Solo Your Time Dining

I'm doing a B2B on the Miracle in January. First week I've got Early Seating and I'm dining with friends. Second week, I decided to try Your Time Dining just for a change.

I was on an NCL cruise several years ago and found they seemed baffled by a solo diner. Last year I cruised solo on Princess and tried their Any Time Dining and it was a good experience, so thought I'd try it this time on Carnival. For my past Carnival cruises, while I always cruised solo, I usually had friends on board to dine with.

Would like to hear from other solos who've done Your Time Dining. Does Carnival automatically ask if you want to be seated with others or do they seat you by yourself unless you state you want to sit with others? I'm fine sitting by myself and may do that several nights (I'm dining at the Steakhouse the first night by myself), just wondering what other solos have experienced.

Thanks.

I'm doing a B2B on the Miracle in January. First week I've got Early Seating and I'm dining with friends. Second week, I decided to try Your Time Dining just for a change.

 

I was on an NCL cruise several years ago and found they seemed baffled by a solo diner. Last year I cruised solo on Princess and tried their Any Time Dining and it was a good experience, so thought I'd try it this time on Carnival. For my past Carnival cruises, while I always cruised solo, I usually had friends on board to dine with.

 

Would like to hear from other solos who've done Your Time Dining. Does Carnival automatically ask if you want to be seated with others or do they seat you by yourself unless you state you want to sit with others? I'm fine sitting by myself and may do that several nights (I'm dining at the Steakhouse the first night by myself), just wondering what other solos have experienced.

 

Thanks.

I too have dined solo in the Steakhouse without any problems. I've usually selected late dining at a large table in the MDR, and was usually placed with other soloes or singles. I even had dinner when all the others seated at the table were of the opposite sex. Oh yeah, I'm a guy.

There are plenty of threads on this subject in the solo section under special interest groups if you haven't read them already, which really is the main point of my post.

They always assumed I wanted to sit by myself. I had to ask to be seated with others.

I have done Your Time Dining solo and I have found if you don't specify the table you want they will most likely sit you in a large table. You should speak up when you walk into the dining room and state what type of table you would like and they will be happy to accomodate you. You may have to wait for a 2 top table. It usually is not more than 5 to 10 minutes if you are dining at peak times.

The steakhouse is wonderful either with a group or solo.

Overall Carnival is very accomodating to solos and there never seems to be confusion to seat solos.

Happy solo sailing!

Depending on when you arrive, solo seating may not be available.

On my only B2B, I was solo on Leg 1 and had others joining me on Leg 2. I decided to try YTD on Leg 1 for a change.

I didn't care for it. Asked for a large table on the first night and it was a pretty awful experience. I'm not terribly outgoing but personally believe the ability to make small talk is a skill we should all cultivate, not avoid. Anyway, I was seated with 3 couples (not together) and a pair of sisters. They probably would've conversed, but were furthest away from me (I was in the middle at a 10-top).

The younger couples barely spoke to each other, let alone anyone else. And being the first night, it was very slow service.

After that, I asked for a separate table (maitre'd was very accommodating even seating me at a 4-top one night when there were no 2s in that section), had a good wait staff and requested them the rest of the trip, except for the last night when they were full and I was hungry.

Leg 2, we were late seating and had a wonderful wait staff. Food was better on Leg 2, too, for whatever reason. I've requested that wait team for 2 more cruises on Fantasy.

I dined solo in the steakhouse on the first night last November on the Conquest repo cruise. Great food but terrible service. Nice people, but just not what I expected in the steakhouse (only one prior experience on 1st Glory cruise with DD).

I've had good and not-so-good experiences dining with others as a solo. I just prefer having a set dining time.

As a veteran of two cruises, both solo, and both with YTD...

I was usually asked if I wanted to dine with others or solo. The other times I got a table for two by myself. I tended to get tables that were close to other tables.

Thanks for the replies. I usually do Early Seating, just decided this time to change things up a bit. My friends from the first cruise will also be on the second, they just have a lot of family joining them that second cruise, so I figured it was a good opportunity to try Your Time Dining.

I think I'll also give the Lido buffet a few tries for dinner, which I don't normally get to try since I'm in the MDR.

That's what is good about YTD because you have the flexibility to choose your dining preference and times.

I don't normally try the buffet for dinner but my last cruise I did the night of the Past Guest Party. I enjoyed too many appetizers and decided to skip the MDR and go to the buffet later when I was hungry. I was glad I tried it. The buffet was very good with a nice variety to choose from and it was not crowed.

Enjoy your cruise.:cool: