How do they choose tablemates?

[Marcelyry]

Are your reservations linked together? I travel with extended family in different cabins & we link our reservations, so we can be seated together.

Hmm, I will have to make sure we do that- thanks for the suggestion! I am not really sure if we are linked.

 

[barbarossa_hoosier]

With 6 people, it's going to be very hard for them to seat you with anyone else as generally the largest table in a section is an 8-top. I've seen them put say an 8-top and a 4-top together, but it's a very large table and very difficult for conversations to happen unless they're with the people just around you.

Ah, that makes sense.

I must admit that I'm a bit disappointed to be likely to be missing out on the random tablemate experience.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

Ah, that makes sense.

I must admit that I'm a bit disappointed to be likely to be missing out on the random tablemate experience.

Still won't hurt to make the request. There could be a couple out there wanting to meet a party of 6. You don't want to disappoint them!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Still won't hurt to make the request. There could be a couple out there wanting to meet a party of 6. You don't want to disappoint them!

I was about to suggest this. Go ahead and request to be seated with others, it couldn't hurt.

 

[BelleWannabe4]

I normally cruise with my mom and we've had a mixed bag of experiences. The first cruise I was 23 and they sat us with two families with one child each...who were both 9 years old. Needless to say, we did not all have a lot in common. I think the kids hit it off though?

We sat alone the next two (one because our table mates just never showed up) and then the last cruise we sat with three honeymooning couples. They were all very nice and it was a fun week, but kind of strange for a mom and daughter and then 6 folks on their honeymoon! Eight is also just a very large table and service was slooooow.

 

[bearybubba]

Ah, that makes sense.

I must admit that I'm a bit disappointed to be likely to be missing out on the random tablemate experience.

When is your cruise?

 

[iZon]

I would love to know the algorithm Disney uses for assigning random strangers to sit with you for two hours at dinner. I think they must consult with eharmony or match.com. They do an amazing job. On 9 cruises so far we have met some amazing friends and great people. We are a gay couple in our mid 40s. Huge Disney freaks We have only had two semi bad experiences. Well, really one. One couple was very conservative but they didnt join us after the first night which was fine - I think really they just wanted a table alone. The last cruise was funny though -
they paired us with two guys who were 18 years old who thought they were on a booze cruise. They had never been on a cruise before and never to Disney either - they thought they could drink on international water. They were very upset They were very young and funny - it was the least compatible pairing we have ever had at dinner - I think they thought two guys together may be gay, let's pair them with these two guys It was still fun: I have never felt so old at 45 before in my life while trying to converse with two 18 year olds for two hours
I just want to know how they do the assigning.

A few cruises ago on the Fantasy we befriended two ladies. First sailing for them. Their husbands weren't interested so they came together. They were seated with three male gay couples. None of them knew each other. They wondered if Disney saw two ladies, different last names, sharing a cabin and just assumed. They said that everyone at the table thought it was pretty funny.

Anyway, they all got on splendidly, made good friends with two of the couples, and when we cruised a year later the ladies were back with one of the couples in tow. So whatever the algorithm thought, it worked out.

 

[barbarossa_hoosier]

When is your cruise?

28 April 2018, Fantasy Western Caribbean

 

[bearybubba]

Bummer! We are sailing Nov 3, 2018 Fantasy Eastern...

 

[Minnie - Not the Mouse]

Last year I was on a cruise with my husband, daughter, mother-in-law and her friend. We were seated at one table. Beside us there was a very handsome gentleman seated alone. On the second night we asked if he wanted to join us. He did. He was a jewelry expert who gave information sessions aboard cruise ships on different gems. He was from Spain and the epitome of debonair. My mil's friend was completely enamored, (actually all of us women were lol). He sat with us for every meal after that. It was so much fun and he had so many great stories.

 

[YawningDodo]

The meals were all extremely long too, partly because one of the couples came to dinner at least 15-30 minutes late every night and our servers wouldn't even take our drink orders until everyone was seated. Most nights, we were in the dining room until at least 11, which was extra rough because then most mornings we were up at 5:30 so that we could eat breakfast before our excursions, all of which were pretty early.

Only once have we every had a table to ourselves. We were done the meals in one hour which was kind of nice. One time we had a couple that ordered every appetizer and every dessert and usually two entrees. They were awesome and actually ate most of it but the meals lasted hours and we were the last ones out of the restaurant. At second seating it was a long night.

This is something that came up in another thread and is kind of worrying me -- do you really have to wait for all your tablemates to arrive before you can order, and you really can't just leave if you're done before they are? I'm going solo and so far I have not put in a request to dine alone because I'm trying to push myself a little out of my comfort zone and spend at least part of my day actually talking to other people. I've gotten a lot more confident and comfortable in social situations as I've gotten older, but one of the things most likely to set off my social anxiety is feeling "trapped" in a social situation because I'm obligated to follow someone else's unpredictable schedule. And I don't know, maybe I'll be that person ordering every course anyway, but it worries me to think that there's this whole time aspect to the tablemate lottery.

 

[Shanti]

Ah, that makes sense.

I must admit that I'm a bit disappointed to be likely to be missing out on the random tablemate experience.

It's certainly possible that you'd have tablemates. For our first cruise, we were a party of two, and seated at a table for eight. So it happens.

 

[Minnie - Not the Mouse]

This is something that came up in another thread and is kind of worrying me -- do you really have to wait for all your tablemates to arrive before you can order, and you really can't just leave if you're done before they are? I'm going solo and so far I have not put in a request to dine alone because I'm trying to push myself a little out of my comfort zone and spend at least part of my day actually talking to other people. I've gotten a lot more confident and comfortable in social situations as I've gotten older, but one of the things most likely to set off my social anxiety is feeling "trapped" in a social situation because I'm obligated to follow someone else's unpredictable schedule. And I don't know, maybe I'll be that person ordering every course anyway, but it worries me to think that there's this whole time aspect to the tablemate lottery.

You can order as soon as you sit down. Just ask the servers. Our tablemates on one cruise, though lovely were up to 20 mins late every night. We just went ahead and ordered. No one minded at all.

 

[HappilyEverAfter80]

DCL does pay good attention to pairing you with tablemates that have something in common, although it works out differently each time
Our first Disney cruise our family of 3 (myself, DH and DS 5) were seated with another family of 3 - turns out their DS 5 was born on the EXACT day as ours! They were born only hours apart so that was VERY cool and pretty sure not a coincidence. Mind you this family was from Puerto Rico and spoke very little English. Well the parents, their son communicated quite well with our DS. We all made do and loved it.

Next cruise we were seated with a family with twin girls same age as DS.
One of the twins and DS really hit it off. She would actually re-arrange the cups at the table before we got there so she could sit beside DS. She would grab his hand later and insist they go to the kids club together it was super cute.
We loved getting to know the families and actually ask to be seated with others.
Since then we have cruised with friends so we get our own table now.

 

[COASTIEandMATE]

We're going on Disney Cruise #3 and DS has Down syndrome. In his 15 years of life some people enjoy being around him, some don't. On our first cruise we chose to sit by ourselves. Cruise #2 was with friends so we all sat together. I think for #3 we'll take our chances with random tablemates but I'm a little nervous. DW isn't so I'll just go with it!

We are always amazed by the amount of love Down syndrome have to give!! Your tablemates will fall in love with him!!

 

[Lisa F]

Our DS(7) is autistic and I am thinking about asking for our own table or at least let them know DS is autistic and we welcome being seated with another family with special needs kids. Just incase another family comes in asking with similar situation as us.

my 9 year old son is autistic too, though very high functioning. He wants to make friends so badly everywhere he goes I just worry about what if he doesn't hit it off with whatever kids are there. But he often seems to find a way. We were with a party of 6 at biergarten and the daughters were very shy but by the end of the meal he had them both out of their shell talking about pokemon go. It's hard for me to just let him do his thing and not try to protect him from every potential bad feeling but I think that so far there has been more good than bad in just letting him loose to be himself in the world. Of course that's my kid, we all know every kid is different (especially on the spectrum, and the various ways social difficulties manifest).

We are cruising with my parents and I requested a table alone, not because of my son but because my dad is a grumpy old man. My mother is always off making best friends with people but he's a grump. I figured it would be less potential drama that way. Also it's a very special thing to be taking a vacation with them and I wanted the focus to be on family time as they see my sister's kids WAY more than my son as we live far away and they live close.

 

[Lisa F]

Still won't hurt to make the request. There could be a couple out there wanting to meet a party of 6. You don't want to disappoint them!

they have done this before... my ex and I once sat at a table for 8 with a family of 5. absolutely nothing in common with any of them but they were nice people!

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

Cruise #1 - DW and I were seated at a 4 top with an older couple who had an adult son exactly (to the day) the same age as me. (They also happened to be my parents, who we were travelling with, so not as impressive of a coincidence )

Cruise #2 - Seated at a 4 top, the other couple seated with us showed up the first night, didn't say much, and we didn't see them again. We did end up talking quite a bit with the family at the next table, 2 adults roughly our age, and a daughter who was probably 6 or 7. They were nice to talk to, and the daughter, although shy at first, eventually warmed up to us.

Cruise #3 - We were travelling with 2 friends and their 13 year old son. We were seated with another couple who had a 12 year old son. The kids didn't really talk to each other much, but we got along fine with the adults.

 

[caitcance]

I will be cruising with my family of 6 this spring (me, DH, and 4 kids ages 1-9). Any chance they would seat someone with us? I would feel so sorry for them if a childless couple had to eat with my barrel of monkeys!

 

[xiphoid76]

I will be cruising with my family of 6 this spring (me, DH, and 4 kids ages 1-9). Any chance they would seat someone with us? I would feel so sorry for them if a childless couple had to eat with my barrel of monkeys!

They will probably seat you without anyone else - they wouldn’t pair a childless couple with a family. At least they have never done that to us. In 9 cruises have never been paired with a kid yet.