Do you eat with other people on NCL?

[Deb in Cali]

On my last NCL cruise w/ DM we opted some nights for joining a group and other nights to sit at a table for two. Joining one group was so fun we just about closed the place. We tried to get everyone to meet again the next night for a repeat, but alas it didn't work out.

 

On another night it was a disaster of epic proportion.:eek: Suffice it to say that the grand fanale for that dinner was when "the piece of work" complained bitterly and repeatedly about her dessert being smaller than my mother's. And yes, it did give us LOTS to talk about in the days to come, since it was early on during a 10 day cruise. :p We threatened each other to arrange for a meal with the group if they misbehaved. ;) That group did try to have us join them for another dining experience.

[cabincop]

I travel solo alot sometime I sit alone but often I am seated with others and I am happy for it. I often meet greet people on cruises and also thru roll call. I just start talking to who ever is near me and then get invited to hop over. Never had a bad experience alot of times I see them at casino or bar also

[MsTabbyKats]

We rarely eat in the MDR....one of the few times we did, we were seated with another couple. Although they were pleasant....it got boring to hear about the grandkids very fast. Never again.....

 

However, in the buffet we often strike up conversations with people at adjacent tables. The difference is, that by eyeballing it...we can generally tell if we'll have something in common.

[Crusin6]

I eat with those I gave birth to and the man I married!!!:D

 

seriously...we actually love to eat with each other on vacations and are uncomfortable with others...and we know that they feel uncomfortable with us...as we tend to use vacations to further bond as a family...

 

 

yes, we are socialble...just not in the MDR of a cruise ship at dinner:D

[EnsignPulver]

I travel with my wife and sometimes we get a table for two and sometimes we join a table. I actually think they do a very nice job of seating you at a table when you agree to join with people of similiar age. .We have had a very nice experience meeting new people on the cruise that way

[Ms belp]

We always get a table for two but have been known to strike up a conversation with the next table. When the conversation is over we go back to discussing our trip. It's perfect.

[npsh]

On our Dawn cruise last October we were never pressured to sit with others in both MDRs. We were always asked if we would be interested in sharing a table but we politely declined the offer and opted to sit by ourselves. Sometimes we had to wait aprx 5 min for a free table for two but one night we requested a table by the window and that was aprx a 15 min wait - which wasn't bad considering.

[VUCruiser]

love the table for two-reason we take NCL often. Bought a romance pkg on HAL once that gaurenteed a table for two. we had really good luck on one trip with group table but also not so great luck on many more.

[AlphaGeek]

At dinner we generally love to eat alone, just the 2 of us and have never had a problem getting a table quickly...usually on the wall of windows, looking out over the ocean...ahhhhhhh, so nice. They do ask you if you would like to share a table but we decline and they always are pleasant about it and quickly find a table for 2 for you. Dinner is the only time of day that we can sit with one another and chat about the day, family, funny things we saw that day, etc. so for us it works. That's what is so great about NCL Freestyle...whatever works for you works for them!

 

Same here. We have no children, and enjoy each other's company. We're also energetic, Type "A" people in our work environments, so vacations tend to be for relaxing and just being together.

[Traveller20074]

My husband is very social...I have a feeling he's going to be talking to every "Tom, Dick and Harry" LOL

[jarz85]

I think its great that you have the 'option' of having a shared table in the MDR. If you are in a good/talkative mood you can sit with people, if not you can sit by yourself or your travel partners and enjoy it with them.

[Wingtips56]

On other cruise lines, we always did the set dining time and were placed at the same table with the same people for the length of the cruise. There were one or two times when we petitioned to be reseated with some folks we met, and spent the rest of the cruise with them. We've generally been lucky with the random folks we've been seated with, but yes, were once seated with a dreary couple who were the complaining type. (That was one of the times we did meet some interesting folks and changed tables.)

 

When we came to NCL (on Jade for 21-nights on a B2B), we alternated between requesting to dine alone and to share a table, and we always got our request unless we were told it would be a long wait for that choice. We still got to sit with great people when we did share tables as they too were adventurous and interesting enough to want to share as well.

 

I do think that "what do you do for a living?" is more an entrée to conversation more than simply nosing about how much money you make. At least that's how I've taken it. Jobs are what we do for much of our lives; who we are in some cases.

[NMLady]

Hi, I was just reading this thread about "worst table partners etc" http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1271443

 

My question is, do they sit you with random strangers on NCL? I think it would be fun to sit with random people, but would suck if they changed tables. I know this is what happens on the 'formal' cruise lines but not sure how it works for 'freestyle/anytime dining' THanks

 

On NCL you can ask for a 'shared table' if you wish or you can ask for a table for 2 (or 4 or however many are in your party). At dinner we always ask for a shared table and 99% of the time we have delightful dinner partners. If not, well it's just the one meal. Next time we'll be seated with someone else.

[sunshine 229]

That is awesome, we eat alone (once we met some people we liked but that was it) I dont think I could have said no right in front of people, you are a much stronger than I, good for you, we dont like people all that much for the most part, but like to be around them. I personally cant not stand and will not answer: "so what do yo do for a lving?" in other words how much money do you have.

 

I guess it is all in how you interpret things. I have been asked that (what do you do for a living?) and I've asked it on occasion...to me it means, let's try to find something we may be able to converse pleasantly about or some interesting topic that I am unfamiliar with, and about which you can inform me.

 

I've met all kinds of different and interesting people when travelling; a retired insurance salesman ( I admit I was releived he was retired) he gave me a couple of helpful ideas about how to reduce insurance costs for my business, three nurses who work in an oncology unit, not a very upbeat topic maybe, but certainly enlightening and while their occupation might have been 'heavy' they were some of the wildest and most fun loving people I've met, two guys who own a beauty salon in LA, who kept us in stitches with some of their stories, a garbageman from NYC who also had interesting stories to share, and many more.

 

I'm not trying to convert you, if you like eating alone that's up to you, but I think that if you do find yourself in a situation where you end up sharing a table, the trick is to try to take a genuine interest in what your tablemates have to say, rather than worrying about the impression you are making or what they may think of you or of what you do for a living.

[commission1]

I guess it is all in how you interpret things.

I'm not trying to convert you, if you like eating alone that's up to you, but I think that if you do find yourself in a situation where you end up sharing a table, the trick is to try to take a genuine interest in what your tablemates have to say, rather than worrying about the impression you are making or what they may think of you or of what you do for a living.

 

Oh misinterpretation is what we have here, I definitely dont try or dont worry about impressing anyone, or what anyone thinks of me or what I do, just this insulting response is exactly why we eat alone. For the record since you brought it up, what I use to do before I was able to take early retirement, (age 45, I now work but not to earn a living) impresses alot of people, I am not impressed that they are impressed. Good day