Table Sharing on Cruises, An Outdated Inconvenience? – Here’s How I Avoid It!

When I go on a cruise, I like to sit at a table with my family or the friends I am travelling with.

Although I love to meet new people on a cruise and enjoy hearing about their experiences onboard, I see mealtimes as my time to catch up with my family and friends and relax.

Before the Covid Pandemic, I took a cruise with Celebrity. I was sat at a table with ten other people, and some of the other passengers were rude and unpleasant to the crew.

They also ordered every course, whereas I was just planning to have a main. They even ordered extra things between courses, which massively delayed us.

At the next meal, we asked if we could sit at another table, and it wasn’t a problem. It had really upset me to see people treating the crew so badly, and it certainly wasn’t the relaxing mealtime experience I was looking for.

Not all table-sharing experiences are bad, though. When I took a cruise with my Mum on P&O’s Britannia, we also were sat at a table for ten on the first night.

The other guests were lovely, interesting, and well-mannered. We had such a nice meal that we arranged to all meet up again on the last night of the cruise to discuss our thoughts on the journey.

I don’t mind being asked if I would like to table share – but I don’t want to be at a set table with the same group of people every night. I don’t find that at all relaxing or enjoyable.

Why Is Table Sharing Still a Thing?

In decades gone by, cruises were formal affairs. Set meal times, big shared tables and enforced small talk were the norm.

These days, most people value the freedom to do what they want when they are on holiday. They want to have the option to eat when they are hungry and choose when, and if. they want to share a table at mealtimes.

I don’t mind being asked if I would mind sharing a table – but I hate it when table sharing is enforced.

If I wanted to socialise at dinner, I’d invite people I want to dine with myself! It is not unusual for me to find other cruise bloggers or journalists I have met before when I cruise. We sometimes meet up and share a meal together.

Table sharing is one of my least favourite things about cruising. Luckily, only the more formal lines still enforce it, so I tend to choose cruise lines that don’t.

If you are going on a Cunard Cruise, for instance, and aren’t staying in a suite, you will eat in the main dining room and could be expected to table share.

Some would argue that this is part of the whole “Cunard” traditional cruise experience, but it isn’t for everyone.

Find out about the Transatlantic crossing I took on Queen Mary 2. She is the last Ocean Liner at sea, and everything about her is traditional, including dining.

Which Cruise Lines Still Enforce Table Sharing?

Cruise Lines where table sharing and set dining times are still common. It’s important to note that if you are in a group of 4 or more the cruise lines rarely assume you’ll want to table share, but if you are 1 or 2 or even 3 some of them still do.

• MSC Cruises
  • Table sharing is still a thing, especially in the main dining rooms.
  • If you don’t request otherwise, you are likely to be seated with others.
  • Even if you do get a table for two, it might be really close to the next table along, so you might still feel like you are table-sharing!
  • If you pay slightly more for your cabin( Fantastica experience rather than the basic Bella experience), you might be able to choose your dining time and request not to table share.
    • If you have the even more expensive “Aurea” experience cabin, you get “Free time” dining with a dedicated restaurant or area.
  • The more expensive cabin you book, the less likelihood there is of you table sharing!
• Cunard
  • Cunard is a very traditional cruise line, which means assigned tables and sharing as standard – unless you specifically request a private table.
  • Again, if you have paid more and are dining in the Queen’s Grill dining room for suite passengers, you will have your own assigned table, you won’t be asked to table share.
• Holland America Line
  • You may be seated with others in the main dining room, especially if you have a set dining time.
  • You may be able to request a table for two, rather than table sharing.
• Fred. Olsen
  • Fred. Olsen has fixed dining times and table sharing every evening.
  • You will be sitting with the same people every evening, at the same table at the same time.
    • If you go to the main dining room for lunch, you can sit elsewhere and not table share.

Find out all about my cruise with Fred. Olsen below. I didn’t actually make it to the main dining room for dinner most nights – I was too seasick to face any food!

Cruise Lines That Rarely (or Never) Enforce Table Sharing

• P&O Cruises
  • It’s been a long time since I was made to table share on a P&O cruise.
  • Private tables are standard, you can book in the App for the right number of people.
  • P&O is now trying to cater for the family market, particularly on their newer ships, Iona and Arvia. They have moved with the times and moved away from table sharing.
• Royal Caribbean
  • Royal Caribbean has “My Time Dining” in the main dining room and lots of speciality restaurants to make it easy to avoid sharing.
• Norwegian Cruise Line
  • 100% “Freestyle Dining” means you’ll never be forced to sit with strangers.
  • Eat when and where you choose. There are many different options and restaurants available.
• Celebrity Cruises
  • “Select Dining” allows flexibility, and table sharing is optional.
  • If you don’t want to share, just tell them that when you arrive at the dining room.
• Virgin Voyages
  • There is no main dining room.
  • There is a selection of restaurants, all of which seat you at private tables.

How to Avoid Table Sharing on a Cruise

Pick Flexible Dining Options

• Most cruise lines now offer “anytime” or “freestyle” dining, which means you show up when you want and usually get a private table.

Make a Request Before Your Cruise

• Some cruise lines allow you to request a private table when booking.
• If you have set dining, call the cruise line or ask your travel agent to request a table for two, rather than table sharing with others.

• Use Speciality Restaurants or Buffets
  • If the main dining room insists on table sharing, eat in the buffet or a speciality restaurant instead.
  • Some ships have included venues with table service but no forced sharing (e.g., MSC’s Yacht Club, Royal Caribbean’s Coastal Kitchen, and The Glass House on Marella).

Speak to the Maitre D’ on Day One

• If you’re assigned a shared table, go straight to the restaurant on embarkation day and ask for a private one.
• They can move you if space allows.

When my parents recently took a cheap last-minute cruise on MSC Preziosa, they had a shared table on the second sitting.

They had the more expensive “Fantastica” cabin, so they should have been able to have some say over their dining arrangements but were just allocated shared seating and a second dining slot.

They asked to have a table for two and the earlier dining seating as soon as they were onboard.

They were sent into a side room – which was full of other people, sitting on chairs, waiting to change their dining arrangements! It took some time and wasn’t how they wanted to spend their first hours onboard but they were told they would try and make changes for them.

By the second night, MSC had arranged an earlier dining sitting and a table for two – albeit in a side area of the dining room that had been opened up especially.

Shared Tables Should Be a Choice, Not a Rule

• In my opinion, shared tables should be a choice, not a rule.
  • If you love chatting with new people over dinner, great! But it’s not for everyone.
• As more and more cruise lines move toward flexible dining, the old “assigned table” system feels very outdated.
  • Decades ago, people were used to eating with others on cruise ships, in boarding houses or at holiday camps. That doesn’t mean you have to do that still now!
• If you’re like me and just want to eat with the people you came with, there are plenty of ways to make it happen.
  • Look for other included restaurants, go to the buffet, or splash out and go to some extra cost “speciality restaurants”.

Have a look at all of the food options available onboard Norwegian Prima below.

Norwegian don’t have shared tables in their main dining rooms, and there are so many restaurants and alternative places to eat onboard.

Before You Go

Find out more about all the different dining options available when you cruise here:

What is the Difference Between Eating in the Buffet or the Main Dining Room on a Cruise Ship?

Find out about the food I ate when cruising with Cunard here:

Everything I Ate on a Cunard Cruise (Pub, Dining Rooms and More)