Solo dining on Ovation of the Seas

[Cruisegroover]

I am travelling on my own and dining is a nightmare. Solo travellers are seated by themselves they will not allow you to share. No matter have times I have asked the answer is we do not have share tables. Even if you are traditional dining its the same you sit by yourself. It is up to me to find people willing to share. Is this a new trend on RCL? Or just Ovation. The ship has changed from Dynamic dining to traditional and mytime.

[cb at sea]

Traditional dining usually has "shared" tables....there are still LOTS of us that LOVE having tablemates!

 

If they absolutely refuse to seat you with others, you'll need to make friends elsewhere on the ship, and invite your new friends to sit with YOU!

[Cruisegroover]

Traditional dining usually has "shared" tables....there are still LOTS of us that LOVE having tablemates!

 

If they absolutely refuse to seat you with others, you'll need to make friends elsewhere on the ship, and invite your new friends to sit with YOU!

 

Not on this ship. Yes have to meet people elsewhere.

[BekkaW]

I see that you're not on the ship yet...who is telling you that you have to be seated by yourself? I would go to the maitre D on the first day and I suspect you will indeed be sharing

[Cruisegroover]

I see that you're not on the ship yet...who is telling you that you have to be seated by yourself? I would go to the maitre D on the first day and I suspect you will indeed be sharing

 

I am on the ship and yes I have spoken to maitre d who said we do not have share tables on this ship. The past 4 nights this has been the answer.

[BekkaW]

I am on the ship and yes I have spoken to maitre d who said we do not have share tables on this ship. The past 4 nights this has been the answer.

 

Oh sorry, your signature says you get on it in a few days.

 

That is so odd!

[Paulxyz2004]

I am travelling on my own and dining is a nightmare. Solo travellers are seated by themselves they will not allow you to share. No matter have times I have asked the answer is we do not have share tables. Even if you are traditional dining its the same you sit by yourself. It is up to me to find people willing to share. Is this a new trend on RCL? Or just Ovation. The ship has changed from Dynamic dining to traditional and mytime.

 

In my Experience when traditional Dining is offered there usually are shared tables. With MTD it´s always been much harder to get a shared table.

I can´t say what the current state on Ovation is, as I´ve sailed on her Prior they got (thank god for that) rid of Dynamic Dining. I can only say that I had the worst Dining Experience ever on Ovation with the DD. It was even a 100 times worse than NCL´s Freestyle which mostly put me off of them.

 

Even though Ovation has now changed back my guess is the DIning rooms stayed like they were and they have way more smaller tables than large ones and I think they will reserve the larger tables mostly for the bigger parties and not put too much effort into shred tables.

 

In answering your question if it´s a trend. Well IMO yes it is a trend on RCI. I hear more and more People not willing to share and looking for dinner just with their Party. To me it´s a shame, but yes I see a trend there, at least with the RCI clientele.

 

Having said all this Princess does an amazing Job with Anytime Dining and shared tables. There also seem to be many more willing to share tables. At least that´s been my Experience.

[cruisinfanatic]

I am on the ship and yes I have spoken to maitre d who said we do not have share tables on this ship. The past 4 nights this has been the answer.

Do you have traditional dining? Ask for it

[Bailey & Sophie]

I am travelling on my own and dining is a nightmare. Solo travellers are seated by themselves they will not allow you to share. No matter have times I have asked the answer is we do not have share tables. Even if you are traditional dining its the same you sit by yourself. It is up to me to find people willing to share. Is this a new trend on RCL? Or just Ovation. The ship has changed from Dynamic dining to traditional and mytime.

I don't mind doing things alone and sometimes prefer it that way. But I HATE eating alone. It's just uncomfortable for me.

I think that not having a "sharing" option for dining is sad. What a great opportunity to meet new people every night.

I hope this changes.

Can you switch your dining time preference? Maybe that would help.

Best wishes.

[squadron]

I am travelling on my own and dining is a nightmare. Solo travellers are seated by themselves they will not allow you to share. No matter have times I have asked the answer is we do not have share tables. Even if you are traditional dining its the same you sit by yourself. It is up to me to find people willing to share. Is this a new trend on RCL? Or just Ovation. The ship has changed from Dynamic dining to traditional and mytime.

 

I have cruised for a number of years Solo - like traditional dining and have always had great table mates and if you don't just ask to be changed. Did my time dining once - had same waiter and table but found time meant it was hard to get seat for the evening "show". Went back to Traditional.

[Alter Ego]

I haven't been on Ovation (and willing to bet most answering have not either). Perhaps this is specific to the region the ship is sailing in?

 

At any rate, if they have any solo events (on my Anthem cruise, they had lunches on sea days), I would recommend going to those and meeting up with people; maybe you set up time to meet later for dinner. Unfortunately, it's too late to say to reach out on your roll call (if there even was one) or go to the Meet and Mingle (if there was one).

 

I actually ate mainly in the specialties on Anthem, so I'm not 100% familiar with the other dining rooms set up. From posts, it sounds like the tables may be close together, so perhaps you can just talk with others around you??

[Bret2010]

I was recently on Ovation of the Seas for the Adelaide to Sydney leg, travelling alone. I was on anytime dining and I was asked every night whether I wanted to share a table. Maybe they have changed their policy on this ship?

 

Regards

 

Brett

[tomatosauce]

Whilst Dynamic Dining was in place on the Ovation (i.e. May and June) there was a (possibly informal) policy that they don't try to create combined tables except in rare cases. With the 4 different restaurants it was just to hard for them to arrange and they were wanting to replicate the standard restaurant experience on land (where you don't normally share tables).

 

Now that they (foolishly) dumped Dynamic Dining I expect that it will take a little while for things to settle down.

[Cruisegroover]

I was recently on Ovation of the Seas for the Adelaide to Sydney leg, travelling alone. I was on anytime dining and I was asked every night whether I wanted to share a table. Maybe they have changed their policy on this ship?

 

Regards

 

Brett

 

I did a lot of jumping up and down saying that Australians are happy to share and they had better start asking once the ship arrives in Australia. I did notice once we left Singapore they were asking. I didn't need to worry on my second cruise as I was travelling with friends it was the Hong Kong to Singapore where the problems were.

[Cruisegroover]

Do you have traditional dining? Ask for it

 

They did have traditional dining but from Hong Kong to Singapore again they would seat you by yourself. No share tables at all. Now the ship is in Australia it should be OK.

[RenaeG]

Traditional dining definitely has shared tables! I was on Anthem on my own earlier in the year.... Personally I'd rather eat on my own then having to make meaningless conversation with strangers ..... But anyway I found that the tables are so close together that I always felt like I was eating the the people at the table next to me anyway. I'd always end up talking to the people next to me and then would see those people all over the ship. Met. A load of different people and they'd ask me to join them for trivia or pull me up to have drink with them if they saw me. You'll be fine!!!!

 

 

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[RenaeG]

Dining with the people next to me I should say.... Not eating the people next to me! lol

 

 

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