Pestered at Sea

Over the past few weeks I have read a couple of letters from readers about the pros and cons of cruising. I feel that my experience on a cruise to Alaska last September is timely and worth mentioning to single female cruisers.

The second day of our cruise I went to our cabin to get a sweater. (My travel companion was my mother.) While on the way to our cabin, our room steward saw me and opened the door for me. He was pleasant and talking to me and came into the cabin. He asked if we could meet for drinks and to talk. To avoid the issue I told him I would have to think about it. I made a point of never going to my cabin alone again.

At dinner the same evening a waiter from another table came over to talk. He told me that he walked each evening at a certain place and at a certain time. The implications were so clear that my mother and another diner at our table who heard him were amazed.

Every day my mother and I had our lunch at the same buffet. The young man handing out the trays on the third day of the voyage asked me if I was busy that night. I said yes. He asked every day after that.

Am I mad? You bet. I am 40 and most of these service people were young enough to be my sons. I wanted to relax and be pampered. Instead, I was made nervous by pestering. On top of everything else, I paid $2,300 for all that irritation.

So if single women are thinking about cruising, I suggest they ask their travel agents about the cruise lines policy and reputation for dating passengers. Since I won’t be cruising again, please keep up those articles on Southwestern motor travel.

SUSAN RICHARDS, Palos Verdes Peninsula