Best places onboard to make new friends?

[KollaCruise]

I am a newbie and have tried to use the search function to try and get answers to my question, but to no avail. If it has been discussed previously I apologise.

 

I am hopeful some of you seasoned cruisers may be kind enough to put my mind to rest regarding where on the ship is good places to find new friends and how do people go about making friends ? I hope I dont sound like a possible Dr Laura case here :-)

 

We have never been on a cruise and are looking foreward to going in the next couple of months.

 

We have decided that we will not opt for the formal evening dinner option after reading many reviews here about formal evenings and the dining room in general. So at first I was thinking that we will sit with 4 or so other couples in the eve for dinner and we will get to know them very well, but since spending about 10 hours of reading here in the last couple of days, I now come to realise that casual dining at our own convenience, bufffet style, will suit our lifestyle better.

 

I just love talking (as most women in general do !) , and I am hoping to have the nessecary skills onboard to make friends early on. Suggestions I have come up so far includes:

 

- Signing up on a thread here for our spesific cruise to meet others before the cruise online, who will be on the same sailing.

 

- Attend the CC meet and greet party onboard

 

- We will be out and about lounging at the pool, visiting the gym, attending dance lessons etc

 

But where on the ship is great places to meet other perhaps chat hungry people in the same boat as me ? Any suggestions welcome as I really wonder about this.

[rkacruiser]

It is very easy to meet others on a ship if you follow one simple rule: talk to others who are around you! At sailaway, there will be others on deck, at the rail, like you. Strike up a casual conversation, something that has to do with the start of the cruise or the departure of the ship, and you may find that this brief conversation will turn into some "friends" that you will have for the rest of the cruise(or longer!).

 

If you enjoy a cocktail or two, sit at the bar, do not sit at a table by yourselves. Usually--not always, as I have found out--but usually, those who sit at the bar are willing to engage in a conversation. And, if not really busy, the conversation may be joined by the bartenders(you get to know some of the crew that way, too.)

 

Joining a Roll Call as you mentioned is a very good idea. But, be aware that some work out better than others.

 

Talk to people in the elevators, on the tenders, standing in line to disembark or embark at a port, standing in line at the buffet. Don't worry about making friends when you board. Just relax, smile at folks, and have fun. The social contact will come very naturally, I think you will find.

[celbercrz333]

Out at the pool!!! Most people are more relaxed out at the pool. People are just reading books, people-watching and listening to music. I think if you are seated near people your age you are more likely to strike up conversations. You always have something in common with these people, the ship! Talk could start out about the food on the ship, how large or small the rooms are, etc. You know what to chat about! We made several groups of friends on our first cruise. We had our dining room group, our golf outting group (we were in Bermuda), we had some people we just seem to keep bumping into. We are early risers, so the same people would go to the breakfast buffet. We saw people on board that we met waiting for one of the shows to start. Some we saw at the beach. It became a cozy cruise after a while. ONly sad thing was when it ended.

[wrp96]

My last cruise I went by myself so I had to meet people or spend a week by myself. So I talked to people as I waited at the airport for the transfer to the pier, I talked to people while waiting in line to check in.

 

Anytime you are waiting for anything chat with the people around you. Some of the people I talked to that first day, I ended up spending time in port with. They bought me lunch for my birthday while we were in St. Thomas.

 

When you are thirsty, go to the bars and sit at the bars, even if you don't drink alcohol. Make friends with the other people sitting at the bar. My last cruise I made friends with the bartenders at one bar who over the week would introduce me to various people. Again, I ended up attending activities and shows with many of these people.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

People can be very friendly on cruise ships. Standing by the rail is a great place to talk with folks near you, especially when leaving or entering a port. Another place is if you join some of the Ship Shape dollar activities such as the morning walk or aerobic classes.

 

You will always be "bumping" into people in the elevators, passageways and buffet lines. Remember, though, that especially on big ships, you may strike up a pleasant conversation with some friendly people and then never see them again the entire cruise.

[bruce-r]

....... I now come to realise that casual dining at our own convenience, bufffet style, will suit our lifestyle better.

While I respect your choice, I would like to encourage you to go to the traditional fixed time dinner. It is one of my favorite parts of the cruise. In my opinion, the food is better, I like the waiters taking my order and bringing me the nicely presented dishes, and it is a good place to meet people. At least try the regular dinning room the first night at sea just to try it out.

[montgomeryfamily]

What ship are you going to be on? This would help us to give you more specific suggestions too.

[trish1c]

To meet new people just be friendly. Say "hi"; sometimes that ice breaker is all it takes.

 

Anytime you are in line (this works at home in the grocery store too) say hello.

 

Give dinner in the dining room a try at least one night. You are forced to meet others & who knows you might like it. If you hate it, there's always the buffet the rest of the trip.

 

Talk to people on your excursions, especially in the bus getting there.

 

If a venue is crowded -- like the lunch buffet -- ask to share a big table with another couple. Most people are happy to share.

 

Enjoy.

[KollaCruise]

Many thanks to everyone who has replied and put my concerns to rest. Its only a week since I became a member on CC and already I feel so welcome here.

 

After reading lots of reviews of previous cruisers, I also now realize once again that we should try and befriend people who are upbeat and positive, and eg stay away from cruise mates who calls the NCL Dream now the Norwegian Nightmare. The same reviewer called the Simply Gold singers, Simply Awful ! Lol

 

Although its nice and very useful on here to be beware of everything that was not up to scratch while they were onboard, it will be nice, as always it is, to be surrounded by fun positive cruise mates !

 

Giving the formal dining room another thought, forsure, yes on second thought and after a informative chat with my beloved partner, we will try that out at least once and pack accordingly.

 

We have not yet decided on which ship we will go as I patiently awaits the day that I will become a Canadian citizen, it will just be so much easier to travel on a Canadian passport. Hopefully by the end of November I will be in a position to say "proudly Canadian" now, and no more applying for visas for almost every country I want to visit.

[direfun2000]

My partner & I are both early risers (around 5am). We always met other early risers enjoying coffee by the pool before it got to crowded. We would meet them later in the evening for drinks and had a ball!

 

 

Relax, enjoy, let human nature takes its course and you WILL have a fantastic time.

 

 

All the best:D

[hajekfam]

We have always enjoyed our dinner companions. With assigned seating, you get to know your tablemates. Also, we tend to strike up conversations at the buffet upon boarding. There are plenty of opportunities to meet others - whether on tours, taking part in shipboard activities, going on tours, etc.

[clackey]

Hola amigos,

 

 

 

The hottub gets my vote.:D

[mrsfuzzmo]

It's going to be as easy as asking..."Where are you folks from?" It's the cliche "pick-up" line on the ships, but it works! We've met so many great people onboard the ships and it has really made the trips extra special.

 

Definitely go to dinner at your assigned time at least for the first couple of nights to see what it is all about. You don't have to dress 'formal' for all dinners, dressy casual is the norm on most ships for dinners except the one or two formal nights. If you don't want to go to those, then hit the other options, but check out your table mates on the first night or two, as they can become close friends and really make the trip a blast!

 

I also agree that around the pool especially in the afternoon when everyone is embibing in their favorite "umbrella" drinks and the reggae band is playing, it's a great time to meet people.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

Mrsfuzzmo

[montgomeryfamily]

Kollacruise, I think that the advice that everyone has given you is good. My brother, who cruises together with me, is very extroverted and likes to talk with people also. I'll give you some things that I think has worked well for him. First, he is very friendly and says hello to lots of people. He also tells people his name and introduces himself--although you might want to just give your first name. The people who just say hi back and don't give their name, etc., he realizes they don't really want to talk, so he doesn't pursue it with them. Those that do want to talk, he will talk, but tries to be aware if standing in lene, waiting for elevator, etc, not to hold them up from their final destination.

 

Although I am more introverted, through my brother, I have met more people on shipboard than I ever would have on my own. Once, when we were on the Rhapsody, there were so many people that knew my brother after we had been on shipboard for only a few days, the people who ate at the table across from ours asked what group we were traveling with. :)

 

Another thing you might want to consider is a Cruise Critic group cruise. Now unlike other types of group cruises, on a Cruise Critic group cruises, you don't eat together. The type of activities depends very much on the group and you can do as little or as much with the group as you want. Many people book the group cruises just to take advantage of group pricing. But others book because they would like to talk to people before the cruise and also "know" some people before even boarding. With a group there is an opportunity to share some shore excursions when you have several people who want to do the same type of thing.

 

I am a group leader on the August 19, 2006 Caribbean Princess Cruise Critic group cruise and my brother will be cruising with me on this cruise also. You are welcome to join this cruise. We are going to have a sailaway party and also a meet and mingle. (Of course, this is optional--no one has to come). Also we may have other activities if the group is interested in some other activities--again, purely optional.

 

If you want more information about this, you can email me at kacruiser@ev1.net or click on the links below. Also, if you have never sailed or booked on Princess, you can get a referral for booking which would give you a $25 discount.

 

There are other Cruise Critic group cruises offered on other ships and at other times. So if if the Cruise Critic group cruise idea interests you but our Caribbean Princess cruise doesn't interest you, then check out the Cruise Critic member group cruises forum.

 

As everyone has said, just be upbeat and positive. if you get someone who is grumpy or rude, then let it slide and just go on to the next person to talk. I think you will really enjoy cruising and will have a great time!

[hotmike98]

Because we traveled with a large group this year, we had the same people (whom we know and love) for our dinner seatings, but still wanted to meet others. Solution: go to the main dining room for lunch and/or breakfast. Ask to be seated at large tables, and you will meet a variety. Best opener is always, "Where are you from?"

[PelicanBill]

We made friends with people on our past cruises

 

 

* At the Kids's club orientation (find a family with kids the same age, introduce the parents, introduce the kids!)

* At the dinner table

* In the hot tub (best conversation place!)

* Early morning walks

* Poolside

 

Conversation starters:

* Where are you from

* What did you do today/ are you going to do at the next port

[KollaCruise]

Wow, you guys are just fantastic !

 

So many really good ideas coming my way.

Many thanks again for all the help.

[kenandlaura06]

We are hoping to meet other honeymooners/young couples on our cruise, so we will go to any sort of honeymooners reception they have on board.

[CaptData]

I'm single. One of the best places to meet people is on a ship excursion. Alot of first timers take ship excursions because they are not sure of the area yet. It is a great way to meet others and perhaps learn of different parts of different countires and or States. I kept bumping into a newly wed couple in their 30's because we all liked to snorkle. She was a nurse so she asked why I used a scooter on board but canes on land. I told her I have MS. Her husband was a physio theripist (sp). He knew quite a bit about MS because of his clients. We ended up have lunch together twice. We talked about how cruising and swimming was helping me. She was interested in history so I told her about a chance to go to Blackbeard's castle and the church that was very old. They both loved it. Be willing to talk about what you have seen on different islands or if it is your first time there about your part of the world. I get a kick out of some Americans who say Canadian bacon is the best on eggs bendict. I have back bacon (Canadian) on mine at home all the time but the US has it imported. I think it is great that we share including receipes.

[mii]

Another place is the tables right by the pool. Of course I do not know what cruise line you are on but on Princess Ships, it is the Lido Deck. There are tables right by the pool and the bar. Alot of times my DH and I would find a table, order a drink and always there are other people at the table next to us and we always start a conversation such as "where are you from" "how many cruises is this for you" etc.

 

Marilyn