Can you sit with anyone with Freestyle dining?

[pampaul]

Our 1st cruise was on the Dawn (DH, me and our 2 boys). Each night we went to the dining room for dinner and sat at a table just for the four of us.

 

Our 2nd cruise was actually with Disney Magic. It was the four of us along with friends of ours (family of 3). Each night we would all sit together, nobody else.

 

Our 3rd cruise was on RC Monarch of the Seas. (just the four of us again) We decided not to use the dining rooms at all (did buffet each night)

 

Here's my question....in July we'll be sailing on the Jewel with SIL's family of 3. I'm sure we'll all sit together during dinner, but with Freestyle...will they ever sit us with any other people? I always hear stories of people meeting some great people when they get seated with each other during dinner. We've never had the experience to do that yet and I'm wondering if there's a chance of that happening when we go. I'm sure I'm running the off chance that we'll meet some people we don't click with but I'd like to take that chance. LOL

[Micchi]

You can request to be seated with others if you like :) You can also request to be seated by yourselves. They'll accommodate you, no matter which you prefer on a given night.

[Traveller20074]

I must be weird LOL I travel with friends, and have no interest in meeting a group of other people at a dining room table :o I am cruising for the scenery and all the activities with my friends. Am I anti-social? *shrug* :o That's why I love freestyle cruising...not forced to sit with a certain group of people :o

[JohnIreland]

You can always have a seat on your own , or with other people.

 

With freestyle it's 100% your choice.

[Micchi]

I must be weird LOL I travel with friends, and have no interest in meeting a group of other people at a dining room table :o I am cruising for the scenery and all the activities with my friends. Am I anti-social? *shrug* :o That's why I love freestyle cruising...not forced to sit with a certain group of people :o

 

Not weird at all, unless we're weird as well! We like to be seated by ourselves.

[njhorseman]

Our 1st cruise was on the Dawn (DH, me and our 2 boys). Each night we went to the dining room for dinner and sat at a table just for the four of us.

 

Our 2nd cruise was actually with Disney Magic. It was the four of us along with friends of ours (family of 3). Each night we would all sit together, nobody else.

 

Our 3rd cruise was on RC Monarch of the Seas. (just the four of us again) We decided not to use the dining rooms at all (did buffet each night)

 

Here's my question....in July we'll be sailing on the Jewel with SIL's family of 3. I'm sure we'll all sit together during dinner, but with Freestyle...will they ever sit us with any other people? I always hear stories of people meeting some great people when they get seated with each other during dinner. We've never had the experience to do that yet and I'm wondering if there's a chance of that happening when we go. I'm sure I'm running the off chance that we'll meet some people we don't click with but I'd like to take that chance. LOL

 

Tell the hostess at the dining room door that you would like to share a table if possible. If there is another party who wants to share, they will seat you at the same table. It is possible there won't be anyone else waiting to be seated or who has just been seated that wants to share. Also, becasuse of the size of your group...seven if I figured it correctly, you would have to be seated at a very large table in order to share it with others, and often the large tables are already reserved by large groups.

[GORDONCHICK]

It's not as common on NCL to be seated with others not in your party, but you can certainly ask. Another option would be getting involved in your sailing's roll call. Get to know people there before you cruise and you can plan to dine together while on board if you wish.

[lovemygirls]

I cruised on the Dawn before and it was just 4 of us, sometimes only 2 depending on if the kids ate with us. We always just sat by ourselves. We are planning a cruise again. It may be the Dawn again. This time there will be 10 of us. Is that going to be hard to all be seated together? I loved free style before and never had a problem getting a table but there was only 4 of us. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

Thanks

Kristin

[Tapbuster]

Hi, we have just completed our first cruise on the Sun, what a great experience. Yes , you can request to share your table , its a great way to make new friends, we even ended up ,doing shore trips with some of our new acquaintances.

 

 

 

 

 

Our 1st cruise was on the Dawn (DH, me and our 2 boys). Each night we went to the dining room for dinner and sat at a table just for the four of us.

 

Our 2nd cruise was actually with Disney Magic. It was the four of us along with friends of ours (family of 3). Each night we would all sit together, nobody else.

 

Our 3rd cruise was on RC Monarch of the Seas. (just the four of us again) We decided not to use the dining rooms at all (did buffet each night)

 

Here's my question....in July we'll be sailing on the Jewel with SIL's family of 3. I'm sure we'll all sit together during dinner, but with Freestyle...will they ever sit us with any other people? I always hear stories of people meeting some great people when they get seated with each other during dinner. We've never had the experience to do that yet and I'm wondering if there's a chance of that happening when we go. I'm sure I'm running the off chance that we'll meet some people we don't click with but I'd like to take that chance. LOL

[debnjoe1438]

You can always have a seat on your own , or with other people.

 

With freestyle it's 100% your choice.

 

Yeppers, 100% your choice.:D You just tell them at the door how many in your party and if you want to share a table with others.

[terrymtex01]

OP I applaud you for wanting to meet people that way and I think it is great. I am sorry if I misunderstood this part, and I must have as no one else has commented on it, but I don't think you will have much success seating your part of 7 with any other guest. I wasn't for sure if you meant it that way or not. If it is just the four of you (your "core family") you might not have as much success that way either since the tables are pretty much set up for 2 or 4. They might would seat you at a table of six or eight and then bring others to the table when asked by someone else to sit with others.

 

When you do plan on eating with your entire family, be sure and go by and speak to the people at the reception desk at the MDR so they can make a reservation for you. My understanding is they would rather have a reservation for groups of six or more. Not required to by any means.. but maybe the best way to do it to keep you from waiting longer periods of time.

 

I cruised on the Dawn before and it was just 4 of us, sometimes only 2 depending on if the kids ate with us. We always just sat by ourselves. We are planning a cruise again. It may be the Dawn again. This time there will be 10 of us. Is that going to be hard to all be seated together? I loved free style before and never had a problem getting a table but there was only 4 of us. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

Thanks

Kristin

 

 

Kristen, that should be no problem. I have seen groups that large or maybe even larger.. they just put more tables together.. 8-)

 

I would HIGHLY recommend for a group of 10 that you make reservations. The only issue you might have is unless I am very mistaken, you have to make the reservation for the same time for every night of the cruise. Again I maybe wrong about that and maybe thinking of something else.. but that is what I remember reading.

[alwayssingin]

On our last Dawn cruise (9-day/December) we were never asked if we wanted to share a table. However, the tables were so close together most of the time it seemed like we were!

[lovemygirls]

Thanks Terry. :)

[Wingtips56]

We loved the freedom of choice on NCL. We've enjoyed meeting great people on cruises, and for the most part have been very lucky to be assigned with good people on the fixed-seating cruises. That's tricky, because not everybody warms up to a gay couple, and I prefer not to be around kids. But we've done very well. We've missed people when we got home.

 

On NCL, we were always offered the choice and we alternated between joining others or dining alone when we felt more like that. It was great not being committed one way or the other for the whole cruise, especially on a long cruise. The good thing is that when you ask to join others, you are seated with others who also asked for company, so there is no sense of intruding, or being completely ignored by table mates.

[numberguy]

On our last Dawn cruise (9-day/December) we were never asked if we wanted to share a table. However, the tables were so close together most of the time it seemed like we were!

 

Interesting; on our 2008 TA, we were asked every night if we wanted to share. When we said no, there was no problem, but there were always offers to share.

 

--Michael

[terrymtex01]

Interesting; on our 2008 TA, we were asked every night if we wanted to share. When we said no, there was no problem, but there were always offers to share.

 

--Michael

 

Michael.. I am not for sure what prompts them to ask when they ask.. but I have to say that as far as I can remember we have never been asked either. If we have, it hasn't been more than once .. but I honestly do not remember ever being asked. Maybe it was because we usually dine early or late to avoid the crowds and maybe when it isn't as crowded they don't ask up front.. I'm not for sure. But I am for sure that we have never, or almost never, been asked.

[thespiritmovesme]

My DH & I often ask / offer to share as we do enjoy dining with others.

The great thing about NCL is that it does not always have to be the same

"others" as it does on ships with assigned seating.

On one cruise we did, our favorite experience was one we decided to

do @ the last minute because someone @ dinner told us how great a

day they had on the same excursion. We would not have done it had

we not talked to others.

We can also have our quiet, romantic dinner if we choose.

[NMLady]

On our last Dawn cruise (9-day/December) we were never asked if we wanted to share a table.

 

That has been our biggest complaint on our last 3 NCL cruises, that the host/hostess doesn't ask if people want to share a table. I think more people would say Yes if asked. We always ask to share a table but too many times end up alone simply because no one else thinks to ask.

We've found many passengers who've said they'd like to share but don't know how to get a shared table. They didn't know that all they had to do was ask at the door for a shared table. I wish the host/hostess would ask.

[luddite]

I have been trying (for years) to sit with Raquel Welch and Samantha Brown. So far it hasn't worked out. Apparently you cannot sit with anyone you want with Freestyle Dining.

Shame on NCL for misleading me.:)

[Beachbum1944]

So, say we want to share a table. If we are seated by ourselves and 20 minutes later someone comes in and says they would like to share a table, are they then brought over in the middle of our dinner?:confused:

[lucky 69]

It's not as common on NCL to be seated with others not in your party, but you can certainly ask. Another option would be getting involved in your sailing's roll call. Get to know people there before you cruise and you can plan to dine together while on board if you wish.

Thats what I did cant wait to meet you Jan and Mark were going to have a blast.... Ray

[mtwingcpa]

I am not for sure what prompts them to ask when they ask.. but I have to say that as far as I can remember we have never been asked either.

 

Having spent over 50 nights aboard NCL ships, I've only been asked 3 or 4 times that I can recall, and those were all in cases where the dining room was relatively crowded. But I suppose the exact procedure varies from time to time and from ship to ship. When asked, I've always indicated a preference for a table by myself, and I've always been accommodated.

[scrinchy]

So, say we want to share a table. If we are seated by ourselves and 20 minutes later someone comes in and says they would like to share a table, are they then brought over in the middle of our dinner?:confused:

We have said yes several times to sharing a table. If the wait is too long they will serve you alone, but they usually seat others within the time it takes to get a drink. We have only had one bad experince and that involved a couple discussing politics. Not a good thing to do when meeting new people.

[NMLady]

So, say we want to share a table. If we are seated by ourselves and 20 minutes later someone comes in and says they would like to share a table, are they then brought over in the middle of our dinner?:confused:

 

No. Once the orders are taken, no one else is seated at your table, unless they are part of the folks already seated.

[alwayssingin]

Interesting; on our 2008 TA, we were asked every night if we wanted to share. When we said no, there was no problem, but there were always offers to share.

 

--Michael

We thought it was odd, too, as we had always been asked on our other NCL cruises. We always sat with others, too, but, like I said, on this last cruise the tables were so close together it really didn't matter. I guess it might make a difference for parties of more than two.