Anyone else prefer to dine solo?

[Look2Sea]

I am thinking that I might prefer to dine solo.

Anyone else feel the same?

[ATL2LAS]

Once Carnival rolls your time dining out to all its ships that is what I plan on doing

[AmoMondo]

U have done many times (usually because no other solo English speaking passengers on my seating). It really doesn't bother me at all and I usually get better service from the waiter. They seem to feel the need to make up for my lack of company by making a fuss of me!

 

However if I'm being completely honest, at dinner I'd prefer to share a table (a large one) so that yo have the chance to talk to some people over dinner. Don't mind taking the rest of my meals alone.

[FlorenceItaly]

In the dining room, I prefer to share a table. However, for casual evening dining in the lido(or whatever the ship calls it), I have no problem at all, dining alone.

 

 

 

 

 

Marie

[Lois R]

I am thinking that I might prefer to dine solo.

Anyone else feel the same?

 

Depends on what meal you are talking about.

Dinner? I love a large table:DI enjoy meeting my tablemates

each night and discussing the day event's, whatever they might

be, getting to know each other, etc..etc:) so, no I do not prefer

to dine solo for dinner.

 

Breakfast and Lunch? Doesn't matter one way or the other~

sometimes I do the dining room and sometimes I do the buffet;)

[Yorkies Rule]

I am always interested in your replies as I know you cruise solo and love it. I, on the other hand, will be cruising solo for the first time next month and I'm worried sick about it. (My husband and I have been on many cruises but he is not well enough now to travel.)

 

I have requested a large table for dinner and planned on eating alone or not, in the DR or not, for breakfast and lunch. Will continue to read your posts and I'm sure if I follow your suggestions, will have a great cruise. And I thank you for that! :)

[Lois R]

I am always interested in your replies as I know you cruise solo and love it. I, on the other hand, will be cruising solo for the first time next month and I'm worried sick about it. (My husband and I have been on many cruises but he is not well enough now to travel.)

 

I have requested a large table for dinner and planned on eating alone or not, in the DR or not, for breakfast and lunch. Will continue to read your posts and I'm sure if I follow your suggestions, will have a great cruise. And I thank you for that! :)

 

Hi Yorkies, thanks for the kind words:) and one thing I will say,

I realize I cannot tell a person how to feel or not feel about

something but I will also say, "Try not" to worry yourself sick

please!

Try to think of it as an adventure~maybe that will calm your

nerves a bit.:)

What cruise are you going on? And if I can help at all, just let me

know:)

Oh, you have cruised before though, so that should help somewhat. You know

how things take place and stuff..so you are ahead of the game!

[Yorkies Rule]

Yes, Lois cruising is the only way I would travel - alone or otherwise LOL. I'm completely addicted as we all are on these Boards, I'm sure.

 

I will be on the Mariner to Mexico and chose that particular cruise because of the west coast departure and also because we did take the Navigator out of Fla. a few years ago and absolutely loved the ship. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to see they were sending the Mariner over this way!

 

I'm sure I will meet some wonderful people (and if I don't that's ok too) as I like to sit on the balcony or promenade deck and read or just watch the sea go by. I will talk to people, (and this is my main concern) hopefully not cry the whole time because right now all I have to do is go on RC web site to check things out and I start to feel teary-eyed because of guilt. That I am cruising and my husband is not. :( I am working on it though and as I said in my last post, your advice/suggestions are great therapy for me.

[Purrfect]

I love dining alone. But, even though I was alone on my Alaska cruise at a table for two alone, people still felt the need to try to invite me to their tables! I politely declined saying that I like eating alone and they couldn't understand why.

 

I even had an 80ish year old lady come up to my table, touch my shoulder and tell me that I'm "such a good girl for being able to sit quietly and eat all on my own!". I'm young but I'm not 3. I just said "thank you" because of her age.

 

I like my quiet times.

[tiyana4]

Having experienced this on a recent cruise to Alaska, I never want to involuntarily spend dinner at a table for 8 alone again. As a single parent, I generally eat with DD but she was enjoying activities with friends in the Teen Club. There were other couples assigned to our table - none of which showed up this particular evening. If I plan to spend dinner alone, that's one thing, but when I enjoy the company of others and expect them to be there, it was uncomfortable to say the very least.

 

It will be back to Anytime Dining for me.

[yellowbird23]

I am thinking that I might prefer to dine solo.

Anyone else feel the same?

Yes, as a matter of fact I do like to dine solo. I eat at home alone a lot because my DH travels with his job. The main reason I love dining solo is that I don't have 4 sets of (dog's) eyes staring up and begging while I eat. Complete solace.

[Look2Sea]

I love to travel solo, and prefer it.

The only aspect of traveling solo that is somewhat worrisome is seating at dinner on cruises and on organized vacation tours.

 

Although I enjoy dining solo, I will look around to see if I am the only one dining solo, and will wonder if other people notice it too.

Gotta get over that.

 

I enjoy the company of others at meals but I don't want to infringe on people who want bonding time with their party.

It is great if I meet people and mutually agree to dine together, or if I am invited to join others at their table.

 

Most of the time people love to have others at their table.

On the last night of a 9 night land vacation tour, our tour guide asked if any of the couples wanted a table for 2.

All at once they all said "no", that they needed people, and had had enough time alone with their spouse/travel companion.

Everyone in our group wanted to eat all together at large tables.

[airlink diva]

I normally cruise solo and don't prefer to eat alone.

Eating in the dining room with a large table is one of my fave things about cruising. With the exception of one person years ago, I've enjoyed my tablemates. I've met World War II vets, ranchers,researchers, business leaders, bridge players,etc. Each of these people have enriched me on my journeys.

The only time that I've eaten alone on my cruises was either at one of the specialty restaurant or when my tablemates decided to eat in the Lido due to a long port day (this happen on my last cruise, we were in Nassau all day and my tablemates were tired from being out all day).

I know that some people like to eat alone and reflect on the day,but for dinner I prefer to eat with others.

For lunch, it really depends on how I feel after being in port. But if someone comes up and want to sit with me, I won't refuse them.

[mtwingcpa]

I am thinking that I might prefer to dine solo.

Anyone else feel the same?

 

Yes, absolutely.

[crusinpsychRN]

I prefer to eat with others, especially other solos. I'll never go to the DR on time again, give it about 10 minutes because I sat alone at a table for 10 for at least 10 minutes and found it uncomfortable.

[kek123]

I travel a fair amount for work and am almost always alone so dining solo does not bother me one bit. Would I enjoy having a friendly group to dine with on a cruise, absolutely if one can find it. I have not had great luck with the "large tables" although many people do and very much enjoy it.

 

Actually had a couple times when people were over the top rude about "having to share" with a "solo woman". It's funny now, but at the time I really just wanted to sink into the carpet and disappear. Since then, pretty much stick with solo, at least I consistently enjoy my own company!

[jpg1747]

I prefer company and conversation in the dining room. At the buffet-type venues, I'm perfectly happy to sit alone and read my book while I eat.

[vacation luvver]

I always thought that I wouldn't mind dining solo on a cruise (because I had traveled to Europe twelve or thirteen times as a solo and had gone on about fifteen cruises as a solo who was always seated with strangers) until it actually happened. I sailed as a solo on the Norwegian Dawn in November of 2006, and I was treated horribly in the dining room when I was solo. When I ate with someone else, we were treated just fine. I even asked the guy with whom I shared some meals if he had noticed that he was treated badly when he ate alone, and he said yes.

 

I got tired of being asked "Where is the rest of your party?" I got tired of looking at the menu, deciding what I wanted to order, closing the menu and putting it down on the table and then taking out a book to read, only to be ignored, and then having to ask someone to hunt down the waitress. The waitress always said that she didn't realize that I went into the dining room to eat. She thought that I went into the dining room because I wanted to read, and she didn't want to disturb me. I wonder why the waitresses never seem to think that couples or groups who talk to each other before they place their orders went into the dining room because they wanted to talk.

 

And then they would take my orders and disappear, and I wouldn't get my food. Again, I would have to ask someone to hunt them down, and they always said that they completely forgot about me, but when I asked them if they also forgot about everyone else, they assured me oh no, I was the only person they forgot about.

 

While I would never again go on NCL as a solo unless I got the cruise for free, it is my favorite cruiseline when I'm with a friend. But I can't see a single advantage to eating solo as opposed to with someone else.

[threecats]

I prefer having breakfast and lunch by myself, even in the dining room, but for dinner I always ask for a medium sized table. It's just fun to talk to others about the day, the islands or whatever.

 

One time my tablemates never showed up the entire (3-night) cruise, and I could see the waiters feeling sorry for me the first night. But they realized quickly, that I was perfectly happy reading my book, and I never had better service. The following 4 nights on this B2B, I shared the same table with a group, and they were amazed at the special service I received. Never had to ask for a cup of coffee with dessert; it would just "magically" appear before they got even asked, if they wanted any. But that had probably more to do with the envelopes the waiters got after the first leg.;)

[TessM]

Other than a preference for dinner, I never really thought about breakfast or lunch.

 

Breakfast - if I eat in the dining room, I'll join a table. If I go to the buffet, I'm perfectly at ease finding an empty table and eating alone.

 

Lunch - Pretty much the same as breakfast - if dining room, I'll join a table -if buffet, I'll eat alone. Mostly though, I'll just grab a slice of pizza or burger and grab a table nearby and eat alone.

 

Dinner - my preference is late-seating with the largest table available. I don't have a problem eating alone, but for dinner, it's not my preference.

 

(I live alone so most of my meals are eaten alone. Well, except for a couple a puppy dogs that are always nearby with big puppy dog eyes glued to me until the last morsel is finished. :))

[bobbisailsolo]

Doesn't your cruise have a open seating option? Thats my favorite. I can chose to dine alone, or have company each night. Sometimes I prefer to sit with others, and sometimes I prefer to dine alone. Sometimes its nice not to have to make an effort at conversation.

[yellowbird23]

Doesn't your cruise have a open seating option? Thats my favorite. I can chose to dine alone, or have company each night. Sometimes I prefer to sit with others, and sometimes I prefer to dine alone. Sometimes its nice not to have to make an effort at conversation.

This is exactly why I love NCL. I love freestyling it. I'm not exactly one who likes the fancy dining and "yacking" throughout dinner. On NCL, I can go to the dining room and sit by myself and chill out from my day's experiences without having to be on "parade". In and out does it for me.

[jerseagal]

In 2 weeks I sail solo for the first time. I plan on winging it. If I go to the MDR for breakfast or lunch I will join a table Iif I grab a sandwich pizza or the buffet I most certainly will find a pleasant spot to sit and people watch while I eat. Reading while eating always causes spots on my clothes. LOL I am wait listed for the second seating. Hoping to be matched with other solos. Will see how the first dinner goes.

[happy trailer]

Doesn't your cruise have a open seating option? Thats my favorite. I can chose to dine alone, or have company each night. Sometimes I prefer to sit with others, and sometimes I prefer to dine alone. Sometimes its nice not to have to make an effort at conversation.

 

My feelings exactly! I just returned from the Emerald Princess, where I had my first experience with 'Anytime Dining', and I loved it. When I was in the mood for a leisurely meal with others, I asked to join a table; when I preferred to dine alone, I asked for a table for one. Ditto for lunch.

 

I always eat alone for breakfast, tho'- on my first cruise, I learned that I'm definitely not in the mood for small talk in the morning!

 

But- I never bring a book when dining alone! I love people watching, and never feel self-conscious when dining solo. Without a book, people at neighboring tables feel open to smile and exchange greetings with me, and if I'm in the mood, we share a bit of chat during the meal, too.