Sharing a table in the dining room

[esther e]

I am on the constellation right now and very very very unhappy. I’m traveling as a solo and looking forward very much to joining people for dinner and meeting new friends. However celebrity seems to have some protocol that there is no sharing at a table. Do you have any idea how depressing it is to dine by yourself? Perhaps this is because of Covid I don’t know.But I do know I may never be another celebrity cruise I am not happy

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Sorry to hear that.  That is a big part of cruising for me--to dine with others.

[bEwAbG]

It says in a few different places in the Healthy at Sea info that you can only dine with those in your travel party.  Part of the planning process these days.

[jelayne]

If you meet others at a solo cruisers gathering, or at a bar, pool or some other place and decide to dine together just show up at the dining room together and you will be seated together.  Like so many things the days of showing up and asking for a shared table are on hold. 
 

DH and I have met others at a bar, through the Roll call or on a excursion and joined together for dinner. Made some good friends that way.  Hope you find some others to enjoy meals with.

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, esther e said:

I am on the constellation right now and very very very unhappy. I’m traveling as a solo and looking forward very much to joining people for dinner and meeting new friends. However celebrity seems to have some protocol that there is no sharing at a table. Do you have any idea how depressing it is to dine by yourself? Perhaps this is because of Covid I don’t know.But I do know I may never be another celebrity cruise I am not happy

Sorry but this is the current reality. You can only share with passengers with whom you have a linked booking. Bookings must be linked before boarding. Pre Covid sharing was a highlight of the cruise and due to mobility issues X let us keep the same  table for 6 every night and other people joined us. Hopefully as the rules loosen we will be back to unlimited sharing. We did ask why sharing is permitted in the bars and were told it's a "time" issue i. e. Dinner is a 2 hour slot whereas at a bar it might only be for a few minutes. Don't give up, normal service will be resumed. Geoff and the boss (Anita).

[cublet]

Hello,

 

This is what I found on the UK staycation cruises last year. However if a couple of people presented themselves at the MDR and said they (we) wanted to sit together then the waiters would arrange it without question.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[TMLAalum]

8 hours ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

Sorry to hear that.  That is a big part of cruising for me--to dine with others.

 

2 hours ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

This is what I found on the UK staycation cruises last year. However if a couple of people presented themselves at the MDR and said they (we) wanted to sit together then the waiters would arrange it without question.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

 

7 hours ago, jelayne said:

If you meet others at a solo cruisers gathering, or at a bar, pool or some other place and decide to dine together just show up at the dining room together and you will be seated together.  Like so many things the days of showing up and asking for a shared table are on hold. 
 

DH and I have met others at a bar, through the Roll call or on a excursion and joined together for dinner. Made some good friends that way.  Hope you find some others to enjoy meals with.

 

That is a shame! Interesting how the protocols have tightened since our September Alaska cruise, where DH and I were asked if we cared to share a table and did so every night!

 

Great idea to meet other solo cruisers, either on the roll call (which would be easier if the roll call is active) or at other venues once aboard, and join together at the dining room entrance.

 

Celebrity could set aside a section of close-by two tops for single diners so that it would be easy to strike up a conversation with the person at the next table!

[Bo1953]

Sounds like there are many different approaches to solve the issue...

 

bon appetit and bon voyage

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

That is a DREAM for me. I hate forced socialization.

[LGW59]

While I personally have no issues dining alone, I did it for years when I traveled for my job.  I also do no think it is forced socialization if dining with others is the passenger choice, how is that forced? 

[drakes2]

I traveled solo in November 2021. Tell the MDR hostess that you would like to share a table with another solo they will just take their cabin numbers for tracing purposes.  I also hung out st the martini bar and met some really nice people who invited me to dine with them.  There are all sorts of options you can explore. 

[canderson]

10 hours ago, esther e said:

I am on the constellation right now and very very very unhappy. I’m traveling as a solo and looking forward very much to joining people for dinner and meeting new friends. However celebrity seems to have some protocol that there is no sharing at a table. 

Our experience on Connie was that when we walked up with others to be seated, we were seated together, so I guess we never noticed this policy.  Seems like the trick is to befriend tablemates before dinner.

[SusieCruiser2]

My DH and I were on the Equinox in February.  The first night we explained to the Hostess that we would enjoy conversation with other diners.  She could not seat us with others, but seated us at a two-top, which of course is only about 10 inches from the adjacent two-top.  This allowed us conversation with several other couples over the week.  After the very first night she remembered our names, cabin number, and the table which we preferred . . . incredible memory and attention to detail.  Perhaps this would work for you.

 

[lola2013]

My friend and I were not allowed to join others at dinner on two recent sailings.  Funny thing is we could share a table at the mast grill, stand next to each other in the pool or sit with them in the theatre.  

[cublet]

15 minutes ago, SusieCruiser2 said:

My DH and I were on the Equinox in February.  The first night we explained to the Hostess that we would enjoy conversation with other diners.  She could not seat us with others, but seated us at a two-top, which of course is only about 10 inches from the adjacent two-top.  This allowed us conversation with several other couples over the week.  After the very first night she remembered our names, cabin number, and the table which we preferred . . . incredible memory and attention to detail.  Perhaps this would work for you.

 

Hello,

 

Whilst on Silhouette last year, there had to be an empty table in every direction between you and the next diner - unless, as said previously, we specifically asked to be sat together.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[canderson]

1 minute ago, cublet said:

Hello,

 

Whilst on Silhouette last year, there had to be an empty table in every direction between you and the next diner - unless, as said previously, we specifically asked to be sat together.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

Those UK cruises had their own special protocols that haven't ever been replicated elsewhere.

[esther e]

Thanks for all of your comments. This morningThanks for all of your comments. This morningI was able to join someone for breakfast and long story short I will now be joining him and two ladies that he met last night for dinner tonight and as we were leaving another gentleman who is also a solo overheard us and nowSo going from a single add a table to know which table for six is wonderful

[drakes2]

7 minutes ago, esther e said:

Thanks for all of your comments. This morningThanks for all of your comments. This morningI was able to join someone for breakfast and long story short I will now be joining him and two ladies that he met last night for dinner tonight and as we were leaving another gentleman who is also a solo overheard us and nowSo going from a single add a table to know which table for six is wonderful

That's great news. You just need to be friendly, smile and engaging and others will respond. Enjoy your cruise. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

While I personally have no issues dining alone, I did it for years when I traveled for my job.  I also do no think it is forced socialization if dining with others is the passenger choice, how is that forced? 

 

If it is a choice, great. But I hate it when the default (obviously pre-Covid) was seated with others and you had to do Select to get just your party.

[LGW59]

27 minutes ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

If it is a choice, great. But I hate it when the default (obviously pre-Covid) was seated with others and you had to do Select to get just your party.

OK, that makes total sense.  I am not down with sitting for 10 or 12 days with people who I have no idea how conversations (politics, religion, grandkids pictures to no end) will go, and frankly who I don't really feel the need to know.  I'd much rather dine alone when I cruise solo than to have to sit through some of this.  Always find a good soul to chat with at a bar or lounge though, I enjoy that, usually. And no I am NOT a curmudgeon, I just sound like one.  🤣

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

58 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

OK, that makes total sense.  I am not down with sitting for 10 or 12 days with people who I have no idea how conversations (politics, religion, grandkids pictures to no end) will go, and frankly who I don't really feel the need to know.  I'd much rather dine alone when I cruise solo than to have to sit through some of this.  Always find a good soul to chat with at a bar or lounge though, I enjoy that, usually. And no I am NOT a curmudgeon, I just sound like one.  🤣

 

I'm just more on the introverted scale and while I know that people would only be "strangers" for a night, it's just awkward. Even the breakfast in the dining room where they fill tables as people come in is super awkward - especially if you're waiting on coffee! 😂

 

Fortunately for dinner I've been able to do Select and make reservations for the same time each night - something between the seatings. But, especially as someone who is gluten-free and has had issues with them finding my order from the night before when I wasn't at the prior night's table, it would be nice to have the "alone please" option with the fixed times rather than it defaulting (again, in pre-Covid times) to shared tables.

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

OK, that makes total sense.  I am not down with sitting for 10 or 12 days with people who I have no idea how conversations (politics, religion, grandkids pictures to no end) will go, and frankly who I don't really feel the need to know.  I'd much rather dine alone when I cruise solo than to have to sit through some of this.  Always find a good soul to chat with at a bar or lounge though, I enjoy that, usually. And no I am NOT a curmudgeon, I just sound like one.  🤣

There are pros and cons of dining alone. After covid I took an 11  night solo cruise so had to eat alone. The first night a bit upset at that fact but after that actually enjoyed it. Got to know my waitress and sommelier quite well and we had some very interesting conversations as MDR was not at all busy.  Didn't have to sit through a 2 hour dinner with some boring conversations or a someone who wanted to try a glass of the wine I brought to dinner. (Yes this actually happened)  

[Bo1953]

32 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

There are pros and cons of dining alone. After covid I took an 11  night solo cruise so had to eat alone. The first night a bit upset at that fact but after that actually enjoyed it. Got to know my waitress and sommelier quite well and we had some very interesting conversations as MDR was not at all busy.  Didn't have to sit through a 2 hour dinner with some boring conversations or a someone who wanted to try a glass of the wine I brought to dinner. (Yes this actually happened)  

d2 - here I thought you enjoyed my company and wanted to share the wine!!! LOL

 

How wrong I was.... next time I will make it up to you...

 

Cheers and bon voyage

[drakes2]

9 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

d2 - here I thought you enjoyed my company and wanted to share the wine!!! LOL

 

How wrong I was.... next time I will make it up to you...

 

Cheers and bon voyage

@Bo1953if we ever meet on a cruise and I sincerely hope we do, you are most welcome to share an entire bottle with me. Next up is 11 nights to Hawaii on Eclipse. 

[zitsky]

Glad to see this worked out for the OP.  I thought my partner and I would deal with this, dining alone, but it turns out the friends who were supposed to be on our canceled Portugal cruise decided to join us on our rebooked Greece/Turkey cruise.  But maybe we will still meet other people around the ship as we won't be together 24/7.  On Viking before covid, we cruised with friends on one cruise, and also sat with other people on another.