Cruising with Friends-Do's and Don'ts

[griffy116]

Make sure you discuss some ground rules about private time - you really don't want to share everything. This is especially important if you have connecting rooms and/or balconies - there are probably times of day and night when you wouldn't want even close friends walking in or peering in through your balcony door.

 

We have done cruises with as few as 4 and as many as 27. We all get together in advance of the cruise. We say, "this is what we are doing (excursion, etc), but that's us. There are tons of different options for you to pick from and if you choose something else, it won't hurt our feelings and we will get with your for a drink before dinner. If you would like to join us, we'll book it together to make sure we are on the same tour/excursion." We also pick a spot on one of the pool decks, on one side and say, "should you be looking for us, we'll be here or there will be a note on the outside of our cabin." Works like a charm. If they say, let's go to breakfast together in the WJ and we want to do the MDR for breakfast, we just tell them that we are doing the MDR and what time we will be back in our cabin if they want to join us when they finish or that we'll see them, maybe on the pool deck later. Sometimes they decide to go with us, sometimes we meet after breakfast.

[Hommiette]

Thank you for all the recommendations! I greatly appreciate it as I really do like spending family time with family and hope our friends do the same the majority of the time. The "joined-at-the-hip" really makes me nervous as I tend to like to do/go wherever I want but have a small feeling this family might be a little more....I don't know what the word is but I'm hoping I can make things clear before hand as suggested.

[sail7seas]

Several years ago, a couple who have been good friends of ours for many years asked if we would cruise with them. We were happy to say yes but right from the start when picking our cabin, I mentioned to our friend the cabins on either side of us was taken but that shouldn't matter. Actually, it would be great if we were port and they starboard so we could get views from both sides. She was fine with the suggestion. :)

 

Then a few weeks later she called me and said they were booking two or three particular excursions and if we were interested in joining them, they wanted us to know while there were still available seats. I thanked her for her thoughtfulness and said we had been to those ports before and likely would not do excursions there but certainly they should go ahead and make their plans. I told her we'd look forward to hearing all about their day at dinner. She was great with that.

 

We had a wonderful time together, are as close or closer than always and, indeed, are cruising together the same Canada/NE itinerary and are very much looking forward to it.

 

Right from the start establish independence and everyone does just what they want and only what they want.

 

It works well that way.

 

IMO

[Krazy Kruizers]

Over the years we have cruised with people whom we met on various ships.

We all do our own things - sometimes we have taken a tour together -- maybe have met for a drink on the ship.

But we all respect each other's privacy.

I am not one of those people who would want the dividers opened -- like our privacy!!