On dining with supposedly likely minded fellow passengers

"Dining with likely minded fellow passengers."

This line appears in so many cruise brochures that it must rank among the most repeated cliches of the industry. Well, every now and then you do meet interesting people at your dinner table and consequently, the conversation that follows can be interesting as well.

However, most of the time, the precise opposite is true. First of all, people are not chatting with each other but at each other, as somebody so well put it. How many cruises have I taken on this line before and how ship X compared with ship Y tend to rank among top opening lines in this chit chat, followed by how delightful is our six bedroom house in Kingston-upon-Thames.

Quite simply, the fact that a number of people have chosen the same ship for the same cruise does not mean that they have an awful lot in common.

I mostly cruise on my own and those holidays are time I dedicate for myself and do things that I want to do. Quite simply, I find very little appeal in the idea of spending two hours each night with the same people with whom I am not likely minded, listening to something that I have no interest in whatsoever.

Luckily, many lines and ships offer alternative dining options whereby you can escape all this. My preferred option is to have light dinner at the buffet on one night and then on some other book a table at a specialty restaurant. Yes, it will cost extra, but it is worth it!

Venues like Todd English on Cunard Line's Queen Victoria or Arcadian Rhodes on P&O Cruises' Arcadia that I have visited on my own have produced a truly enjoyable dining experience whereas the main dining room frequently has not.

In these little restaurants, you enjoy the attentive but not intrusive service of half a dozen or so people, the atmosphere is quieter, more peaceful and more pleasant than that of the huge main dining room. And last but not certainly least, you can have a table for yourself. There is no obligation to join a conversation or to be exposed to that of others, which is so very satisfying indeed. A holiday should be a holiday also from social engagements that you do not want to parttake.

All this turned even better when Carolyn, an American friend of mine, said that she takes a book with her to such restaurants when she goes on cruises on her own. The book acts as a perfect "companion" that allows you to divert your attention to something between the courses and even while enjoying one so that you can comfortably slow down and truly enjoy the meal.

I will be going on Queen Victoria again in December for a quick stint of four nights and look forward to going back to Todd English: it will be Me Time in My Space.