Cruise Dining Room Suggestions

squinner

Hi gang! I'm working on a dining room plan for next year to hopefully make finding a seat in the dining room a little less uncomfortable for shy or new people. I need your input!
Did you have any trouble finding a seat? Did you have trouble making conversation? Did you totally give up and go to The Windjammer? (I did both years!) Would you have been interested in a pre-cruise dinner near the JoCotel?
Veteran monkeys, would you be willing to grab a newbie if they were waiting in one spot near the dining room?
Have any ideas? Comment or feel free to message me here or email me at [email protected] if you want to keep it private.
Also let me know if you want to help!

villicious

As a veteran monkey, any time somebody was wandering by looking lost/hopeful and we had room available at our table, we said, "Hey, would you like to join us?"

arenson9

How many friendships formed on JoCo1 because of the assigned seating on the first night? Might be worth having assigned seating for the first night of future cruises.

villicious

On the first night of JoCo1, I was at a table of (all?) the Sea Monkeys who were traveling alone in solo cabins. There were a lot of awesome monkeys there! But I wound up being much closer to people I'd met in the lobby of the hotel before even going to the ship. (I went on the first cruise alone, and I don't think there was *anyone* on board I knew beforehand. There was definitely not anyone on board I knew well.) So, YMMV.

Also, I actually had a harder time finding a place to sit in the Windjammer several times this year than in the main dining room.

Every veteran monkey I know tries to fill empty seats at their table with folks walking by ... the trick is that at this point a lot of us also know one another and want to spend time together during our cruise. Every time Patrick and I were the first ones to sit down after making arrangements to eat with specific friends, we had to tell what felt like an endless number of people, "We're so sorry, but people are joining us." It's clear that 1. it sucks to hear that over and over, and 2. that there are people who seem to take it as a personal slight, even though it's not ... it's just that people are honoring commitments they already made to others.

I think it might be VASTLY helpful to have some kind of easy-to-see
placard with a number of seats free at the table, sort of similar to at a
convention where, when they're trying to fill up a ballroom, people
hold up their fingers to indicate how many vacant seats are next to
them. It would require some logistical finagling, but what if, for example, the JoCo open seating table card was laminated, with a big space on which you could write a number, and tables had a wipe-off marker so folks could note how many open seats were at the table?

squinner

Those are some great suggestions, guys! Thank you!

origamislayer

Maybe ask people at morning announcements to sit near the back if they have a full table/plans so that the tables out front have more open spots for new monkeys?

villicious

If I recall correctly, a lot of the biggest tables are toward the front, which makes move-to-the-back tricky.

arenson9

Sitting at the back is mildly problematic when you're meeting up with others. They sometimes end up walking all over the dining room to find you.

snail_rampant

Solo traveller - never had a problem finding people to dine with - very welcoming people!

stitchinthyme

I loved the "Open Seat(s)" signs, but my big problem with them was that I kept forgetting to grab some and take them with me to dinner. Since they already have placards for the JoCo tables, maybe we could get the Home Office to print them double-sided, with an "Open Seat(s)" sign on one side and a "Sorry, table full" on the other. Then the people at the table could just turn the appropriate side facing out.

chetman

"Might be worth having assigned seating for the first night of future cruises."

Please no.

Sparky1961

Sorry Chet. I actually like the idea of first night being assigned seating to give a way to meet more people. At times I had some awkwardness and a few oh sorry we are expecting someone when I went to open table. I'd love to hear suggestions on how to make this easier for people like me who find it a little intimidating sometimes.

villicious

There have been so, so many suggestions already, in various threads on this forum and on Facebook. To round up the ones I remember:

1. Folks who are anxious about finding seats can request fixed seating for the duration of the cruise.
2. There could be a designated waiting spot for people who need seats, and Helper Monkeys could help find them.
3. The "JoCo Open Seating" table tents could be reversible, to indicate whether the table itself has available seats or not, or
4. The "JoCo Open Seating" table tents could have a space to indicate how many seats are open, and each table could get a wipe-off marker along with the tent to note how many seats.
5. etc.

Options that Sea Monkeys have come up with themselves and put in the game room have generally not been widely used, so it seems like it would reach most people if it were already at every table or announced in an official venue.

I'm also not a fan of the idea of having assigned seating on the first night. At this point, I have so many people I only get to see on the cruise (and will not get to see on JCC6 since I can't attend) that sitting down to dinner at some point with all of them is a huge challenge. If we had main dining room assigned seating on night one, I'd probably be inclined to grab some of those friends and eat in the Windjammer instead.

I'm not opposed to meeting new people, and as I've said elsewhere, we *always* try to flag down people who look lost or anxious to fill our open seats. But the cruise has become a reunion of little-seen friends for a lot of people, so I imagine a hefty portion would really balk at the idea of being assigned to specific seats on the first night.

stevendj

Perhaps on the first night we could encourage each group to leave two open seats at their table for first-time monkeys. So, for example, if there are four people in your group, instead of claiming a four-seat table you would find a six-seat table.

I personally am always happy to have people I don't know yet at my table, but I also want to dine with at least one person I already do know as well.

paulandstorm

@villicious and everyone: we'll be looking into ways to deal with this issue. While none of the following is "officially official" (since we haven't discussed it amongst the management), as the guy more or less in charge of the dining room and seat assignments, I will say the following:

• Assigned seats on the first night is extremely unlikely. We encourage mingling, meeting new people and making friends; but forcing it on everyone seems excessive to me.
• My own personal preference is the lowest-fi, simplest suggestion made so far: holding up fingers to indicate open seats. While maybe a little "elementary school-ish," and potentially making a person's arm kinda tired, it has the advantage of being visible from the furthest distance, it's clear at the same distance how many seats are available, and has the fewest "moving parts" (no pens or additional signs/tents to lose/run out of, no having to wipe off/rewrite numbers as the table fills, etc.).

As I say, that's all just IMHO, and if others have other preferences, feel free to chime in with them.

P.

Sparky1961

Yeah I can understand no assigned seating. I wish there was a simple way to do this. Maybe out Principal's idea would work (apt for the principal to call it elementary school like ;-). In theory? Yeah. In practice?? I know some people look for Wandering Monkeys and I'm glad for it but I'm guessing that's it's not always easy to spot such a Monkey in a busy dining room any more than it is easy to tell what table really has space or they are saved. It isn't an awful terrible problem but there have been nights 2-3 tables were taken. I've enjoyed who I met though when I do find a table. And if that's the worst thing that happens to me at a fun cruise I've not got that much to complain about!!

gingerblivet

Speaking as a future first-timer, any and all of this will be extremely helpful, and not at all reminiscent of school cafeterias. I personally would appreciate some kind of signal other than [terrified facial expression] to indicate whether or not a newbie is seeking friendly faces, like a specific bracelet or something, but that could just be me. 

stevendj

Hmm, that's an interesting suggestion. Maybe put a FIRST CRUISE button in the swag bag for new Sea Monkeys? I know if I saw someone walking through the dining room who was obviously a first-timer, I'd be inclined to say, "Hi! Want to join our table?"

Angelastic

Disney World has huge FIRST VISIT buttons, so I guess we could too. It would be up to the newcomers to decide whether they wanted to wear them. Although, finding tables is not necessarily specific to newcomers, so maybe we need some kind of 'INCLUDE ME; I'M SHY!' button (probably not those exact words! Maybe 'VAMPIRE: INVITATION NEEDED!' to signify that they want to be invited to tables, games, etc. because they don't feel comfortable going around asking to join), which would do the same thing that I think @chicazul's 'Hi!' buttons were meant to do, but more visibly (if they're as big as the Disney ones) and (if they're explained at orientation and/or in the Sea Monkey newsletter) understandably.

origamislayer

Building the swag bags is way too nuts to add an item for only some people, but a bowl of First Cruise badges at Information isn't a bad idea.

Angelastic

Yeah, I was actually thinking of having a bowl of them rather than having them in swag bags; I just forgot to say it.

BrettGlass

Now that there have been 5 cruises, some of the veterans have, alas, become somewhat clique-ish. This was noticeable even on JCCC3, when I went solo and set myself the challenge of eating with different people every evening. Certain groups just had their tables, and while they were not officially fixed seating there was no room or desire for newcomers there. That's their right, of course, but it didn't communicate a very warm or friendly vibe.

I did find interesting Sea Monkeys to eat with each night, except for the one when I and a few other folks escaped the bustle of the dining room to enjoy an amazing Indian dinner up in the Windjammer. (Hint: they seemed to pick the "at sea" days to do their best cooking.) But it sometimes took two or three circuits of the dining area to find a welcoming group with an available seat. Some form of strongly suggested (not mandatory) mixing with new faces is therefore a very good idea.

Fizzgig

I always found a smiling face when I went looking for one on JCCC4.   I'm dragging a good friend/coworker with me on JCCC6, so we'll be looking for friends and a table.  Bonus points if you're into Scouting!

Fizzgig

Oh, and just to make you laugh, said coworker signed up on the basis of my description of JCCC4's toddler moshpit. Absolutely the BEST part of JCCC4 for me--thank you various parents and their cuties!

mikesphar

I for one vote for "[terrified facial expression]" as the official signal for "Please join us at our table!"

Sparky1961

I'm wondering if it might help for the Table Seeker Monkeys to raise their hands and have that announced that's the signal. Might work easier than having table do it. Or perhaps both. That would be Really easy and easy for those tables looking for joiners to see.

Angelastic

I can imagine (on land, anyway, not on the cruise because cruiseship is magic) being kind of self-conscious wandering around with my hand up looking for a table; it might be even worse than looking for a table without my hand up.

stevendj

Maybe buttons that say LOOKING FOR TABLE in every swag bag? People who have space at their tables can flag down people with the buttons, or groups of people wearing the buttons can find each other before the dining room doors open and self-organize.

paulandstorm

@Angelastic Indeed; this is yet another reason why, to me, my suggestion above (people at tables with open seats and seeking others hold up fingers reflecting number of open seats) seems the simplest, easiest, and most effective solution.

The people seeking seats can immediately see, right when entering the room, which tables have open seats and how many seats are available there; and they don't have to wander the dining room with their own hands up, in a "Diogenes seeking an honest man"-like pilgrimage.

Which is not to say that something like @stevendj's plan couldn't work in addition.

Throwing in more $.02,

P.

tikva

I'll probably make a button for the occasion that says "I can't see your face or read your name tag; please introduce yourself." Which will still be true even if I've just met you the day before. The "fingers up" thing won't work on me, but it will on my SO (that sounds wrong), so I'll let him negotiate the newbie-go-round for both of us.

Oboewan

The issue I see with buttons is a visibility one.   It's almost the same with the table tags.   Until one starts wandering around the dining room aimlessly and actually approach tables, the "seated" sea monkeys will have a hard time seeing buttons people are wearing and vice versa.   This is why I subscribe to the "hold up hand with numbers" method as being both the simplest and most visible way to go about things.   I advocate this in the game room as well- hold up the game box cover and fingers indicated players wanted/needed/available.   Unfortunately, I won't be around for next year's cruise (but PLAN on being there for 2017)......

Chaosdreamer

My only suggestion is to put the tables with assigned seating more in the back/around the edges.

stevendj

An advantage of the buttons is you don't have to wait for the dining room to be open. If I'm waiting outside the dining room with a couple of friends and I see someone with a LOOKING FOR TABLE button, I can approach them and ask, "Would you like to  join our group?" Or half a dozen people wearing buttons can grab on to each other and get a table together.

Oboewan

Oooh!   Great point Steven!     So maybe a combination of the buttons (for external dining room gathering) and then fingers held up within the dining room?

Angelastic

Maybe sea monkey Lar DeSouza could design us a Looking For Group button and then also sell it on his own website.

Tkael

I like the simple idea of holding up a number of fingers for the number of open seats. "Looking for Group" buttons would be a nice generic addition to the swag bags - I'd imagine that they'd come in handy in a number of the different on-board events. 

Table tents are nice, but unfortunately not always very visible from a distance...

squinner

These are great ideas! I think holding up fingers would be the easiest idea, maybe even standing if you seem someone close by wandering around. 

SqwertL

Hey, newbie here, kinda like idea of assigned seating for we noobs. Maybe just make it voluntary, like with an online sign-up sheet? Also, how about noobs wear joco/etc shirt so we "know" each other? Also, what's the deal w the hotel night before?

Sandrylene

As best as I can relate, the deal with night before hotel:

- It's a good idea for anyone flying in (particularly from snow-prone states, or from long distances like other countries) to get in the day before, because we've had times we've really needed the flex window of about 24 hours for delays (like blizzards, or just general hazards of air travel).

- Because it's the smart move and a lot of monkeys do it, we generally end up with a lot of folks having time to kill all in the same place at one of the recommended hotels. Hijinks ensue!

In prior years, folks have been able to even set up a game room in the hotel so that people who bring board games, card games, etc, can get together in the hotel and have a pre-cruise game room.

For new folks, particularly if you are likely to feel intimidated by trying to meet all the seamonkeys at once at the first official event on board, this can be a great way to meet people in a smaller subset, and either grab a drink with them at the hotel bar, or play a game with them, or just chat in the lobby, whatever floats your (as-yet-not-present) boat.

countzane

sounds like I should book that JoCoTel....I'm a bit nervous but really looking forward to this at the same time. I figure this would be a good way to get my toes wet

SavagePuffin

I love the idea of "Looking for Group" buttons - but then I'd love to see those used for seating, and in the game room for tabletop gaming, and really usable at any function too. Sometimes when I went to things I just wanted to hang out with my husband, and other times I wanted to meet other monkeys - so the uses for those buttons wouldn't necessary be restricted to just dinner.

PuyallupMuggle

I'm voting for the button idea. I usually need someone more outgoing to lure me in. I vote for "JoCo Virgin" but maybe that's too risque? "Noob"? Having a bowl of them at the information table would be best I think. I definitely see how they could be useful in the game room as well as the dining rooms.