Experiences with Freestyle Dining on NCL

[Deb1113]

Hi I'm thinking about a cruise in Oct. 2009 from Philly to Bermuda on The Majesty. My big concern is freestyle dining. I am not a particularly outgoing person and I've always liked the "connection" with the same people at dinner. I definitely don't want to eat by myself. Can anyone give me some advice, suggestions and personal experience about this. Thank you.

[cherokeesmom]

I did a transatlantic last year on the NCL Gem. The first day during the "ships tour" I met another lady and we ended up making dinner plans together with a friend of hers for that night and several other nights. I was active on the Roll Call and there were several dinners planned with fellow cruise critic members. I went to the singles meet and there were several dinners planned with them. I ended up eating by myself only one night and that was because I was too sick to come out of the cabin! Moral of the story, be friendly and open to new opportunities. I had a blast on the cruise and am on my way to another transatlantic solo next month.

[kitty9]

As a very frequent solo cruiser, I am not at all a fan of open seating cruise lines or freestyle cruising. I really like the security of having familiar faces to see around the ship and have people I get to know from the very beginning of a cruise. When I've been on freestyle, I've actually had the embarrassing experience of having people refuse to have me join their table. And, I've had head waiters treat solos as a bother rather than an honored guest.

[Deb1113]

Darcie - I am too worried about having your kind of experience. Even though it would be great to leave from a port 15 minutes from my home, I don't think I will take this (or any other NCL) cruise. I am sure there are outgoing people who have no problem with this, but I am not one of them. I like the security of an assigned table.

[cruisinryan]

Hi I'm thinking about a cruise ...My big concern is freestyle dining. I am not a particularly outgoing person and I've always liked the "connection" with the same people at dinner. I definitely don't want to eat by myself.

 

I think you answered yourself, by the part of your post I've included above.

 

I sailed NCL in Hawai'i (the U.S. gov't.; encourages their monopoly in Hawai'i :mad: ).

 

While I did meet people onboard, and from the CC Roll Call, and at the Roll Call party onboard, who I dined with some nights, ...I still wound up eating alone some nights. I probably could have tried harder to make sure I had dining companions every night ...but I discovered many people want their own private nights (especially people who enjoy freestyle dining), so I did not feel comfortable pushing it, and basically waited for others to invite me to join them; which happened some nights, not others.

 

I am a big fan of assigned, traditional dining ...I, like you, enjoy making the connection with the same dining companions for the whole cruise. It's a favorite part of my day, when traveling solo, to see my cruise buddies at dinner every night.

 

You won't get that feeling of comaraderie, that develops during the cruise, with NCL.

 

BTW, other than the freestyle dining, my NCL cruise was great, and the ship was beautiful (but it's now sailing from Florida to the Bahamas under a different name).

[zoncom]

I did 27 days on NCL Jewel 2007; 2 Transatlantics on Jewel. My friend had to cancel Fall so I went as single. I live across from MIA port, see Majesty often. Its very old @ used for short cruises. I would do some research on the 2 larger ships which offer 12/13 restaurants; they rate higher overall. Especially Jewel & Pearl. I was treated beautifully as single, asked if I wished to share or dine alone; lots of deuce tables.Not high end dining but never boring due to variety of restaurants. Very few singles but these were long cruises. I know Jewel will do Fall TA to East then go down to MIA this Fall. Enjoy!

[monakayk]

Deb,

I can not personally give you an opinion on cruising/dining experience on NCL since I have never cruise with them, however I have played with the idea of cruising solo on NCL mainly because they sail out of Galveston and I can visit family living in TX before the cruise. With that in my mind, I have done some reading on these boards concerning 'solo dining' on NCL and even post on the thread in the link below. I thought you might like to read what others have said about their 'solo dining' experience with NCL:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=503611

I have decided that I will not cruise solo with NCL..even though I am a bit more outgoing and can make friends pretty easily than some folks, but I still would like the security of traditional dining when cruising alone.

Good luck with your choice...whatever you decide.

[DizzyDallasDi]

Hi Deb - I did my first solo cruise on NCL Sun. I have to admit that the dining situation was a little uncomfortable for me and I will probably not choose them again for solo travel just for this reason. However, I never ate dinner in the main dining room but I'm sure I would have been seated with others if I'd wanted to. I ate lunch there once and was asked if I wanted to share a table, but there was hardly anyone in there so I declined so I could read and eat at my leisure....I just didn't feel like making small talk at the time. I also ate dinner in the sports bar, sushi bar (costs extra) and Pacific Heights.

 

Of course, all of us are different and what doesn't feel comfortable for one could work wonderfully for another. If you do decide to sail on NCL, I'm sure you'll have a fabulous time. The cruise, shore excursions, staff and ship were all great!

 

Diane

[Texaswinediva]

Deb,

 

I can not personally give you an opinion on cruising/dining experience on NCL since I have never cruise with them, however I have played with the idea of cruising solo on NCL mainly because they sail out of Galveston and I can visit family living in TX before the cruise. With that in my mind, I have done some reading on these boards concerning 'solo dining' on NCL and even post on the thread in the link below. I thought you might like to read what others have said about their 'solo dining' experience with NCL:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=503611

 

I have decided that I will not cruise solo with NCL..even though I am a bit more outgoing and can make friends pretty easily than some folks, but I still would like the security of traditional dining when cruising alone.

 

Good luck with your choice...whatever you decide.

 

 

Mona, just wanted to let you know that NCL does not sail out of Galveston.

The Carnival Conquest sails out of Galveston ( it is sailing out of Houston

right now) year round. And the Royal Caribbean Voyager sails out of

Galveston from December thru April, I believe.

A few years ago NCL sailed out of Houston but no longer, maybe they

will come back. Hope so.:)

[monakayk]

Mona, just wanted to let you know that NCL does not sail out of Galveston.

The Carnival Conquest sails out of Galveston ( it is sailing out of Houston

right now) year round. And the Royal Caribbean Voyager sails out of

Galveston from December thru April, I believe.

A few years ago NCL sailed out of Houston but no longer, maybe they

will come back. Hope so.:)

 

Thanks for this update. I quick looking for NCL deals leaving out of Galveston for awhile now...so I didn't know they stopped sailing out of that cruise port.

Sorry if my post cause any problems or confusion. :o

[DizzyDallasDi]

Mona, just wanted to let you know that NCL does not sail out of Galveston.

The Carnival Conquest sails out of Galveston ( it is sailing out of Houston

right now) year round. And the Royal Caribbean Voyager sails out of

Galveston from December thru April, I believe.

A few years ago NCL sailed out of Houston but no longer, maybe they

will come back. Hope so.:)

 

Carnival Ecstasy also sails out of Galveston but, of course, it's moved to Houston until the repairs have been made.

[ging466]

Darcie - I am too worried about having your kind of experience. Even though it would be great to leave from a port 15 minutes from my home, I don't think I will take this (or any other NCL) cruise. I am sure there are outgoing people who have no problem with this, but I am not one of them. I like the security of an assigned table.

 

Hi

I did the Chilean fjords on the Norwegian Dream last December. I absolutely loved the freestyle dining. I am not an outgoing person by any stretch of the imagination. I had no problems whatsoever with lunch or dinner. I always asked for a share table and I always got nice people. I had a cruise in the Caribbean back in the 90s where seating was assigned and I didn't like some of the people at my table and I was stuck with them. Freestyle allows you to dine with so many different people or, if you want to be alone, you can....all up to you.

 

Cheers

Ging466

[vacation luvver]

In November of 2006, I sailed solo on the Norwegian Dawn. I always said that I wanted to share a table at dinner, but no one ever wanted to share with me. I quickly learned to bring a book with me to dinner.

 

In July of 2007, I sailed with a friend on the Norwegian Crown. Every single time we went to dinner, we were asked if we were willing to share a table. We always said yes. We always got a table just for ourselves, though. Either no one else wanted to eat with us, or they were just taking a survey.

 

In May of 2008, I sailed with a friend on the Norwegian Spirit. Only once were we asked if we were willing to share a table, and that was at breakfast. We shared a table with two other women. For every other meal, the two of us ate by ourselves.

 

In September of 2008, I sailed with a friend on the Norwegian Spirit. Once at dinner, we were asked if we would share a table for eight. We said okay. They rounded up two other couples and a solo man to eat with us. But when we got to the table, we found out that one couple changed their mind, and there were only five of us at the table for eight. The waiter refused to give us menus, because we had to wait for another couple or trio to show up. After about twenty-five minutes, another couple showed up, willing to eat with us. The two couples refused to say a single word during the meal (not even to each other), so my friend and I talked to the solo man.

 

Another time, the couple in front of us was asked if they wanted to share a table for four. They couldn't decide. Then my friend and I were asked if we were willing to share a table for four, and we said yes. The couple on line behind us was asked if they would share a table with us, and they said no and went to another restaurant, where they hoped they could get a table for two. Finally, the couple in front of us agreed to share the table with us, but they wouldn't say a single word during dinner.

 

It's too bad the NCL has put such emphasis on not being stuck with boring people at dinnertime, because it seems that a number of passengers cruise with NCL just so they won't have to share their table with pesky strangers. I'm sure that the couples who refused to say a single word during dinnertime were angry at NCL and felt as if they were being ripped off or cheated by not getting their table for two.

 

NCL is a great cruiseline for solo travelers who just love eating alone. If that doesn't describe you, then bring a book with you, or choose another cruiseline.

[Roz]

Vacation Luvver,

 

Your experience mirrors that of my sister's. I introduced her to cruising, and after she had done 3 cruises with family and friends, I encouraged her to try a solo cruise. Unfortunately she chose NCL. She enjoyed the cruise, but found dinner to be lonely and awkward. Other cruisers weren't receptive at all to having a single person join them.

 

Roz

[vacation luvver]

Roz, I'm assuming that when she chose NCL for her solo cruise, you and she had no idea that "freestyle" meant "you can expect to have meals wit h your traveling companions ONLY - no pesky strangers, and if you're traveling by yourself, be prepared to eat by yourself all the time." Or else you would have suggested that she choose another cruiseline.

 

When I booked my solo cruise on the Dawn in November of 2006 less than two weeks ahead of time, I assumed that NCL was just like it had been when I cruised with them in the 1980s. I was told by NCL that "freestyle" meant that there weren't any set mealtimes or set tables, but all I would have to do was tell the hostess that I wanted to be seated with strangers, and it would happen. Because everyone else on the ship wanted to be seated with strangers, too! Except that no one wanted to be seated with me. At least I never went through the embarrassing situaiton of being brought to a table with people already sitting there, and them objecting to me being seated with them. I was just given a table for myself.

 

NCL doesn't really want solo travelers IMHO. On the May, 2008 cruise, my friend and I signed up for the singles dinner. It wasn't until we formally signed up that we were told when it would be. We were told to meet in a bar on Wednesday at 8:45 PM. We had no idea why the dinner was held so late on THAT night, since the following morning, everyone who wanted to go on a shore excursion had to meet at 7:30 AM. We didn't know why they couldn't have chosen another night for the singles dinner.

 

On Tuesday night, we received Wednesday's program, and we saw that there would be only one show that night, and it would be at 9:00 PM. (Other times, they had a show at 7:30 PM and 9:30 PM.) And it was a show that we really wanted to see. We had no idea why they decided to deprive singles who wanted to go to the singles dinner of going to that show.

 

My friend and I wound up skipping the singles dinner, because we really wanted to see the show, and I told my friend that if we went to the singles dinner and missed the show and found out that we were the only ones who showed up for the dinner, I would hit the ceiling. My friend agreed. After all, on the Crown, only one person besides us showed up for the singles dinner.

 

Afterwards, I told some of the crew about the singles dinner conflict with the show, plus the problem of an extremely early time to wake up the following day, and I asked them who had done the scheduling and why that person thought it was a great idea to have the singles dinner conflict with the Wednesday show. No one knew, and no one knew whose idea it was, so I couldn't ask him/her why he/she did it.

[Roz]

Vacation Luvver,

 

Whenever new solo cruisers post in this forum, I personally advise them against NCL. I agree with you, there's nothing about their pricing or their freestyle concept that's solo friendly.

 

Roz

[mtwingcpa]

Whenever new solo cruisers post in this forum, I personally advise them against NCL. I agree with you, there's nothing about their pricing or their freestyle concept that's solo friendly.

 

Well, this depends on what you want. I'm not interested in sharing tables or having some kind of a mandatory "social experience." So NCL is my definitive choice at this point. And if you look at the total dollars rather than the percentage, their 200% pricing is often very competitive with the 150% (or so) pricing offered by other lines.

[Roz]

I live by myself, so having the opportunity to share a meal with others or socialize before or after with an adult beverage is very enjoyable for me. I don't consider it a mandatory social experience (whatever that is).

 

I've not found NCL's fares for solos to be competitive with either Carnival or HAL.

 

Roz

[vacation luvver]

<<I'm not interested in sharing tables or having some kind of a mandatory "social experience." >>

 

Then you're just the kind of solo traveler NCl wants - the person who just loves eating by himself/herself, with or without a book, and who says, "I don't care if going to the singles dinner would mean missing a really great show, because I wouldn't want to meet a bunch of single people anyway!" But not everyone is like that, and that's why I would not go on an NCL cruise by myself, although it's fine when I'm with a friend.

[mtwingcpa]

I've not found NCL's fares for solos to be competitive with either Carnival or HAL.

 

Here is a fairly typical example of the comparative fares that I've found over the past year:

 

14 day Panama Canal cruise in 2009, CA to FL or reverse, cheapest cabin:

 

HAL Statendam (October 2009) 150% rate for solo = $2,535

 

NCL Pearl (September 2009) 200% rate for solo = $2,598

 

CCL Pride (March 2009) 200% "guaranteed" rate for solo = $2,598

 

Naturally, results may vary in any particular situation, but this is why I say that NCL's rates for solos are often very competitive with other major lines. (Disclaimer: I am not real familiar with Carnival's website or pricing policies, but the fare above was the lowest I could find today.)

[mtwingcpa]

Then you're just the kind of solo traveler NCl wants - the person who just loves eating by himself/herself, with or without a book, and who says, "I don't care if going to the singles dinner would mean missing a really great show, because I wouldn't want to meet a bunch of single people anyway!"

 

...not to mention that I probably wouldn't have cared about the show, either. :-)

 

As I said in my message this morning, "Well, this depends on what you want." I wouldn't conclude that NCL isn't "solo friendly" any more than I would say that about any of the other lines. It's all a question of preference and not all solo passengers are looking for the same thing.

[cpcanuck]

...not to mention that I probably wouldn't have cared about the show, either. :-)

 

As I said in my message this morning, "Well, this depends on what you want." I wouldn't conclude that NCL isn't "solo friendly" any more than I would say that about any of the other lines. It's all a question of preference and not all solo passengers are looking for the same thing.

 

Thank you for saying that! I am planning a NCL solo cruise next year and quite frankly, am quite happy eating on my own and will not be disappointed if I don't have a table to share with others who would prefer to be on their own. To say that NCL is not "solo friendly" seems rather harsh to me. Everything that I have researched and read so far tells me they are exactly what I am looking for! I can hardly wait to go! I guess it really is a matter of personal choice!

[Single Cruiser]

Hmm, an interesting thread and some useful info. Like the previous poster I've never had a problem in eating alone, after all I was told its rude to talk with your mouth full :D .

 

For me the eating bit is only a small bit of a cruise holiday :eek: , location, entertainment, fresh sea air and a nice sunny quiet spot to sit and read a book or three..

 

Sounds like NCL with deuce tables could suit my current dilema. As long as the ship has a nice bar with bar stools to sit up at then I'm happy as you meet loads of people and if not I'll often chat to the staff. of course I've only done this on casual cruises, can you do that on the posher ones? :confused:

[NRWPA]

I just got off Crown Princess 10/26. Before leaving, I was concerned that I was wait listed for traditional seating for dinner, got some encouraging words from people here and actually ended up getting traditional dining in the end. So, the first night of the cruise, I went to the dining room and sat at my assigned table with 8 place settings. After waiting several minutes, the waitress asked if I would like to order since it appeared no one else was coming! There were numerous tables with empty seats among the full ones but the maitre d never attempted to find out if he could seat me with others, so I sat at the large table completely by myself throughout most of the meal. Right before dessert, two people came into the dining room and apologized profusely saying they'd been locked out of their cabin, had to wait for a technician to open it for them. It turned out they were very nice and we had our dinners together the rest of the week - but no one else showed up for the other 5 seats. I really felt the maitre d should have moved us to a smaller table or checked with some of the others who had empty seats to see whether they'd like to join us. It was very strange to sit there every night at the large table. Now, I had sailed on a 17 day cruise with NCL in 2006 and even with Freestyle, I only sat by myself 2 nights, once by choice and once because I'd arrived fairly late to eat. I really think I would have preferred to do the Anytime dining with Princess. I wouldn't have been obligated to eat with my dining partners - if I didn't show up, they would have had to eat alone since the other diners never showed up. I'd met other people on the ship who invited me to join them for dinner but I didn't feel I could do that to the other couple. I guess the moral of the story is, I'd wanted traditional seating so that I could meet & get to "know" other people, but other than the one couple, I didn't get the opportunity to meet anyone else (thru the dinner venue). I'm not complaining - the cruise was wonderful! And I did meet a lot of other people in different venues. But next time I will take Princess Anytime or NCL Freestyle.

[mtwingcpa]

So, the first night of the cruise, I went to the dining room and sat at my assigned table with 8 place settings. After waiting several minutes, the waitress asked if I would like to order since it appeared no one else was coming!

 

I'm also wondering why this happened. I suppose one explanation is that when people find out that some form of non-traditional dining is available, many of them will choose it, even if at the last minute. ???

 

In a similar vein, when people find out that they don't HAVE to share empty seats at their table, they will choose not to (and/or they will reject any requests by people who ask to join them).

 

It seems to me that the days of classic traditional dining are numbered. Or at least it will become a "minority" option.