Solo Cruising on NCL - How's Dinner?

[cv322]

I've just booked my 3rd solo cruise ever & I'll be on NCL. I've cruised twice before with NCL, but both of those cruises were when I was still attached ;).

 

My 2 other solo cruises were on Carnival ships, which gave me an assigned dininer time & dining room....and when I showed up for dinner, my tablemates were other solo cruisers.

 

Now I'm worried about the Freestyle aspect of the upcoming cruise. Will the maitre'd seat my alone when I show up at the dining room? :eek:

 

Does anyone have experience cruising solo with Freestyle?

 

I don't have a problem mingling otherwise (or not, as the case may be) but I really am hoping to have dinner with others. I appreciate any input.

[kitty9]

There seems to be two schools of thought on that issue. Some, myself included, were treated rather badly by the persons who seat you in the restaurant. Quite a number of solo women have said they didn't have a very good experience with NCL's dining. It's one of the many reasons why I will never cruise on NCL again.

 

You can ask to be seated with other solos, but if you get a cranky person, you might find yourself sitting alone. Be very up front with them and insist on not sitting alone, unless that's what you want.

[mtwingcpa]

Does anyone have experience cruising solo with Freestyle?

 

I prefer to dine alone and NCL has always allowed me to do so.

 

You can always ask to be seated with others, but that is dependent on others being willing to share. If dining with others is a prerequisite, then NCL might not be the right line for you.

[cherylroslyn]

I've just booked my 3rd solo cruise ever & I'll be on NCL. I've cruised twice before with NCL, but both of those cruises were when I was still attached ;).

 

My 2 other solo cruises were on Carnival ships, which gave me an assigned dininer time & dining room....and when I showed up for dinner, my tablemates were other solo cruisers.

 

Now I'm worried about the Freestyle aspect of the upcoming cruise. Will the maitre'd seat my alone when I show up at the dining room? :eek:

 

Does anyone have experience cruising solo with Freestyle?

 

I don't have a problem mingling otherwise (or not, as the case may be) but I really am hoping to have dinner with others. I appreciate any input.

The only guarantee in my opinion is by getting really involved in your roll call and making friends that you will be able to eat with from time to time. If you are going on Epic you will be fine because that ship is more geared toward solos and you will meet other solo passengers and make plans with them.... If your cruise is on any ship in the rest of the fleet you will likely have some dinners alone. I have done 4 solo on NCL.

[patseacruiser]

Since she's on the Gem it's not 'geared' to solos. That doesn't mean you won't find them. Like one of the posters said - go to your roll call and meet people. I'm sure you'll find someone to eat with and if not tell the maitre d that you don't want to eat alone. Wish I was going - I'd share meals with you.

[cv322]

Thanks for the candid replies everyone. I think I'm in for a challenge this time! I don't mind eating alone occasionally, but hope not to do so every evening. I joined the roll call on Thursday (today is Saturday) & no one has yet to respond :eek:. This is the slowest roll call for me here ever!

 

Ahhh well...it very well may be just me & my Nook for this cruise!

[Starrgazer50]

Thanks for the candid replies everyone. I think I'm in for a challenge this time! I don't mind eating alone occasionally, but hope not to do so every evening. I joined the roll call on Thursday (today is Saturday) & no one has yet to respond :eek:. This is the slowest roll call for me here ever!

 

Ahhh well...it very well may be just me & my Nook for this cruise!

There is a solo on the Roll Call for the Sept.11 cruise on the Gem who also had solo concerns. Plus, there are people that I have cruised with before who are really nice. Linda and Fred, Rob and DJ..you would have a great time with them if you were able to change your sail date. Just a thought:)..And the roll call is very active. I'll be sailing with them again on the Gem 10 day Carib. Jan 29, 2012. This will be my third time cruising with this group and some others. We always have a blast.

Edited June 26, 2011 by Karaokelady

[HowardK]

I went on the Jewel last year solo (I should have done the Epic and flown to florida instead of going because NYC was 90 minutes away, but I learned from my mistake which is fine).

 

I did okay eating at the buffet solo for 4 nights, and by the end of the cruise there were more people eating solo (probably people that wanted to do their own thing)

 

Ate at the italian restaurant 3 nights at 5:30, was only in there 45-50 minutes and treated well. In fact they would ask me if I wanted ANOTHER entree.

 

I would say I had problems more when i was NOT eating in a way.

 

If it were me, I would recommend going on the Epic with more entertainment and food options as opposed to the Gem.

[madcat444]

Hi,

 

I'm sailing on the Pearl on October 16 and am on my own. I know it's freestyle dining but not too worried about it. I sailed Eurodam last year at assigned dining and quite enjoyed eating with others so may try and ask to be seated with other guests on the Pearl some of the time.

Will probably join the roll call at some point but right now it looks like everyone knows each other/sailed together before etc so might wait till more people join in *LOL*

 

Enjoy your cruise :D

[Dancer Bob]

I was on the Epic. I found both the food and the service to be much better than I expected. But remember, "freestyle" means "don't dine with anyone you don't want to" and NCL attracts families. When the Maitre d' says "those people don't want a single with them", he's probably telling the truth.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Dancer Bob

[travelnap]

I've just booked my 3rd solo cruise ever & I'll be on NCL. I've cruised twice before with NCL, but both of those cruises were when I was still attached ;).

 

My 2 other solo cruises were on Carnival ships, which gave me an assigned dininer time & dining room....and when I showed up for dinner, my tablemates were other solo cruisers.

 

Now I'm worried about the Freestyle aspect of the upcoming cruise. Will the maitre'd seat my alone when I show up at the dining room? :eek:

 

Does anyone have experience cruising solo with Freestyle?

 

I don't have a problem mingling otherwise (or not, as the case may be) but I really am hoping to have dinner with others. I appreciate any input.

cv322

I have done 7 cruises solo on NCL and the advice above with the roll call is good, as that gives you someone you know. If that doesn't work out you can just tell the Maitre D that you would like to be seated at a table with other guests rather than seated alone, and they will usually try to do that for you. I have met a lot of nice people that way, and on some cruises I ended up with some of the same people on different nights. It seems like sometimes we are creatures of habit so we are all used to eating at a certain time so we were showing up about the same time each night. I have had few times when they didn't have any openings to join another table and ended up dining alone in the MDR. That's not that bad either as the service is much better, but it is still more enjoyable to have someone to visit with. Hope you have a great trip.

[cv322]

There is a solo on the Roll Call for the Sept.11 cruise on the Gem who also had solo concerns. Plus, there are people that I have cruised with before who are really nice. Linda and Fred, Rob and DJ..you would have a great time with them if you were able to change your sail date. Just a thought:)..And the roll call is very active. I'll be sailing with them again on the Gem 10 day Carib. Jan 29, 2012. This will be my third time cruising with this group and some others. We always have a blast.

 

Thanks Barbara, but I can't change dates! My office is moving into a different building in NYC about a block from where we are now & the move is expected to happen the week of Sept 12th lol. But thanks for the thought!

 

I actually feel better about it now, because in a subsequent conversation with my PVP, he mentioned that NCL has a single's & solo's party on the 1st night out...so people can get to know other single or solo cruisers. Perfect for me! :).

[cherylroslyn]

Thanks Barbara, but I can't change dates! My office is moving into a different building in NYC about a block from where we are now & the move is expected to happen the week of Sept 12th lol. But thanks for the thought!

 

I actually feel better about it now, because in a subsequent conversation with my PVP, he mentioned that NCL has a single's & solo's party on the 1st night out...so people can get to know other single or solo cruisers. Perfect for me! :).

uhhhh yeah about that party.....expect to be the only person there.......

 

 

I hat to be a "debbie Downer" but I want you to be prepared.....someone could come to it....but I have been to several where it was just me...or me and one other woman....but that suited my needs just fine because I was just looking to make a friend and we had lunch a couple times so it was perfect......

[HowardK]

uhhhh yeah about that party.....expect to be the only person there.......

 

 

I hat to be a "debbie Downer" but I want you to be prepared.....someone could come to it....but I have been to several where it was just me...or me and one other woman....but that suited my needs just fine because I was just looking to make a friend and we had lunch a couple times so it was perfect......

 

 

I concur- as I went to the solo/single gatherings on the Jewel and only 2 people showed up.

While I think they are a good idea to have, its a shame that more solo people didn't show up.

 

For those of you the did the Epic and other Norwegian (or even any ship for that matter), did you find that the Epic was much better for sociailizng and meeting others?

[rav4lady]

I have been on Epic 2x now, once as a solo traveler and once with a bunch of friends. I never ate alone once and it was the 11night TA cruise that I was solo on. I met wonderful people and had dinner with some of them each night...different ones different nights! The solo gathering was held each night between 5:30 and 6:30p in the studio lounge but you didn't have to be staying in a studio to go..they always had 2:1 cocktails and it was crowded each night. Lots of men and women and they made plans for group dinners and so on. As long as you are open to meeting others, you shouldn't have any problems. The family issue depends mostly on when you sail....There are fewer kids on cruises during the school year and on ones that are not port intensive.

Have fun!:D

[thescot123]

Will be doing my 5th solo cruise and can say that NCL Freestyle is not good for solo cruisers. Went on Carnival for the first time in May, and really enjoyed the MDR as I was assigned a table with another solo and two couples. Since you get the same people each night, we soon got to know each other and had a blast. NCL does not assign you a table which means that you get different people each night which can be hard. For this reason, I usually avoid the MDR and hit the buffet.

 

Last year, I did go to the MDR once on the NCL Spirit, this was with a couple that I had met at one of the shows. Also recommend that you go to the meet & greet, that way you can meet other people who you could arrange to go to dinner with. Lucky for me, the buffet is much better than what was on the Carnival Elation, so don't mind going there instead of the MDR.

[mtwingcpa]

NCL does not assign you a table which means that you get different people each night which can be hard. For this reason, I usually avoid the MDR and hit the buffet.

 

With due respect to your preferences, there is no reason why a solo traveler can't get a table alone in the MDR. I do it all the time, and NCL makes it easy.

 

If one is willing to eat alone in the buffet, then why not do likewise in the MDR or any of the specialty restaurants???

[Ramblin' Ma'am]

With due respect to your preferences, there is no reason why a solo traveler can't get a table alone in the MDR. I do it all the time, and NCL makes it easy.

 

If one is willing to eat alone in the buffet, then why not do likewise in the MDR or any of the specialty restaurants???

 

That's how I feel too--I haven't taken a solo cruise but I have taken a solo land vacation. I felt weird at first eating by myself, but I got used to it (and I brought a book). Personally, if I don't have friends or family around, I'd rather dine alone than with strangers, so if I ever do take a solo cruise I'd probably choose NCL.

Edited July 5, 2011 by Ramblin' Ma'am

[vacation luvver]

Quite a number of solo women have said they didn't have a very good experience with NCL's dining.

I'm one of them. I went on the Norwegian Dawn in November of 2006 and was treated abominably in the dining rooms. I didn't know why, because the service charge was added automatically, so they couldn't have been afraid that I would stiff them.

 

You can ask to be seated with other solos, but if you get a cranky person, you might find yourself sitting alone.[ Be very up front with them and insist on not sitting alone, unless that's what you want.

I don't really know how you can insist on not sitting alone. If other people say that they don't want to sit with you, they won't be seated with you. One day at lunchtime, I waited on the side while the hostess. at my request, asked people who entered the dining room if they would like to sit with someone they didn't know. No one wanted to sit with a stranger. After a while of standing there and feeling humiliated, I finally sat down at a table by myself.

 

As for asking to be seated with other solos, it can be done if another solo enters the dining room within a minute of the time that you do. There were three dining rooms on the Dawn (i believe that nowadays, one of those three dining rooms is a surcharge restaurant), and it occurred to me that maybe at the same time I was asking to be seated with other people, there were solos at the other two dining rooms asking to be seated with other people, and there was absolutely no way to get us together.

 

I'm not sure if eating at the buffet is much better if you're alone. If you sit down and realize that you forgot a spoon or napkin, there is no way to go back and get one and be certain that your food will still be on the table when you get back.

 

I joined the roll call, and it was going to be someone's birthday during the cruise, and we all wrote down our names and cabin numbers so that we could be contacted to get together for the birthday dinner. No one ever contacted me.

 

I never even ran into anyone from the roll call on the ship again, with the exception of one woman and her husband. When I told them about waiting on the side in the dining room, hoping that someone would come in and be willing to sit with me, the woman said that there was a time that she and her husband went into the dining room, and they were asked if they would sit with a stranger, and she said no. NCL passengers don't like to sit with strangers!

[mrobstad]

I felt NCL put no effort into trying to accomodate my request to eat with others. Thank goodness on the third night on the Epic I discovered the solo lounge happy hour where I could always find someone, often many, to dine with.

[cv322]

uhhhh yeah about that party.....expect to be the only person there.......

 

I hat to be a "debbie Downer" but I want you to be prepared.....someone could come to it....but I have been to several where it was just me...or me and one other woman....but that suited my needs just fine because I was just looking to make a friend and we had lunch a couple times so it was perfect......

 

I concur- as I went to the solo/single gatherings on the Jewel and only 2 people showed up.

While I think they are a good idea to have, its a shame that more solo people didn't show up.

 

For those of you the did the Epic and other Norwegian (or even any ship for that matter), did you find that the Epic was much better for sociailizng and meeting others?

 

Uh oh :o, lol. I'm not going to get my hopes up! I'll just be thankful if I meet a couple of people who appear to be friendly & are also looking for dinner partners! I'm definitely not looking for a love match!

 

Interestingly, my roll call is like zombie land :eek:...very very slow...almost non-responsive. This is unlike any other roll call I've been in since joining CC.

 

I'm pretty much prepared for the fact that my upcoming cruise will be truly solo in every sense of the word. It's not ideal, and it's certainly not what I had hoped for...but I'll pamper myself, read alot & from now on book Carnival for future solo cruising.

 

In 2006 (when I still had an other-half :)) I took a solo cruise on the Legend just before starting a new job...because I NEEDED to do it quickly & he couldn't get away at that time. I can't begin to tell you how incredibly nice everyone was...staff persons went out of there way, fellow pax practically adopted me...it was a fabulous cruise.

 

I think NCL may not be for me in the future. We'll see, ;).

[Katya4]

Hi,

 

I'm sailing on the Pearl on October 16 and am on my own. I know it's freestyle dining but not too worried about it. I sailed Eurodam last year at assigned dining and quite enjoyed eating with others so may try and ask to be seated with other guests on the Pearl some of the time.

Will probably join the roll call at some point but right now it looks like everyone knows each other/sailed together before etc so might wait till more people join in *LOL*

 

Enjoy your cruise :D

 

I have always cruised with a huge gang....family and friends. We always looked out for singles and couples who looked lost and "adopted" them into our gang. In a week and a half I am doing a solo cruise for the first time on the Pearl and am a little apprehensive, but keep reminding myself that there are lots of folks just like my "gang" on board and all I have to be is friendly.

[mrobstad]

CV, NCL is the last line I would give up on because the Epic got it right. First, the happy hour on the studio lounge almost insures a dinner partner or two. Then , some folks took excursions together--I did not and that opened up a world of other people. Tho the ship is large, I felt it had a small ship feel. I am leery or traveling solo on any ship BUT the Epic.

[50cruiser]

Ive been on NCL quite a few times. When I go with my family its great, If I go solo it sucks. They really dont seem to want solos. Iv gone solo on the EPIC the last 2 times and wouldnt go on any other NCL ships solo till they put solo rooms and lounges on them. I really enjoyed the Epic . The solo rooms with the lounge area workerd out great , I met 5 persons the 1st day in the lounge that I spent the cruise with. We ate together and went on tours together. The Anytime dining is not good for solo travelers as the people going to eat already have their group and dont want others . Im hoping as the Epic is doing so well with the solo rooms other cruise lines will cater a litle to us solo travelers. It dont cost them much and im sure the returns will keep geting better as more and more people are traveling solo . CARL

[cv322]

CV, NCL is the last line I would give up on because the Epic got it right. First, the happy hour on the studio lounge almost insures a dinner partner or two. Then , some folks took excursions together--I did not and that opened up a world of other people. Tho the ship is large, I felt it had a small ship feel. I am leery or traveling solo on any ship BUT the Epic.

 

Funny you should mention, but my PVP had originally suggested the Epic & I initially booked it, and then practically immediately transferred the booking to the Gem because I would rather leave from NY. But now, having read more about it, I would certainly be receptive to traveling to Florida to board the Epic. It's sooooo big though lol :eek:.