Dinner seating with others..

[Jfsag123]

That doesn't mean I am a jerk. I don't want to talk to a stranger while I am eating on vacation. I prefer to only speak to my own family while we are at dinner. It is not me being a jerk. It has to do with me and my career and not wanting to do it while I'm on vacation. I'm a therapist and all I do 5 or 6 days out of the week for almost 10 hours a day is talk to people. It's mentally exhausting and the last thing I want to do while I'm on vacation is talk to people I don't know while I'm eating. That doesn't make me a jerk. That makes me somebody who's on vacation from my employment not wanting to continue it while I'm on that vacation. I'm not going on this cruise to make lifelong Disney friends. I'm going on this cruise to relax.

I'm a psychologist and same. I think it may be difficult for folks not in a similar line of work to really understand what that's like. Even folks who spend most of their work talking will most likely be engaging in a very different style of interaction. I'm generally talked out for a while at the end of my work day and I get not wanting to engage in extra conversation with strangers on vacation. WDW is actually only place I really don't feel this way - I find I tend to enjoy talking to other Disney people and find it energizing rather than draining. I'll still be requesting a private table on our upcoming first cruise, but won't be heartbroken if we don't get it.

 

[beckicnm]

That doesn't mean I am a jerk. I don't want to talk to a stranger while I am eating on vacation. I prefer to only speak to my own family while we are at dinner. It is not me being a jerk. It has to do with me and my career and not wanting to do it while I'm on vacation. I'm a therapist and all I do 5 or 6 days out of the week for almost 10 hours a day is talk to people. It's mentally exhausting and the last thing I want to do while I'm on vacation is talk to people I don't know while I'm eating. That doesn't make me a jerk. That makes me somebody who's on vacation from my employment not wanting to continue it while I'm on that vacation. I'm not going on this cruise to make lifelong Disney friends. I'm going on this cruise to relax.

I 110% relate to this. I work in healthcare, and my vacations are about taking a mental break from all of that daily interaction. A table by myself is a must for me.

 

[buzlite]

I wasn't meaning to say you were calling me a jerk personally. Just people like me. There are a lot of people that just don't like to socialize. They go on a cruise then get stuck with people sitting right next to them that want to talk, talk, talk, and talk some more. It is uncomfortable for many people.

I work in healthcare too and have 1-on-1 conversations with 30 people a day. But if I’m sat next to someone, the least I can do is say hi. If I am sat next to someone and I say hi and they look at me and completely ignore me, I would consider that person to be a jerk.
I don’t think most people expect you to have a full conversation with them if you are with your family. But saying “ hi, how are you?” before carrying on with your family is the kind thing to do. Not making another person feel like they are raining on your parade simply for following the cruise rules and sitting at their selected table.

All I’m saying is that if you are sat next to someone, please be kind. I’m sure you understand it’s very uncomfortable to feel unwanted. If you prefer not to sit with anyone, maybe skip communal dining and eat somewhere else on the ship if a private table isn’t available.

 

[Goofy1932]

I work in healthcare too and have 1-on-1 conversations with 30 people a day. But if I’m sat next to someone, the least I can do is say hi. If I am sat next to someone and I say hi and they look at me and completely ignore me, I would consider that person to be a jerk.
I don’t think most people expect you to have a full conversation with them if you are with your family. But saying “ hi, how are you?” before carrying on with your family is the kind thing to do. Not making another person feel like they are raining on your parade simply for following the cruise rules and sitting at their selected table.

All I’m saying is that if you are sat next to someone, please be kind. I’m sure you understand it’s very uncomfortable to feel unwanted. If you prefer not to sit with anyone, maybe skip communal dining and eat somewhere else on the ship if a private table isn’t available.

My wife works in healthcare too and has "1-on-1 conversations with 30 people a day" and it is just not the same as talking to people in crisis and mental health. I'll eat in the restaraunts, I'll say hello if I am spoken to, and I will be nice. I never said I wouldn't. But I will not carry on a conversation with people. I am not looking to make life-long Disney freinds. If they think I am a jerk because I do not want to be best buddies and choke down my food so I can keep speaking to them then they can think what they want.

 

[Goofy1932]

I'm a psychologist and same. I think it may be difficult for folks not in a similar line of work to really understand what that's like. Even folks who spend most of their work talking will most likely be engaging in a very different style of interaction. I'm generally talked out for a while at the end of my work day and I get not wanting to engage in extra conversation with strangers on vacation. WDW is actually only place I really don't feel this way - I find I tend to enjoy talking to other Disney people and find it energizing rather than draining. I'll still be requesting a private table on our upcoming first cruise, but won't be heartbroken if we don't get it.

I'm not going to be mad or flipped out about not getting a private table. I'm just not going to be very sociable at dinners.

 

[Girl of the South]

"This reminds me of the thread where people try to stop other people from sitting next to them on rides… I wonder if there is some crossover."

No one is being denied a seat in the dining room. It's like a restaurant. Very few restaurants would ask you to dine with another party.

 

[dwg]

"This reminds me of the thread where people try to stop other people from sitting next to them on rides… I wonder if there is some crossover."

No one is being denied a seat in the dining room. It's like a restaurant. Very few restaurants would ask you to dine with another party.

Sitting with others (strangers) should be a choice when you book. Not sure how it works on other cruise lines but it is obvious on Disney that with each new class of ship that they build they squeeze a little more square footage out from the staterooms and the dinning rooms. We have sailed twice on the Wish, the first time we were very disappointed on how packed in the guests were in the dinning rooms compared to the Magic and Dream class of ships. Even our head waiter on that cruise said it was difficult for the wait staff to get around the tables when serving food. We always like to take a picture with our wait staff when on the cruise. On the first Wish cruise there really was no place to stand to take the picture. On the second Wish cruise a year later, DCL had made some changes in the dinning room including removing some of the waiter stations to create a little more space between the tables. This was the cruise where we did not get the private table initially and the sailing was only 3/4 full with about 3000 passengers. I think for various reasons more people are requesting private tables and Disney can't accommodate them.

 

[enzy65]

On the wish in arendalle we had a private table for 2 it was a 4 top, it was just a couple inches from an 8 top. 2 couples with 4 kids, the adults just stared at us all evening like we were invading their space.
In marvel and 1923 the tables were spaced a lot better, saw a family of 3 each night close to us and they were always at 6 tops alone. This was late dining on a sold out cruise.
I feel like on the fantasy the tables are not as close.

 

[Trera]

When we first started sailing DCL we requested a table to ourselves and that was great but about our 10th cruise we decided to get paired up with another family and it worked out great. They live about 90 miles away from us and their daughters bday is the day before our daughters. We had so much in common with them and have become great cruise friends with them. I think we have been on some 10 or 12 more cruises with them and eat with them at Palo, share beach cabanas, and the girls are always so excited to see each other.

I am by no means saying that everyone should do it and that it always works out but we tried sharing a table and it definitely worked out for the best. Love our cruise friends!!

 

[dcassetta]

"This reminds me of the thread where people try to stop other people from sitting next to them on rides… I wonder if there is some crossover."

No one is being denied a seat in the dining room. It's like a restaurant. Very few restaurants would ask you to dine with another party.

True for land-based restaurants, but the norm on cruises for many years was that you would be seated with others. Anytime seating is pretty new.

 

[scroogie]

True for land-based restaurants, but the norm on cruises for many years was that you would be seated with others. Anytime seating is pretty new.

It's been the norm for 100+ years. Even in first class on the classic ocean liners, the norm was that you'd have numerous parties seated at a single table.

 

[ThinkTink91]

our 10th cruise we decided to get paired up with another family and it worked out great. They live about 90 miles away from us and their daughters bday is the day before our daughters.

My family got seated with a mother & 2 daughters that turned out lived 40 minutes from us. My brother kept in contact with them & began dating the oldest daughter a couple weeks after the cruise was over. They've been together since 2017