Craziest table mates you have had.

[taswira]

I've been assigned to a table with less than desirable tablemates on probably 20% of my cruises. The absolute worst was when I took my mother and we sat with an otherwise nice couple. The woman flossed her teeth at the table before dessert every night! Sorry, but it was disgusting, unsanitary and shocking! Bits of food came out of her teeth and landed on the table. There was no polite way to say anything, so we had to cringe and bear it.

 

[tigger137]

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.

 

[dzy76]

Not to be stupid, but how do you request a table for two?

 

[katds10]

On our last cruise, the family we were seated with commented that they thought they would be seated alone and obviously didn't want to be with other people. They also complained about the table location in each dining room. It was a family of 3 + grandparents. The grandma and dad were actually friendly but the mom and grandpa weren't interested in talking at dinner. It was a little awkward. On our first cruise, at some point the dad in the family started having meals in his room for some reason. Also, they mostly just talked with a family they had befriended at a table next to us. That other family had tablemates that never showed up so I wished they would all just move to sit together. The kids in both those families were vomiting by the end of the cruise and my daughter caught whatever they had and started vomiting the day we got home

 

[LyndaC]

tigger137 I believe that your table mates must have split up because on a 14 night cruise last year I was traveling alone. Lead to a 4 top at which 2 gentlemen about my age were sitting. They were not a couple, they hadn't met until they were seated. Being a single woman, I thought they'd be seating another single woman with us.
Unfortunately this was not to be.

Many intrusive questions later, ie if you're married, where is your husband? table mate number 1 started steering the conversation to both politics and health. Nope, we're not going to go there. I was polite but firm.

One night I went to the movies rather than dinner. Saw the assistant server at lunch the next day and she told me there was much speculation about where I was the previous night.

At dinner that night the conversation once again was politics, gun control and health with the overweight post gastrectomy pt giving medical advice to our other dinner partner. That's the point that I lost it. Stood up, threw down my napkin told #1 that he didn't know what he was talking about and that he had no business giving medical advice and made my grand exit.

Very uncomfortable. I suggested to DCL that it was not a good idea to seat a single woman at a 4 top with 2 men, to at least put a larger group together, or to have another woman there. I know that they can't control peoples manners, but this was beyond awkward. Ate alone for the rest of the voyage.

 

[gotomu212]

Our table mates on the Dream spoke French to each other and just stared and smiled at us when we tried to make small talk with them the 1st night. Alas, we don't speak French so it was a no-go. Then the servers came and they ordered in perfect English. Throughout the meal, our table mates made easy small talk with the servers in English, but ignored us. They spoke French with each other chatting freely throughout the meal. Finally we just ignored them right back.


By the second night it seemed slightly weird, but we adjusted. By the third night it was like being on a elevator with strangers, still strange but we just spoke to each other like they weren't even there.

We LOVE having table mates, but we did have one misfire very similar. We were seated with a family that were speaking Korean when we arrived. They didn't look up or acknowledge that we sat down at all. They continued to talk to each other for 15 minutes and ignore us- no polite nod, smile, anything. Suddenly the husband leans over and tells my husband that he stole his water glass in perfect english (he didn't take the wrong glass, the guy was wrong, but that's beside the point).
We assume that the father must be the only one who can speak english.

Halfway through the meal my husband asked where they were from....Seattle. They'd lived there 20 years. Oh okay so you all are just choosing to ignore us, it's not a language barrier. We switched to a new table after that night. We were seated with an amazing family from Saudi Arabia and had an great time with no problems.

 

[momof2n2]

I've been assigned to a table with less than desirable tablemates on probably 20% of my cruises. The absolute worst was when I took my mother and we sat with an otherwise nice couple. The woman flossed her teeth at the table before dessert every night! Sorry, but it was disgusting, unsanitary and shocking! Bits of food came out of her teeth and landed on the table. There was no polite way to say anything, so we had to cringe and bear it.

We have a winner.

 

[DonaldDuckDad]

We sat with other couples, we had great conversations. One of the couples brought their stuffed animal children to every meal and sat them in highchairs at the table.

 

[Mousemommy1]

This thread is scaring me!!!!

 

[plutojudy]

Not crazy...but different...an older woman with her adult niece that HATED everything Disney.

 

[shoes99]

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. It is so cool that you were able to help the table communicate with your signing skills.

One Disney cruise we were escorted to a table for 6. We are a party of 2. I go to sit down and the server says "Good Evening Mrs. Cxxxxxx. I was surprised that he already knew my name when we just met. A few minutes later a family of 4 with teenage girls arrived and the server says "Good Evening Mrs. Cxxxx". All six of us had the same last name. They were from California and we were from NJ. We had a lovely time, and the girls excused themselves after dinner so we had dessert and coffee with the parents. They had just experienced the loss of their son and since it was very rough on everyone, the wanted to thanks the girls for their understanding and patience with their brother with a Disney Cruise.

 

[PnkRockPrincess]

One Disney cruise we were escorted to a table for 6. We are a party of 2. I go to sit down and the server says "Good Evening Mrs. Cxxxxxx. I was surprised that he already knew my name when we just met. A few minutes later a family of 4 with teenage girls arrived and the server says "Good Evening Mrs. Cxxxx". All six of us had the same last name. They were from California and we were from NJ. We had a lovely time, and the girls excused themselves after dinner so we had dessert and coffee with the parents. They had just experienced the loss of their son and since it was very rough on everyone, the wanted to thanks the girls for their understanding and patience with their brother with a Disney Cruise.

I just cried at my desk. What a terrible tragedy. How thoughtful of them to take their daughters on a cruise during such a thing. I want to hug them.

 

[lorimay]

Not to be stupid, but how do you request a table for two?

Just call DCL and request it, they won't guarantee it but we always have had our own table when we ask for it.

Reading these stories make me sure in always calling ahead to request a table for 2 when my husband and I travel without the family. WHEW!

 

[kaystein827]

We had polite table mates but their accents were very difficult to understand when the dining rooms were loud. My hearing was damaged as a child so despite my age I am quite hard of hearing and I cannot blame it solely on volume and accent. They were perfectly polite, our four children were the same ages, and it was a good balance of talking as a group and talking amongst our own families.

That being said, I had NO idea DCL seated passengers with others and was not too pleased to find out as I was being seated. It was not a problem, per se, but as an introvert I certainly needed time to process.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

We were on the first Hawaii cruise and it was our family of 5 and another family of 5, Mom and Dad and 3 boys. They were very pleasant and we talked every evening. After we left the last island for the sea days back to Long Beach, we never saw them again. The servers did not know what happened. maybe they missed the ship? Just very strange.

 

[Lisa Lisa]

We have a winner.

LOL! Not sure. It's a close all between this and the OP's tablemate who stabbed her kid with a fork. Crazy!

 

[dstevens]

In June my wife and i will be doing the Alaskan cruise and our table mates will be a mix of table mates from our past two cruises. We all got along just great and through Face Book have come together to go on this cruise. Yes we have colored on paper and worn the napkin hats and creamer earrings. At times i think other diners were a little jealous of us as they tried to copy us. I just hope the Wonder servers can handle us.

 

[johnnchristi99]

I don't really know what happened to that couple after the fork stabbing incident, but they were not at our table the next night. The dad was really nice and comforted the boy after the stabbing so at least he had that, but I can't help but wonder about the little boy though. What must his home life be like? I just didn't know what to do.

Some of these stories are nuts! I do realize, however that having crazy table mates is the exception and not the rule. I just hope I can talk my DH into trying again.

 

[lah3hh]

We have sailed DCL 20+ cruises and we have had great dinner table mates all but one time. On our Mexican sailing on the west coast we were seated with another party of 3 folks. They were nice and nothing really nasty happened but they really did not even like Disney. They won the cruise from some kind of contest and appeared to not be too excited about being there. Because of this we had SO little in common to talk about and dinner time seemed strained.

Having said that one uncomfortable time...ALL of the rest have been fantastic! Even if at first it seemed odd at the first dinner by the end of the cruise we find ourselves sharing pictures, email addresses and acquired some great Disney friends. My DH is rather shy and the first night of dinner he is usually a little more stressed worrying about who will be at the table. He even agrees now that Disney does a great job of matching table mates. I am sure they are not 100% perfect but if that happens...just get your table changed. They will bend over backwards to keep you in the MDR rather than lose you to other food options.

 

[sweetlovin']

Our daughter (who was 14) had a roll on her plate. The man reached over, took her roll, took a bite out of it and then put it back on her plate. We were shocked.
MJ

I laughed so hard picturing this in my head. I couldn't even imagine what your face looked like, but my jaw would have dropped. My 11yo would definitely have said something, but my little one probably would have been terrified as well.

He sounds like he was more than a little off, but YUCK! I'm glad you were able to get him moved.