Devoted Crystal Fan.....

[Rosie94506]

:confused: ...is considering calling her TA tomorrow regarding the Radisson Tahiti cruise in May. Here's where I'm conflicted, and am hoping you Radisson fans can help. I actually *like* the seated dining on Crystal. I travel solo, and have met terrific table mates this way. I also am concerned about the PG ship size. Not sure if the smaller ship size fosters greater intimacy, or bigger cliques. :eek:

 

Any advice you have will be greatly appreciated. The main reason for me *jumping ships* is the limited Crystal intinerary in 2006/2007. Oh, and I am booked on Crystal for the Panama Canal in November, so I'm not completely leaving them!

 

Thanks

Cindy:confused:

[Leejnd4]

Cindy,

 

While Radisson cruises are open seating, you can always request to be seated at a table with others. We did that on our first night of cruising, and met several delightful people with whom we dined a number of times subsequently.

 

I assume you are looking at the PG -- although you might be talking about the Mariner, which does visit Tahiti in May. I've only been on the Voyager, but I'm pretty sure that all Radisson ships do a "singles" meet-n-greet early in the cruise. I went to it on my cruise, even though I'm not single...but I was cruising with my mother, who wanted to go and had asked me to accompany her. It was a nice gathering -- everyone introduced themselves, we had a few drinks, and then the group went into the dining room together for dinner. It was a great way for the "unaccompanied" cruisers to meet others, and my mother met several very nice people with whom she spent time later on in the cruise.

 

As for cliques...well, I don't think that should be a problem, as few folks actually know each other before they board (unless you happen to be on a cruise with a group). I found Radisson guests to be extremely friendly and wonderful people! My mother and I bonded with several other folks on the ship, some of whom we're still in contact with almost a year later.

 

But I'm sure many folks can tell you much more about this. Having not cruised Crystal, I'm not in any position to speak to the differences.

 

By the way, I'll be on a Radisson Tahiti cruise this year as well, on the Mariner...but not until November! Such a long wait. ;)

 

LeeAnne

[ChatKat in Ca.]

I think most RSSC cruises have group type seating available. Just let the Social Hostess/Cruise Director know you are a solo sailor. I've yet to see cliques on a ship, unless there was a large group. There was a poster who did several PG cruises solo and posted his experience here but there was a board crash and not sure if they'd still be located.

 

It is a small ship and the passenger count is 290, so the pool of potential solos is less than you would find on Mariner, Voyager or Navigator. On those ships, they have a constant table available for singles.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

I believe the PG usually has a special gathering for singles close to the start of the cruise. And they do go out of their way to make you feel welcome. The maitre'd will be sensitive to this as well, just tell him. The "please seat me with others" works like a charm, tables of 6-8 work best I find. And on excursions, you will also meet people, not all couples do everything in tandem.

 

If you a morning person (and most everybody is for a while, especially if you are from the east coast), go to La Palette in the morning for coffee, you will also meet people there, the morning people seem like "regulars" by the end of the week.

[Daw6id]

We were on the PG last summer, asked to be 'seated with others' most every night, and had a wonderful time. By the third night, the host assumed that's what we wanted.The ship is small enough that you keep bumping into the people you dined with for the rest of the cruise, at the shops in Moorea, or the lunch buffet. We met honeymooners from the Isle of Man, computer geeks from Silicon Valley, and everything in between

[blackbird71]

As a single I love RSSC/Silverseas open sitting. Go to dinner when you want and sit by yourself or with a group, normally table for 6. You get to meet a lot of people and someday RSSC will go all inclusive. I understand the bars on Silverseas have a lot of people in them before dinner where in the RSSC Mariner I was on did not. So if you meet somebody in the bar the two/three of you can go to dinner and sit together.

 

Blackbird's Lotto World Cruise rule. Table for two on HAL or open seating on RSSC/Silverseas. :) I just do not want to seat with the same folks 100 nights.

[Dolebludger]

My wife and I have cruised the Paul Gauguin a number of times. We opt to be seated with others, rather than at a table for two. We have also cruised a number of lines with fixed time and table seating. We find that we make a larger number of friends the way Radisson does it, than with fixed seating. And though I'm not a single traveler, some of our "new friends" are.

 

Thanks,

Richard

[jhp]

Cindy, as a single, I understand your query here. First of all the PG and any Crystal ship are SO much different, for reasons that you know. Size, number of pax, dining arrangments etc. On all the RSSC cruises I have been on (16 and counting) there is always a meeting of single cruisers in one of the lounges before dinner one the first night, and on many, I have seen them every night. Then, if they want to go off together for dinner, that is their choice. Also, when you enter the dining room, they will ask you if you wish to join others. I have never traveled solo, other than on cruises where I knew at least a couple of people. Even then, I found my way and met others on excursions etc., and had no trouble with dining plans. But in a case like that, you have to take the lead and invite people to your table.

[Rosie94506]

Hi everyone - I've been traveling lately, if you could call it that, Bay to Sacramento :D so I hadn't checked back in to see the responses. Great advice from one and all, so thanks for that. Still mulling things over, so it's great to have received the input you provided.

 

It's amazing. I conquered the biggest challenge of my life (I thought) by cruising solo on Crystal, now I find myself back in the trap of, "Oh, I'm afraid to cruise another line, I know all the people on Crystal"!. Hilarious, the webs and rules we spin for ourselves!:o

 

Again, thanks for the advice--

 

Cindy

[blackbird71]

Cindy,,

 

My cruise #15 was my first cruise alone. All the others was with my mother and sister. The open seating worked well for me on one of RSSC Mega ships .

 

The normal protocol is when you are seated everybody exchanges first names. From that point on, you will have ppl calling you by name as you walk around the ship.

 

Go and enjoy it.