Are there still sharing tables or a casualty of covid?

[latebuyer]

In 2019 when i went on an alaskan cruise i went to mytime dining and had shared dining every night no problem. I'm wondering if with holland america there is shared dining with my time dining. Or is it only available with traditional dining? Or is shared dining even available anymore?

[CruiserBruce]

There will be shared tables.

[Mary229]

The trend toward smaller table size started pre-crisis.  There are still ample shared tables available. Looking around the room on recent cruises more and more shared tables are 4 to 6 not a lot of 8s

[Andi Land]

Just off the Eurodam on Saturday and they asked every night if we wanted to share. 

[puppycanducruise]

We were on the Zuiderdam in June and shared a table for 6 most nights in the MDR (except the nights when one of the couples had specialty dining).

At breakfast there were 2 lines, one line for 2-top, one line for shared tables.

[quack2]

I just got off Norwegian Spirit last week as a solo.  Oddly, I was never asked to share a table.  I fully expected to, and kind of prefer it, but NCL appears to have a different policy on sharing a table.

[Pickalily, Wilts]

We always ask for a shared table and have met many lovely, interesting people from many parts of the world.  One of the joys of cruising in our opinion.

[OHCruiser]

I'm sure that you'll be able to share a table if you choose.

 

We always avoid them because we had times when a meal took over 90 minutes because of slow order taking, slow order delivering, and slow eaters who caused delays in putting in dessert orders.

 

We've met some nice people, but it's also caused us to miss shows & other timed events.  We don't really lounge over meals, so it's always a two top for us.

[JeffElizabeth]

6 hours ago, quack2 said:

I just got off Norwegian Spirit last week as a solo.  Oddly, I was never asked to share a table.  I fully expected to, and kind of prefer it, but NCL appears to have a different policy on sharing a table.

That is a real shame. Sharing a table with others is one of our favorite parts of cruising. 

[Florida_gal_50]

They definitely try to push the shared table.  I have no interest in doing that since Covid.  I get more “togetherness” than I want at work.

[oakridger]

I don't like sharing tables in general (with strangers) but definitely not at breakfast......and no one would want to share a table with me at that hour!!!  (Night Owl here......😉)

 

~Nancy

[HarR]

On Zuiderdam in open seating our waiter told us they had some “challenges” with their table numbers, as some of the larger tables got replaced by tables for two.  Apparently guests are asking for tables for two more and more. 
Still plenty of large tables though.   

[Mary229]

7 hours ago, oakridger said:

I don't like sharing tables in general (with strangers) but definitely not at breakfast......and no one would want to share a table with me at that hour!!!  (Night Owl here......😉)

 

~Nancy

I always shared at lunch and breakfast until I ran into some folks who criticized our food choices.   I thought choice was the point of having a menu🤷‍♀️  I usually like breakfast with others as people can share their day’s plans.  Dinner is strictly a table for two, I don’t need to get riled up in the evening 

[cruisemom42]

19 hours ago, quack2 said:

I just got off Norwegian Spirit last week as a solo.  Oddly, I was never asked to share a table.  I fully expected to, and kind of prefer it, but NCL appears to have a different policy on sharing a table.

NCL cruisers seem to be AGGRESSIVELY anti-sharing of tables. Whenever anyone asks a question about it on their forum they get jumped on — who would ever want to share????  I understand personal choice but they seem to take it as a sort is serious failing if one wants to table share.

 

Yet another in a long list of reasons I won’t cruise NCL again. As a solo I don’t want to eat by myself for two weeks or more. (yes I know that IF you want to eat at the time of their choice with a table of other singles you can do that. I refuse to limited to that option.)

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

I always shared at lunch and breakfast until I ran into some folks who criticized our food choices.   I thought choice was the point of having a menu🤷‍♀️  I usually like breakfast with others as people can share their day’s plans.  Dinner is strictly a table for two, I don’t need to get riled up in the evening 

I hear ya - getting riled up in the evening ruins an otherwise pleasant day and makes winding down to sleep another thing for the "to do list"

But then getting riled up at breakfast casts a shadow on a new day and makes me grumpy 

If I wanted my food choices analyzed and criticized, I'd dine w/Julia Childs or my doctor, lol

[albingirl]

Sharing a table is not for me. My husband is completely deaf in one ear, and he doesn't want to deal with conversation he cannot hear.  People don't understand. They think if they shout, well , that's ok . No it isn't and he chooses to face that on his own terms.

[Hlitner]

On our March-May, Westerdam cruise, there were plenty of shared tables.  In fact, DW and I generally asked to share larger tables and met some fascinating folks.  For us, MDR dinner was back to its old norm of being the social highlight of our day (given the lack of entertainment options).   We would generally show up at the MDR around 7:30, tell the host we were happy to share, and were usually seated within 1-2 minutes.  Our most "unforgettable" table mate was the founder of a very well-known (and successful) series of travel guides.  

 

Hank

[bennybear]

3 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

On our March-May, Westerdam cruise, there were plenty of shared tables.  In fact, DW and I generally asked to share larger tables and met some fascinating folks.  For us, MDR dinner was back to its old norm of being the social highlight of our day (given the lack of entertainment options).   We would generally show up at the MDR around 7:30, tell the host we were happy to share, and were usually seated within 1-2 minutes.  Our most "unforgettable" table mate was the founder of a very well-known (and successful) series of travel guides.  

 

Hank

Interesting that he was sailing on HAL

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, Haljo1935 said:

If I wanted my food choices analyzed and criticized, I'd dine w/Julia Childs or my doctor,

 

Considering that she’s 20 years dead, I’d pass too.  😂

 

I’ve shared tables at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  They’ve ranged from excruciating to a lot of work.  Sometimes I haven’t shared tables but have been forced into them due to proximity to other tables or the — let’s call it gregariousness — of certain diners.  

 

It’s easier to have set dining companions for the entire cruise than to mix it up at each and every meal.  I think this is one of the reasons that pinnacle-ship Club Orange dining works for me.  We can dine at a two-top but still get to know and have small chats with fellow diners… without having to compete with the din of clanging service areas and hundreds of diners trying to be heard against poor acoustics.

[Haljo1935]

3 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Considering that she’s 20 years dead, I’d pass too.  😂

 

Exactly - no fear it will happen. And my doctor says whatever she needs to say when she sees me off-ship. 🤭

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

Although I love a shared table at dinner, I prefer to eat by myself at breakfast. A lot of chatter is not my favorite way to start the day. But when the two-tops are close together, you may get gregarious neighbors. The best was one morning on QM2, when I ordered the "English breakfast" and a woman at the next table said, "Excuse me, but aren't you American?" When I said that I am, she asked why I would order an ENGLISH breakfast--not in a judgmental way, just curious. I replied because that was what I was in the mood for! 

 

Were she still with us, I would enjoy dining with Julia Child. She wouldn't criticize my fondness for butter! 

Edited July 5, 2023 by 3rdGenCunarder

[erdufylla]

I really enjoy sharing a table with others, especially when I’m on my own. When I was traveling with my very introverted 14yo nephew, we’d get a 2-top, since he’d just sit there uncomfortably for most of the meal when we shared. But on my own, I love sitting in a group of 4-6 people. I’ve been lucky, most of my conversations have all been wonderful, or at least not irritating. The only time it’s gotten a little awkward and uncomfortable is when people hear I’m from Alabama and want to discuss my thoughts on American politics, especially when they assume I lean a particular way.

[Haljo1935]

7 minutes ago, erdufylla said:

...The only time it’s gotten a little awkward and uncomfortable is when people hear I’m from Alabama and want to discuss my thoughts on American politics, especially when they assume I lean a particular way.

Or football, I would guess, from Americans. Seems everyone from AL and MS are supposed to.be college football fans...

[Haljo1935]

17 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Although I love a shared table at dinner, I prefer to eat by myself at breakfast. A lot of chatter is not my favorite way to start the day. But when the two-tops are close together, you may get gregarious neighbors....Were she still with us, I would enjoy dining with Julia Child. She wouldn't criticize my fondness for butter! 

Yes the closeness of those 2-tops are prone to cross chatter at breakfast. DH is not a fan.

No, I think she certainly would not criticize a love of butter, but dear Julia might wonder why I lean the other way - am not a fan of butter, don't put it on potatoes, bread... so I would certainly let her have my share.

[erdufylla]

3 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Or football, I would guess, from Americans. Seems everyone from AL and MS are supposed to.be college football fans...

Football’s easy enough, because I just say I don’t follow sports, and then either they change topics or I tune out. I have opinions on politics, though, and if someone doesn’t take the “let’s not go into that over our meal” hint, it can be very difficult to sit and listen to someone while trying to hold my tongue.