Is It Possible to Avoid Table Sharing on a Cruise Line Where It’s The Default?

I’ve been on cruises with Fred Olsen, P&O, MSC and Ambassador where I have been assigned a shared table with strangers for dinner.

These aren’t the only cruise lines that do it but some cruise lines like NCL and Marella never do.

Some cruisers enjoy table sharing and enjoy the opportunity to meet new people and share experiences.

Others, like me, prefer not to share a table with the same people every evening.

Why Table Sharing Exists on Some Cruise Lines

In days gone by, if you took a trip on an Ocean Liner or an early cruise ship, you would expect fixed dining times and a shared table. That was just the way it was.

Norwegian cruiseline introduced “freestyle” dining in the 1990s. For the first time, cruisers could dine where they wanted, at a time that suited them.

This more relaxed approach was a huge hit with cruisers, and other cruise lines soon followed Norwegian’s example.

Traditional cruise lines like Cunard didn’t make this change.

Smaller cruise ships, like those in the Fred Olsen or Ambassador fleet, would struggle to accommodate all of their guests dining at different, random times.

They have stuck with the traditional two seating times, early and late, as this works far more efficiently for them.

Ambassador have big tables seating up to eight or ten guests. You will be sitting with the same guests every night at the same time.

At lunch or breakfast, there is an “open seating” arrangement. You will still be table sharing, but you could be sat anywhere in the restaurant.

Breakfast and lunch are generally served on an open seating basis, giving you and your appetite plenty of choice.
 With dinner, we operate two sittings, which can be requested after booking your cruise. If you have any dietary requirements, we can easily accommodate – just let us know in advance.

Ambassador Cruise Line

When my parents sailed with Ambassador, they went for breakfast in the main dining room one day.

All the other guests at the table had come from the same retirement village in central England. They all knew each other well, and my parents felt like the odd ones out! The other guests did make them very welcome though…

When I sailed with Ambassador, I bid for an upgrade to a suite. This was successful, and one of the suite perks was having more choice in dining arrangements.

Even so, I contacted the cruiseline before the cruise and said I wanted a table for two.

Find out if that worked out for me here:

If You Don’t Wish To Table Share:

Speak to the Dining Team Early

On embarkation day, there is often an opportunity to speak with the maître d’ about changing dining arrangements.

You can do this on MSC. for example. On MSC, you also get more say over your dining times and arrangements if you pay more for your cabin.

With MSC’s Fantastica experience, you can request early or late dining when booking, but it’s a preference, not a guarantee. You can ask for a non-shared table on embarkation day.

If you book the cheaper “Bella” experience/cabin, you will probably have no say at all in your dining times or seating arrangements.

Use Alternative Dining Options

If you don’t want to go to the main dining room and share a table every night, you can make use of the other dining options onboard instead.

There is no need to go to the main dining room at all if you don’t want to, and there is no need to tell the crew if you aren’t going.

When I sailed on Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Anne, I made good use of the other dining venues onboard.

The food in the pub, The Golden Lion, was great. There was always the buffet of course, and the Pavilion “wellness” cafe, which served a great breakfast and lunch.

You could just show up when you wanted at these alternative dining venues, and you didn’t need to share a table.

Find out more about the traditional Cunard ship, Queen Anne, here:

Most cruise ships have “speciality restaurants” that cost extra.

If you choose to go to one of these dining venues, you can book a time you want, and you won’t be expected to table share.

Some cruise lines have free room service that you can order if you just want a relaxed dinner in your cabin. Others make a small charge for this service.

Until quite recently, the room service on Cunard was always free. Now there is a charge for those who have booked the cheaper cabins on onboard (that is always me!).

Find out more about that here:

Cunard Now Charges For Room Service After Breakfast – Price Lists & More

It is worth checking whether you can get free room service on your cruise, and make use of it if you can!

Travel as a Group Where Possible

When I travel with my parents and brother, for example, we tend to get given a table to ourselves, even if it is at a set time.

If you are travelling as a couple or as a solo traveller, you will often be expected to share a table with others on some cruise lins.

When I sailed with Fred. Olsen to see the Northern Lights, I thought I would have to share a table with others, as my boyfriend and I were travelling as a couple.

We were assigned a table with another couple who were lovely – but dinner was at 8.30 pm, which is really far too late for me.

This was the other couple’s first cruise, so they hadn’t expected to be sharing a table with strangers – but we got along fine.

I was very seasick on that cruise. I rarely made it to the main dining room anyway, so mostly they had the table to themselves.

Find out about that memorable cruise here:

Be Flexible With Dining Times

Often, particularly in some parts of Europe, you will find that the most popular dining time is around 8 pm.

Sometimes you’ll find that all the tables are fully booked for the late seating, and no one is keen to have the early seating, which is normally around 5.30 or 6 pm.

This works perfectly for me, as I would much rather eat early. On some British cruise lines its the other way around though, as us brits tend to eat earlier!

If I am hungry later on, I will make a late-evening stop at the buffet after the show.

Eating earlier than peak times can reduce the likelihood of table sharing and means the dining room may be less full.

When Table Sharing May Be Unavoidable

On busy sailings, on smaller ships, and on the traditional lines, avoiding table sharing may not always be possible.

The easiest solution is to book a cruise line that suits you better in the first place.

Many, like Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Virgin Voyages, etc, have a much more relaxed and easygoing approach to dining.

You eat where you want, with who you want, when you want.

Those more relaxed cruise lines suit me far better than the traditional lines, but it is all a matter of preference.

Before You Go

On traditional cruises, you are normally charged a discretionary daily gratuity, which can be removed if you think it is appropriate. I never remove the daily gratuities, here’s why:

Removing Cruise Gratuities to “Tip in Person” Doesn’t Work – It’s Unfair and Here’s Why

I took a mystery cruise with the traditional cruiseline, Fred Olsen. Find out where we went here:

I Took a Mystery Cruise with a Traditional Cruise Line (Nobody Knew The Itinerary!)