Table mates or no?

knighta37 · Jan 20, 2017

I emailed Disney Cruise Line <dcl.reservations@disneycruise.com> and asked for a table for just the 4 of us. If we meet people we like on our travels then I guess we can try and sit with them but as its our first cruise we don't want to take the risk of "non-compatables".......
We received the stock reply that our request had been noted but couldn't be guaranteed. They also said they were looking forward to seeing us in 79 days which was a nice touch!

Dug720 · Jan 20, 2017

Neptune's Fork said:
So if you're a solo they try to match you up almost like in a dating setting? or am I misinterpreting that? That would be a new angle, Disney playing matchmaker.

I think it was just "put all the solos at a table". Just happened that on my cruise that seemed to be two guys and me (female). Not that I would have been remotely interested in a guy even if these two didn't turn out to be ultra conservative.

MouseGrandma · Jan 20, 2017

We are a retired couple and prefer Disney to other cruise lines. When we cruise without the family, we have always been placed at a table for eight with three other retired couples...and we thoroughly enjoy this!

mathgeek · Feb 5, 2017

Neptune's Fork said:
So if you're a solo they try to match you up almost like in a dating setting? or am I misinterpreting that? That would be a new angle, Disney playing matchmaker.

I've cruised solo on 5 cruises and never had that experience. Lol! It does seem that they do some background checking and have always seated me with people who were also DVC members and/or Castaway Club members. Honestly though, it really only worked out that I enjoyed my tablemates on 2 of those cruises, and I ended up at a table by myself on the 2nd leg of a B2B last summer.

PrincessShmoo · Feb 5, 2017

We've only once requests specific table size. On that one another couple we had cruised with prior requested for a 6 top for them, us, and whatever other 2 people DCL wanted to seat with us. They assigned a single gentleman (well male person) who ate every meal except the last breakfast in the buffet. The other was a single woman who found that she had friends on the late seating and requested to be assigned to sit with them. So we wound as as a 4 person group at a 6 top table.

The cruise where we were a party of 6, we had our own table, as well as the cruise where we were a party of 5. When we were a party of 3, we were seated at an 9 top with a family of 5. The best we could guess as to why that match was made was our son (19) and their son (16).

All other cruises, where there was just my husband & I we were seated with others - 1 time a 4 top with a mother and daughter (both adults); 1 time a 4 top with another couple around our age; 5 times at an 8 top with 3 other couples in the same age range as us; 1 time at an 8 top with assorted adult twosomes, different ages.

Dug720 · Feb 5, 2017

mathgeek said:
I've cruised solo on 5 cruises and never had that experience. Lol! It does seem that they do some background checking and have always seated me with people who were also DVC members and/or Castaway Club members. Honestly though, it really only worked out that I enjoyed my tablemates on 2 of those cruises, and I ended up at a table by myself on the 2nd leg of a B2B last summer.

I know for a fact it happened to me Presidents' Week 2015 on the Fantasy.

I do not know what my table situation was on the Dream the same week in 2014 because my sister had gotten permission to dine with me and we got moved to our own table so she wouldn't have to spend the whole time talking about what she did.

mathgeek · Feb 5, 2017

Dug720 said:
I know for a fact it happened to me Presidents' Week 2015 on the Fantasy.

I do not know what my table situation was on the Dream the same week in 2014 because my sister had gotten permission to dine with me and we got moved to our own table so she wouldn't have to spend the whole time talking about what she did.

Maybe it happened b/c it was close to Valentine's Day and they were trying to find you a Valentine! :love:

Seriously though, I'm so sorry that happened to you! I haven't had the best luck with table mates over the years, but that definitely would have been an interesting one.

Dug720 · Feb 5, 2017

mathgeek said:
Maybe it happened b/c it was close to Valentine's Day and they were trying to find you a Valentine!

Seriously though, I'm so sorry that happened to you! I haven't had the best luck with table mates over the years, but that definitely would have been an interesting one.

Well, they failed miserably in the background check then. Because my first night tablemates were male. :rotfl2:

Fortunately I was able to change on the third night (night 2 was Palo) and got my own table.

bbn1122 · Feb 5, 2017

DH and I will be cruising for the 2nd time solos this coming Fall out of NYC. The last time it was a 2 night crusie and we were eating at Palo one night, so I didn't worry about table mates.
We were seated with 2 couples, very nice and a good match to us. They both were from the Tri-State area, so we all had a lot in common, same age and children around the same age. Were only all together the first night and breakfast the last morning. One of the other couples and us were at Palo the 2nd night.

We usually cruise with our family of 5 and are always seated by ourselves.

I am going to request a table for 2 this cruise. It's a 4 night and we are celebrating our 30th anniversary. Plus, my hubby and I even though we are friendly, we just want chill by ourselves at dinner.

lbatesetc · Feb 21, 2017

MrsSmalls said:
how do you request a table alone? We have 5 people in our family.

I am also wondering how to request a 4top

PrincessShmoo · Feb 21, 2017

lbatesetc said:
I am also wondering how to request a 4top

You call DCL and have the request added to your reservation. Note, if you used a TA, they are the ones who need to make the call.

Be aware it is just a request. Many such requests are honored, some are not.

NAB · Feb 21, 2017

We asked for a table for two last week on the Dream but got put with another couple. The ship was full. The couple we did sit with only booked 2 weeks before so maybe we would have had a table for two ... I don't mind by my husband doesn't like it at all. It stressed him out, what to talk about , or just the silences are uncomfortable.

We are usually a table for 4 and always were by ourselves without asking . Lucky I guess.

ChicosWife · Feb 21, 2017

PrincessShmoo said:
You call DCL and have the request added to your reservation. Note, if you used a TA, they are the ones who need to make the call.

Be aware it is just a request. Many such requests are honored, some are not.

Can you put it on your reservation online, under "special requests", or do you have to actually call them?

knighta37 · Feb 22, 2017

I emailed dcl.reservations@disneycruise.com and received the stock reply that my request had been noted but couldn't be guaranteed. Lovely touch that they did say they were looking forward to seeing us onboard in 79 days!

DlandAP · Feb 22, 2017

We have gone on 2 cruises. The first was in 2015 on the Fantasy. It was a Halloween Cruise with 4 of us. We requested a lone table and got it. We did share a table for a breakfast and we got lucky, they other family was from CA. Our second cruise was on the Wonder in 2016. It was a repo. cruise from Van. to San D. It was just me and my wife. Again we asked for a "private" table and got it. On the Wonder I noticed that most of the tables are so close together that it didn't really matter. Both times I made the request through my TA.

2015Cruiser · Feb 22, 2017

We've done 3 cruises as a family of four and always had our own table.. maybe they know what they're doing since we prefer it that way but have never asked.

mammacaryn · Feb 22, 2017

We prefer to be seated just our family of 4 and have done so on our past 4 cruises (well, one of those we took the inlaws so it was 6 of us). First cruise we didn't put in a request, but the past 3 we always have it noted on our reservation. Side note though, if your request is denied for some reason or another, and you really are just not happy with your dining with other people on your first night, let your Head Server know. They want you to be happy and will do their best to get you the dining experience you want. (I have read posts in the past about people doing this,as stated before, our requests have always been met)

PrincessShmoo · Feb 22, 2017

ChicosWife said:
Can you put it on your reservation online, under "special requests", or do you have to actually call them?

It's best to call DCL directly. Unless you booked through a TA, then they call.

dragynally · Feb 22, 2017

I've always found tablemates in cruise groups. This time I requesting a table for DH and me. We like people but last cruise, even with great tablemates, we just couldn't hear them and talking was awkward. We also have disabilities that are difficult to explain to new people.

MissMet · Feb 22, 2017

I've sailed on 6 DCL cruises, four with just 2 or 3 of us, one with 4 adults, and the other was with 9 (kids & adults). We have always called ahead and requested a private table and we have ALWAYS gotten that requested. However, all the cruises (except the 9 person cruise) we were late dining AND we only seem to cruise in the fall when it is not a full ship. Once on board you can go to wherever the Nav tells you to go for dinning requests to check if it was met & if it wasn't, ask them if they can make it happen. We've never had to do that but I've heard of others having good luck with doing that.

Table mates or no?

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