AIBU to dread sharing my cruise with a clingy colleague?

We changed a holiday as three kids from my work were on flight and hotel. They had 2 of the worst behave kids I've ever known
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Oh poor you, I feel your pain. It’s a reason I would never go on a cruise.
Boundaries, boundaries. Don’t let her ruin this trip for you. Practise a ‘script’ before you go and stick to it. Wave from a distance and don’t go over. Acknowledge with a wave and nod and then look down again. If they come over one of you stand up as if walking off and keep a conversation short. Never ever ask them to sit down. Always make sure there are no spare chairs where you’re sitting so she can’t sit down. If they ask to join you say you were just leaving. Don’t encourage them to sit down.
Set ‘rules’ out when you see her for the first time. ‘Oh Hi, isn’t it lovely? Anyway we won’t bother you, nothing worse than seeing someone you know on holiday isn’t it ha ha ha’ and walk off.

If she persists, an obvious disappointed look and sigh might help.
You’d be surprised at how easy it is avoid her - don’t let it ruin the holiday. Have a wonderful time

Could you start some Chinese whispers about how you and DH are going in the hope for some swinging action? Put a pineapple on your desk in preparation?

risky though, could go one of two ways 😂

I’d change my dates 😆

Option 1- go in disguise. Dark glasses,hat.

Option 2. Pretend to be your own doppelganger and that as such, you don't know her.

If she's going with others, presumably she'll stick with them ?

I actually had a friend on the same cruise ship, she’d tagged herself at the port side. We was on for 2 weeks and I bumped into her once ! And we was actively looking out for each other.

🤣 Haha, I did wonder, but she showed me her pictures at my next appointment.

Don’t forget that if she knows DH, he will also have to go in disguise. Either he’s going to have to grow a beard/moustache pretty quickly or shave them off if he already has them.

I wouldn't bank on it. We got the coach to Southampton, talked to a couple going on the same cruise. We bumped into them at least once a day during the cruise!

We once met a local family on our flight to Floridas and their daughter and our son were in the same class. Its amazing how many times we bumped into them! And that was the whole of Orlando and its various parks.

You definitely need a disguise and cross fingers your table allocation isnt with them!

Don’t say anything, with cruises there’s so many it’s easy “not to realise” it’s the same one in advance (use the excuse your husband booked it and you hadn’t realised it was the same week if you do bump into her). You may find that with her dh she’s more mellow, also if you see her on the ship you simply are polite for 5 minutes but “can’t talk now because you have something booked” and disappear off, with 3000 people you might not even see them

Op can you get back to the thread in a few weeks time im very curious to know if you do see one another and how you handled it hahaha. This would give me so much anxiety.

She could think you’ve booked since speaking to her! So obvs you would LOVE to hang out with her. 😬

You need to invent an identical twin sister sharpish!

If you see them, grab your husband and engage in some intense snogging. Then look them up and down and ask if they’d like to come to your cabin for drinks. That should see em off.

I was once on a cruise when my boss's boss's boss spotted me to say hello. Didn't see her again for the whole cruise. I wouldn't be too worried.

I’m sure you will be fine. I’ve been on a few cruises knowing associates are on board and it’s been rare to bump into them.
Always have an excuse ready if you do, but don’t be specific incase that see you where you said you wouldn’t be. In all honesty once you are on board having a lovely time you will forget about them.

This!
I straighten my hair for work but leave it naturally curly on holiday. Hopefully you can do something similar, it totally throws people.

I was getting off a two week cruise once when I bumped into a neighbour and her family (all 7 of them.) None of us had spotted the others the whole time we'd been on board. Chances are you won't even see her, especially if you don't tell her in advance so she won't be looking out for you.

Or she could be in the cabin next to yours..What's the chances.mwah hahaha.

Ha ha love all the assume a new identity suggestions. Wouldn’t it be easier to clearly tell her nicely that - no offence - but that you don’t want to spend time with people from back home or work when on holiday.

You don’t like her much anyway so you have nothing to lose!

Would be my worst nightmare. You go on holiday to escape! I would not say anything and if they do see you say you completely forgot they had said they were coming on this cruise and you booked last minute. Then excuse yourself asap!

Are you sure she didn't panic and change her booking

Exactly