Solo dining (not on ships with studio setup)

[lettienets]

How do you get to eat with someone in the main dining rooms? Freestyle dining doesn't work well for singles. I have only been on Jade and found it difficult to find someone to eat with at dinner. This ship doesn't have the social studio setup of the newer ones where maybecsome peoplecwill go together as a group. Whenever I asked at the dining room for a table of people to eat with I had to wait till someone else came or eat alone. The dining room hosts did not seem interested in helping with this situation. How do other singles handle this situation, thanks. They need a friendship table in the dining room.

 

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[Rhea58]

I just inform the hostess that I am open to having anyone join me at a table

so please put me at a larger table. This works half the time depending on the efficiency of said hostess and seems to work better at lunch than dinner.

 

Also, on the GEM (cannot speak for others in the NCL family) the cruise staff

has a couple of Single Meets usually around cocktail time. A good way to

meet others and ask if they'd wish to join you for dinner.

[jdvmd]

There should be some kind of singles gathering onboard. Also, check out your roll call for others that you might be able to join at dinner.

[sailingnut]

The roll call is so important to join~~you can meet other people on it~~I cruise a lot solo and find other people~~good luck!:)

[rvsullivan]

Pretty much every cruise has a function for solo travelers. It is early in the cruise and is published in the dailies. Finding dining companions on a free style cruise is a little difficult, one of the reasons many choose NCL is to avoid eating with strangers. You can ask at every meal, but unless someone else asks at the same time your there, it is very unlikely.

[mtwingcpa]

Freestyle dining doesn't work well for singles.

 

I disagree. I'm a frequent solo traveler who prefers to dine alone. Freestyle is perfect for me. No pressure to join tables, etc.

 

They need a friendship table in the dining room.

 

I agree. Although I'm not interested in it personally, this would seem like an easy feature to add, and I'm sure many people would enjoy it.

[sjbdtz]

I normally go to the Roll Call, and/or the Meet & Greet, or in my situation the Friends of Dorothy drop-in, and by the end of the 1st day I tend

to have found people I'd invite to dinner.

 

But I travel a lot for work, and am also quite comfortable sitting at a table for two, reading my ipad.

 

 

 

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[jamessemaj]

This is news to me. On other lines I have always been placed at a table with a group. Further, I have never seen a solo table and very few tables for 2. You mean NCL doesn't do this? Solos are on their own? If that is true I guess it would just be buffet for me, because I am not sitting in the main DR alone, no way.

[jdvmd]

This is news to me. On other lines I have always been placed at a table with a group. Further, I have never seen a solo table and very few tables for 2. You mean NCL doesn't do this? Solos are on their own? If that is true I guess it would just be buffet for me, because I am not sitting in the main DR alone, no way.

When you check in at the hostess stand, you can make your request that you be seated with others. It is all dependent upon if others want to sit by themselves or share a table.

[GUEST080219]

How do other singles handle this situation, thanks.

 

I go to the host and say that I want a table for myself, no sharing.

I always get irritated when people claim something does not work for solo cruisers in general just because _they_ do not like it.

[sdmike]

This is news to me. On other lines I have always been placed at a table with a group. Further, I have never seen a solo table and very few tables for 2. You mean NCL doesn't do this? Solos are on their own? If that is true I guess it would just be buffet for me, because I am not sitting in the main DR alone, no way.

 

NCL operates like land-based restaurants. They don't force you to sit with strangers at large tables. If you don't want to sit alone, follow the suggestions provided to the original poster.

[buckirj1]

I go to the host and say that I want a table for myself, no sharing.

I always get irritated when people claim something does not work for solo cruisers in general just because _they_ do not like it.

 

This. The beauty of freestyle is that I can eat by myself if I wish...or I can eat with other people if I wish. Nothing wrong with having choices!

[jamessemaj]

NCL operates like land-based restaurants. They don't force you to sit with strangers at large tables. If you don't want to sit alone, follow the suggestions provided to the original poster.

 

sdmike, thanks. Other lines don't actually "force" you to sit with others, but I see your point. I have never had a problem communicating with the maitre 'd and don't expect to on NCL. It'll all be fine. Sitting alone in the MDR doesn't suit me.

[cabincop]

I love cruising solo if I want to eat with others I can if I want to eat a quick meal or sit alone in a table for 2 no problem. But I will talk to anyone or anything so I usually end up talking to whoever is near me anyway:o

[lettienets]

I just found on Jade in Feb that even if you requested to eat with others, there were not many others who asked to sit with people. So you could join a table if there was one on the go (once) or start a new table (I did that twice till people came) A couple of times people heard me ask the hostess and they invited me to eat with them. I just wanted to know here what other people do if they want to eat with someone.

The one singles event on that cruise was a lunch and people met in a lounge beforeheand and went to the dining room as a group. Never saw any of those people later. The roll call did not have a bunch of singles and solos to hook up with periodically. I don't want to stick like glue with any group but it is nice to eat with others periodically. I like to meet new people and chat etc and find it fun to meet people. On the new bigger ships they seem to have more singles and solos and the studio rooms and social events already help people get going. This was only my first NCL cruise since it became freestyle and I don't think it will work for me. I have met wonderful people at fixed dining on other ships. The people usually bond and the table group becomes fun and something to look forward to esp if it is a large one.

[karoo]

Go to the solo travellers meetings on the first few days. The NCL rep organises a dinner after the meeting. We all agreed to meet in the bar each night at the same time. It was Tankards on the Jade. Whoever turned up, turned up. We always had a group of people to dine with.

 

 

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