I may be confused...but

[Eskylady]

I am traveling solo. Up until now one of my joys has been spending the days anywhere and anyway I've wanted and then sharing a larger table and meeting new friends in the evening during fixed dining while also enjoying the same waitstaff. With social distancing and needing to link your parties, am I destined to dine at a table for one each night? Any and l responses appreciated.

Edited July 14, 2021 by Eskylady
Brain and fingers not running at same speed

[Cruise Related]

3 minutes ago, Eskylady said:

I am traveling solo. Up until now one of my joys has been spending the days anywhere and anyway I've wanted and then sharing a larger table and meeting new friends in the evening during fixed dining while also enjoying the same waitstaff. With social distancing and needing to link your parties, am I destined to dine at a table for one each night? Any and l responses appreciated.

Just watched a video yesterday of people sitting with others they didn’t know. I also don’t think carnival is doing social distancing. 

[WhaleTailFlCruiser]

22 minutes ago, Cruise Related said:

Just watched a video yesterday of people sitting with others they didn’t know. I also don’t think carnival is doing social distancing. 

 

No need since they are doing 95% vaccinated cruises. 

[AHS123]

49 minutes ago, Eskylady said:

am I destined to dine at a table for one each night? 

Dear Confused,

No, not at all. Once on board go see the maitre d' of your assigned dining room ASAP. Let them know you are travelling solo and would like to sit with others. Most often they will ask if you would like to join others also travelling solo, if not, ask for it. I always prefer the conversation with other solos which is usually more fun and or stimulating than being seated with three married couples discussing which lawn fertilizer is best. Good luck and have fun.
Abby 

[IntrepidFromDC]

😁

4 minutes ago, AHS123 said:

Dear Confused,

No, not at all. Once on board go see the maitre d' of your assigned dining room ASAP. Let them know you are travelling solo and would like to sit with others. Most often they will ask if you would like to join others also travelling solo, if not, ask for it. I always prefer the conversation with other solos which is usually more fun and or stimulating than being seated with three married couples discussing which lawn fertilizer is best. Good luck and have fun.
Abby 

Solo people don't fertilize their lawns? 🏴‍☠️

Edited July 14, 2021 by IntrepidFromDC

[bobbismith]

1 hour ago, Eskylady said:

I am traveling solo. Up until now one of my joys has been spending the days anywhere and anyway I've wanted and then sharing a larger table and meeting new friends in the evening during fixed dining while also enjoying the same waitstaff. With social distancing and needing to link your parties, am I destined to dine at a table for one each night? Any and l responses appreciated.

Are the cruises sailing below 100% capacity?  I do not think they could have enough small tables to feed everyone.

I think you will still meet lots of people. When are you sailing?

[asalligo]

7 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

😁

Solo people don't fertilize their lawns? 🏴‍☠️

No one who loves the ocean should fertilize any lawn. 

 

[Cruise Related]

11 minutes ago, AHS123 said:

Dear Confused,

No, not at all. Once on board go see the maitre d' of your assigned dining room ASAP. Let them know you are travelling solo and would like to sit with others. Most often they will ask if you would like to join others also travelling solo, if not, ask for it. I always prefer the conversation with other solos which is usually more fun and or stimulating than being seated with three married couples discussing which lawn fertilizer is best. Good luck and have fun.
Abby 

I get asked this with a group of four. Heck, I think it’s even assumed you wanna sit with a large group of strangers. At least that’s how it used to be. Unless states otherwise, they’d always sit us with others. 

[asalligo]

Just now, bobbismith said:

Are the cruises sailing below 100% capacity?  I do not think they could have enough small tables to feed everyone.

I think you will still meet lots of people. When are you sailing?

Horizon sailed last week at 75% capacity. Heald let the number of passengers slip. 

[AHS123]

22 minutes ago, IntrepidFromDC said:

😁

Solo people don't fertilize their lawns? 🏴‍☠️

We own condominiums and the landscaping crew do all the fertilizing for us. 

How big is your lawn there in our nation's capital? 🙂 

Edited July 14, 2021 by AHS123

[cruisingguy007]

17 minutes ago, asalligo said:

No one who loves the ocean should fertilize any lawn. 

 

 

Nonsense, I love the ocean and my lawns is green and lush. There are plenty of ways to fertilize. 

[Eskylady]

Aww. You guys are so great. Thanks so much for the responses. I'm sailing 8/15 on the Horizon. BTW, I was given an extended aft balcony in the family harbor area. Should prove interesting. Happy sailing, planning, and getting back your lives a bit. Thanks again. 

 

Kelly

[Border Granny]

4 hours ago, AHS123 said:

Dear Confused,

No, not at all. Once on board go see the maitre d' of your assigned dining room ASAP. Let them know you are travelling solo and would like to sit with others. Most often they will ask if you would like to join others also travelling solo, if not, ask for it. I always prefer the conversation with other solos which is usually more fun and or stimulating than being seated with three married couples discussing which lawn fertilizer is best. Good luck and have fun.
Abby 

Thanks for the tip about seeing the maitre’d.  I have sailed many times but this is my first time solo, and I wouldn’t have thought about that.

[Eskylady]

5 hours ago, AHS123 said:

Dear Confused,

No, not at all. Once on board go see the maitre d' of your assigned dining room ASAP. Let them know you are travelling solo and would like to sit with others. Most often they will ask if you would like to join others also travelling solo, if not, ask for it. I always prefer the conversation with other solos which is usually more fun and or stimulating than being seated with three married couples discussing which lawn fertilizer is best. Good luck and have fun.
Abby 

Thank you! I'd never even thought of that. I usually just go with the flow, but that sounds like a great idea. 

[bon91324]

I have sailed solo a few times, and I was always been sat at a large table. I enjoy talking to others at dinner.

[NCTribeFan]

I usually solo but these days often have cruise friends sailing as well, so we link our reservations.

 

I sometimes prefer to dine solo.  What I like about that is it gives you a chance to really watch what's going on in the dining room.  I know people love to chat with the servers but when you have the ability to sit back and watch these hard workers, you see that those nice chats with them really makes their jobs even more difficult.  They're already overworked.  Having to stand and chit-chat with diners just makes them have to rush more to their jobs.

 

Anyway, what I don't like is when I'm solo and I'm seated at a large table and, yes, seated with couples or a family.  It never occurred to me to ask to be seated with other solo diners.  My next 2 cruises are on HAL  Maybe I'll try asking to be seated at a large table but only if it's mostly solo cruisers.

[AHS123]

1 hour ago, NCTribeFan said:

Maybe I'll try asking to be seated at a large table but only if it's mostly solo cruisers.

In 1995, before YTD existed, I never had to request to be seated with other solo guests. Carnival's table reservation system at that time would automatically assign solos to a table in the MDR. Multiple tables would be assigned as needed. This was on the Holiday and Jubilee. If Carnival no longer uses that reservation system they may want to go back to it. I enjoyed not having to ask to be seated with other solo guests.

Try it, you may enjoy the difference 🙂

 

[kennystwin]

When travelling solo, I usually request solo dining so I don't become that out-of-place solo with a group of couples (I've been one of the couples before and felt sorry for the solo guy they seated with us). On my last solo cruise on Inspiration just before shutdown, it worked better than I could have imagined. I had the best waiter and service ever. I'm a bit of a foodie and the waiter picked up on that. He dismissed the assistant waiter and did everything for me personally. He would bring unordered extras and my wine glass was never empty. Since I was solo, the pace of the meal was all about me. Best service ever! (I followed up with a personal tip and acknowledgement in the survey).

 

I'll be on the Miracle in a few weeks and keep my 2-top request (that was the protocol when I booked). If it is not working out for me, I'll certainly go to the Maitre d' and work something out, but I'm really hoping my solo dining works out well again.

[NCTribeFan]

Yes, when you have a set dining time, I believe they try to assign solo travelers at the same tables.

 

I now usually opt for Anytime when I'm solo.  Not that I particularly like it, but because I like the flexibility when I'm solo.  That's when I've been seated at tables of couples together or families.

 

Must say, on my last HAL cruise on Koningsdam, the first night I was seated with 2 couples who were friends.  That was a little awkward.   Next night, I opted to sit alone.  3rd night was Gala night, so I asked for a large table.  I was seated with two sisters and two solo male cruisers.  The one guy and I ended up going to the BB Kings lounge most nights and dancing.  Also ended up seated together along with the other solo guy a couple of other nights.  Met a Scottish couple one night and ate with them a few times.  It was a fantastic cruise.  I can only hope my upcoming sailings are as much fun.  I do really like HAL 

 

OTOH, my last MSC sailing, I had late dining (only the upper-tier cabins have the Anytime option).  I was seated with 5 solo men.  One was pretty obnoxious.  Saw him in the pub the next day and he said he wasn't eating at that table again and asked me to join him.  I politely declined and he got really, really pissed off.  One of the unfortunate things about being a female traveling solo - seems every guy thinks you want to spend your time with him.  Uh, no. 

 

But in the future, I won't continue to sit at a table where I don't enjoy myself.  Dinner should be pleasant, not a chore.

[K&RCurt]

We love meeting new people at shared tables.  Glad it is still going on.

 

And I fertilize my lawn with Corn Gluten Meal every spring.  Fully organic, moderate nitrogen level and it stops germination of crabgrass and dandelions.  Plus there is no run-off so the waterways are happy.

 

You can be responsible environmentally and still have a nice lawn.  Then you can show your tablemates photos of your yard and gardens and compare techniques!

[asalligo]

5 hours ago, AHS123 said:

In 1995, before YTD existed, I never had to request to be seated with other solo guests. Carnival's table reservation system at that time would automatically assign solos to a table in the MDR. Multiple tables would be assigned as needed. This was on the Holiday and Jubilee. If Carnival no longer uses that reservation system they may want to go back to it. I enjoyed not having to ask to be seated with other solo guests.

Try it, you may enjoy the difference 🙂

 

So true. Back in the day Carnival clearly took the background of the passengers into account when seating. I think they stopped this sometime around 2010. I only say this from experience. Prior to that everyone at my table would be similar and even from the same region, then we started getting seated with people who had no similarities.