Lori

Does anyone know how you get to sit at the captains table? I'm sure the passengers in the penthouse suites get invited. Can you request it or is this something that is prearranged even before the cruise is underway?

hrc

last year,as American Express cardholders, we received an invite to the captain's table via an envelope under the cabin door one day.<BR>this year, as holders of the same card on the same cruise line, we got zip.<BR>I have no idea how these things are decided.

Paul Therault

<BR>Hi Lori,<BR><BR>There is no hard-and-fast rule. Every ship's Captain has his own desires. I have seen passengers chosen from the lowest inside cabins sit at his table. I know that some Captains that choose to have a couple of good looking young ladies at his table.<BR><BR>So wish you may, wish you might.<BR><BR>Paul

Bill M

I agree that there seems no rhyme or reason to any invites to captains'tables or wardroom cocktails or whatever. We once ate with the captain on the Norway after having missed the ship due to airline problems (arrangements we made thru NCL). We flew out and met the ship 3 days late, in St Maarten. Then they lost a piece of my luggage (from the dock in St M to the ship-- it didn't make the tender and instead was flown to Cozumel to meet the Norwegian Dream, I think?) We definitely felt they were trying to appease us. It was fun, but didn't really offset all the aggravation, not to mention the added expense (hotels and flights). <BR><BR>We got invited on our 3rd QE2 trip to a Wardroom party and thought we were truly ra sha sha. We were in Queens Grille, but then found that someone else from our travel group, traveling in Mauretania on his first Cunard trip was invited as well. We surmised from that that it really does appear to be a random sort of thing. <BR><BR>We also once sailed QE2 transat in a penthouse cabin, and didn't get any special invites at all, so I think that throws out that idea. Maybe they just put all the cabin numbers in a hat and pick them like a lottery!!!

Bill M

Sorry but I had one last thought:<BR><BR>Maybe you could try Hyacinth Bucket's idea and invite the Captain to one or your "candlelight suppers."

Sandra

That last comment about Hyacinth Bucket sounds like Bill & Margaret from the Ryndam South American cruise. Am I correct?

Bill M

Sandra, Sorry but know I am not the Bill you mentioned, just a "Keeping Up Appearances" watcher.<BR><BR>Bill<BR>

Lori

Thanks to all that replied. Very interesting and varied results! Maybe I should take a feather boa!!!<BR><BR>Lori

Barbara

Boy you guys have exalted ambitions. All I want from a dining room table assignment is to get away from the serving tables.

Paul Therault

<BR>And oftentimes to get away from the boring captain.<BR><BR>Paul

Lori

Good points Barbara and Paul! Traveling with hubby, brother and his wife. Requested just a table for four. Heard other posters mention that for the most part they wish they would've done the same. Sometimes you can get "stuck" with some pretty boring people. There are definitely other ways to meet intersting people aboard ship.

Paul Therault

<BR>Yes Lori you do have a good point but I have met some extremely extraordinary passengers on cruises some we keep in touch with to this day. We always choose the largest table possible and if they are "all" undesirable (fat chance) we just talk to ourselves. You do have a crutch if you travel with four. That's your inner circle. The only times we have asked to have our table changed if we find we are with no one that speaks english.<BR><BR>Paul

Bill

Does anyone know how you get to sit at the captains table?<BR><BR>I'd like to know why in the world you'd want to unless he is a personal friend of yours. Is it something to do with a misguided sense of social status?

JIM

WE JUST DID A WESTERN CARIBBEAN CRUISE ON THE RHAPSODY OF THE SEAS.DURING LUNCH ON ABOUT THE THIRD DAY A CREW MEMBER CAME TO OUR TABLE AND ASKED US IF WE WOULD LIKE TO JOIN THE CAPTAIN FOR DINNER.IT WAS TOTALLY RANDOM. JIM