Sometimes I think
DCL has an entire team of private investigators that collect background info on passengers and use it to set up table mates. They are usually really good at finding similarities and putting people together.
Well, they certainly failed for our Alaska cruise. We (a couple) were seated with a group of 2 couples travelling together, from California. It was an 8-top but only the 6 of us. First of all, it was obvious that they didn't want to share 'their' table. But we made the effort and tried to engage them in polite conversation.
However, their main topics of conversation were religion and politics, both of which we were always taught it was best to avoid discussing, especially with strangers. The politics was specifically healthcare and the (then) proposed changes in the US. Now this is purely my personal thought so please don't flame me, but their vehemently expressed opinions that no way were they going to contribute to anyone else's healthcare, particularly immigrants and their children, didn't quite seem to tally with their supposedly deep Christian beliefs.
When asked, we did try to correct some of their misconceptions about our National Health Service, but it was obvious they thought it a bad idea simply because some people are helping to subsidise others. I have to say, our conversations with them made me consciously think about the NHS and appreciate it more than I ever had before.
They were rude to our lovely servers. Made fun of the way they spoke, despite their English being excellent (one was Serbian, the other Mexican), and steadfastly refused to pronounce their names correctly although both were easy to learn.
The best night was when the 4 of them went to Palo. We had a lovely time at dinner without them, the servers were noticeably far more happy and relaxed, and we had good chats with them both on a variety of subjects.
For our next cruise we requested, and were granted, a table for 2. We probably missed out on meeting some interesting people, but we couldn't stand the thought of a repeat of our Alaska experience.