Britannia Restaurant Open Dining Experience?

[tjunmin]

This will be my first Cunard cruise, having sailed for the past 16 years on Celebrity. On this sailing, on the QM2, I'll travel solo.

I searched the forum and unfortunately could not find answers to my questions. The food experience is very important for my sailing enjoyment, so I'd like to have enough information to make informed decisions.

 

I like to dine early. Are there lines for Open Dining when the Britannia Restaurant opens for lunch and dinner? On Celebrity, I've always observed long lines and big crowds for open dining at the main dining room, so I'm interested in learning how it is on QM2.

 

How is the overall Britannia Restaurant Open Dining experience? Any significant negatives?

 

I read in a thread that solo cruisers on Open Dining get assigned a table for 2; is that piece of information correct? 

 

Thanks in advance for your clarification.

[Host Hattie]

I posted a thread for feedback when open dining in the evening was first introduced. 

 

 

There haven't been long queues at lunchtime on previous cruises. 

[Pushpit]

There were 3 questions there, the middle question is best handled by the link above. If you want to go early every time then you lose the key advantage of Open Dining, namely to turn up whenever it suits you.

 

There is a short queue when doors open, which I will never understand since it clears within a few minutes and those turning up 10 minutes after doors open will end up eating at pretty much the same time as those who queued up. The queue maybe a dozen couples.

 

Solo passengers can readily get a table for themselves, a table for 2, or request a shared table or mix and match on different days.

[Winifred 22]

I always like to eat alone. Sharing a table would be my worse nightmare. I have never had a problem getting a table for myself. I always go for fixed dining late sitting so have never had experience of open dining. I have seen queues early on voyages for open dining.  There are sharing tables available at all sittings.