I did my best with integrating ethnic groups, age, gender, sexual orientation, and geographic locations for a mosaic at each table.

Ship is a rebuilt SS United States dining Al Fresco on the fantail. Second seating for all, no FreeStyle or PayStyle dining.

I am only sitting with people I never have met in person.

Joe and Malcolm visit each table on a different night of the cruise.

If I forgot anyone or you don’t like your tablemates I am sorry.

Geno-Er
Brian O
Matts
Rex
CruiseShiplover
Greybeard
Johan
Waynaro
BulbousBow

Niel Bob Whitmore
Patsy
Mec1
LeBarryboat
KenC
Southo
DougNewman
Ernst
Willem

BigUFan
PamM
Frosty4
AtlCruiser
Redlinekid2
CarnivalGuy
SunViking
DMWNC1
CunardColl

Carlos Fernandez
Avalon1025
Gerry
Eroller
Shipcafe
Cambodge
NAL
Vacarro
Thad

Linerguy
MidshipCentury
Viking109
Lasuvidaboy
KarenS
Dambrosi
Linerrich
OceanVoyager
Grant

Jeffrossatsea
Green
BuddhaJoe
Budgie
OsloDutch
Tim'n Lauderdale
Annthony
Nathan
Jsea

Jekyll
TimAgg
WhiteStar
VanGogh
GazHants
Sympatico
Steeplchase
MagicPipe
Sread

Frank Prudent
Fairsky
Galaxy
RobHolland
RD77
R.feibig
Globaliser
Gundham X
Reeves35

Desirod7
Mike SA
JetWet1
NYCruiser
CunardFan
Maasdam
Pascal
Tom Burke
VDK

The first round in 2001

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=0028 05

Second round in 2002

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=1&t=0038 06

Third round in 2005

http://www.travelserver.net/travelpage/ubb-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=10&t=00 0652

[ 07-09-2008: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

Also I will not sit at a table that has no women. Reminds me too much of an english boarding school.

I take it my tickets are in the post?

quote:

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Originally posted by Brian_O:
How come you have me sitting at two tables? Do I have to altenate?

Also I will not sit at a table that has no women. Reminds me too much of an english boarding school.

Brian

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You are right Brian, late at night when posted. Just edited and solved the problem. Issue, not a whole lot of women cruisetalkers; not enough to go around

Take it as a compliment that you are compatible at many tables

[ 07-10-2008: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Grant:
In the past I have been frightened to near death by table mates, bored out of my mind with endless chat on topics of no interest, and even soaked with a glass of thrown water!!

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quote:

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Originally posted by Grant:
.. and even soaked with a glass of thrown water!!

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What happened? Do tell

I understand your sentiments

recall

thread: Tablemates from Hell

Canberra 1973: we were in the childrens section of the dining room. Table next to us had 2 extremely bratty 4 year olds: Screaming Jordan and Ravioli. Ravioli was a kid who would only eat his namesake at every meal. He would scream and cry at the top of his lungs: I WANT RAVIOLI! until the waiter brought it. Screaming Jordan was George Costanza as a 3 year old:
whining, screaming, crying at everything. One day my kid sister was mis-behaving: I said "Suzy, your manners are almost as bad as Jordan's. Jordan's father shot me a dirty look.

Rembrandt and the Pacific Princess, QM2 I lucked out. All the others always had an 8 ball.

Pacific Princess

My dinner tablemates were a brother and sister and their spouses in their 50's from Long Island plus an elderly British woman. One was like the Allen Melvin-Barney Hefner character from All in the Family, but is quite intelligent and people savvy. He has a Joe Pesce sense of humor, looks like the skipper [Alan Hale Jr.] from Gilligan's Island, and a voice like Rodney Dangerfield. The British woman whom got nicknamed Mumsy had a double dry British humor ala Are You Being Served. The two playing off each other kept me in stitches. The 2 couples took the British woman and myself in under their wing. I truly enjoyed them.

Mumsy: Due to hoof and mouth disease, France will not buy British beef, so I will not eat anything French!

Tablemates from Heaven on QM2:

We more than lucked out with our tablemates. Our table had a mother and daughter who are upper crust New Yorkers, plus 3 Golden Girls from Oklahoma City. They were mis-assigned to our table, but that one night were very cordial. Everyone was painfully polite. Later in the cruise, partner and I had afternoon tea with them; no hostility or resentment. There were 2 male couples who did not get along with their India Indian tablemates and had the Maitre D’ re-assign them. The MD said “I know just the table for you with 2 guys, and a mother daughter couple.” The 8 of us bonded instantly. We cancelled our alternative dining to be with them, and every night changed seats to sit next to another person. Email list was distributed and we are planning a reunion in New York.

Since the SSNorway cruise I always eat 2nd sitting and have less of a problem.
2 cruises since have been with a gay/lesbian charter group and we have our own section of the dining room. The advantage is that it screened out the 'ugly American-EuroTrash' type.

Oceania with open seating, if alone I would join a table for 8 instead of dining alone, each time
I had a blast.

Summit: We were with a partial ship gay charter. Our best friends on the cruise were a hetero family with 2 teenage girls. At breakfast on deck we had a prime table. They asked to join us, we said yes, had breakfast a few more times. It turns out they live a mile from us, and we have gotten together several times since.

I could not guess the proportion of cruise passengers who frequent or participate in cruise message boards.

Joe@travelpage, would you happen to know?

[ 07-11-2008: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

quote:

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Originally posted by desirod7:
Joe@travelpage, would you happen to know?

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My choice of ships is as follows -

1st Choice would be the P & O Oriana !

2nd Choice would either the Classic International Cruises ship Princess Danae or the Princess Daphne.

By going for the older ships we get a better idea of who really likes to travel on the classic ships.

Last month I had an extended weekend cruise on the Dutch canals

The hull of the boat is over 100 years old !

The accommodation areas were re-built about 40 years ago.

[ 07-18-2008: Message edited by: Grant ]

quote:

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Originally posted by Grant:
Pam: Aboard QE2, in the first class dining room, a Texan fellow shoved his tableware aside (glasses/china/silverware), and converted the ship's length in feet into American football fields, on the white linen table cloth with a pen! Several others suggested that doing so was not in good form, causing him to glare at everyone. When the Maitre'd placed a pad of note paper upon the table and suggested that it would be more appropriate, he stood up, grabbed his wife Dolly and started to stomp out. However, he glanced back and returned to the table, thrust a twenty dollar bill at the Maitre'd telling him to buy a new table cloth, and then snatched both his and his wife's glasses of water and tossed them-one to each end of the oval table of twelve. He scored a direct hit on me!!

[ 07-18-2008: Message edited by: Grant ]

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Which is why a class system does not work anymore.

PS: Our tablemates on the Galaxy were excellent! Two retired man-woman couples with kids our age, but kids not on the cruise.

quote:

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Originally posted by VanGogh (Tom...):
Where am i!!! *cries*

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Looks like you got to sit with the Captain and other ships crew !

quote:

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Originally posted by VanGogh (Tom...):
wouldn't be the first time...

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Miss the old bunch. It was the year before Facebook took over everything.