaters or show up 30 min late or whatever I'm not happy and I'm also not comfortable if the last character set before dinner ran late so I show up 15 min late that others were waiting on me.
One time they put me as a solo cruiser with a big party of 7 which totally didn't work out: for them dinner time was not about eating but about spending time together so I was the stranger sitting there not being able to engage in their conversations and looking at my watch cause by 9pm we were still only eating appetisers... so after 2 nights I went to gr to request a different table.
Then one other time they put me as a solo cruiser together with an older man who was cruising solo as well... it was really awkward cause we had nothing to talk about, luckily a CM that I knew (cause I did 3 long cruises that season) had her father and brother sitting in the same section (and she joined on some nights as well) and they invited me over to move to their table. Same server so worked out perfectly.
Other times it either worked out, either my travelmate and I had a table to ourselves.

When I do sitdown for lunch I love to share the table: I like meeting new people and there are no strings attached: it it doesn't work out you don't need to see eachother anymore, and if it does work out you can exchange cabinnumber and meet up again for whatever you like. There is a family that I met like that on one of my TA's (2011) and they came to visit me in Belgium a few years ago and turned out we booked the same PC for next year

 

[Disney_Princess83]

I work at a hospital as a psychologist and I talk to people all day, every day. During our vacation, I just enjoy some downtime without having to make small talk with people that I will, most likely, never see again. I also find that when people ask what I do for work (and I would feel very strange to lie about it) they start asking me for free advice.

Last cruise we sat alone but there was an older couple who was always seated at a table beside us. They started talking to us and despite trying to very politely end the conversation, we had no luck. On the last night, they spoke to me for 20 minutes after dinner, despite me trying to make a very quick getaway. They were lovely people though.

I also have allergies so I prefer that it's just us so there is no risk of a reaction.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

Things I wish I could request in good conscience:
1) Tablemates with accents. Especially British or Aussie. I just like listening to them talk. Texas might work too. And any place with idioms that don't match ours.

We are from Australia and we hear this so often. On the cruise and in the parks, people always get so excited when they hear our accent. It's so sweet. We have had people come up to us and ask "Can you just talk so I can hear your accent?" We laugh and always oblige.

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I get asked a lot where I'm from. I'm from Belgium so my mother tongue is Flemish. In school we learn Brittish English but obviously through TV and travelling I get more in contact with American English so nobody can figure out where I come from.

 

[mouselike-harrier]

My two cents about tablemates. We are a family of 4 and generally don't socialize period. Other than us, we really don't have family members at all. That being said, it's kind of fun seeing who you end up with. During our first cruise, our reservation was connected to a friend of ours, making us 5, and we had a mother and her 2 sons at the table. We enjoyed talking to them very much even though our kids were older. That was surprising. Cruises 2, 3, & 4, one of these we had tablemates, the other 2 not. I don't remember them too much so I must conclude we didn't hate them or like them. Cruise 5 was an interesting one. It was going to be just 3 of us on this cruise, myself, DH, and DD (16). However, DH shattered his heel less than a month before the cruise and it ended up being just DD and myself. To say that my daughter goes out of her way to avoid any social situation is an understatement. Of course, with this cruise, we were seated with another mother and daughter, who were from the UK. As DD put it, the girl was even more socially challenged than my daughter! We couldn't wait to see what the next meal with them was like. By the end, the girl opened up to us and talked to us a bit, which was gratifying to see. At the end of this month, we will be cruising again with the 4 of us and who knows what will happen with the seating arrangements. It's part of the fun being on a cruise.

 

[The Sasquatch]

so for us I think we like to have the "option" and want to feel out our neighbors. We have experienced it both ways with families we are still friends with and others we wouldnt be. In reality they move your table a foot or two away instead of being together. We have even joined tables together if we are having a great time but I also want the option to stay alone if we needed to.

 

[JW9DVC]

Because I don't need to know about others personal lives. I don't need strangers getting to know my kids. I don't. We'd to tell you how much more money we make than you.

I don't need you in my life business or trying to interject your lifestyle and way of life on me.

Just a few reasons we always have a family table only.

If it's just the wife and I. We are fine as we have been placed with some other great couples and people.

JW

 

[Rabb it]

My girlfriend and I asked for a private table on our first Disney cruise in Feb 2017. We wanted to experience the cruise with just us, and have an intimate dinner each night at a table to ourselves. Our next cruise is March 2018 and I'm going to leave it up to my girlfriend whether she wants a private table again.

This isn't the reason why, but I've heard horror stories of people having difficult tablemates at times.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

have an intimate dinner each night at a table to ourselves

How "intimate" was it? The tables in the dining rooms are thisclose to each other. Many times only 6" or so apart.

 

[MUN]

Things I wish I could request in good conscience:
1) Tablemates with accents. Especially British or Aussie. I just like listening to them talk. Texas might work too. And any place with idioms that don't match ours.

It would be great to have tablemates with cool British accents. When we cruise out of Galveston, we tell our TA that we don't want tablemates. Otherwise, we are fine with having tablemates.

MUN

 

[FireflyTrance]

This is an interesting thread. I have only been on non-Disney cruises. The first time I was seated with just my family, and the second time we were seated with a family that spoke little to no English.

I am an introvert, but my DD4 is a huge extrovert. It would be nice to be seated with a family that had a child of a similar age. Does Disney normally seat you with similarly aged children? If not I would probably just prefer our own table.

 

[mouselike-harrier]

Wow, I'm just shocked at the negativity here. Never once has anyone at our table pried into our private lives and if they did, I'd politely deflect and change the subject. You're on a ship with thousands of people and you don't want anyone to talk to you or your children? I'm not saying that you have to constantly converse with your tablemates or become life long friends. I view travel as a way of exposing yourself to people of all different cultures.

 

[FireflyTrance]

Wow, I'm just shocked at the negativity here. Never once has anyone at our table pried into our private lives and if they did, I'd politely deflect and change the subject. You're on a ship with thousands of people and you don't want anyone to talk to you or your children? I'm not saying that you have to constantly converse with your tablemates or become life long friends. I view travel as a way of exposing yourself to people of all different cultures.

It is just different personality types and different travel goals. Personally I am an introvert, so I tend to always have a level of discomfort in groups of strangers. Some people find meeting with strangers fun and energizing, and others find it tiring. People travel for different reasons. Meeting others is not why I travel, though occasionally we do meet some interesting people.

 

[cadien]

I'm glad to hear that works for YOU. Not everyone has the same experience. Some people will find it off putting and rude if you don't share WHAT you do and WHERE you work. Some find dining with only family works for them while leaving the socializing for other places through out the ship. And that's fine too.

I am confident most people do not expect total strangers to share exactly where they live or work. And anyone who does object is the rude one.

 

[kaseyC]

I am confident most people do not expect total strangers to share exactly where they live or work. And anyone who does object is the rude one.

I didn't say most people. I said some. Based on my personal experience after 30+ cruises and a number of high end escorted family tours, some people are extremely nosey and don't respect boundaries.

 

[MUN]

I didn't say most people. I said some. Based on my personal experience after 30+ cruises and a number of high end escorted family tours, some people are extremely nosey and don't respect boundaries.

Asking someone who you will be sharing dinner with for a week where they live and what kind of work they do is not being nosey.

 

[MUN]

Because I don't need to know about others personal lives. I don't need strangers getting to know my kids. I don't. We'd to tell you how much more money we make than you.

I don't need you in my life business or trying to interject your lifestyle and way of life on me.

Just a few reasons we always have a family table only.

If it's just the wife and I. We are fine as we have been placed with some other great couples and people.

JW

You're quite right. You shouldn't sit with other people.

MUN

 

[Cackyschmackers]

Asking someone who you will be sharing dinner with for a week where they live and what kind of work they do is not being nosey.

See, this has to be a personality preference... these words made me shudder a bit. I don't want to have to have dinner with anyone for a week except my family. It's just an individual choice. No choice is more right or wrong than another. Reading all these above responses where people at shared tables suddenly are left with no tablemates makes me think those people may have chosen another option where they could dine alone. And that's okay too.