Meal sitting for singles

[gailellen12]

I will be traveling solo on NCL for the first time in August. I know that Norwegian has flexible dining. I do hope to join in with others as I don’t like to eat every meal by myself or do the buffet all the time. Do I make known to the staff this preference. I have only sailed solo with Holland before and they have assigned times and tables which worked well for me. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. 

[debenson0723]

6 minutes ago, gailellen12 said:

I will be traveling solo on NCL for the first time in August. I know that Norwegian has flexible dining. I do hope to join in with others as I don’t like to eat every meal by myself or do the buffet all the time. Do I make known to the staff this preference. I have only sailed solo with Holland before and they have assigned times and tables which worked well for me. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. 

You didn't mention which ship you were on but on most NCL ships there is a solo gathering the first night, typically in one of the bars around 5:30pm. I would suggest going the first night and meeting up with other solo cruisers. The solo host will take those that want to go to an MDR for dinner (most cruises...I had one where the host just left us to figure this out on our own). Subsequent nights will meet in the studio lounge (on a ship with studio cabins) and then dinner. Some solos also plan a night together in a specialty restaurant.

Other than that, the MDR staff 'might' ask if you want to join a table but it seems that most guest like to dine just with their families or sailing companions so you may have a wait if you don't want to eat alone. If I don't have dinner plans, I don't mind eating solo in the MDR.

Enjoy your cruise!

[1025cruise]

I have cruised solo on NCL and was never asked if I wanted to join a table. I would suggest going to the meet and greet and joining the group.

[WickedRed]

I've gone solo on a number of NCL ships big and small.  My advice is to go to the solo meet up.  Many times a good number in the group will all head to the MDR right after to eat together. If you get a good host they will even help people plan going to shows, we did the ropes course as a group on the Getaway one time, one helped organize a group to do the escape room if there was interest.  If you join the roll call, that is another way to connect with people who will be on your cruise.  Also, if you're on FB (the site that cannot be named) there's usually a page for your sailing there too.  Lately I have found it is more popular than the CC roll call and you could also meet other people there.  Really the best way I've found is to go to the solo meetings in the evening.  I've made a lot of great friends in the group.  Whatever you decide, have a great cruise.  If for any reason you're on the Escape for Aug. 13 - 19, let me know.  Going with a friend but you're more than welcome to join.

[gailellen12]

Thanks so much everyone. I am on the Dawn Aug 6 sailing the Baltic. 

[www3traveler]

Go to the Roll Call Section of this forum.  Scroll down to Norwegian and click on it.  Find your specific ship and cruise date-- look to see if there is a Roll Call thread for it.  Join the thread.  There may be other solo passengers posting on the thread.

 

Enjoy your cruise

[prov2727]

My whole point of cruising Norwegian is so I can sit alone at a table. . .

[Asawi]

17 minutes ago, prov2727 said:

My whole point of cruising Norwegian is so I can sit alone at a table. . .

LOL! So I'm not the only one. Maybe you and I can share a table and not have a conversation. 😄 

[prov2727]

1 minute ago, Asawi said:

LOL! So I'm not the only one. Maybe you and I can share a table and not have a conversation. 😄 

I get so many raised eyebrows when people say, "So, who are you cruising with?" and I answer, "No one." But the whole point of vacating is to not have any demands on me- no tasks to do at work, no social obligations, no animals needing to be fed. Just read, sleep, soak in the sun and eat whenever my stomach starts growling. If I want to do something, that's what I do. I don't have to see if my travelling companion wants to do it too or go with them on something they want to do but I don't. Having to sit at a table with 8 strangers and pick and choose topics of conversation so that you don't offend someone is work not relaxing!

 

But we can sit across from one another and read our books while we eat! LOL

[Asawi]

2 minutes ago, prov2727 said:

But we can sit across from one another and read our books while we eat! LOL

Perfect! 

[tonit964]

Not NCL but my first solo cruise last November on Princess, at my dining table every night people from other tables asked if I wanted to join them and gave me a funny look when I politely declined and said I was fine. It's weird how people feel sorry for people that travel alone.

 

That solo cruise was one of my absolute favorites and will be going again in October, I can't wait.

[Twolittleboys]

Just got back from a transatlantic cruise on the Getaway with a huge number of solos. One time I did hear a guest ask to be seated at a shared table when checking in at the podium. They then asked the next couple of passengers if they would like/mind joining a shared table. So that is an option if you miss the Solo Meeting. 

[Rothko1]

2 hours ago, tonit964 said:

Not NCL but my first solo cruise last November on Princess, at my dining table every night people from other tables asked if I wanted to join them and gave me a funny look when I politely declined and said I was fine. It's weird how people feel sorry for people that travel alone.

 

That solo cruise was one of my absolute favorites and will be going again in October, I can't wait.

 

I suppose many people (including myself) would envision themselves as being lonely at a table for one, and so they offer that person the chance to join them.  It's a very neighborly thing to do.  I also suspect that Americans, on the whole, might be more outgoing in that matter than others.

[graphicguy]

Agree with most.....do go to the solo meetups...at least once.  You may find you won't want do dine alone if you make some other solo friends.

 

Tell the maitre'd at the dining establishment you want to dine that you either prefer to sit by yourself, or are willing to sit at a table with others.  I always choose the latter.  I've made a lot of good cruising friends that way and always seem to join them on other parts of the ship (say to have drinks or go to the clubs together).

 

Either way, just let them know what you prefer.  They'll do their very best to accommodate.

[hallux]

On 3 solo cruises I think I've had dinner alone ONCE, and on one of those cruises I only went to one solo meeting!

[LoungerOnBalcony55]

6 hours ago, prov2727 said:

My whole point of cruising Norwegian is so I can sit alone at a table. . .

Amen

[phillygwm]

I've only gone truly traveled solo once, though I've eaten solo any number of times, mostly breakfast or lunch.  For me, that's a feature, not a bug, though I know some might be uncomfortable.  Once I found a couple in one of the bars and they joined me for dinner, which was extremely unusual for me but alcohol was involved, so I suppose I was a bit more extroverted than usual 🙂

 

On every cruise, I've seen others dining alone.  Not a lot but it certainly isn't unheard of so don't feel self-conscious.  Nobody is going to "set you up."  However, there is a solo traveler mixer on the first day and other events you might see on the schedule.  If you happen to be on a ship with studio cabins, they have a sign-up list.  Not sure about other ships, though.  

[eileeshb]

Generally folks on NCL ships are pretty welcoming. Dawn is one of the smallest ships in the NCL fleet so it doesn’t have the studio cabins or studio lounge which may mean limited other solos aboard. There should be a meet-up on embarkation day at a specific venue listed in the daily newsletter. You’ll also possibly meet other solos on excursions as seatmates on buses. I’ve only sailed on the bigger ships with studio cabins but have met other folks outside of the solos meet-ups. On my western Mediterranean cruise I met a couple from the roll call a couple of times around the very sparsely populated ship (it was just after the resumption) and another solo on my very first excursion that I ate with a few times, there were no solo meet-ups at that time due to the covid restrictions. 

[McFins]

On 6/29/2023 at 9:54 AM, gailellen12 said:

I will be traveling solo on NCL for the first time in August. I know that Norwegian has flexible dining. I do hope to join in with others as I don’t like to eat every meal by myself or do the buffet all the time. Do I make known to the staff this preference. I have only sailed solo with Holland before and they have assigned times and tables which worked well for me. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. 

In addition to all the good suggestions above, if you intend to eat at a specialty restaurant you may want to consider Teppanyaki as the tables on the ships we have been on usually accommodate up to  about 16 people…so in that case you would be sitting with others.   We usually pick that restaurant early in the cruise because in addition to the food and the ‘show’ it is a nice way to meet some others that you may run into throughout the cruise.   We have met folks ranging from solos to a family of 13 and it has always been a nice and fun experience for us.   

Edited July 1, 2023 by McFins
Typo

[OBSESSIVEWORLDTRAVELER]

I cruised NCL ten times solo on different ships. There's been at least one time per cruise (usually the beginning) where I go to the MDR or similar restaurant like Taste or Savor and they ask me if I would like to share a table. If they think there will be a long wait and you're solo they may ask you if you are willing to share a table. My answer was always no and they remembered my preference to eat alone from then on.

[MrsTocko]

I like both sharing tables (DH prefers not to share unless we know the other people), and am ok eating alone.

 

DH likes the buffet, I do not.  So one day for lunch we compromised.  We had buffet for lunch, and he went for ice cream.  I told him enjoy, I’m going to get the peanut butter cheesecake in MDR.  Got the saddest look from host when I said just 1 for lunch, and that I really only wanted dessert…sat at a small table, the waiter was shocked I was eating alone.  I felt compelled to explain again, that I was only there for dessert…I didn’t really care, and it was amazing.

[hallux]

8 hours ago, MrsTocko said:

the waiter was shocked I was eating alone

I had the same reaction when I sat for lunch in the MDR last year on the Joy.

[debenson0723]

3 hours ago, hallux said:

I had the same reaction when I sat for lunch in the MDR last year on the Joy.

Wow...that's too bad. I have gone to the MDR alone for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and also just dessert at dinner) and never had that reaction. Or maybe I just didn't notice. I did have it happen on an RCL ship on embarkation day lunch but ate solo in one of their specialty restaurants a few days later and was treated with way too much attention for my comfort (but got a free glass of wine out of it so no complaints, LOL). 

[Cyn874]

I frequently take solo trips and vacations, and I find that the hardest part of solo travel is actually being SOLO. 

 

I've only done one solo cruise before, back in 2019. I ended up meeting people/making friends everywhere I went, but it really spoiled my whole solo experience. I found that I had little to no time to just be by myself. Everywhere I went- the buffet, the hot tub, just walking around the ship- I had people either joining me or inviting me to join them. I didn't decline, but I found myself kind of disappointed that I never got my alone time. 

 

I'll be taking my second solo cruise in a few months. I'm lurking on the roll call and FB group for my cruise, but being careful not to engage much. I won't be going to the solo mixers in the studio lounge or any of the meet ups, because I don't want a repeat of my first experience. It's kind of a shame, I'd actually like to go to some of the meetups, but my alone time is very important to me as well, and I don't feel comfortable declining because I don't want to seem rude. So for solo travel, I find it easier to just keep my head down and not strike up any conversations with anyone I don't think I'll want to end up spending my entire vacation with. 

[cruiseny4life]

What ship are you going on? If it has a Waterfront, go grab a chair and post up there. You probably won't find anyone stumbling by to bug you! 

 

Or, get a thermal suite pass. Sometimes people want to chat in the hot tub. I just turn the bubbles on and say mouth, "I can't hear you." They get the hint pretty quick. 🙂